FAQ

As a songwriter, you inherently own the publishing rights to your music and you retain creative control.

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.

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.

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

After registering, you will receive an email from Songwriter101.com with instructions.  All you need to do is to click the link presented in the email. 

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.

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

Simply click on your name in the top-right corner to change your password. 

For your convenience, you can click the link below:

http://songwriter101.com/forums/profile/edit_userpass/

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 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.