MORE ASCAP questions...

[slimcharm]

Have the ASCAP forms filled out pretty much..and it asks Jessica to give a publisher name. It also has you fill out a tax form. Would it be easier for her to give FULL name as the publisher..since thats what she had to fill out on tax form or can she just give her first and last name?Also she is still unclear on how ASCAP works? And so am I...thoughts ..thanks!

[matto]

Quote:Also she is still unclear on how ASCAP works? And so am I...thoughts ..thanks!Ascap is a Performing Rights Organization, aka PRO. Every country has at least one of them, the US has 3 (Ascap, Bmi, Sesac), but you can only belong to one of them.PRO's collect and distribute money from so called "public performances" of musical works. Simply put, this means if a song you wrote or co-wrote gets played on the radio or television, Ascap will collect money from those radio and tv stations and pay you, the songwriter, your share. That money is also called "royalties".matto

[slimcharm]

Well what if you werent a member..where would the royalties go then?

[ernstinen]

Quote:Well what if you werent a member..where would the royalties go then?Hmm, good question, Slim! --- I would say that if the song was not published by a third party, the royalties would not be gathered by anybody. Just like an undeliverable letter would end up in the dead-letter office. In effect, neither would effectively exist.Does that make sense? ---- I think it's time for me to hit the hay!Ern

[hummingbird]

Hi -- this is based on my Knowledge of PROs thru SOCAN. If you weren't a member of a PRO, then your song would not be registed with the PRO. When say, a radio station, sent its set list to the PRO, I think they'd look up your song and see you weren't registered with them. So they wouldn't collect royalties for the play from the radio station, nor would they pay royalties to the unknown writer for the song. That might be kinda simplistic, but I think that answers your question.cheersHummin'bird :0)

[slimcharm]

So you have to register each song you write/sing with the PRO so they know what song is yours?And how does that process work..is there a fee?

[hummingbird]

Yes, as a Socan member, I am regquired to register each song I work on, and allocate the shares (if I have co-writers, otherwise it's 100%). I do it on-line by going to their website, signing in, and updating my catalogue. There's no fee for joining, being a member, or registering your songs with Socan.... but you do have to qualify for membership.cheersH

[hummingbird]

PS - remember this is registering your original works in order to receive royalties for their uses... and is not copyrighting, which is a separate thing, and does cost a little money.H

[matto]

Quote:Well what if you werent a member..where would the royalties go then?If you weren't a member at the time the airplay occured you could still become a member and register the song and collect the royalties, because there is a delay of between 6-9 months between the time the airplay occurs and the time you get paid.However if you were not a member at all, then your royalties or share thereof wouldn't be paid to anybody.You have to think of all the royalty income a PRO collects from broadcasters as a pool from which all the members' royalties are paid, according to a formula which takes in to account a wide variety of variables (the most important of which is the number of times a song plays). If you're not a member, none of the money from that pool will be paid to you.Quote:So you have to register each song you write/sing with the PRO so they know what song is yours?Yes every song you've written or co-written. Not songs you just perform, since you won't get any performance royalties for those; they always go to the writer and publisher of the work. Oftentimes your publisher (if you have one...or several) will register the song on your (and their) behalf.matto