FAQ

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.

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.

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

The button to log out is labeled “Logout”.

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

For your convenience, the link is displayed below:

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

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.

A publisher’s main function, whether it’s an individual or a corporation, is to exploit (get your songs recorded, performed, etc.) your songs and collect income from that exploitation. A publisher works with producers, directors, music supervisors, record companies, commercial production companies and trailer houses to negotiate fees for licensing your music for artists to record and for use in movies and on TV, in advertising and other outlets.

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 set up your own publishing company by filling out an application at your local performing rights organization.

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

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.