
The copyright in a musical composition is originally held by its creators-the composer and lyricist-but songwriters typically transfer their copyrights to a music publisher who will help promote the song, administer royalty payments and enforce the copyright.Ī song copyright gives its owners a group of rights, including the right to publicly perform the song, to make a derivative work based on the song, to reproduce the song, to distribute copies, and to publicly display the song.Īll songs published in 1922 or earlier are in the public domain, meaning they are no longer protected by copyright and can be used by anyone.
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That means that any song that’s been recorded is (or once was) protected by copyright. The copyright doesn’t have to be registered and the work doesn’t have to include a copyright symbol. To copyright songs or copyright music, songwriters need only record their compositions in some tangible way, including on paper, film, tape or digital media. Songs are creative works that are protected by copyright law. Here’s what you need to know about music copyrights and the type of licenses you need. To avoid problems, you can obtain licenses that allow you to post the music and an accompanying video. In rare instances, you might even be sued for copyright infringement. And if you’re a repeat offender, your YouTube channel-and all its data-may be permanently deleted. If the copyright owner complains, YouTube may remove your video.


And whether the video is a live band performance or a toddler singing from her high chair, most of those cover songs are posted without permission from the song’s copyright holder-meaning they’re infringing someone’s copyright. Thousands of times a month, someone posts a cover song on YouTube. Parents do it to show off their cute kids.
