Musical Composition

Definition From Compendium of Copyright Office Practices, sections 401 - 403.01:

Original music, including any accompanying lyrics; also, original arrangements or other derivative versions of earlier musical compositions to which new copyrightable authorship has been added. Music is generally defined as a succession of pitches or rhythms, or both, usually in some definite pattern. Musical works are registrable without regard to aesthetic standards.

Eligibility: To be eligible for preregistration, it is required that:

• creation of the musical work and fixation in some tangible medium, such as notated copies or audio recordings, must have commenced;
• a performance of the completed musical work will be reproduced in a sound recording or in a sound track of a motion picture which is intended for distribution, either in hard-copy formats or online; and,
• the claimant in the work can verify that he has a reasonable expectation the work will be commercially distributed.