From the course: Introduction to Songwriting

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Copyrighting and publishing

Copyrighting and publishing

From the course: Introduction to Songwriting

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Copyrighting and publishing

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- [Narrator] If all you ever do is write songs for yourself and those closest to you, that's already an exceptional accomplishment. However, if you're hoping that your songs will have a broader reach and even generate income, then there are quite a few additional things to keep in mind. The other way to put this is that you can write a great song, but it will go nowhere without your doing what it takes to get other people to hear it. This means incorporating a whole host of skills involving the business side of songwriting. Let's start with a few of the basics. Once you've created a song and documented it in some form like sheet music or a recording, which could even be singing into your smartphone, then you'll officially have copywritten material. If you wanted to go the extra mile and register your recording or sheet music with the Register of Copyrights in Washington DC, you could. But personally, I generally reserve that for those songs of mine that will be made commercially…

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