Ascap or BMI

[Altaire]

anybody got information on publishers? Mainly which company is better to go with, what exactly is publishing, anything to do with the subject or a page that can tell me.
Thanks

[DavidK]

Originally Posted by Altaire

anybody got information on publishers? Mainly which company is better to go with, what exactly is publishing, anything to do with the subject or a page that can tell me.
Thanks

Neither are publishers. They are more like guilds, they give recording artists a payment if a publisher is registered with them and their stuff is played on the radio, in a film, in a concert hall etc. ascap is free but you have to be "elected", which means you have to have a published song or something like that.

-DavidK, member of Ascap

[warble2]

Two good places to start:

http://www.ascap.com/

http://www.bmi.com/

I don't know that one is better than the other.

[orksnork]

im a member of ascap myself....

[Mindset]

Also a member of ASCAP

[SonicAlbert]

I'm a member of BMI as both a composer and publisher. You have to choose one or the other as a composer/songwriter, but you can be a member of both as a publisher. When you publish a song you then choose which organization will collect publishing royalties on that song, it can't be both. So you could conceivably write a song and have BMI collect your songwriter royalties and ASCAP collect your publisher royalties.

But I think most people just join one or the other and have their organization collect all their royalties.

[cello_pudding]

i visited both...and i forget why...but ascap was better for the songwriter.

bmi seemed like it had a bunch of christian/country/bands that are more into the kitsch and exploitation.

[SonicAlbert]

Originally Posted by cello_pudding

bmi seemed like it had a bunch of christian/country/bands that are more into the kitsch and exploitation.

That's pretty off-base, if I may say so myself. Not sure how you arrived at that conclusion.

Even if you are going to generalize between the two, the common thought is that BMI is more for TV/film score people, and ASCAP is more for songwriters. But there are plenty of each in both ASCAP and BMI, so it's tough to generalize too broadly.

Both have their proponents and detractors. I would say that you should ask around to people you know who are doing the same kind of music as you, and join whichever one they are a member of (assuming they are happy with it).

You've got to look deeper than the web sites. Really do some research, download their songwriter/publisher agreements, ask around. I did all that, and it does help in making a choice.

[orksnork]

i signed up when i was 17 maybe...luckily, we had a rep who we had met and wanted to handle it...and it was a pretty pain-free process

fill out a packet of forms, hand it to him, done.

[cello_pudding]

i believe philip glass is an ascap'r. i listened to a bunch of people talk about each a few hours a few days...and read a few pamphlets they gave me. it was a sort of hands on songwriting class. i guess i just didnt like the bmi vibe. i forget what was my deciding factor of ascap being better for me, but i remember i did see advantage for songwriters

[peopleperson]

Hey ASCAP guys, should I/can I sign up with ASCAP as both a publisher and a writer? I've currently got applications in for both and am waiting to hear back.

[Altaire]

what exactly is publishing? Im tryin to figure this out cuz Im appearing on a commercial release next month and Im trying to get it settled before then...

Ive been asking other artists and pretty much cats say it doesnt really matter

[dmbfan1981]

BMI and ASCAP are what are known as PROs ( Performing Rights Organizations ). They serve many purposes but you can kinda think of them as a guild or union of sorts. They not only collect your publishing royalties ( I believe that they keep 50% though, so thats sometimes tough to chew. ), but they also go to bat for you in the case that someone infringes on your copyright. In addition to this they usually provide many resources and workshops that can be useful to many different types of people in this industry.

It is my understanding that many people just wind up going with whichever. They either know a rep, or have met someone through networking, or visited the website, or all of their favorite artists use that one, or whatever. I am sure that you could study more and find a more logical way to do it, but that is up to you. They are both very good at what they do, I am sure.

Are you APPEARING in a commercial, or is your music being played in the commercial?

[Albertm]

Originally Posted by dmbfan1981

BMI and ASCAP are what are known as PROs ( Performing Rights Organizations ). They serve many purposes but you can kinda think of them as a guild or union of sorts. They not only collect your publishing royalties ( I believe that they keep 50% though, so thats sometimes tough to chew. ), but they also go to bat for you in the case that someone infringes on your copyright. In addition to this they usually provide many resources and workshops that can be useful to many different types of people in this industry.

It is my understanding that many people just wind up going with whichever. They either know a rep, or have met someone through networking, or visited the website, or all of their favorite artists use that one, or whatever. I am sure that you could study more and find a more logical way to do it, but that is up to you. They are both very good at what they do, I am sure.

Are you APPEARING in a commercial, or is your music being played in the commercial?

I thought they (BMI-ASCAP) were non profit??? Publishers get 50 per cent or however deal is worked out.

[dmbfan1981]

well if they are collecting royalties for you, then they are effectively acting as a publishing company. I could be wrong here, but I believe that if they collect your money for you, then they keep a fee. Non-profit doesnt mean free. It just means they keep enough to pay for their overhead operation cost.

Anyone else feel free to chime in on this, I could be totally off base and dont know for sure. I know that the commonly accepted rate for a publisher is 50%. Whether BMI and ASCAP fall into that is the part that I am not sure about.

[Farview]

As of a few years ago, BMI paid more attention to smaller time acts than ascap. They audited more radio stations (including independant and college stations) than ascap.

So, if you were metallica or madonna, it didn't matter. If you were just squeeking by, go BMI. You have a better chance of getting paid.


Neither BMI or ASCAP are publishing companies.