In my over 50 years in the music business, I have never heard of any music industry professional stealing a song. In reality, it is highly unlikely, if not impossible, for someone to steal another person’s song. When you write a song, you automatically own it; that is the law. Someone would need to provide proof that they wrote the song before you did to even attempt to claim it. Music industry professionals do not steal or borrow from other writers and would not tolerate anyone who did.
A song is considered copyrighted as soon as it is professionally recorded by a recognized music producer, such as Royal Master Records. All correspondence, contracts, and letters you receive from us serve as proof that you wrote your song lyrics or song by the date on the documents, and this will hold up in any court of law. If it makes you feel safer, you can copyright your words and music with the Library of Congress or obtain a “poor man’s copyright” by mailing your material to yourself through certified mail. As long as the package remains sealed, it proves that you wrote your material on the date of the mailing, and this will also hold up in court. This method has been used by thousands of songwriters for many years.
You do not have to formally copyright each song you write; professional songwriters typically do not. A copyright with the Library of Congress is just a registration of your song with the government. Simple record-keeping will usually suffice until you have a publisher or a commercial release. That is when a copyright of a song is usually filed, and the publisher typically handles that. Record-keeping is part of a songwriter’s job. If your songs are not yet published, you are effectively “self-published.” This means you need to keep a list (catalog) of the titles of your songs with their Date of Completion (D.O.C.) and write the author’s name and the D.O.C. on each lyric sheet, sheet music, and/or CD.
If you plan to play your songs in public or share them on the internet, it does not hurt to have a friend or relative sign and date your lyrics, sheet music, and/or CD as a witness. It’s just common sense. The same ideas and phrases often appear in many different songs. In fact, Nashville’s music trade magazine, Music Row, has an annual feature highlighting examples of this. However, this does not harm either song’s prospects or copyright ownership. The issue arises when someone lifts a substantial portion of a song and uses it in another. That’s when it becomes actionable in court, but it usually doesn’t go to court. Conflicts are typically resolved long before reaching that stage. For example, Toby Keith once inadvertently used an idea similar to another songwriter’s song. As soon as the situation became apparent, he immediately agreed to compensate the writers.
So, don’t worry about someone stealing parts of your work. Once it reaches the professional level, everyone respects the writers and their rights. If every writer worried about this, no songs would ever be recorded. Music industry professionals rely heavily on word of mouth for business. A bad reputation can quickly end a career. Respecting each other’s rights is essential for the music industry to function smoothly.
In summary, music industry professionals are not going to steal someone’s song. They must work together every day to deliver the best music to audiences. Respecting each other’s rights is crucial for the music business to succeed.