Your copyright is the deed to your music.
Go to the U.S. Library of Congress Official Site www.copyright.gov for copyright forms and lots of info about copyright laws.
Use Form SR for copyrighting the CD (the sound recording). The Library of Congress requires an actual printed and pressed disc from the manufactured lot. This is the circle P copyright on the disc.
Form PA copyrights the lyrics and melody for each of your original songs on the record, including your arrangements (you can even copyright arrangements of songs other people wrote).
Form VA is for the artwork or images (if you own the artwork and want to copyright it).
Copyright Notices for Songs
Be sure to include the correct copyright information for all of the songs in your insert. This should include the writers, publisher name and the publisher’s performing rights society (i.e., ASCAP, BMI, etc.), the arranger, year written. Much of this technical publisher information can be placed separately in a less conspicuous section of your notes.
You DO NOT have to have your copyright certificates back from the copyright office to release your CD.