Why don't I get royalties for that?

[nomiyah]

I wrote a song when I was young that has become popular in churches around the world.I get mechanical royalties when it is printed in a song book or recorded. But I get almost no performance royalties even though it is frequently used.I spoke with ASCAP but they said they can only pay when it is reported on a playlist. Thanks to Google, I've found churches and camps that list the song as one that is regularly sung.Can anyone explain this to me? Are churches exempt from performance royalties? Remember when the Boy Scouts had to start paying royalties for camp fire songs? Maybe this is a similar situation.

[hummingbird]

Quote:I wrote a song when I was young that has become popular in churches around the world.I get mechanical royalties when it is printed in a song book or recorded. But I get almost no performance royalties even though it is frequently used.I spoke with ASCAP but they said they can only pay when it is reported on a playlist. Thanks to Google, I've found churches and camps that list the song as one that is regularly sung.Can anyone explain this to me? Are churches exempt from performance royalties? Remember when the Boy Scouts had to start paying royalties for camp fire songs? Maybe this is a similar situation.Good question. If Ascap can't help you, I don't know who could. I've sung in many church choirs, I never saw anyone filling forms for Socan after Sunday service or one of the concerts we did. And I worked part-time in a church office (so I could use a piano room at lunch for practice) and never saw anyone filling out forms, even for paid concerts. I guess the problem is... if the song is sung at church services, there is no entry fee... just donation. If it is sung at concerts, with tickets being sold, one would think royalties should be paid.If the PRO doesn't go to bat for it, I don't know who would. [But I also know that most churches struggle to keep afloat... if they had to pay royalties for every hymn or song... they'd probably stop using music. ]I think the only thing you could do is print off documentation and make a list of the dates and places the song was used... and send the documentation to Ascap. It's up to them to follow up.Just as a note... the first concert I ever did was given at a church that I rented, I advertised, etc... and received, through the church office, a letter from Socan advising I had to complete their form and pay royalties on the songs I used.... which I did. So obviously part of a PROs mandate is to 'police' musical events and request forms to be filled out.Anyway.... I'm just talkin' out loud... I really don't know the answer to your question...H

[hummingbird]

PS - kudos to you for that, by the way. very cool.

[pitterpatter]

When people start paying cover charges of at least $6.00 per person to attend Church, then, you will start getting performance royalties. Unfortunately, it is just the way it is. You could demand that these Churches stop singing your songs by writing them letters to explain that they are copyrighted. You could even ask them to pay you some nominal fee. However, there are so many Christian artists providing songs to Churches to sing for free it probably wouldn't help your bottom line or your career in the long run. Just make lots of CDs and sell them while your songs are on the minds of all those Church goers. It might help to think of it as lots of free advertising.

[johnnydean1]

You will get your reward in heaven.

[arkjack]

You possibly could be entitled to royalties of the performance is a paid venue other than a church.... not necessarily a bar, but perhaps a Billy Gram rally, or some event where the patrons paid to attend.... as weel as any time its been used on gospel radio play.... might be easier to track some radio play...

[edteja]

Why the issue about paying for entry. You don't pay to get into a bar and ASCAP makes them pay up?

[neuphoria]

what's the song?

[hummingbird]

Quote:Why the issue about paying for entry. You don't pay to get into a bar and ASCAP makes them pay up?Bars are for-profit. Churches are non-profit.

[nomiyah]

Royalties are collected regardless of whether there is an entry fee. I'm not sure about the nonprofit part. I believe the Boy Scouts were required to pay royalties for camp fire songs and they are nonprofit. Anyone have more info on that?I did present an ASCAP representative with proof of some of the times and places it was used. That isn't enough, it needs to be reported to them by the user, not the writer.The publisher is Maranatha Music and I can't control who uses it (nor would I want to).Churches pay their utility bills, they could afford royalties. Songwriters deserve to make a living too. Of course, it's great that so many people enjoy singing the song and that alone is satisfying. Plus I have been fortunate enough to receive mechanical royalties steadily for 25 years. Trust me, I'm not complaining. But I am curious how this works.The song is King Of Kings, a commonly-known praise song translated into 10 different languages. I wrote it when I was 13-years-old with my best friend.Thanks for all your input.Nomi