Wayne Shirley Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 I guess I'm probably old school but you have thousands of "songs" or "pieces of music" that creators post here and in Bandlab - and other places as well. My best guess is that the vast majority of them have not been copyrighted in the traditional sense. So, since there are thieves lurking around just about every corner, what is stopping some enterprising thief from scouring these forums, taking all of the best things he or she hears, and then claiming them for themselves? Is it true that once a musical piece is laid down on electronic media, it is instantly copyrighted? Without any of the usual effort of creating a chord sheet, a recording and sending it to the copyright office and paying for a copyright? I'm confused. Can anyone help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noynekker Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 Hi Wayne . . . Yoda used to say "nefarious the world is" . . . are we naïve if we trust in the humanity of it all ? . . . or, are we fools to keep our music only for ourselves to listen to ? The Cakewalk Songs forum has always been about sharing projects created in Cakewalk . . . thieves will always steal, musicians will always make music. There are probably plenty of copyright lawyers who would love to take your money if you feel your work has been stolen. Posting it online might be the best copyright we have these days. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garybrun Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 I really dont worry about it. I would be chuft if someone nicked one of my songs and turned it into a big hit! ? years ago we used to send our songs to ourselves by registered post and would never open the envolope. This way it was proven when they song was written etc. If someone came after that date and said they had wrote it... you could prove with the unopened letter. Today we do have the interent to a certain exstent! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Shirley Posted February 2, 2021 Author Share Posted February 2, 2021 On 1/22/2021 at 1:26 AM, noynekker said: Thank you for your response! ". . . are we naïve if we trust in the humanity of it all ?" - I've learned to never put my trust & faith in man. ". . . or, are we fools to keep our music only for ourselves to listen to ?" I'm not suggesting we do that, I just would like to be protected legally, that's all. "Posting it online might be the best copyright we have these days." That's possible, but I would like to know for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Shirley Posted February 2, 2021 Author Share Posted February 2, 2021 "years ago we used to send our songs to ourselves by registered post and would never open the envolope. This way it was proven when they song was written etc. If someone came after that date and said they had wrote it... you could prove with the unopened letter." Yes, I've heard of this as well. In addition, I'm pretty sure that you can submit your work to the U.S. copyright office and receive a proper copyright. Thank you for your response! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane_B. Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 I recorded a video of me playing just the lead guitar part to Hotel California and posted to Youtube and set it to Private and not to monetize it. Nobody could see it but me and the people I shared a link to it with, and I could not collect any revenue. I immediately got a copyright strike and my video was removed. I disputed it and said there were dozens of covers of the entire song on Youtube and said it was ridiculous to delete and give a copyright strike to some guy in his basement playing just the guitar part to a crappy midi file of the song. 20 minutes later the video was undeleted and they set it so I could monetize the video, which I never had any intention of doing. That also started to make me wonder who is scanning the music seeing how they know instantly. What's to stop them from listening and stealing something the instant it is uploaded before anyone can hear it. So who knows. I can't figure it all out. I do know that I have 3 songs I've written that I will never post because I don't want them stolen. I have proof in the timestamps of the files when I first recorded them but it's just not worth the hassle. If you have something you cherish and don't want stolen then simply don't post it is the best advice I could give. I posted a country song on a site one time. I can't even remember what the site was but they had their own charting system. It reached #6 on their charts which completely shocked me. It had a very unique opening riff and low and behold if I didn't hear it on the radio a couple of years later. I recognized it right away because I had wrote it and it stuck out because it wasn't the typical cookie cutter rap/rock country you hear on the radio these days. I never officially copyrighted it and how am I going to go up against a huge record label. They'd just say it was coincidence and threaten to take my house if I pursued it any further. That won't happen again. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Joad Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 How To Copyright Your Music: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Shirley Posted February 2, 2021 Author Share Posted February 2, 2021 Old Joad - thank you very much for that. It pretty much answers my questions and validates my suspicions. Again - many thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Shirley Posted February 2, 2021 Author Share Posted February 2, 2021 Shane - I appreciate your reply. "That also started to make me wonder who is scanning the music seeing how they know instantly." - Rick Beato did a vid a while back about what a ghoul Don Henley is regarding this. Turns out that whoever publishes his music DOES INDEED have 40 people in a room somewhere around the clock scouring the ether for instances of someone using their music! "What's to stop them from listening and stealing something the instant it is uploaded before anyone can hear it." Good point. Nothing is stopping them or anyone else, which is why you need to protect yourself. "So who knows. I can't figure it all out." The video posted right after your comment goes a long way to explaining things. " I do know that I have 3 songs I've written that I will never post because I don't want them stolen. I have proof in the timestamps of the files when I first recorded them but it's just not worth the hassle. If you have something you cherish and don't want stolen then simply don't post it is the best advice I could give." So, you should copyright your music and let us hear it. I plan to when I have about 4-5 songs completed. I have 2 and working on the third now. "...low and behold if I didn't hear it on the radio a couple of years later." Sorry to hear that. That's got to hurt, which is why I am trying to avoid the same thing and why I opened this thread. " I never officially copyrighted it and how am I going to go up against a huge record label." Did they steal the whole song or just the intro? That's why you should copyright your future work. Best wishes on your future endeavors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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