From the course: Music Law: Copyrighting a Song
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When is a song published?
From the course: Music Law: Copyrighting a Song
When is a song published?
- One question that comes up a few times in the application process is whether a song is published. The answer affects the format of the work that you deposit with the copyright office, your ability to register several songs at once, and how you answer certain questions on the application. Generally, publication is related to sales and/or distribution of copies of a work. A song is published when copies of the song, for example, as an MP3, CD or vinyl, are distributed to the public. It's also considered published when you offer somebody else the right to sell or transfer copies. For example, you make a deal with a record company. Although it may seem counterintuitive, a song is not published when you perform it at a show, no matter how many people are exposed to it. The same is true for performances on the radio or on TV, or posting it online. Unless copies, MP3s, CDs, vinyl, etc. change hands, a song is not considered to be published. What if a song is posted at SoundCloud, but the…
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