Is there some type of Band naming registry so that two bands do not exist with the same name? Does a Band name need to be Copywrited?
Are you in the U.S.? If so, then this page says that you can register a band name as a service mark (which is like a trade mark, but for a service rather than for a product). That page also says how you can search for trade marks and service marks.
In general, no. Bands choose their names. Sometimes there are conflicts. A local group several years ago called themselves Xenophobia and used that for some time, until they discovered it was used and thus had to change.
You can trademark a band name, usually once the band makes a record, but not all groups do so. I note that “She and Him” (Zoe Deschannel’s group) doesn’t seem to have a trademark listing, nor do The Moody Blues (who are still touring). Still, once a group hits it big, they usually trademark their name.
There is some protection without trademarks – if you decided to call yourself “The Moody Blues,” Justin Hayward would be able to get a court order against it, saying you were causing confusion. It’s not as good or as easy as a trademark, but it can be used to shut down impostors.
For the ten millionth time: the word is copyright, as in the right to control who gets to make copies.
No, there is no such registry and there exist scores of bands with similar names. I seem to recall reading an article in the Wall Street Journal or New York Times about that issue. Before the internet, it didn’t matter, because most bands were local and it didn’t matter. Now, particularly with so many bands on Myspace, a lot of bands are finding that they have duplicative names. Most of them just find a way to live with it, often figuring out among themselves a way to distinguish each other.
You mean “copyright.” The name of a band cannot be registered as a copyrighted work.
The way you say this is a little imprecise. If a band uses a name, then it earns trademark rights in it. What you’re talking about is registering a trademark. You can have an unregistered trademark, and most bands do.