Keni Posted August 22, 2019 Share Posted August 22, 2019 It used to be relatively simple. If one person owned all rights to all songs on an album including the sound recording, a single $65 registration covered all. Now as of March 15, 2019 this has a limit of 10 songs ($55) with no apparent way to add more. Their guidlines claim that if there are more than 10, the only method is to file each song individually ($35)... So a 12 song album will now cost over $400! Outrageous! I'm hoping to find they have some way to copyright 10 as one and add 2 more? But I have little hope. I filed a question to them regarding this but past experience tells me they will not help or reply with anything useful. Is Trump somehow involved in this? I am angry beyond words! I was about to copyright my new album but was stopped by this new arrangement. Does anyone here know of this and have any advice for struggling artists who don't have that kind of money. It seems my only option is to drop songs from the album to meet the 10 song limit... Ugly for the buyers. Makes a 10-3 minute song album a limit for 30 minutes. I am stymied! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitflipper Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 10 songs would certainly cover all the times a composition of mine was stolen and then made into a gold record or used in a car commercial. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keni Posted August 23, 2019 Author Share Posted August 23, 2019 27 minutes ago, bitflipper said: 10 songs would certainly cover all the times a composition of mine was stolen and then made into a gold record or used in a car commercial. I don't understand? Pun regarding value of a copyright? I'm not so worried about protection as I am the ability to sell (or at least try to) at locations that require a copyright. The 10 song issue now lowers the amount of songs that can be on an album for those of us too poor to do otherwise. For the future I could limit my album sizes and adjust some selling costs, but I just finished an album and do not see dropping 2 songs after all the work and planning. Maybe I should file as 2 separate 6-song albums? Then create a package deal to sell the two together? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hidden Symmetry Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 4 hours ago, Keni said: I'm hoping to find they have some way to copyright 10 as one and add 2 more? But I have little hope. I filed a question to them regarding this but past experience tells me they will not help or reply with anything useful. Is Trump somehow involved in this? More likely it was Carla Hayden that Obama nominated for Librarian of Congress in 2016. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keni Posted August 23, 2019 Author Share Posted August 23, 2019 37 minutes ago, Hidden Symmetry said: More likely it was Carla Hayden that Obama nominated for Librarian of Congress in 2016. All part of the same plot! Now I'm thinking to split the twelve songs into two groups of six. File 2 registrations, then title the cd as a combination of both Part 1 and Part 2 sold as a single package? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hidden Symmetry Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 I know, I'm fed up with the ever changing copyright laws too. The last filing I did they actually called me at home because they couldn't understand my previous registration addition on the form. I've done it many times in the past & for over 20 years yet the person still couldn't understand it. Now the per usual increase in fees plus more restrictions on the artist, very discouraging. Your 2 file method might be the way to go. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigb Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 Change your genre to Progressive Rock. Four songs and the album is done! ? 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keni Posted August 23, 2019 Author Share Posted August 23, 2019 2 hours ago, Hidden Symmetry said: I know, I'm fed up with the ever changing copyright laws too. The last filing I did they actually called me at home because they couldn't understand my previous registration addition on the form. I've done it many times in the past & for over 20 years yet the person still couldn't understand it. Now the per usual increase in fees plus more restrictions on the artist, very discouraging. Your 2 file method might be the way to go. Good luck! Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keni Posted August 23, 2019 Author Share Posted August 23, 2019 1 hour ago, craigb said: Change your genre to Progressive Rock. Four songs and the album is done! ? I could easily make longer songs, but that's not what I want... ???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcL Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 Keni, you could combine some songs, i.e. just make a little passage between them and make a combined title like "Title1 (Title2)" and then you sell it to them as "one" song! Maybe that is also an option?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byron Dickens Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 Could we please leave the polyticks (I spelled that correctly!) out of this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hidden Symmetry Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 @Keni Do you or anyone else know what this means or pertains to under the new GRUW law? "exception will be made for eligible sound recordings and the underlying musical compositions, dramatic works, or literary works embodied in the recordings, bringing that to a maximum of twenty (ten sound recordings + ten recorded works)." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keni Posted August 23, 2019 Author Share Posted August 23, 2019 1 hour ago, Hidden Symmetry said: @Keni Do you or anyone else know what this means or pertains to under the new GRUW law? "exception will be made for eligible sound recordings and the underlying musical compositions, dramatic works, or literary works embodied in the recordings, bringing that to a maximum of twenty (ten sound recordings + ten recorded works)." I don't know. I also don't understand the duplicity of sound recordings vs. recorded works. I've received my first replies from copyright but they only say the same things via links... I await further info and will post if/when I receive any... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadfoot Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 I would go with the Vol 1 and Vol 2 method and just be done with it. There's no use stressing over it Keni. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vernon Barnes Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 13 hours ago, craigb said: Change your genre to Progressive Rock. Four songs and the album is done! ? And a double album at that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bayoubill Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 The goal is to own the scales along with food housing transportation and income soon ID insertion into the body Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keni Posted August 23, 2019 Author Share Posted August 23, 2019 3 hours ago, Leadfoot said: I would go with the Vol 1 and Vol 2 method and just be done with it. There's no use stressing over it Keni. Thanks Leadfoot... Exactly the current (new) plan. I discussed this with CCBaby and they have no problem with this. So I'm thinking to name the 2 registrations the same but with "part 1” and "part 2” to differ them. My next concern is the naming on the disk. Can I leave out the part1/2 info in it's titles? How will yes/no affect legal coverage? Currently I have added "Parts 1 & 2" to the booklet cover, cd, and tray. Wondering if this is enough or must I add it to the CDBaby registered title as well. I would love to leave it out completely, but......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slartabartfast Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 (edited) The ten song limit seems to apply to the newly created category of "Group Registration of Unpublished Works." That category differs from the previously (and as near as I can tell still available) category of "Collective Works." The reasons for the new category are discussed in the Federal Register entry below, and appear to be an extension of the protections extended to an album's individual works under a single application, primarily in that the authorship/copyright ownership can be by more than one author/owner and still extend to the individual works. In other words it lets you register an album with contributions by several authors, and still claim independent copyright for each of the individual songs. Previously that pass through individual copyright was only available as a collective work if the copyrights of each individual work were all owned by the same individual or group of co-authors. It differs from the "Registration by Unit of Publication" in that it can apply to a digital work, while the unit of publication must be a physical object like a CD. If you are the sole author (or all of the co-authors on each individual song are the same), you should still be able to protect individual songs without limit by registering as a collective work if you meet the criteria: "Under the Copyright Act, a collective work is considered one work for purposes of registration. A registration for a collective work covers the copyrightable authorship in the selection, coordination, or arrangement of the work. A registration for a collective work also covers the individual copyrightable works that are contained within the collective work if (1) the collective work and the individual works are owned by the same party, (2) the individual works have not been previously published or previously registered, and (3) the individual works are not in the public domain. Accordingly, an applicant may use one application to register a number of musical compositions and sound recordings as a collective work if the applicant owns the musical compositions and sound recordings, selected and arranged the musical compositions and sound recordings into a collective whole, and the musical compositions and sound recordings have not been previously published or previously registered." https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/05/20/2019-10166/group-registration-of-works-on-an-album-of-music https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ56a.pdf Edited August 23, 2019 by slartabartfast 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitflipper Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 Keni, I apologize for my flippant reply. I'm sure this issue is important to you and I didn't mean to trivialize your concerns. I've just never felt the need to copyright anything. The best outcome for anything I create would be that it's appreciated by someone, even if that appreciation takes the form of unaccredited theft. Music wants to be free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slartabartfast Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 2 hours ago, bitflipper said: Keni, I apologize for my flippant reply. I'm sure this issue is important to you and I didn't mean to trivialize your concerns. I've just never felt the need to copyright anything. The best outcome for anything I create would be that it's appreciated by someone, even if that appreciation takes the form of unaccredited theft. Music wants to be free. Unfortunately, given your admirable goal and generous character, you have indeed copyrighted everything you have ever authored. Anyone wanting to pay your work forward (steal it forward?) is going to face uncertainty about the consequences. Since your work is under a copyright you (or someone else) will own for your lifetime plus seventy years, it will not enter the public domain until at least the year 2089 and hopefully much longer. You might think you can be sure that no one will enforce your copyrights so long as you are alive and competent, but anyone who might want to publish a cover that might reach an audience will likely not know that. Certainly anyone who could offer mass distribution will be reluctant to handle your work unless it is under license granted by you, or by your heirs, or by the greediest lender or litigator who might claim ownership of your intellectual property as the result of an unpaid debt or award of damages. If you want to license your work to the world at large, then you should take the extra step and use something like the Creative Commons licenses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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