This section will help you be able to protect your original music and possibly make money on it if it is recorded by an artist, including yourself! There is more information on this subject at these sites ASCAP, BMI and The U.S Copyright Office.
To complete a "Poorman's Copyright" take your recording, an explanatory letter and any other pertinent information concerning the recording and place them in an envelope. Next, self-address the envelope and seal it. Take it to the Post Office, go inside and buy the postage for it. Take the postage sticker and place it on the front & ask them for a dated sticker to place over the flap of the envelope (for proof of date). If this seal is broken or tampered with, you risk not being able to verify your claim that the music was recorded on or before that date and sealed - for legal purposes. Mail it - when it arrives, put it in a safe place and leave it alone. You now have a sealed, legal copy to verify the ownership and date of YOUR music in case someone steals your music to make money with it.
Dave at FATnSASSYmastering writes: "What people don't understand about copyrights is the very fact it is "intellectual" work, meaning once you document a note or notes with words, you are the author of that "intellectual" work. Registering your work on the SR, PA and other forms only means it's REGISTERED thereby establishing Ownership!! Until then, (which makes it easier for you)...you must "document" your work some way, and the postal "un-opened" envelope certainly will date stamp this very issue!
Very simply, sure having your material uploaded to Soundclick or alike will establish a time/stamp proof "claim" of Authorship, but just because you claim to be the Author of said work, doesn't entitle you to Ownership! That's all a Copyright registry establishes,, who the legal Owner of said material is. And only you can provide this information to the copyright office with your "John Henry" signature upon the application, not some "Hosting Forum" "sent mail" or computer files...
..and really, people get WAY too hung up on copyright issues!! Sure, it's good to have material hygiene establishing ownership, but unless your stuff is "really" that stealable, the likelyhood it's not, worry about more important things, like making it "stealable"... If your music IS stolen, it's because you were "duped" by some agent or producer, not some guy hidden in a dark basement somewhere making subtle changes to your song.... In other words, don't sign anything unless you FULLY understand the terms!"