this is some thing i found writtin by stic. man of dead prez
it quite helpful for those who need this

Dont sell out ! your publishing that is start your own company. It's easy and simple. not only will you be making money, but you can write off all company related expenses(paper, pens, laptops, studio sessions, blank cds ,plane tivkets lunches stamps etc.) in turn, saving money on your taxes. this section will break down the basics, now that now that your ready to turn your songs into a money making career.

COPYRIGHT

you are the creator and therefore the owner of your work when people want to play or use your creation in any way, they have to have your permission. your permission is called a license. if they don't have your permission, they are violating your rights. you should register all your works with the U.S COPYRIGHT AGENCY ( until we have our own ) so in theory you will be legally protected if someone tries to use your work without your consent.
Once you have at least one song in the market or in production for commercial release , you are eligible to join a PERFORNCE RIGHTS ORGANIZATION that will help you stay on top of this process.there are fees involved in joining , but they are relatively low. You'll choose your company name fillout a few forms and you are on your way to receiving your royalty payments!

WHAT IS A ROYALTY ?
royalties are fees (Money) that you are paid as the owner of your copyright for use of your songs. there are three main ways that you get paid in royalyties.
There are performance royalties , mechanical royalties and synchronization royalties.

PERFORMANCE ROYALTIES
there are well known PERFORMANCE RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS
LIKE BMI ASCAP, That on you behalf as a member , license your material to music users who whish to utilize your music live or broadcasted in public. that means radio stations televisions shows, hotels, clubs whwereever. these organizations are supposed to shop your songs around to movie producers for scores and soundtracks, video gamesmusic directors advertising companies , etc. they are empolyed to secure your songs placement and finacial compensation in all international arenas that your music is used. your royalty compensation will be tracked internationally, calculated based on how often your song is used or played and paid to you about every four months once you become a member of one of these organizations
do your research and choose which one of these organizations you feel can best help you make money from your songs.Again, i strongly recommend that you dont sell or give the performance Rights organizations, the record label, your manager or anyone a controlling share of your publishing. when you own your own publishing, down the road thorugh the ups and downs of the business, those checks add up and come in handy. if If you sell it off right away for a few thousand dollars ,and later you have a big hit,you might relly whish you hadn't !

MECHANICAL ROYALTIES
PERFORMANCE RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS ( the BMIs AND ASCAPs etc) Pay you your Performace royalties , but the record label must pay you your mechanical royalties.
the copyright laws in the U.s essentially say that if you own the copy right of a song or musical work, you have the right to profit from its mechanical royalties. THAT MEANS FOR EACH CD,TAPE RECORD DUB ETC. THAT THE RECORD LABEL GETS MANUFACTURED AND DISTRIBUTED WHETHER ULTIMAATLY SOLD OR NOT, YOU ARE ENTITLED TO COMPENSASION. this is in addition to your performace royalties the law states taht you are to be paid for "all copies manufactured and distributed"
the law says you are entitled to one hundred percent of the statutory rate
(check with your lawyer for exact calculations of the present going rate).
record labels always try to get away with paying you 75 % or less of your mechanical royalty payments due so make sure your lawer is on piont they give it to you in what they call yor advance but you have to pay that back. it's a really dirty hustle game that these labels run on the artists. be ever focused on your business so you dont fall for the okie doke
one mechanical rights organization that will follow up and help you handle this process is AMRA( american mechanical rights agency, inc ) among others. they may they may even audit labels if need be, or take there filty butts to court to get your money. if if you are already signed artist with music that has been commercialy released, be shure to follow through. you dont want to miss out on money you have just sitting waiting on you.

SYNCHRONIZATION ROYALTEIS AND LICENSES
Television Vidoe and film usage ofyour songs can turn out to be big paper if your on top of your game . The rate for these licenses is always negotiable. Consider the legth of use, the presence and impact of how it is placed, along with the territories that it will be distribiuted in to help you determine your proper compensation.

PERFORMANCE RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS VERSUS ROYALTY ADMINISTATION COMPANIES

you should realize something about the big performance rights companies. they have thousands of artists and songwriters on there on thier rosters . they have super multi platinum artists artists that are there main bread winners. if you happen not to be one of these you are not priority you will have them on point because they will not be agessivly trying to track every little local broadcast and what not that you are on. they will miss a lot of your songs because of how big time tracking systems are set up; the little guy doesnt even registar on thier radar. those unauthorized plays here and there, around the world, add up and they have yoy missing out on money if you arent aware of another way to track and get paid.now. you dont want to sell your publishing but tracking your own radio spins worldwide and processing the paper work for your licences might be a bit much for you to do all by your self. You are probably going to need some helpadministering it. this is where making a partner ship withwith a ROYALTY ADMINISTRATION COMPANY can come in handy.
there are many small staffed but well equipped independent and international companies that pick up the slack. for a small fee of somthing like ten percent they will also shop you material track and procure monies that you are due. they will also shop your material to artists, producers, record labels movie soundtrack directors and video games houses on your behalf. they don not have any owner ship of you copy righ. they take ten percent off the top of the money they collect and you get nintey percent ; simple just like that And because they are smaller company you are more of a priority they dont eat if you dont get songs placed, so they are generally very aggressive and successful in getting your songs licensed in the market.
DEAD PREZ has enjoyed a great relation ship with a company called the royalty out of new york since we got hip to them. they always pay me on time , they send us quarterly newletters that lets us know who in the industry is looking for material and they even have helped secure our work on vieod games films sound tracks. i din't ofen recommend particular companies in the industry because the whole game is so cut throat and shady, but i can honestly say the royalty network has definetly been reiable and productive for dead prez.
My partnere M-! is a member and spokeperson for the the grassroots artist movement called Game. he has been working for several years wioth many other dedicated youngf folks to fight for artist right within the music industry simalar to how unions work for trade jobs. they have established health care options for some of their members and they provide education on the music industry and other resorces to help empower the artist. You can reach out to GAME at www.kickgame.com stay creative , stay focused and stay up see you on the grind!

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