FAQ

If you’re serious about your band, then it is worth the expense of paying an entertainment attorney to draw up a legal agreement so you can set the parameters of your partnership right from the start. Otherwise, you’re setting landmines for yourself in any future dealings between you and your band mates. If you’re all professionals, approaching the band about this shouldn’t be difficult.  The time to draw up such an agreement is as soon as profits are going to be made.

It is usually the job of a publisher to pair your songs up with artists. This is one of the creative functions a publisher provides.

You can perform any song you want- but, if you record a song and then sell the recording (CDs, MP3s, etc.), 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

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

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

The button to log out is labeled “Logout”.

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.

You must contact the song’s publisher or publishers to get permission to sample a song. Publisher information can usually be found in the Performing Rights Organization websites.  You’ll likely have to search within the PRO with which the song is registered.

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

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.