Or whoever else might know. Is there a less costly way of copyrighting a tune than shellin' out $30 to the Library of Congress? Is it really necessary to copyright a song to protect your rights to it? What about just registering it with BMI, etc.? How do you folks do it?

I dunno if this really works or not. But I heard some yrs ago that you can mail it to yourself in a letter that is sealed & never open it up & supposedly that copywrites it for free. Maybe someone can verify this..

well maybe it doesn't have to be even that complicated....seems like there was another discussion about this around here lately...

as a photographer/artist....this is a good summary of what i'm comfortable with...
http://www.greatamericansong.com/copyrights.html

course it doesn't say much about folk processin......

That is how it works for the written word, photos, videos, etc., as well. That's why I'm so anal about putting the copyright notice on everything...it secures your rights with very little effort on your part. And in the case of GC-related things, then they're protected if we copyright photos, etc., and then give them all rights to it.

Thanks for the ideas, but what I'm looking for is a definite answer. I know the "mailing it to yourself" one isn't preferred. As for just putting a copyright date on something, it seems to me that it could easily be falsely retro-dated, ergo not too good for positive proof of copyright. That's why I asked for the folkslinger family to respond. Figured that they have had actual experience in doing it.

I copyright the more minor items for my company (a large one) all the time that way, on advice of our legal department. If you need more, mail a copy to yourself with post office tracking and don't open the package after you have signed for it. The Library of Congress method is expensive.

I just have never heard a definitive answer to an alternative to the LofC. I don't get what the "big secret" is? Unless most people just put a copyright date on stuff and don't bother to register with LofC because they figure that nobody will really check and will take the date as gospel (and don't want people to know that!)?

the most definitive answer to the question you asked above is...
the Copyright office... it's the most certain, definite, respected, collected and inpsected way to document that you created something.... so get together a couple hundred songs, name the collection... register it (the application is online) and you got a bargain, yes?!!... go see the site... track the copyrights on Woody's songs....it's really interesting...

okay, i gotta ask what are you worried about?....only if you want to answer, of course, but the responses you got are perfectly correct.... total proof...no!...there's no such thing... except.. see above...

try to put it in what context you're asking Cap... for example...if it's you need to copyright
so nobody will steal.... nothin will stop that... or...
you write a song.... and someone steals it, tweaks and records it and makes a fortune... and you want to sue.... you're hand copyrighted version is fine.... you have the original... is that absolute proof?... nope... but usually good enough...you've performed it, shared it, others have seen it... all evidence.... the judge decides... if gets that far...

as a wise professor recommended my first day of law school...
"If you want to learn law stay where you are, if you want justice, find a Divinity School"....

Not worried, KJ. People all seem a bit fuzzy on the subject which is why I originally directed the question to the folks who would know. The subject was brought up some time back but it seemed like nobody knew how to go about it without shelling out a bundle per song. As to waiting 'til you've got a hundred titles, that could take a while for some not so prolific writers.