Can (Not Cleared) Sampled Beats Be Copyrighted and Signed Up on ASCAP or BMI?

[Plotwise]

My group and I are releasing an album in a month or so. We are all co-writers on most of the songs and we are not affiliated with a publisher, so I assume,we, the writers are the publishers.

Half the beats are keyboard beats and half the beats are sample beats. We are not going to clear the samples because who has the money or the time to do that as an independent artist. We definitely don't.

Can I still copyright the sampled songs and sign each of us up as co-writers for the sampled songs on ASCAP or BMI? Also, how would we sign up as publishers, on ASCAP or BMI, if we are the publishers ourselves?

 

[galacticboy]

You can register your copyright since the Copyright Office doesn't verify any factual material when it processes applications, but the registration will be worthless. At the best, it will open you up to liability from the sample owner, at the worst, it will invalidate your entire copyright.