Performance royalties

[Gator]

Hey folks. I'm one of the taxi members who would rather be a singer /performer than a song writer. I dont write songs for example for tv or commercials etc. But it seems like the only way to get into this game and get a record deal is to write a song that hopefully some famous guy will record. So supposing you send a song in to Joe Famous. He likes your song and it goes on his album but....although the song is good enough for the album it's not strong enough to be his next hit single.
Because your song became an album track and not a released single it will never get played on the radio. So does that mean you wont get paid a darn cent because there are no performance royalties?
Sorry, im very new at this and was under the intersession hat the song writer only gets paid if the song is performed. Even if Joe Famous was to play your song at the odd concert it would make you enough money for bus fare. Thanks all for any info or advice. Xave.

[coachdebra]

Hey folks. I'm one of the taxi members who would rather be a singer /performer than a song writer. I dont write songs for example for tv or commercials etc. But it seems like the only way to get into this game and get a record deal is to write a song that hopefully some famous guy will record. So supposing you send a song in to Joe Famous. He likes your song and it goes on his album but....although the song is good enough for the album it's not strong enough to be his next hit single.
Because your song became an album track and not a released single it will never get played on the radio. So does that mean you wont get paid a darn cent because there are no performance royalties?
Sorry, im very new at this and was under the intersession hat the song writer only gets paid if the song is performed. Even if Joe Famous was to play your song at the odd concert it would make you enough money for bus fare. Thanks all for any info or advice. Xave.

What you are talking about is mechanical rights - here's a good article explaining this http://diymusician.cdbaby.com/2013/05/w ... l-royalty/

[andygabrys]

Hey folks. I'm one of the taxi members who would rather be a singer /performer than a song writer. I dont write songs for example for tv or commercials etc. But it seems like the only way to get into this game and get a record deal is to write a song that hopefully some famous guy will record. So supposing you send a song in to Joe Famous. He likes your song and it goes on his album but....although the song is good enough for the album it's not strong enough to be his next hit single.
Because your song became an album track and not a released single it will never get played on the radio. So does that mean you wont get paid a darn cent because there are no performance royalties?
Sorry, im very new at this and was under the intersession hat the song writer only gets paid if the song is performed. Even if Joe Famous was to play your song at the odd concert it would make you enough money for bus fare. Thanks all for any info or advice. Xave.

What you are talking about is mechanical rights - here's a good article explaining this http://diymusician.cdbaby.com/2013/05/w ... l-royalty/

and it gets more complicated if your tune has never been released before etc. check out All you need to know about the music business by donald passman for other info.

[Gator]

Thanks Debra and Andy. Looks like a mechanical deal is the one to try and land.

[Casey H]

Hi Gator
Yes, when your song gets recorded by an artist, you are paid mechanical royalties. The statutory US rate is 9.1 cents per copy. For the very first release of a song, the statutory rate may not apply in that writer and artist can negotiate anything. But once a song has been published (published = "offered for sale"), the statutory rate must be paid to the writer(s).

Some additional things to think about... Getting a song cut by an artist is incredibly difficult even with a great song under the best of circumstances. And in some genres such as rock, it's almost unheard of for an outside song to be cut.

Not that it's not good to shoot for the moon. Never give up a dream. But don't discount writing songs for film/TV. If you are a good songwriter, you certainly can do it. Some things are a little different-- the lyrics generally are less specific, for example. You need good broadcast quality recordings but nowadays that tends to be true in most cases for pitching songs to artists as well. If production is an issue for you, consider collaborating with other Taxi members.

Best of luck,
Casey

[Gator]

Thanks Casey. Yeah the harsh reality of your songs not getting in the door is always a disappointment. But...there seems to be quite a lot of listings on Taxi looking for songs for producers pitching to artists so i can only try. I'm way off broadcast quality to be honest but i've been doing some courses with a Nashville studio and another one coming up later in the summer. So my recording is improving ( i think )

Casey I'm not in the US so i dont know if you could advise on this but...are there any kind of organisations musicians would join or register with which would sort of protect themselves in terms of support, backup, not getting ripped off etc. I'm one guy from smallville and dont have any powerful connections etc. Sign the wrong deal and your super hit makes someone else millions and you get nothing. Thanks Casey

[Casey H]

Thanks Casey. Yeah the harsh reality of your songs not getting in the door is always a disappointment. But...there seems to be quite a lot of listings on Taxi looking for songs for producers pitching to artists so i can only try. I'm way off broadcast quality to be honest but i've been doing some courses with a Nashville studio and another one coming up later in the summer. So my recording is improving ( i think )

Casey I'm not in the US so i dont know if you could advise on this but...are there any kind of organisations musicians would join or register with which would sort of protect themselves in terms of support, backup, not getting ripped off etc. I'm one guy from smallville and dont have any powerful connections etc. Sign the wrong deal and your super hit makes someone else millions and you get nothing. Thanks Casey

Hi Gator
As far as not getting ripped off, support etc... Best thing is to educate yourself about the music biz. The resources mentioned earlier on this thread would be very helpful there. If you deal with reputable music publishers, you won't really have to worry much about this anyway. Taxi clients are vetted pretty well. Word of mouth helps. Also, network by joining any local songwriting groups where you live if you can.

You really need to have broadcast quality recordings, even when pitching to artists. Scratch demos are rarely given any attention anymore unless the song is so undeniably great (an "11") that it shines through even on a scratch demo. We all tend to think our songs are that great, but it's rarely the case. I recommend you consider a 2-pronged approach. Build some relationships here for collaboration such that your collaborator can bring the production skills to the team. In parallel, work on your own home production skills.

It does all start with the song so I suggest you post some songs, even if in very rough form, in the peer to peer section of this forum to get feedback.

Best of luck,
Casey

[Gator]

Hi Casey
Some great advice there and I really do appreciate your time and help. I didn't actually know there was a peer to peer section and that sounds like a great idea. My real problem is trying to use the virtual drums. Im not a drummer and tend to be useless with the timing. As you say, maybe there's someone out there who could help me with the drums section. Thanks again and have a great weekend. it's a shame one of the earlier users on a thread almost criticised one of the guys who was trying to help with good advice. I think the help here is fantastic and i appreciate knowledgeable guys like your good self taking time to help. Xave.

[DesireInspires]

Hey folks. I'm one of the taxi members who would rather be a singer /performer than a song writer. I dont write songs for example for tv or commercials etc. But it seems like the only way to get into this game and get a record deal is to write a song that hopefully some famous guy will record. So supposing you send a song in to Joe Famous. He likes your song and it goes on his album but....although the song is good enough for the album it's not strong enough to be his next hit single.
Because your song became an album track and not a released single it will never get played on the radio. So does that mean you wont get paid a darn cent because there are no performance royalties?
Sorry, im very new at this and was under the intersession hat the song writer only gets paid if the song is performed. Even if Joe Famous was to play your song at the odd concert it would make you enough money for bus fare. Thanks all for any info or advice. Xave.

I will be honest with you.

If you want to be a singer/performer, then put in the work to become a singer/performer. Songwriters that are with a PRO (Performance Rights Organization) can make more money than a singer/performer. If the singer/performer is not super famous and does not have a lot of leverage to draw a crowd, the songwriter can make more money from the song than the singer/performer will make.

Figure out what YOU want to do first.

[Gator]

Hi Desire. Oh i hear ya partner. I'll try not give you the boring long story, but where i live solo performers with an acoustic only get awful slots playing ballads. I'm in ireland by the way so when i say ballads i mean terrible traditional music. I've tried a few of those open mic nights to get used to being in front of folks without a band. But you wont get anywhere doing that. Last week, i thought i'd try and see if i could get a band together. So, i placed an advert on a musicians contact facebook page explaining what i listen to, where i'd like to take this project etc. The advert got 30 views.
Only 2 likes and only one of those got in touch. You see I'd really need to be located in Nashville or a Southern state for what i listen to but....with a mortgage hanging around my neck for the rest of my life that's not going to happen. So...as you mentioned yourself....my best bet is basically pitch songs and hopefully one will get recorded by someone else. This would hopefully do two things. Make me some badly need cash and get a foot in the door. Yes, i'm probably a dreamer but hey....
Thanks for writing. All tips , ideas and advice are always welcome. You need that independent viewpoint form other folks like yourself.