How to Copyright a Song—and Keep the Record Behind Your Claim
A song rarely arrives finished. It is a voice memo at 2am, a chord progression, a session with someone who never signed anything. By the time the question of who wrote what matters, those moments are usually gone.
Registering the song
Copyright registration is handled by a national copyright office, not by Enigma. If you intend to register, do that — it is a separate and worthwhile step.
Registration captures a version at a date. It does not capture the path to it, and a split dispute is almost always about the path.
What to record as you write
Record the demo when it exists, not when it is finished. Record the revision that changed the chorus. Record the master you sent to the label.
Each recording is dated and fingerprinted, so the sequence shows how the song developed under your hand rather than appearing fully formed on release day.
Collaborators who never became customers
A session musician who played one solo should not need an account to acknowledge it. Enigma lets a collaborator sign a dated record of what they contributed from any device, without signing up.
A signature records what that person attested to. It does not settle authorship or ownership, and nothing on this page claims it does.
Questions people ask
- How do I copyright a song?
- In most countries copyright exists as soon as the work is fixed in a tangible form, and formal registration is a separate step handled by a national office. Enigma does not register copyright. It records the versions and contributions behind your claim.
- Is a dated recording proof that I wrote the song?
- No. A recording shows that a specific file existed at a specific time and that you recorded it. It does not determine authorship, and anyone telling you a timestamp settles that question is overstating it.
- What does it cost to start?
- Nothing. One free work and up to 10 recordings per rolling 30 days. Each recording currently includes a Basic Receipt at no charge. No card required.
Enigma records creator assertions and supporting evidence. Enigma is not the U.S. Copyright Office, does not register copyright, and does not determine authorship or ownership.