Picture Marcel, a Canadian resident who, inspired by Rachmaninoff, Edvard Grieg, and Olga Kern, has nurtured a lifelong dream of being a concert pianist.
Being the determined soul he is, Marcel has spent most of his adult life composing sheet music and playing the piano.
His friend advises him to share his compositions with the world by uploading them online. Although the idea intrigues him, Marcel is weary: "What if someone steals my music?" he keeps thinking.
Fortunately, Marcel - and other pianists - can take steps to protect his music. Let's look at six things Marcel does that you can also use to protect your music:
Understanding Copyrights
Marcel's first step is to investigate legal ways to protect his creations, and he learns about copyrights. Copyright gives Marcel exclusive rights to use and distribute his work.
Marcel registers his compositions with the copyright office to ensure he has legal proof of ownership. That deters others from using his music without permission.
Likewise, copyrighting your music ensures that when someone tries to use your copyrighted music without written permission, you can submit a claim and have their use of your music taken down.
Using Trademarks
Marcel is happy with his copyrights, but he seeks further protection. He also considers using trademarks for his pieces. He discovers that a trademark can protect a distinctive name or logo associated with his music.
This is exciting news for Marcel, and without wasting time, he reaches out to a law firm that helps him with his Canadian trademark registrationprocess. His chosen law firm takes the lead and walks him through the entire process; within no time, he has trademarks for various aspects of his music. Like Marcel, you can also work with a trademark lawyer to trademark various aspects of your music.
Using Watermarks
Determined to be as thorough as possible, Marcel then learns about watermarks and decides to use his trademarked name and logo as the watermark for his compositions. This way, if someone comes across any of his work, the watermarks make it clear that the composition belongs to him.
Every time someone sees or hears his work, they'll know it's his creation. It's a simple yet effective way to mark his territory and discourage unauthorized use. A famous example of a watermark is Getty Images; like them, you can also watermark any music you share online.
Creating Licensing Agreements
When Marcel allows others to use his compositions, he creates clear licensing agreements. His licensing agreements specify how collaboratorscan use his work and any fees involved, especially with corporate clients.
Like Marcel, understand that being legally proactive is the best way to protect your original piano music and ensure that anyone who uses it pays you royalties.
Monitoring
Being the determined soul he is, Marcel decides he still needs to do more to protect his music. He sets up Google Alerts to monitor the web for his compositions.
This way, he gets an alert whenever someone uses his work without permission. Likewise, you can protect your music by setting up Google Alertsfor new mentions.
Digital Rights Management (DRM)
Last but not least, determined to cover all bases, Marcel spends a few days and nights searching the internet for more protection until he strikes gold. He almost jumps for joy when he learns about DRMs.
You see, DRMs restrict the copying and unauthorized distribution of digital files. That ensures no one can share Marcel's compositions without explicit approval.
Most of us have seen DRM strikes on Google and the interwebs and have a rough understanding of what they are. You can use these to protect your music.
End Note
Like Marcel, every pianist can take these crucial steps to protect compositions shared online. By understanding copyrights, using watermarks, sharing selectively, creating licensing agreements, monitoring their work, utilizing trademarks, and exploring DRM, musicians can ensure their creations are safe. Protect your musical treasures and continue sharing your art with confidence.