library re-naming tracks - how does it wor

[waltergrund]

HI,I hope sb. can help me learn more on that...I guess it's normal that music libraries rename each track they sign so they can better keep track of it. BUT:When it's broadcasted will I still get my royalties for my title with its original name?Does anyone know? I have several tracks signed that way.Walter

[bleuciel]

Hi Walter,Usually, libraries who re-title a song offer non-exclusive deals. They re-title your song and when it's used, they register and report the new title to their PRO and sometimes, (it happened to me) they ask you to register the same alternate title with their name as the publisher. You won't get royalties for your original title in that deal because it's the alternate title who generates the royalties. Hope it's clear, as English is not my mother tongue, I've done my best. Hope Matto will see this thread, he will surely be more helpful than I am.Hope it'll help a little bit. Have a nice one!

[waltergrund]

In this case it's an exclusive deal. They said that they'll register it with their PRO and I don't have to do anything. But they asked me in which PRO I'm a member with.Walter

[bleuciel]

Hi Walter,If it's an exclusive deal, I think they should register the original title. If they asked you in which PRO you're a member it's probably because they want to match their publishing company with the same PRO than yours; writers can be member of only one PRO but publishers can and should be member of all the PROs (ASCAP, BMI and SESAC). Generally, publishers are registered in all of them with different names.

[hummingbird]

Jun 5, 2008, 1:54pm, bleuciel wrote:Hi Walter,If it's an exclusive deal, I think they should register the original title. If they asked you in which PRO you're a member it's probably because they want to match their publishing company with the same PRO than yours; writers can be member of only one PRO but publishers can and should be member of all the PROs (ASCAP, BMI and SESAC). Generally, publishers are registered in all of them with different names. It doesn't really matter if it's retitled or not, the point is that it is registered and being pitched. One assumes that if you have an exclusive deal, that there is a reversion clause. Retitling means you don't have to "unregister" it if nothing happens by the end of that period. IMO

[ckbarlow]

Jun 5, 2008, 2:02pm, hummingbird wrote:Jun 5, 2008, 1:54pm, bleuciel wrote:Hi Walter,If it's an exclusive deal, I think they should register the original title. If they asked you in which PRO you're a member it's probably because they want to match their publishing company with the same PRO than yours; writers can be member of only one PRO but publishers can and should be member of all the PROs (ASCAP, BMI and SESAC). Generally, publishers are registered in all of them with different names. It doesn't really matter if it's retitled or not, the point is that it is registered and being pitched. One assumes that if you have an exclusive deal, that there is a reversion clause. Retitling means you don't have to "unregister" it if nothing happens by the end of that period. IMOthat makes a lot of sense and is helpful to me too. Thanks, bird!

[dovetail]

Often the publisher, even in an exclusive deal, will re-title the song for marketing purposes. They will name it something that expresses the feel of the song so that producers, music supervisors, music editors will get an initial sense of what the tune sounds or feels like by the title. The library will register the new title with the writer's name and usually the company's publishing firm that corresponds to the writer's PRO.

[suzdoyle]

Hi Walter;Congrats on the song! I had a song retitled by a European music library. I called ASCAP to ask how to address the song having a different title; they advised me to add the new title as an alternate title in my ASCAP registration. E.g.TITLE: Groovy SongALTERNATE TITLE Hmmm, is this really Groovy, or Just Cool?by Suz Doyleetc. etc.ASCAP said that way, when royalties come in to them via the European PRO, they can see both the new title, and what it's attached to. However, they said even if I didn't register the revised title, royalties would still come in under my name as the composer.So either way, it should work out.Hope this helps! Suz