FAQ

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

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Agents are all about finding gigs/shows for bands, but they can also help set up sponsorship opportunities for tours and help with logistics in general.

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.

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.

You can advertise in any number of music trades like Billboard or contact organizations that deal with music industry employment (NARIP, for one) to find someone to handle your publishing catalog (if you’re willing to pay a salary). Publishing administrators wear many hats, from trying to place music to collecting money to making sure the paperwork is up to date. Administrators find money in anything that uses music like film, TV, advertising, web sites, etc.

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.

No. This is a common misconception. PROs collect royalties for songwriters, composers and music publishers from radio, television, the Internet, restaurants and thousands of other businesses that use music. In effect, a PRO acts as a representative so writers can get on with the business of creating new music while their royalties are collected for them. There are three in the US: BMI, ASCAP and SESAC, and one in almost every country you can think of. (See “What does a publisher do?”)

A cue sheet is a listing of the music used in a TV show or movie by title, composer, publisher, timing and type of usage (e.g., background, feature, theme) usually prepared by the producer of the program or film. Again, if your songs are registered, then the information will come automatically.

Technically, your song is copyrighted as soon as you finish writing it but you should register it with the Copyright Office since it will provide you with protection against anyone who tries to use your song without your permission (see How Do I Copyright My Songs?). The cost to register a song (using form PA) is only $30 and is a good investment. Although attorneys don’t usually recommend it, you can also do the “poor man’s copyright,” which entails putting written songs in a sealed envelope and mailing them back to yourself from your local post office, but be aware that this method may not hold up in a court of law.