Copyright Registration for a Song: A Comprehensive Guide for Bands

37 questions on copyright registration for a song, answered and cited by the UpLaw editorial team.

• Can a producer's or session player's work be made a “work made for hire”?
• Can you register a composition and a sound recording on one application?
• Does a band need to register its copyrights in other countries?
• Do the composition and the master have the same authors?
• How do bands actually get ownership from producers and session players?
• How does a composition earn money?
• How does a master recording earn money, and what is SoundExchange?
• How does registration timing affect what a band can recover?
• How do you fix an error in a song's copyright registration?
• How do you register unreleased demos before an album comes out?
• How is an interpolation different from a sample?
• How should cleared samples be reflected on a copyright registration?
• Should a band own its catalog through an entity?
• What are the most common mistakes bands make with copyright registration?
• What can one co-owner of a song do without the others' permission?
• What does a music copyright application ask for?
• What do you have to clear to use a sample?
• What happened to sound recordings made before February 15, 1972?
• What happens after you submit a music copyright application?
• What is a split sheet, and why does a band need one for every song?
• What is GRAM group registration for an album?
• What is preregistration, and when does a band need it?
• What is the clearest way to see the difference between a composition and a master?
• What is the Copyright Claims Board, and can a band use it?
• What is the difference between licensing and assigning a song?
• What is The MLC, and why must a songwriter enroll?
• What is the step-by-step checklist for protecting a band's songs?
• What licenses does a sync placement require?
• What makes someone a joint author of a song?
• What should a band agreement cover?
• What should you deposit when registering a song?
• Which copyright application should a band use?
• Who owns a band's songs by default?
• Why does one recorded song contain two copyrights?
• Why does terrestrial radio pay songwriters but not recording artists?
• Why does the composition deposit decide lawsuits?
• Why must a band register a song before it can sue?