Hoping someone here who understands the intricacies of the music biz can answer this query ....
As I understand it, the best way to ensure payment for your recorded work is to register any & all songs you have written with BMI / ASCAP (in the US) or similar. If you register your compositions, then royalties due when a song is recorded / released / re-released will flow back to you. Also, when the track is played on radio / in a club or bar / used in a TV show or movie, you will be due payments.
So for anyone who has written a song / songs it would seem to make sense that they register that song & then keep in touch with the organisation that you've registered it with (at least keep them updated on your contact details). Then if a reissue company comes looking, you can be traced via say BMI and a deal set up.
... BUT ... having checked on BMI & ASCAP on numerous occasions, info on a previously registered song & it's writer is (many times) missing ... even when you can do a quick check via Youtube or google to discover your old composition is now an anthem somewhere in the world. Doesn't make sense to me.
TWO QUICK EXAMPLES ...
LEDYARD WILLIE HOPKINS was the leader and song writer for Dallas based Love Company. He registered "Love Tempo" with BMI and his publishing company (Pocket Money Music) when it was released on a SRO 45 back in 1980 ... the cut eventually went big and so he re-released the track on his own LCM record label (Love Company Music) ... but even though he knows he has an in demand track, he still let his details at BMI lapse. So they have him registred as a composer with them, but they have no song details for his work or contact info for him.
BACK IN THE 60's / 70's ... EDWIN STARR (CHARLES HATCHER) was a prolific song writer ... he signed up with BMI and registered many of his songs with them. This must have brought him a decent income stream down the years. AND YET, when you check his BMI entry, there are dozens of songs listed but not one titled "JUST A LITTLE PART OF YOUR LIFE" ... easy then, he obviously didn't write a song with that title. BUT he did and he cut it on the Spinners at Motown ... if you're registering songs that you've written, why not register them all & not just some ..... .... .... CONFUSED OF ABINGDON
Anyone explain what goes on in the strange world of music publishing ???
Hoping someone here who understands the intricacies of the music biz can answer this query ....
As I understand it, the best way to ensure payment for your recorded work is to register any & all songs you have written with BMI / ASCAP (in the US) or similar. If you register your compositions, then royalties due when a song is recorded / released / re-released will flow back to you. Also, when the track is played on radio / in a club or bar / used in a TV show or movie, you will be due payments.
So for anyone who has written a song / songs it would seem to make sense that they register that song & then keep in touch with the organisation that you've registered it with (at least keep them updated on your contact details). Then if a reissue company comes looking, you can be traced via say BMI and a deal set up.
... BUT ... having checked on BMI & ASCAP on numerous occasions, info on a previously registered song & it's writer is (many times) missing ... even when you can do a quick check via Youtube or google to discover your old composition is now an anthem somewhere in the world. Doesn't make sense to me.
TWO QUICK EXAMPLES ...
LEDYARD WILLIE HOPKINS was the leader and song writer for Dallas based Love Company. He registered "Love Tempo" with BMI and his publishing company (Pocket Money Music) when it was released on a SRO 45 back in 1980 ... the cut eventually went big and so he re-released the track on his own LCM record label (Love Company Music) ... but even though he knows he has an in demand track, he still let his details at BMI lapse. So they have him registred as a composer with them, but they have no song details for his work or contact info for him.
BACK IN THE 60's / 70's ... EDWIN STARR (CHARLES HATCHER) was a prolific song writer ... he signed up with BMI and registered many of his songs with them. This must have brought him a decent income stream down the years. AND YET, when you check his BMI entry, there are dozens of songs listed but not one titled "JUST A LITTLE PART OF YOUR LIFE" ... easy then, he obviously didn't write a song with that title. BUT he did and he cut it on the Spinners at Motown ... if you're registering songs that you've written, why not register them all & not just some ..... .... .... CONFUSED OF ABINGDON
Anyone explain what goes on in the strange world of music publishing ???
... an extract from Edwin's BMI listing ..
Edited by Roburt