Is it illegal to publish a song without a license??

Question

if i wrote and recorded a song , and i published it on lime wire for others to download, would that be illegal and do i have to own a creative commons license for that stuff??

Answer 1

It's not illegal and you don't need a license.  I would copyright it so that others don't rip your stuff off not pay you a thing.  You can do this just by putting "Copyright 2008 (your name)" anywhere in the work before you publish it.  If you really want protection, register the copyright with the US copyright office.  You can do this online and it only costs 35 bucks.

Answer 2

You can do whatever you'd like with something that is 100% your own material.

It's only if you include material by others that licensing comes into play.

Answer 3

By illegal ' you mean "can you go to jail" the answer is No. You can be sued..if you have not obtained a copyright before making it public, and , it infringes on some others copyright..!  Get a copyright , then you can justify your intent. A copyright does not protect you from civil  liability, if someone else has a similar copyright issued before yours.!