Now that Thanksgiving is a wrap, let's get into something really fun - royalties! Now, I know royalty discussions are enough to make many a head want to implode, but no matter what your role in the music industry, it's pretty important to get at least a basic handle on them. There's really no need to run from the royalty conversation - and in fact, they're not quite as tricky as you may think.
So, with that in mind, let's consider one kind of royalty - performance rights royalties. These royalties are paid for live performances of songs. Wait - live performance? Like concerts and such? Well, yes, sort it - or well, it CAN mean that. However, a live performance of a song can also refer to a public "airing" of a recorded track. If you have a restaurant and play music over your speakers, you're technically hosting a live performance.
Can you imagine tracking all of the live performances of songs everywhere, all the time? Nope (or at least I bet you can't). That is where performance rights royalty collection groups, like BMI and ASCAP come in. They help both songwriters and publishers get paid their due. Find out how performance rights royalties work and how these groups track public performances. Note that the hows, whens and whys of when these royalties are collected can vary from country to country, but there are some general rules in place that are relevant to everyone.
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