If you’ve ever thought about registering your music with the US Copyright Office, the cheapest time to do it is running out. On November 11, 2026, fees rise across nearly every category, and for some of the services independent artists and labels rely on most, the increase is steep. You don’t need to be based in the US for this to matter, and the window to act is short.
What is changing and when
The US Copyright Office is raising its service fees on November 11, 2026. Following a proposed schedule submitted to Congress in July, the statutory 120-day congressional review period expires on November 11, triggering automatic price increases across nearly all categories.
While administrative costs across all US copyright services will increase by an average of 43 percent, core services for music rightsholders, independent record labels, publishers, and catalog buyers will see fee increases ranging from 31 to 126 percent.
Two examples stand out:
Group registration for an album of sound recordings: filing an album of up to 20 tracks along with artwork and liner notes increases from $65 to $130.
Termination rights: exercising the right to reclaim rights transferred to publishers or labels after 35 years increases from $125 to $275.
Does this affect artists outside the US?
The US copyright registration system is a US government service, and the fees only apply if you choose to register there. But registration with the US Copyright Office is what gives you access to the US federal court system, statutory damages, and legal fees in any infringement case involving American platforms or American listeners.
The increase also lands as copyright registration becomes more important in disputes over AI training data and generated music. If you have music being streamed on platforms that operate in the US, and you have ever considered registering it formally for legal protection, doing so before November 11 means paying the current rate rather than the new one.
What to do now
To avoid the November 11 price increase, rights owners and creators can register recordings, lyrics, and compositions now through the official US Copyright Office registration portal. Creators are advised to audit their release pipeline and catalog backlog and register any unfiled singles, EPs, or albums within the next few weeks to lock in current rates.
The CEO of one US independent music industry group said: “Registration is the gateway to enforcement, and if we price independent creators out of that gateway, we are dismantling the very infrastructure that makes copyright meaningful for the people who need it most.”
The bottom line
The window is short. If registering in the US is something you have been putting off, the cost of waiting just went up significantly.
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