Hey guys, Just a quick question on Record companies. I want to start my own, but I am worried about what "Records" really means. My first question is if for example "Blah Blah Blah Records" is a business term, and has to be legally registered, or if using "Records" at the end is just another word, and has nothing to do with the law. For example an "Inc." after the "Blah Blah Blah" would mean it is registered as a business, but does "Records" mean that a company has to be registered too? I made a couple of songs and put them on iTunes under my own record company name, but I haven't done anything to register it as a business, do I have to register it, or would just trademarking it be fine? Thanks!
You don't need to be incorporated to have a business name. Your local jurisdiction may want you to have a DBA if you are operating under a business name vs. your own name. Trademarking a name has nothing to do with your legal entity status. A registration is a way of increasing protection for your brand name. You should have a trademark search done prior to applying for a trademark. Figure a couple of hundred for that. The application fee is about $325. You can do it yourself, but you must make sure you know what you are doing because an incorrect application will be rejected and you'll have to pay again. You should be about to find an attorney to handle the whole process for around $1,000.