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| From | "Jaimie Vernon" <bullseyecanada@hotmail.com> |
| Subject | Re: Easiest way to copyright your music.. |
| Date | Mon, 08 Sep 2003 19:36:51 -0400 |
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AT Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2003 13:01:59 Wendy wrote:
>If you're a BMI or ASCAP writer you can register your songs online (if
>you're not affilliated yet, do it >asap). For copyright registration,
>contact the Library of Congress in Washington DC. They have a toll >free
>helpline and will mail you the forms. There's a fee to register one song
>(20 or 30 bucks), or you >can register a group of songs all at once as a
>"songbook" for the same fee. (Email me offlist if you >have questions).
Not sure about BMI, ASCAP, et al, but the Canadian equivalent SOCAN will
only accept registered songs upon completion of a commercial release.
So....if you write a song you cannot register it until such time as the song
is about to be released on a CD, DVD, et al. Their logic is that they are
in the business of collecting royalties from public performance on your
behalf. If the song isn't being released publicly they have no desire to
follow its growth. The problem here, of course, is that typically, a song
may linger quite a while before it sees the light of day....if ever.
This rule was implimented because SOCAN is under-funded and in the early
'90s decided to cut administrative costs by not taking on registration of
works that potentially would never get released. This stopped the wholesale
registration of 100s of works by "wannabe" songwriters...but also of legit
ones as well.
Why they didn't just introduce a fee like their American/British
counterparts I'll never comprehend....they've had a website for 5 years and
you still can't do a search on titles...you have to go to CMRRA for that
(our equivalent to the Harry Fox Agency).
Jaimie Vernon,
President,
Bullseye Records of Canada, Inc.
http://www.bullseyecanada.com
"Not Suing Our Customers Since 1985
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