Web directories Web Analytics Learning Guitar-Making Your Own Music Learning Guitar-Making Your Own Music: Oct 25, 2011Learning Guitar-Making Your Own Music

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Making Your Own Music-Learning Guitar

How To Get A Copyright
You Need A Copyright

Under the United States copyright law, as soon as you make a tangible copy of something, you have a copyright. In making your own music, tangible simply means something that you can touch. If the work is a musical composition, for example, it can be written down if you write music, or just sung it onto a recorder. Once this tangible copy exists, you have all the copyright you need. Many people think you have to register in Washington D.C. to get a copyright. Not true. There are some important rights you get from registering, but securing a copyright isn't one of them. So yes, it is that simple. If you sing a song in your head, no matter how completely it's composed, you have no copyright; if you write it down or record it, you have one.

What Are All These Rights You Get?

When you have a copyright, you get the following rights at no extra charge. These rights are exclusive, which means that no one can do these things without your permission. You get exclusive rights to:

1. Reproduce the work.
For example, if you write a song, no one can record it, publish is as sheet music, put it in a movie, or otherwise copy it without your permission.

2. Distribute copies of work.
Apart from the right to reproduce your song, there is a separate right of distribution which you also control.

3. Perform the work publicly.
With a song, this means playing it in nightclubs, on the radio, on television, in amusement parks, supermarkets, elevators, etc.

4. Make a derivative work.
A derivative work is a creation based on another work. In the music industry, an example is parody lyrics, like Weird Al Yankovic. This is considered new work. It is called a derivative because it's derived from the original.

5. Display the work publicly.
This does not apply to music; it's the right to put paintings, statues, etc., on public display.

Learning Guitar

Learning Guitar


Here is a great online guitar lessons course that I highly recommend when learning guitar. If you are interested click click here.

Next post I will discuss more on copyright for song composition.