FAQ

Obviously, the best arrangement is for the person who writes the songs to have it clearly stated that they wrote the songs. Consult an attorney with specific knowledge about intellectual property. You need to get a clear agreement as to who owns what.

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.

The sleeve should be the place that anyone who enjoys your music can find out information about how to contact people vital to your career. Include the name, phone number and e-mail addresses for your publishing company, record label, manager or attorney. You should always include your band’s web site and email addresses with an easy link for signing up for your mailing list. Don’t clutter the sleeve up with inside jokes and special thanks to all of your friends - busy professionals, like music supervisors and festival bookers, want easily accessible contact information.

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.

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

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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.

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.

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.

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