Step 4 - Copyright and Publishing.

As an artist, protecting your work is important, and this is where copyright and publishing come in. Copyrighting your material is an essential step to safeguard your creative output from infringement and plagiarism. Additionally, publishing your material is vital to ensure that you receive payment for your work whenever it is performed in public. In this step, we will guide you through the process of copyrighting your work and publishing it to ensure that you are properly credited and compensated.

Copyrighting your material

To copyright your work, you can either do it yourself or hire an attorney to do it for you. The process of copyrighting involves registering your work with the appropriate authorities, providing evidence that the work is original, and paying the required fees. Once your work is copyrighted, you have the legal right to use, reproduce, or distribute the material. The Gold Package provides step-by-step instructions on how to copyright your work. You can also find more information on the U.S. Copyright Office website at http://copyright.gov.

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Publishing your material:

Publishing your material is crucial to ensure that you receive payment for your work. When your music is played in public, you are entitled to receive royalties. To collect these royalties, you need to be affiliated with a performance rights organization (PRO) such as ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC. These organizations collect royalties on behalf of their members and distribute the payments to the appropriate artists. To join a PRO, you can either fill out an online application yourself or hire an attorney to guide you through the process.

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