Copyrighting plays a crucial and necessary role in the protection of your music.
By copyrighting your music, you will gain the legal protection necessary to ensure recognition as an artist and receive due credit and financial compensation for your creative works.
What is Copyright?
Copyright is the exclusive, legal right to produce, reproduce, sell or license, publish or perform an original work or a substantial part of it. When others want to copy or use the work, Copyright requires them to ask for permission and/or provide payment. It is a type of intellectual property that protects creative works, such as compositions, songs, sound recordings, and performances.
Copyright In Canada
Under Canadian law, copyright automatically protects creative work the moment it is created, and as the owner, you have exclusive rights to use the work. However, registering your work and receiving a “Certificate of Registration of Copy” provides a person with more evidence that they are the owner of the original work. Generally, Copyright protection lasts the lifetime of the owner, plus 50 years after their death. After that, the work is in the public domain and anyone can use it without permission.
While Copyright applies to all literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works,
they must fulfill the conditions in the Canadian Copyright Act.
Benefits of Copyrighting your Music
1. Legal protection
Copyrighting your music provides you with legal rights and the authority to control how your music is being used, reproduced, distributed, performed, or displayed. If someone infringes by using your music without permission, you can take legal action to protect your right.
2. Financial reward
Copyright allows you to monetize your music. This gives you the opportunity to earn an income from your creative work. Musicians can monetize their work through various means, such as selling physical copies or digital downloads, licensing to use music in commercials and film, earning royalties from streaming services, and performing live concerts and shows.
3. Recognition and Attribution
Copyright gives you the opportunity to be recognized as the creator of your work and prevents others from claiming ownership. This helps build the artist’s reputation and protects artistic integrity.
4. Control and Authority
Copyright ensures that your music is presented in a manner that aligns with your artistic intentions and values. The author has the right to decide how the music will be used, adapted, or modified. You can approve or deny requests for commercials, remixes, licensing, or other adaptations to your music.
