1511.8 (E) Musical Works
If a musical work was published in the United States solely on phonorecords, then as discussed in Section 1511.3, the work is exempt from the mandatory deposit requirement. 37 C.F.R. § 202.19 (C) (4). Sound recordings of a musical work published on phonorecords, however, are not exempt from mandatory deposit, as the sound recording is a separate work of authorship.
If a musical work was published in the United States in copies or both in copies and phonorecords, a party should submit one complete copy of the best edition of that work. 37 C.F.R. § 202.19 (D) (2)(v). In other words, if the work was published in phonorecords – ” such as a compact disc – ” and in physical copies – ” such as sheet music – ” the applicant should submit one complete copy of the sheet music, rather than submitting the compact disc.