Alrighty now to the area of discussion that everyone wishes didn't exist, Paying Royalty's. As I am throwing together the music for my show it would appear that I will be tracking down some artists to pay a fee.

For those of you that have done this before. What is necessary for me to do so? also What is the usual charge. Any explanations would be great.

Thanks,
Jared

Much depends on the source of the music.

Tracks published under ASCAP or BMI (the fact will be noted on or with the original recording - on the CD and/or case) will require licenses through those organizations. Often such licensing is already paid by the venue in which you will be performing, but sometimes it is not. Check with ASCAP and BMI to determine the proper way to proceed.

There is a similar (but rarely-seen) Euro organization, SESAC, which (if I recall right) includes performance licensing in the purchase price.

Other recordings are published as "royalty-free" or "buyout music" (same thing) or are licensed by thge publisher according to type of use - again, study the original recording for details and contact info.

Any other type of licensing would probably be an individual issue according to the originator of the recording you have, so the question is "what is the source?" - No artist who wants a fee for his/her music is going to make that info too hard to find, but hopefully your recordings have not become too disconnected from their sources.

Check this thread: http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......;forum=7

Michael

So

"As long as you are not selling tickets yourself, you are not likely to need the licensing. This was confirmed by an executive at ASCAP."
-Michael Messing

So if this is a charity event at a local theater of which I have been asked to perform for someones project. I am not likely to be responsible on many levels?

-Jared

Jared, SOMEONE has to pay to use licensed music period. Weather it is you or the venue it needs to be done and done right.

The situation is not fun to deal with when you get busted. Make sure it is taken care of properly before the event is my advice, which is why I assume your asking the question.

You could use karoke music.

Well of course, that is why I m asking way in advance. I will do my research.

Thanks

Unless it is specifically royalty free music, a fee must be paid. Using karaoke music means you won't pay the original artist, but you will have to pay the copyright owners. If you look on the back of the karaoke music, you'll see a little c with a circle around it.

It's really easy to go through this process, Jared. For each song, there is a producer. Simply write/call them, explain what you would like it for and ask permission. They are known to just say yes for no fee sometimes. Mostly, though, you'll pay a fee. Can't give specifics. It is up to the produceer. As Michael mentioned, it's not too difficult. Be glad you're not in the video business. Not only are there normal license fees, but mechanical licenses, syncronization licences and the list goes on. That's why I stick to royalty free music!

As far as charity or for-profit, here's a simple rule: If people are going to hear the music in public under ANY situaltion, royalties MUST be paid.

Put the shoe on the other foot. If you wrote a song and found out someone was using it for a production, wouldn't you want to be compensated?

Cheers and good luck!

Scott

Jared by the way it is cool to see you researching the issue before it is an issue.

That speaks volumes of your professionalism!

[quote]On 2005-11-20 21:38, ScottRSullivan wrote:
Unless it is specifically royalty free music, a fee must be paid. Using karaoke music means you won't pay the original artist, but you will have to pay the copyright owners. If you look on the back of the karaoke music, you'll see a little c with a circle around it.

[/quote/]

I did not know this. Thanks

I can write and record music for you, copyright free, and nobody else will have it except me and you!

Jared,

If tickets are sold by the charity, they or the theater are responsible for paying for the rights for using commercial music. If neither of them do it, the licensing bureaus ASCAP and BMI can require you to pay for the rights.

The first thing to do is to see if the theater is already set up with the licensing bureaus for music played at their theater. If so, they'll know how to proceed.

If not, then you need to see how they normally handle these circumstances. As mentioned in the other thread, BMI & ASCAP do not license performers. They license performances so, yes, you might have to pay for the one-time rights to use the music for the charitable event.

The simplest way to handle it if the theater isn't licensed is use royalty free music, as mentioned above. I use mostly royalty free music to avoid any problems. For an example of some of the royalty free music available (specifically written for magicians) go to: http://www.opus1productions.com/ (He even has some freebies on his site.)

Michael

Thanks everyone for all the help! I shall move it into the tricky phases now.

-Jared