Goodnight Kiss Music www.goodnightkiss.com
Goodnight Kiss Music
www.goodnightkiss.com
Sometimes writers are so busy just trying to
get listened to, they forget there are lots more issues for
concern "down the road" in their careers, like turning
a love (music) into a profession (paying the bills.) Writers earn
their living from two basic forms of royalties, mechanical and
performance. (Of course, there are usually up-front payments, but
it's those checks that come in every quarter that becomes the
writer's mainstay.)
When a writer has a work aired (broadcast) via a major network (now
including many cable and satellite systems), major radio stations
(monitored by performing rights organizations like ASCAP or BMI),
performed live at a major venue (say the Hollywood Bowl), etc,
they receive performance royalties. How much these are vary as to
how the song is used. If your song is being sung by a character
in the film as the focus of a scene, the royalty will be greater
than if your song is used for background music playing on a
jukebox under conversation. The royalty is also based on how long
it plays, how many times it airs, when and where it is used. For
these performances of your song, you are paid a
performance royalty by a performing rights
organization. Get it? Performance royalties.
By the way, just for a bit of historical perspective, writers in
America are not paid for the performances of their songs in
motion picture theaters, although they are paid for that
elsewhere in the world. Since the movie studios and producers in
the old days of Hollywood owned most of the movie houses, as
well, they controlled this factor, and it never changed. I,
personally think Italy and France lead the way on paying writers
a fair price for their art... my royalty checks from there are 5-10
times higher than the same film airing in the U.S., and that is
after all associated fees and taxes!
The latest trend you might see in the Film Industry is the Saban-type
companies and Fox-type networks forging their way to the front by
using a "work for hire" technique on writers, buying a
song and all rights to it from the writer for an, at best,
average price, then ON TOP of taking royalties that should go to
the writer, one of their executives PUTS HIS NAME ON IT, and
claims it for his own writing. The disgusting defense offered by
some of them is that they only add themselves as co-writers, and
leave the original writer's name on, which is still a total lie,
and morally repulsive. These people are not satisfied with
salaries and shares... they want it all. They are the rich bully
kid on the block, who fatten themselves up by taking the little
kids' lunch money. I'm sure they worked hard to develop their
"empire", but at what cost? And now that it's an
empire, why does it have to get worse instead of better?? Is it
no wonder that television and records are at an all-time BORING
low in content and creativity?
I know most of you would almost sell your soul for a cut
somewhere. I know that many of you would PAY to have your song
put on a record or in a film (and some of you have.) Normally, if
you pay to have your song put on a "record" or in a
film, it is not the real business. (I'm not talking about making
a demo of a song, I mean product like CDs.) Like any business,
music is supply and demand, and if your song is good enough to be
in demand (as in even wanting to be listened to by someone in
charge) you won't pay them, they will pay you. It might not be
much at first, but I think you can see what I mean.
There are also mechanical royalties, paid when physical product
is created... but more about that another time. Feel free to send
any comments.
© 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Janet Fisher Goodnight Kiss Music (BMI) Scene Stealer Music (ASCAP) NO reprints without written permission.