FAQ

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.

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.

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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.

Nielsen SoundScan is an information system that tracks sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada. Sales data from point-of-sale cash registers is collected weekly from over 14,000 retail, mass merchant and non-traditional (online stores, venues, etc.) outlets. Weekly data is compiled and made available every Wednesday. SoundScan is the sales source for the Billboard music charts. You can register your CD at http://www.soundscan.com/register.html

In a word, “No.”  One performing rights organization (PRO) does not pay more than the others.  If one paid more than the others, then all writers would be affiliated with that society.  Over the life of a copyright, the payout on a song will be about the same from organization to organization.

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

Again, your song is copyrighted as soon as you finish writing it but it’s a good idea to register that copyright with the government (see “How do I copyright my songs?). Registering a song with a PRO will allow you to receive performance royalties if that song gets radio play; it does not give you protection under copyright law.

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.