registering songs with BMI?

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

<jnorman34@comcast.net> wrote:

> oye - we are joining BMI so we can register our songs for airplay. i
> am confused about the process, however.

Disclaimer: I am not a music business attorney; I am a dumbass guitar
player.

> reading at the site, it sounds
> like you only can register original songs that you have either composed
> or had published.

Correct, but incomplete understanding. You can only register works that
you have copyrighted. That's the whole point.

> most of the material on the CDs we have produced is
> traditional stuff with original arrangements - do we register each of
> those songs as composer/writer? or what?

Let's go with "or what?" You first acquire copyrights for your original
arrangements (think "Kingston Trio"...), and then you register each song
with BMI (or ASCAP or SESAC, etc.).

> does the artist do this individually for the group or what?

Why dismiss an obvious trend? Let's go with "or what?" Whoever is the
creator of the original arrangement is who is entitled to acquire
copyright to said arrangement, unless such right has been legally
transferred to another. Note: this involves paperwork.

> i own the record label - do i need
> to register as a publisher of any of it?

Are you the publisher?

> do we need to register any of
> the other songs,

Firstly, in a legal sense (more paperwork...), y'all must define who is
"we".

> like rearrangements of tunes from "Riverdance" or
> soundtrack music? any help would be appreciated.

See above. If you can establish (i.e., acquire a copyright) to the
arrangements under consideration, and then if you wish to receive
performance royalties, you must register each song with a performance
royalty collection agency.

In the case af an "arrangement" of a contemporary composition, as
opposed to an arrangement of "Barbry Ellen", you had better make sure
your "arrangement" is worthy. Otherwise who is due performance royalties
is the composer of the song. You can "arrange" "Visions of Johanna", but
Bob Dylan is going to receive the performance royalties.

In closing, see opening disclaimer...

--
ha

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Note three <g>, permission to do an arrangement of someone else's song is
very hard to get. Most of the time the copyright owners will not even allow
you to do arrangements of their copyrighted songs.
Max Arwood


"Joe Kesselman" <keshlam-nospam@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:VJudnUMrdu7ouWnfRVn-hA@comcast.com...
> Note two that there are multiple separate copyrights involved here: for
> the composition (which you're saying is probably in the public domain,
> but check that -- not everything that's called "trad" really is all that
> old!), for the arrangement (if it's distinct enough to be recognizably
> different from others), and for the recorded performance.
>
> (If you're publishing at all, one _hopes_ you've cleared the former two
> hurdles, but it's worth reminding folks about this.)

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

If BMI is the same as the BPI, then don't bother. I recently tried to
register as a publisher with BPI and was rejected on the grounds that I have
my own record company. So my record company would be paying BPI the
royalties to pay back to me as publisher! Makes sense I suppose!
--
Lynn
Wobbly Music
"Supporting the Mature Artist"
=============================
http://www.wobblymusic.net
Latest Release... "Friends" by John McKeon
Order your copy now and get 2 FREE bonus tracks!
http://www.johnmckeon.wobblymusic.net


<jnorman34@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:1123283111.865487.103900@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> oye - we are joining BMI so we can register our songs for airplay. i
> am confused about the process, however. reading at the site, it sounds
> like you only can register original songs that you have either composed
> or had published. most of the material on the CDs we have produced is
> traditional stuff with original arrangements - do we register each of
> those songs as composer/writer? or what? does the artist do this
> individually for the group or what? i own the record label - do i need
> to register as a publisher of any of it? do we need to register any of
> the other songs, like rearrangements of tunes from "Riverdance" or
> soundtrack music? any help would be appreciated.
>

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC are all Perfomance Rights Organizations (PROs).
They have sophisitcated methods of keeping track of how many times a
song is performed. They dvide up the money they have collected from
broadcasters and live venues (not labels or movie theater/prodciotn
comanies) based on the number of perfomances and pay that money to the
writers and publishers for their songs that have been performed.

So, you can only register a song that you have written. You must tell
them who the published is - if you have not signed a publishing deal
with someone, you are your own publisher.

I agree with Danny that you're more likely to make more money with
ASCAP, the one exception being radio play. You may do better with BMI
if your album has been rleased on a maroj and you're getting thousands
of spins. Since the OP owns the label in quesiton, it's not a major and
ASCAP will probably be a better choice, especially if you do any
licensing.