Copyright Basics

Copyright Basics

A Little History

We’ve been seeing that cute little symbol, yes… this one ©, for almost as long as we’ve been able to read. Everyone knows that it signifies that the item is copyrighted, which means someone else owns it. It’s like a sign that says “My property. Don’t mess with it.” But as a member of the indie music world, what do you really need to know about copyright?


Well first of all, you need to know that copyright is extremely important. Your right to control a copyright, and for us music types, that usually means musical compositions, is one of the most powerful and potentially lucrative rights in the music business.

Performing

Performing is still one of the most vital means of marketing your music. There is nothing like the excitement of a live performance to make people go out and buy your CD or better yet, buy them right there at the performance. Performing will bring people to your website, spread the word, help you become a better musician and it's even fun (most of the time).

Marketing Your Music

Marketing. It sounds like something you need to know about. But what is it exactly? I’ve heard marketing described as “anything you do that leads to sales.” I think for us musicians, that is a good working definition. In big companies, you will notice, marketing and sales are usually two different departments. Why is that? Well, primarily because a marketing person and a sales person are often two different animals, although they should work well together. The sales department closes the leads that marketing creates.