Future Copyright - www.futurecopyright.com

[Oldrottenhead]

hope i haven't upset you with my post, but bruno mar's song does (to my ears) sound eerily  like ours.

lots of good info here http://www.songwriters-guild.co.uk/

[64Guitars]

The question I was asking is - what is the best way to protect my songs, I want to do this right.

I just wondered what other people do and how they have protected their songs.

I was looking for a bit of mentoring not haranguing because of what I choose to do, or not to do with my songs.

I'm sure nobody meant to harangue you Haylie. We're just trying to point out that Songcrafters probably isn't the best place to ask your question since few, if any, of us worry about copyright for our songs. We just post them for the fun of it and the support and feedback from like-minded musicians. So, to get a good answer to your question, I think you should look for a forum with people like yourself who are interested in protecting their songs and have experience with copyright. I don't know of any such forums because it's not something that interests me, but I'm sure they must exist. Maybe someone else here can post some links. You're still welcome here, of course. I'm just trying to help you find somewhere to get an answer to your question from people with copyright experience as I don't think you'll find many such people here.

[Nelson]

Thanks guys - Nelson it's very hard to record comedy without an audience to bounce off as it's a reactive and physical thing and with the greatest respect no-one ever says anything negative on here so is it really the best way to judge how good a song is?

There is also the fact that I predominantly sing about sex and I am virtually the only female on here - my songs could be miscontrued and put me in a potentially difficult position - sorry but as a female in a male environment it's unfortunately something I have to consider. I also feel I need to constantly justify myself on here and why should I, no-one else does and they sing and write about whatever the hell they like! Let's get this one out of the way now because I'm not saying it again - Yes they are just songs and no, I am really not using this as a dating site and couldn't be less interested in anyone!

This year I'm concentrating on gaining experience playing live so I am doing anything and everything from standing in a muddy puddle singing next to bumper cars where no-one can here a thing to playing at a 600 seat theatre and yes, I tailor what I do to a certain extent to the audience (the worse case scenario being I pack up and go home!)

The question I was asking is - what is the best way to protect my songs, I want to do this right. There is a UK copyright office which costs £289 for 10 songs and I would pay it if it's the best option but sounds like someone calling themselves it and ripping people off - I want to do this right and have had no previous experience of this. I just wondered what other people do and how they have protected their songs.

I was looking for a bit of mentoring not haranguing because of what I choose to do, or not to do with my songs.

Well Haylie
This is a first for me. I never been accused of giving a long pompous speech before. (I had to google haranguing.)  
I thought you were fishing for in sight, suggestions and ideas, rather then a short definitive answer. If I had know that I would have simply said, I don't know.  
Sorry for any misunderstanding / haranguing on my part.
The subject of protections of intellectual property is just as new to me so all have to share is what I've actually done. I'd like to think of it, more as, sharing my experience than, a pompous speech. 
Haranguing was definitely not my intention.

[Farrell Jackson]

Haylie, I don't know of any place that copyrights a song for world wide protection. Different countries have different entities that do that. UK, USA, Canada each have a copyright office. I'm most familiar with the USA Library Of Congress because I've used them several times to copyright my songs but not the other places. You can copyright individual songs or groups of songs for a fee. The last group of works (15 songs) I sent off for copyright cost me $35 but I think it's gone up a little since then.  You get a copyright so you can prove you are the creator of the work...whatever the work is. As you mentioned, the moment you write down a joke or song it has
a copyright.......proving that legally is the trick.

I'm not aware of anyone stealing any of my songs........I wish a large company would and then sell a gazillion so I could sue for my piece of the pie. It hasn't happened nor likely will but I do keep up my legal copyright protection and add the © symbol and date to every lyric and song I create......just in case.
Farrell

[Hilary]

Nelson the first paragraph was in response to your post - not the rest, sorry for the misunderstanding - I'm going to stop commenting now as it's not very productive but thank you all for your honest opinions on the matter.

[Oldrottenhead]

farrell's post has jogged my memory it was library of congress swansong mentioned. not sure if that's of any use to us in the uk.

and it looks to me as if comedians have a better way of dealing with the theft of intellectual property than musicians have, http://www.freakonomics.com/2010/03/30/the-vigilantes-of-comedy-a-guest-post/

[Hook]

OOOOOOOOOOO I've been reading this on my phone all weekend and didn't want to try to text a reply...well I did text one reply on the 1st page. Regardless, here is my 2 cents (current value 1cent) on the topic. I do make my living as a musician and I have some past material copyrighted with the library of congress. I believe swansong uses BMI, not sure how it works, would love to hear his thoughts since I know he does copyright most of his material. I have to side with the majority opinion here and I do not care to copyright any of my songs. I do have a cd available for my day job tunes for download in lots of online stores and made next to nothing. All my income comes from performing.
If I'm not mistaken Halie you would like to become a performance artist and during a performance there is nothing to stop someone from videoing & posting your performance or just stealing it from memory.I would be flattered and it probably would benefit your career more than hurt it. As we have discussed here before, it is very difficult to have a completely original idea. I do enjoy your 50 shades tune, but have heard others with similar ideas. You are a talented singer and pretty witty but if no one hears you, you will get nowhere. Any band that has succeeded has had to play for very little if not for free to gain a following & I would presume that the same is true for the comic circuit. The idea that some one will take your material and make it successful is pretty unlikely & and stems from our personal attachment to the tunes.We all have that one or 2 songs that could make it. Even if they did steal it and you had the copyright, the costs to fight would be huge and you might not win, take the Coldplay situation, the other dude, can't think of his name had a great case and lost. 
Also remember that you don't seem to have a problem recording and posting other writers stuff(covers) here and they have copyrights for a reason. I would hope that The Rolling Stones would be flattered to have us cover their songs but we all know that Metallica would not be.  Music is on the road to being free which means that we as musicians/artists must perform to make a living. I certainly don't think anyone here was trying to discourage you from gaining copyright, nor have I noticed anyone uncomfortable with your subject matter or reasons for posting (dating site? really?). we are are musicians who are embracing technology to create our own music our own way and love sharing it with peers. I certainly do hope to hear more from you, covers or originals, because it is nice to have the variety of a female perspective, & if you make dirty jokes so will we .
check out  homerecording.com they have a forum for marketing your music that you might find some helpful hints.
Lastly, I personally find threads like this very useful and insightful and have enjoyed reading everyones views and hope to see more. Sorry for the novella, I've been a little pent up!
Rock On!

[Hilary]

My general response to your comments:

No comedian would intentionally post their act online. As I have said before, they have a show reel for prospective clients and that is usually it. In fact, some things I've done, you have to declare all online accounts, including Youtube, Soundcloud and yes even Songcrafters. All recordings of any sort are banned in comedy clubs and UK comedians are trying to bring into force the same piracy laws as the film industry, ie anyone caught recording a performance will be prosecuted – as stated in the article I posted (highly unlikely though). If I perform my own material and someone else copies it but everyone believes it's their material not mine, I will never work again in the industry even though it's my own work.

I'm not in this for the money, I do it because for some reason it's what I need to do. I just want to protect what is mine. I believe in my songs and am just starting to believe in my abilities to perform them.

64G - 'I'm still welcome here' - gee thanks

[Oldrottenhead]

how the heckle do you do that

[Oldrottenhead]

as a scotsman i am just glad you are not 66guitars
as an athiest i wish you where 666guitars
whatever number you are  i love you,
heart n soul of this place
thanks