Can U Copyright A Beat???

[tallblkproducer]

CAN A BEAT BE COPYRIGHTED WITHOUT ANY LYRICS??? I THOUGH ONLY A COMPLETE SONG COULD BE COPYRIGHTED??? WHAT IF IT CONTAINS SAMPLES???:headbang:

[metrosoul]

i dont know, i want to know also.

[MaximeRobin]

Maybe the laws are different on that in the us, but here in Canada you can copyright any music or piece of art. In fact, you have the right to put "© 2003 your name" on your music even if you don't register your music at a legal place.

[Fade]

^^I think that applies in the U.S. also, same thing. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

I don't know what happens if you have samples, maybe it's considered a "composition" as a whole, so it can be copyrighted like that. Not sure.

[Scholar]

this is so funny you ask,because today i was talking to a guy that owns a record label and this was the topic. the answer is thats all you have to do put the lil copyright c and the year and your name. then if you really arent making any money you dont have to reg in DC you just mail it to your self and never open it unless some one copies your shit. this is all true and real. check it out if you dont believe.

[Copenhagen]

The second you have made a beat its copyrighted and nobody is allowed to copy it. However, you have to prove it. So if you are going to forward your stuff to people and risk them stealing it, go to the post office and wrap in your cd and forward it to yourself recommended. Don't open it when you get it! Then if somebody ever steals your beats, go to a lawyer with the cd. The date which the postoffice has stamped your cd proves when you made it and if your counterpart can't prove that they made it before then...then they've lost.
This can also be done with lyricspaper...
If you do this alot, remeber to keep track of what is in the packages so you don't open the wrong CD.

[vitaminman]

Hey,

We had some stuff copyrighted a few years ago, all we did was find a good entertainment lawyer, signed a few documents, gave him a copy of our stuff, and we were good to go.

We were considering the 'post it in the mail' approach, but I don't know how legal that it...if you go with a lawyer, it gets documented and recorded somewhere. If you're serious about this, get a lawyer, it's what all the professional side of the industry are doing for good reason.

If your stuff has samples in it, and YOU OWN THE LICENCE OR RIGHTS TO THE SAMPLE, you should be good to go. But don't go sampling some old Jame Brown record, use it in a track, and try to copyright that...they'll come down on you HARD if you try to pass it off as your own.

You can copyright something even if it doesn't have lyrics, my music is all techno with no lyrics.

Take care,

Nick

[HaZwaiOh]

hm. let´s see.
i´m not on a record label and i´m not generating any serious money with my music. i do have samples in some of my beats. since i use all my beats for local groups (all without records deals as well) it is too expensive for me to clear the samples.
can i still somehow make sure that nobody takes my beat cd and calls it theirs? it´s not about making money, it´s about assuring that nobody steals my beats. i´m NOT talking about released cds, but just for the beats on cds I pass to rappers.

[Copenhagen]

No, if you hand out your cd's, then you can't prevent anyone from stealing your beats. You can copyright them in the manners written above and sue the bastard if he does...but if he isn't making any money of your beats, then you're mostly likely going to get jack shit unless your lawyer's last name is Cochran or Shapiro...

[Fade]

Check it: http://www.copyright.gov/

[Copenhagen]

Originally posted by Fade
Check it: http://www.copyright.gov/

A little quote from that page:
"Copyright protection subsists from the time the work is created in fixed form. The copyright in the work of authorship immediately becomes the property of the author who created the work. Only the author or those deriving their rights through the author can rightfully claim copyright."

[HaZwaiOh]

thanks a lot. you helped me a lot. i guess i´ll keep adding static once in a while and dj clue-like bugging sounds to them if i don´t know the dude. for the rest i´ll trust people (and might get once again)

[labay1]

I have all of my beats copyrighted. You don't have to do them one at a time, you can copyright any number of beats for $30. You just need to list them under one title. ex" works of xxx vol 1". You can download the forms from the link above.