@elamental If you want to self-publish your work you will need to register with your local performing rights society, which in the USA is ASCAP or BMI. Once you're a member you can register your songs with the associated % for each contributor. What we used to do before the internet was to create a physical copy and mail it to yourself (so it has the date stamped on the package).
Alternatively you can sign your publishing to a company, but this is usually the case when you're making money from your music and don't have the time to follow up. Hope that helps
Thank you, I have opted to use CD Baby to publish my work officially for me. I believe they go through ASCAP if I am not mistaken. The technical side of all this is has been challenging for me, and I still do not fully understand it, but I feel I understand it well enough to do it finally, I just hope I do it correctly. Fingers crossed.
publishing and releasing would be two different things. I used to use CD Baby but I was still registered with SOCAN (candadian performing rights society) where I would register all my works. You may still need to register with ASCAP as I doubt CD baby would register it under your name, in which case CD Baby would take all the publishing royalties and you'd be relying on them to be truthful. Just a thought.
This might be useful as well - https://support.cdbaby.com/hc/en-us/articles/211131103-Is-CD-Baby-my-publisher-if-I-am-listed-at-the-Pro-level-
This album is free so there will not be many royalties to speak of, and they only take a percentage of them if they occur. CD Baby does in fact publish here, they are actually located in my town.