How to Protect Your Music: Copyright Checklist for Indie Artists

Whether you’re dropping your first single or building out a full album, protecting your music properly isn’t just a best practice — it’s essential. But here’s a detail many artists overlook:

Registering your song once is not enough.

To fully secure your rights — and collect every royalty you’re entitled to — you need to register two separate copyrights with the U.S. Copyright Office:

• One for the musical work (your composition: lyrics, melody, chord progressions)

• One for the sound recording (your actual recorded performance, aka the master)

This guide breaks down the difference between the two, why both matter, and how to register them step by step.

The Difference: Musical Work vs. Sound Recording

Aspect	What it Protects	Registration Form	Who Usually Files
🎼 Musical Work	The song itself: lyrics, melody, chord structure	Form PA	Songwriter / Publisher
🎧 Sound Recording	The recorded performance of that song	Form SR	Artist / Label / Producer

Registering the sound recording (Form SR) only protects the master — the version people stream or hear on the record.

It does not automatically protect the songwriting, which lives in the musical work (Form PA).

Why Registering Both Matters

A. Let’s say you wrote and recorded a song called “Down”

B. You register the SR (sound recording) — great. Now you control the use of your master.

C. But what happens if:

• Someone covers your song?

• A brand uses your lyrics or melody?

• You want to sign a publishing deal?

• You need to collect mechanical royalties or PRO payouts?

Unless you’ve registered the musical work, you don’t fully own or control those rights.

When You Can Register Both with One Form (But Be Careful)

A. If all of the following are true:

• You wrote the song

• You recorded and produced it yourself

• You own 100% of both the master and the composition

• You’re submitting the same audio file as proof

B. Then you can file just Form SR and check the box saying it includes the underlying musical work.

C. But this is only recommended if you’re a solo artist looking to save on filing fees. It’s legal — but less flexible if you’re pitching for sync, doing splits, or working with collaborators later.

Copyright Registration Checklist (Free Download)

This quick-start checklist walks you through:

1. What you need to prepare for each form

2. Where to register and what to upload

3. Cost breakdown

4. Special notes for indie artists

Click below to download the free PDF and make sure your music is fully protected from day one.

Amunson Audio, LLC - Copyright Registration Checklist.

Download • 1.19MB