Paperwork/publishing

  • Wanna Join? New users you can now register lightning fast using your Facebook or Twitter accounts.
G

Game Warden

On The Rise
#1
Mar 9, 2003
458
0
0
www.papertrailmusic.com
#1
This may sound like a dumb ass question, but it's not. WHen I first got involved with this music shit, I assumed I was stepping into something that was organized and I just had to connect the dots. But what I've come to find out is that there is a lot of rampant incompetence in this underground scene. Most artists aren't registered with BMI or ASCAP. The papework is pathetic or non-existing...usually bubble gum contracts (form) and not tailored to the company's needs. It's frightening.

The music industry as a whole is down, but they are makin their money in other ways. Videos, TV, Film. record sales suck, Tv and film synchronization licensing pays better. Artists usualy get a drop from a record sale...after everybody gets theri cut, but with publishing they can actually make some decent change.

If I have learned anything from the Ice Cold Heat album it is this, only pay for direct promotion or revenue producing ventures. Direct promoting: send out cd samplers. Next time, we'll probably flood the bay with 10,000 such discs. Get a higher grade machine, that does the printing without error, and flood the stores with them. Direct marketing.

Revenue produing ventures, hire someone to solicit your shit to films, tv shows, etc... they are more likely to fuck with you than commercial radio. They are just looking for a fit. If you've ever seen PlayMakers, the music onthere is terrible... but it fits... and their paperwork was together.


What are you doing with publishing rights? Have you registered with one of these performing rights groups? Get that paperwork in order, folks.

This is just my 2 cents common
.
 
Sydal

Sydal

Sicc OG
#3
Apr 25, 2002
7,232
170
63
43
www.idealsentertainment.com
#3
I'm registered with ASCAP (and we're working to get our own publishing COMPANY a/s/a/p), all of our music is copywritten correctly through the United States Library of Congress Copyright Office...our contracts aren't these fuckin 1 page in 14 pt. text contracts, they are 9-10 page contracts that I wrote MYSELF, which are very specific, dealing with masters, performances, appearances, sales, percentages...EVERYTHING in an artist/label relationship!! The percentages are all fair, we have people in our families doing our taxes and management (everybody working @ Street Soundz Entertainment has a GREAT relationship with their families, it is a REQUIREMENT). The people who invested in the pressing of GAME THEORY are taken care of, they have been paid off in full.

I'm glad you brought this up Game Warden. I didn't realize how much our business was together, cause I never really think about it. AntDawg and I just know how to handle our business I guess 'cause nobody involved with us says they are unhappy with the way we do things. The people involved, artists and non-artists, have all said it's like we're one giant family. Artists don't have money, I hit 'em off with some so they can eat, and never ask for it back.

I know this post only had to do with the paperwork and shit, but I just wanted to put out there how we handle ALL OF OUR SHIT!!

One Love pimp, you know what you're talkin about!!
 
Y

yung-g

Artist
#4
Jun 13, 2002
2,378
0
36
39
#4
good topic. where or how can i get registered with one of the performing rights groups ??? cause i'm trynna get my shit organized right now, before i really start releasin it. because i was ready to drop my Young-G & Murderous Mon album back in the summer, but decided to put it on hold until my shits together.

thatz why i decided to join wit Side Industry and fuck wit their label some, before my solo projects.

can somebody post some feedback helping me out ?
 
Sydal

Sydal

Sicc OG
#5
Apr 25, 2002
7,232
170
63
43
www.idealsentertainment.com
#5
Yung G....

go to www.ascap.com or www.bmi.com for publishing. I know ASCAP has the forms to download but I'm not sure about BMI, I'm sure they do as well.

To get your copyrights done, go to http://www.loc.gov/copyright/ and download the forms. There's like a $35 fee to copyright your shit, depending on if you do it song by song or album by album. It will be cheaper to copyright your shit as a collection of works, but make sure you list EVERY song and what you own (beats, lyrics, etc.). Holla back if you need anything else pimp
 
C

cipherminds

Sicc OG
#9
Aug 27, 2003
1,295
0
0
47
www.thewritersoven.com
#9
good topic. so who do you have to solicit your music to folks? amnagers, agents, lawyers, cuzz i know they said most major labels and shit dont accept demos or watever else unless its from a lawyer, manager or unless they've directly requested it.

Any of you guys have lawyers or managers and if so how do you afford it?
 
G

Game Warden

On The Rise
#12
Mar 9, 2003
458
0
0
www.papertrailmusic.com
#12
MC_PM$ said:
^^^

Would y'all also know any other companies besides BMI and ASCAP that offer similar deals on publishing?
Click to expand...
Let me try and clear it up as much as I can. Ascap and BMI do not "publish your work". Let me explain what they do.

Radio stations want to play music. they don't pay artists directly. Instead, they subscribe to these services like BMI. By subscribing to these services, they get to play whatever music is a part of that association. BMI then turns around and pays its associates (artists)according to how many spins the song has received (they estimate and project).

If you are not a member to one of these groups, then you won't be paid for your record beign spun.

Now there are different kinds of licenses that one must get in order to use somebody's music. For TV and film, they need what they call a synchronization license. You don't really need to worry about that, but it is important for your work to be registered, and then promoted by someone who is going to present it to people (unless you do it yourself).

A publisher is basically the person or organization who owns the right to have your work used in the media. They are also suppose to try and market it for you. But usually when a young indie artist/label signs with a major, they take their publishing rights as part of the deal. That's a big mistake, if you can avoid it. You want it played, and you want them to push it for you, but you also want some of the revenues that come along with having the right/ability to get your shit used/played FORVER. BMI registers the publishers as well as the writers. So if someone wants to use your song for a TV program, they will go to BMI and look to see who the writer is and who the publisher is.... both must be compensated. Smart thing would be to assign only a % of your rights to a company... enough to make them push it.... and keep a % for yourself.

Usually, there is a "cue sheet" where they actually have you declare who owns what % of the work. Every writer and publisher ... they want to know who owns what % of what.
They pay on that basis.

Registering with BMI/ASCAP is mainly for radio.
The publishing... I would suggest you fill out the simple paperwork, pay a nominal fee and register as a publishing company. Very simple to so. My company was already set up, so I simply made that a part of their duties and responsibilities and registered it for that use as well. Any label can do it, any business can do it. Now when you declare the purpose of your business, there are certain restrictions... but publishing rights is mostly a paperwork business... nobody will trip. If you can separate things in your financial books (if any comes in) then its al gravy.

As far as who we use, I think it is more important who you DON"T use. I admit I have made mistakes. I have paid people money to do marketing, publishing, all that shit is pointless when nobody knows you. Nobody can promote you... like you. YOU gotta hustle. All they can do is pass shit out . I got more work done by people who volunteered to help us (many on the siccness) than people I paid. Be thrifty. I wish we had to do it all over again. I didnt learn the lesson until we had already poured unneccessary capital into promotion.

As far as who we use, email me and I'll holla at you.

There are "big timers" out there whose paperwork isn't good. I was talking with this guy a couple a days ago who was looking for music. He jokingly told me about one well known artist whose music they wanted to use. He said "The guy's a walking lawsuit". He said that because apparently the music had samples in it. The lyrics were are often parodies of other people's stuff. He was laughing about it because this guy was actually pushing his/his label's stuff to be used in a particular tv show. So unless you have clean, unsampled music they usually would rather not deal with the hassle.

That being said, most big people/labels use a publishing company. Most of them use the same company, though, but they have some interest in it. "B Legit Publishing" or Zomba publishing, but they usually all have the same address (Beverly Hills) and really they just own a percentage of the publishing rights.... while some bigger company does the legwork and really gets most of the money. There is very little chance that a company like that (a big one) will fuck with indies. Really, its harder, sometimes, than finding a label... because often times the label has some clue what good music sounds like in your genre. A publishing company might have country, jazz, oldies, everything in their catalog.. they are not really "rap people". I would suggest doing it on your own. Or linking up with another indie, splitting the manpower. If you could get someone to pay for your publishing rights, great. But usually, that doesn't happen for indies. Basically it really is a matter of who you know and what kind of networking you do. Doesn't matter what company you use to promote you. You could do it yourself. I do it for PaperTrail, but I did pay for some people do to promotions in that area for me. I picked someone who was well known and respected, who did not have an ego, who had a great resume' and who was well connected. If you want more specific info, email me.

All of that aside, just register with BMI/ASCAP and go from there.
Maybe some of these big ol big ol's onthe board can break it down further. I'm still new to it, so I'm sure others no more.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom