I have lots of recorded music that I've made, and I really wanna share it with the world, but I figure someone online is bound to steal it unless it's safe. I know very little about this kind of stuff, and would appreciate any help you guys have to offer me. Thank you!

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Any piece of music is copyrighted on creation. Once you have a copy of the music, it has a copyright. You should specifically state that you are claiming copyright ("Copyright 2011 by John Smith")

It's actually quite easy. Put as many songs as you can onto one album. When you copyright music, you are charged by album not by song. For example: You can copyright one song for $45 or you can copyright a whole album for $45. Go to www.copyright.gov Follow the instructions. It is a lot easier and quicker now than it use to be since it can all be done online. The moment you submit your material, you are protected by copyright. However, it does take quite a while to actually receive the certificate in the mail. I've actually received a certificate 6 months after filing. The people above me make a valid point. Works are technically already protected by copyright the moment they are created... However, only to a degree. Without a certificate, you can only stop people from using your work. If you actually register with the copyright office and have a certificate of copyright, you gain the right to sue violators up to $100,000 + be compensated for the music already sold, as well as the ability to have the illegal material destroyed. Registering for copyright does have its advantages in the legal realm.