FAQ

You should register your songs as soon as you have officially registered as a songwriter. Again, most offer online works registration or you can call your local office for the paperwork.

Mechanical royalties are per-unit payments collected by record companies for the manufacture and distribution of songs on CDs and tapes, usually based on the current statutory rate as fixed by the Copyright Act. In 2004, the rate is 8.5 cents per song or 1.65 cents per minute, whichever is greater.

If you’re serious about your band, then it is worth the expense of paying an entertainment attorney to draw up a legal agreement so you can set the parameters of your partnership right from the start. Otherwise, you’re setting landmines for yourself in any future dealings between you and your band mates. If you’re all professionals, approaching the band about this shouldn’t be difficult.  The time to draw up such an agreement is as soon as profits are going to be made.

Copyright is an exclusive right granted by law that allows you to control the use of your creative works. The current copyright term is life plus 70 years after the death of the surviving writer or author of the work.

There is no set formula. It is up to you and your publisher to negotiate the terms of a publishing deal.

Go to your profile page by clicking on your name in the upper right.

The button to log out is labeled “Logout”.

Most offer online registration. For example, you can affiliate with BMI by logging on at http://bmi.com/join You can call your local office to get the paperwork by mail, if you prefer.

A publisher’s main function, whether it’s an individual or a corporation, is to exploit (get your songs recorded, performed, etc.) your songs and collect income from that exploitation. A publisher works with producers, directors, music supervisors, record companies, commercial production companies and trailer houses to negotiate fees for licensing your music for artists to record and for use in movies and on TV, in advertising and other outlets.

There’s no one perfect answer, but you have to get the attention of the person who’s booking the festival/tour. Show them that you’re drawing big crowds at your gigs and that you’re getting a lot of radio/retail/press attention…you get the picture. State your case in terms that translate to people showing up to see the show.

The Musician’s Atlas and the Music Registry are just two examples, but there are lots of directories on the market. Google can help you find them and most are available via Amazon.com.