FAQ

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 or directly from the publishers.

It varies depending on the co-writing situation. What is important is that all writers as a collective agree on the decision.

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.

Yes, a new version of an old song, also called a derivative work, should be copyrighted, noting the ways it’s been altered from the previous version.

We don’t shop deals for affiliates as a general practice, but if we hear something that is extraordinary, we certainly make our friends in the A&R community aware of the artist.

- J.W. Johnson, Artist Relations Executive & Songwriter101 Faculty Member

Registering your copyrights is not required but it is highly recommended since doing so will give you certain protection under copyright law in case you need to sue someone for using your song without your permission.

You can perform any song you want- but, if you record a song and then sell the CD, you’ll need a mechanical license.

Faculty Comments:

“You are free to perform songs that are in general release without permission of the writer or publisher. If you choose to record the song and sell the music, then you would be required to obtain a mechanical license from the publisher or the publishers representative.”

- J.W. Johnson, Artist Relations Executive & Songwriter101 Faculty Member

No, that’s part of the PRO’s function. If your songs are registered with a performing rights organization and you are receiving radio play, then the PRO will get that information automatically.

Home recording is so inexpensive to do that it shouldn’t be an obstacle for anyone. A nice home studio can be set up for under $500. Or you might be able to work something out with a local recording studio, which are hurting since the home recording revolution took hold.

You don’t need to have a publishing company to register a song with a performing rights organization.