Aaron Sings

Recently I attended a songwriters' meetup in Denver. I was interested to discuss protection of intellectual property. We had a short discussion, but I left with more questions. Are there any affordable ways that an amateur songwriter protect their work? This is a hobby, so I'm not profiting from my songs. Moreover, I want to share my music, but I don't want anybody else to take credit for it, or to profit from it. One of the meetup participants mentioned some forms that can be submitted to the copyright office, or maybe the Library of Congress. But he was short on details, and we didn't have a lot of time to explore this topic.  Someone else suggested that by uploading recordings of your songs to Spotify or YouTube, you have a timestamped record that you were first.   A few days later, a stranger overheard me talking with a friend and an eavesdropping stranger chimed in that you can mail yourself a CD of your music, and leave it sealed. That way the postmark confirms th