How do I promote music?

What exactly do I have to do promote my music, get the beats and copyright my songs? How do I copyright my songs so I no one steals them?

• Hi, I would like to become a professional recording artist someday. I wrote a ton of songs and I'm ready to get them published. The only thing that concerns me are the "rights" to using music (Such as the copyright laws, legal rights and certain free downloads for non profitable projects) All I need is to learn how to copyright my songs and figure out how to get the beats. Over the Christmas break I purchased some music software called: Music Maker Studio MX. I was wondering if it is okay for me to use the beats within this software for the promotion of my professional music. I'm trying to produce my own music and be my own producer. (Having someone tweek and mix beats can be quite expensive, especially since it's time consuming with all the studio sessions. So I'm trying to cut out the middleman lol) I'm going to be uploading my music on various websites and online radio stations to get my songs heard by other listeners. (I'm not trying to get my music published for fun I would like to get my music published professionally) Can someone please explain the whole legal process of music, and please tell me how I can copyright my songs? I would greatly appreciate it

• Answer:

  I am a musician and I have some experience with this stuff and I can tell you that there is more than one way to do any of this stuff but I will give you some of the ways I know and my 2 cents. 1. To get your songs copyrighted is pretty easy now days but you have to register your copyright for it to be valid. There are many different companies with many different ways to copyright your music. You can upload your song to their server, mail them a hardcopy etc, and it's usually around $20-$40 fee per song. There are some free resources out there but I do not know how good they are and just use the US Copyright Office. Keep in mind that if you use any samples or pieces of other music in your work you have to get permission from the copyright owner and are subject to their fees and agreements of usage. My advice is don't sample anything from anyone unless the sample is free creative commons licensed and doesn't require you to credit it. 2. Beats. IF you can use single drum sounds (bass hit, snare hit, tom, etc.) to make your own beats with that software then yes you can legally use any of it in your music but If the beat is a loop I guess you could use the beat loop samples from the music software too, most of the time those are free to use (but you might want to check and make sure there is not some requirement to give credit if used.) but personally I think unless you are just trying to put together a skeleton demo that you should invest in some music software or analogue gear to make your own beats. You surely wouldn't want to have a song with a beat that millions of other people have access to. At the very least, alter the loop in some way to make it original. Those beats get used for all kinds of things by all kinds of musicians and one day your best song might share the same beat as an adult diaper commercial or something....not cool. 3. Take the time to send your demos out to studios as well as advertise online. Just be sure you make sure the websites you upload songs to do not have any policies where they "own" anything you upload. Online advertising is good but if you aren't getting any attention or good reception, a major label can really put you out there and promote you...but they take a big piece of the pie too and could end up owning your music in the long run if not careful. 4. Consider putting out the album yourself If your music gets good attention/reception online. There's plenty of websites that will barcode and package your music for sale. Sometimes this route is cheaper and can earn you more money than being with a major label. That's cutting out a BIG middleman! 5. Getting your music published professionally. Until you sell a million albums or get signed with a big record label that's willing to fork you a big advance and mega studio time your best bet is to learn to do it all yourself. Write and record the songs. Get some decent gear and a professional level recording setup (protools isn't that expensive compared to studio fees/time and studios use mostly protools now anyways). Mix the songs yourself and get the final product as near to a studio product as possible. Copyright the songs. Promote yourself online and to labels. If you really want to get picked up by a label then your odds will be better, the better the product they are receiving. A label that would need to re-record your whole album, bring in engineers and producers and pay for studio time better really like you or they might pass you up for someone who handed them a practically finished album that might just need to be mastered. They are more willing to take a chance on something they don't have to dump a fortune into to test out...and if the 1st album sells well then of course they invest in your next album much more. Oh yeah and here's the website for the US Copyright Office is http://www.eco.copyright.gov