Should I use ASCAP or BMI? or something different??

I love this place! LOL Found this thread off goggle! So yea the web browsers finding it!

Thanks for the info! I am trying to do the same thing with all of these old unused beats I have laying around.
I didnt get threw reading the whole thread though but I wanted to ask cant I have a bmi account in my name and a ascap in my kids name? Or how would setting one in my kids name work out? Never really tried as I dont have a her information aqvailable?
So I can just keep making kids tones or something since she like it so much, and pitch pitch pitch and who knows might be on sesame street(oh wait thats public funding so know bmi regulations apply, right!?) , yo gabba gabba, kids show or something one day in here name for future preference!?
Or just set them up as heir automatically?

I want to post some of my work but dont want to get post banned
 
sorry for bumping an old thread. Isn't there only 2 major PROs in the U.S. so I don't know what "something else" is? Although I think there is another one that is not as popular as BMI and ASCAP. I think it's called SoundExchange. There are others as well according to wikipedia but they probably aren't as big as BMI and ASCAP so I would stick with either one of these, or both. I thought SESAC was more Canadian? Anyway...

I can't decide which one to join. I think both major PROs function the same. I think I'm going with BMI because I like the format of their website. Looks easy to navigate. ASCAP seem to handle more than just songs, so I think BMI is just more music oriented. ASCAP handles authors as well as in book writers or what? There is news that ASCAP, BMI, SOCAN created a partnership to create MusicMark, not sure what it is yet.

I had a release a few years ago from a label but never registered with either of the major PROs. Not sure if I missed any royalties as the release did not really sell all that well. I did get some royalty from the label upon the release of the CD. Not sure if I missed any other royalties. I simply lost interest in music and went on hiatus but am now showing more enthusiasm about music again.

Does either BMI or ASCAP offer "industry calls" or not really? I was a TAXI member at one point but at that time I was already losing interest in music so I didn't really succeed with TAXI nor do I have any faith in that company. I must admit I did not really have any competitive songs at that time I was a TAXI member so maybe it was my fault as well for losing faith. But in case I come up with "hits" isn't there a legitimate way of just calling the A&R person of a major label to pitch my songs to the new boy band they are putting together? After all a hit is a hit and it needs to be heard and not have to go through all this secretive "no unsolicited material" I keep hearing about. I once contacted a big independent label's A&R and the person told me that how else are they going to find new material if this whole "no unsolicited material" is in the way. This was years ago. I'm not sure how everyone works these days but from looking at some record labels website they do not even accept physical material anymore, everything is digital now. In other words if I have a highly visible digital presence on the web (youtube, facebook, twitter, etc.), the word will get out eventually. That is if what you seek is fame. I'm happy being behind the scenes.
 
Nice thread! I think the mix up here is not mentioning the difference between signing up as a Composer/Songwriter and a Publisher. Signing up with ASCAP is a $25 fee for both Composer/Songwriter and Publisher and with BMI it's free to sign up as a Composer/Songwriter and $50 as a Publisher. When registering titles each part must equate to 100% together. (50% evenly between however many parties involved on the songwriter/composer side and 50% on the Publisher side. You cannot register a title without it adding up to 100%. However you can register with BMI or ASCAP as both the Songwriter/Composer and the Publisher.

Re-titling is something that is used all of the time due to songwriters/composers being in an exclusive agreement with other Publishers. Is it good practice? Depends on the situation. What I would do is register the title with your PRO and within your agreements make sure that they are aware that you have already added the music/composition to your catalog and they must agree to being added as a songwriter. Then you go back and edit the registered title/song/whatever and add the new title as an alias or update it to the new one. That's just my suggestion. However the Members area of ASCAP has very good information on the best practices.
 
OK so I decided to sign up with BMI as it is free. It's my first ever being with a PRO so free always speaks for itself. LOL. Anyway, I have 2 songs in a compilation released by a label. Do I register the title of the compilation CD or the title of my songs with my credited name on it? 1 song has my name credited as well as another person so the "share of work" I should fill in as 50%? My other song, I'm the only one on credit so the "share of work" percentage would be 100%. Right? Would I need to submit a copy of the CD to BMI? I believe the label that put out the CD already had submitted a CD to them as the label is also the publisher who are with both BMI and ASCAP (under separate names).

Just wondering how I would go on about if I put out my own CD on my own label, when registering it (the songs) with BMI, do I then become my own music publisher or not necessarily? I signed up as a songwriter/composer, not as a publisher. Can I sign up as both or not? So if I put out my own releases on my own label, does BMI collect money from me (since I own the label) to pay back to me or what, since BMI is a collection agency? If someone could explain better that would be great. I'd like to put out my own CD eventually to push the songs within it into film/tv placements. I think a properly finished CD product will stand out. Hopefully getting cut by another artists as well. I'm sure the big names would prefer a song that hasn't been published for the masses to hear it, unless it was already a popular song meant to be a cover, you know what I mean? If the songwriter of NSYNC's "Tearin' Up My Heart" released that song on itunes BEFORE NSYNC even used it, it might create a confusion in the masses, I would think so. Commercially it would. It would mess with those teen girl's minds knowing NSYNC didn't write the song if it had been commercially available prior to NSYNC releasing the single and video. LOL.

Also, if I want to get cut by a boy band, do I simply make contacts with the music publisher credited in the boy band's CD/song and try to make a connection and pitch my songs to the company? It's still too early to be my own music publisher so I'd rather work with a company who already established a connection. i'd love to get my songs cut by the big names or perhaps an up and coming major label artist of any genre.
 
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I was just looking at the Alanis Morrisette CD "Jagged Little Pill" and "all songs ASCAP/BMI", I'm wondering if the reason using both PROs mean more money? I know only 1 PRO can be used, I would assume they got away with it by joining the other as a business entity? Not sure how more money would be made, is it because per use of a song mean that both PROs would be collecting royalties for the artist/business and not just one PRO so that means the income is doubled?

I'm only using Alanis Morrisette as an example because her Jagged Little Pill album sold around 20 something million copies in the U.S. (if I'm not mistaken). So if she got paid $20 million dollars (for example), does that mean that since she is on 2 PROs, she really got paid $40 million dollars?
 
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triplea3xa said:
Im guessing its safe to assume that these pros also cover youtube stream and etc right?
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I may be wrong but ASCAP or BMI DO NOT offer a You Tube content ID solution (the system right holders use to control their content on You Tube)...

You have two choices for You Tube, specifically. Either:

1. Apply for You Tube Content ID - which you won't get in to... As you probably don't have a large enough catalog, and you probably don't have anyone using your music in their You Tube content.

2. Use a middle man who you pay a royalty or fixed fee of the earnings from them controlling your copyright on You Tube. If you go this route, DO NOT whatever you do, go with Audiam. They started in 2012/2013, and I was one of the early adopters who joined them to test their service out. They are incompetent. I've been trying to get my music off their system for a year. After following their terms, my latest deadline has passed to remove my content from their system, because they didn't read their emails in time (I emailed them a month in advance lol). Now, I have to wait another year before I can move my music around to my labels system.

Again, I may be wrong about ASCAP and BMI, so if anyone who uses those companies could chime in - it would be of great help.

Hope I've helped,
Jordan
 
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EiN

Cyko said:
Yes, because the EIN makes your company it's own entity. It's basically your companies SS #.
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Hey sorry if I intrude but yall been answering a lot of questions I've had lately. But, how do I get an EIN# for my business without starting up the LLC, and what not. Meaning, at the moment I do not have the money to apply for an L.L.C. but I have the impression this other guy doesn't either as he was saying he couldn't afford applying for L.L.C either. In other words, lol; can I get an EIN for my business before paying to become an L.L.C?
 
More About PROs

BizziMusic said:
Should i register my beats with ASCAP, BMI, etc. if I just want to sell them online? If so, which company should I use??
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It's really about finding someone in any of the three PROs (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC) in the US who really likes what you do and will hook you up with other writers and publishers. PROs have a LOT of money and power in the music industry. But they are only an asset to you as an up-and-coming artist if they help you advance your career. Otherwise you are just one member among tens of thousands and it can be hard to even get someone on the phone. But if you COMPOSE MUSIC you MUST join one of the PROs because they are the people who collect your money and pay you.
 
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