Protect Your Music, Your Royalties, and Your Future—Even from AI. Music Attorney Miss Krystle Walks Through Copyright Registration

For independent artists looking to protect their music and establish legal proof of ownership, copyright registration is an essential—and often overlooked—step. According to music attorney and artist advocate Miss Krystle, there’s only one legitimate way to do it: through the U.S. Copyright Office at copyright.gov.

“There are websites where they're like, ‘Hey, upload your stuff to our platform and we'll give you a registration,’” Krystle said in her recent training. “That's not how it works. You’ve got to do it through copyright.gov.”

With more artists pursuing lawsuits for copyright infringement—especially amid the rise of AI-generated content and music sampling—registering your work is no longer optional, it’s strategic. Without registration, legal protections are limited, and courts may not even consider infringement cases.

Owning your copyrights gives you full control over how your music is used, licensed, and monetized. It also gives you the legal standing to sue if someone uses your work without permission. “If you're serious about your career, registering your music isn’t just a legal formality—it’s part of protecting your business,” Krystle said.

Beyond just defense, copyright ownership also plays a role in long-term wealth. When your catalog is registered, it becomes an asset—one that can be licensed for sync deals, sampled by other artists, or even sold later. “You never know what one song might be worth in 5 or 10 years,” Krystle added. “If it’s not registered, you’re giving up both your rights and your revenue.”

Krystle, who represents clients in class action suits and high-profile copyright disputes, encourages artists to get ahead of legal pitfalls. “Most of the time, we’re doing either a standard application or registering a group of works,” she said. “You want to hit it ASAP—right when you drop your music.”

She also emphasized the importance of correctly filling out fields for works made with AI tools, proper authorship credit, and double-checking email info. “If you put in the wrong email address and the Copyright Office emails you—and you don’t respond—they will close your case,” she warned.

To help artists navigate the process, Krystle laid out a clear and repeatable method for registering music copyrights.

How to Register Your Copyright (Step-by-Step):

1. Go to copyright.gov Only use the official site to register your works.

2. Create or log into your account Use the eCO (Electronic Copyright Office) registration system.

3. Choose the correct type of application

   • For individual songs: Standard application

   • For up to 10 unpublished works: Group of Unpublished Works

   • Filing fees: $65 (published), $85 (unpublished)

4. Start a new registration

   • Enter the title of your work

   • Specify if the work has been published and provide the date and country of publication

5. Enter authorship and claimant information

   • The author is the creator of the work

   • The claimant is who owns the rights (can be the same or a company)

6. Mark ‘Work Made for Hire’ (if applicable) Only select this if the work was created under a business or label name.

7. Select the type of work

   • Songs: Sound Recording

   • Lyrics or compositions are included in the sound recording registration

8. Use ‘Limitation of Claim’ for AI or samples

   • Disclose any AI-generated content or sampled materials

   • Clarify what is new and what is excluded

9. Provide rights and permissions info

   • This is public-facing contact info for licensing or business inquiries

10. Double-check your correspondence email

    A typo could cause you to lose your registration and fee

11. Enter the certificate mailing address

    Optional: Add expedite requests (around $800)

12. Review your application

    Confirm all details, then pay the fee

13. Upload a copy of your work

    This serves as the official record if you ever need to sue