Hello all. When exactly is a song considered to be published? It's pretty clear to me the difference between having a deal with a publishing company or not, but it's not clear what constitutes self-publishing.

For example, is a song published if I:

1. Put lyrics and chords on a website?
2. Do an indie recording to give away?
3. Do an indie recording and sell it myself?
4. Register a song with SOCAN (performing rights organization)?
5. Perform it in a public place, paid or unpaid?

And the related question is: I sometimes hear that an indie singer/songwriter has started their own publishing company to manage their own copyrights. Is there a difference between starting a publishing company for just yourself, and plain old self-publishing?

Thanks, Marion