Jody

Didn't say it would hold up in a court of law--I only said that you would have something "dating" your material. It likely wouldn't hold up in court of law. However, at least it would be one piece of evidence that the guy trying to rip you off wouldn't have. Plus, when I posted that, I was being facitious, but that tone probably didn't come across in the post.

This does raise another question though. Several folks on this site have stated that once you post your song on the internet (on here or soundclick or other sites) that you're copyrighted. Would that stand up in a court of law? If so, how is that different from a "jailhouse copyright"? At least if you mailed yourself your lyrics, you would have the stamp of the US Post Office (a federal agency) on there. I'm just wondering.

Personally, I wouldn't rely on either the internet or the post office to protect a song that I felt had real possibilities. At the end of the day, the best way is the "official" method. I usually wait til I have ten or twelve songs ready, then send them off to the Library of Congress as a collection.

Eric