[Andy Morin] "1. I'm starting a local web show and was wondering what I had to do to make a copyright of the show. Is having it made with a title simply enough?"
Yes and no.
Yes, because the minute you put it down in a tangible form it's covered.
No, because if you want to bring an action against someone for violating your copyright, it has to be registered.
http://www.copyright.gov/
[Andy Morin] "2. Secondly, does anyone have any insight on the use of copyrighted music? Can i usei tracks for a certain length of time without crossing any boundaries?"
No, they have a copyright too. You have to pay, to play. And if you get a local artist to do music for you, it would have to be 100% original. Any covers done by a local band would be under the copyright of the songs composer, and that is where most of the money in music licensing is spent. Relationships with local artists can be troublesome do to the nature of 'who owns the rights'. Anything you set up with a local artist should have a contract in place with everyone involved with composing, performance, use and rights explicitly laid out.
If your on a budget, you can use Garage Band loops or Soundtrack Pro cuts without further payment. Those are royalty free once you own the software. If you spend some time with them, this can be OK depending on the genre of the music, and how much talent you have. There is also Tune Presto on the web.
Scott Sheriff
Director
http://www.sstdigitalmedia.com
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." ---Red Adair
Where were you on 6/21?