The Importance Of A Songwriting Copyright

Songwriting is a very popular hobby, one that many people around the world enjoy, now more than ever thanks to shows like American Idol and The X Fact...


Songwriting is a very popular hobby, one that many people around the world enjoy, now more than ever thanks to shows like American Idol and The X Factor which have brought singing and songwriting more into the mainstream than ever before. People like to write songs for different reasons and purposes, some who started when they were very young and others who just got into it at an older age. For some it helps them to heal wounds and for others it is just a lot of fun. Songwriting can relieve stress and help people to tackle things in life.

Whether you are a songwriter as a hobby or professionally, be sure that you understand about the songwriting copyright and what this means. If you do not have a songwriting copyright on any song you write, if it were to get in the wrong hands before you had this copyright that person could basically take the song and claim it as their own. Sure this is pretty underhanded and rude but that is the way it works and we have seen it happen so many times before. Not only that but with a songwriting copyright you are able to legally bind someone if they create even a similar imitation of your song and try to use it as their own.

There are people who have spent years coming up with a hit song but did not go through the copyrighting process and had it stolen, with no proof that it was their own. The process is quick and simple. Basic protection occurs the minute you actually write the song. Once you write or create something it is yours but this does not offer proof.

You will need to register each song you write in order to get a copyright for each song separately. You should be able to find a local copyright office near you or you can get things done by going online. It can cost around $45 to copyright your song but if it is going to be a huge hit you could potentially make millions so it is certainly worth it to spend this money upfront to protect yourself and your song. Especially if you think you have made a big hit, you could stand to make a lot more money back than you are paying out now.

Can you imagine if you wrote a hit song but got none of the credit or money because someone else took claim to it before you got a copyright? This would be a worst case scenario but it still happens all the time. All the professional songwriters should have a copyright for each and every one of their songs. Otherwise you could spend all your time coming up with great songs but then have other people taking credit for it.

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