1. A. Copyright is granted ( registered or not ) from the moment you create it, as long as you can prove the earliest date of creation.
B. Registering A copyright with the copyright office in the Library of Congress, is the best way to prove ownership of a creation.
C. Once you publish a song, everyone has a statuatary license to record and sell it for profit----( As long as they request that license and or, pay the current rate to the composer.)
D. The copyright Office does not collect your fees for you.
E. Listing your song with a performance Right society, like "BMI, or ASCAP," will only get you performance royalties @ 7.5 cents per performance, and they will only pay attention to (YOU,) if you keep them aware of who may be performing your songs - WHEN - AND WHERE !!! ( This means = TV-Radio-Stage-Commercials, etc.) If you are unaware of who may be performing your song, you are S.O.L.
F. Mechanical Royalties are tougher. They have nothing to do with the Library of Congress or BMI(ASCAP,ETC.) You need a Publisher, and The Harry Fox Agency to collect on this revenue. If you don't have a big time publisher to collect your royalties, you can try to do it yourself, like I did.
BIG MISTAKE!!!!!
There are very few honest people in the world. Creative or not. HARD LESSON. No Matter what you believe.
PS. THERE IS A NEW REALITY SHOW THAT LETS PEOPLE WIN MONEY FOR TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT LYING - without ever having to reveal the truth.
ppss. I am an unrecognized, uncompensated, un-contest-winner, Multi-international, songwriter, with one original song recorded and prospered by at least a dozen artists, ( except me ), making money from my song.
Now tell me --- What other song contest do I need to win ?
I appoligize. I was hurt and angry. In my aggitated state, I was typing, and thinking, and drinking. I can't type as fast as I think, but when I'm set to it, I can drink faster than I type. I think I may have forgotten the question. I guess, in rereading my post I didn't stick to the issue. I went off on a tangent regarding a comment someone made about how I should enter a real life contest to see if my material would hold up in the real world, since in their eyes I have no real talent.
My question should have been, Here is what I have learned so far, Can anyone validate this information, and am I on the right track? Because even if I get a lawyer, he is not going to help me unless he thinks I have a case WORTH HIS WYLE !
