Self-Publishing

[gelon]

Anyone have any experience on starting up your own publishing company? Doesn't seem like it should be that difficult...What's the scoop, how's it done? Online resources? Thanks, G.

[Gidge]

http://clearlakemedia.net/selfpub-re...bookstore.html

[Lopp]

Gidge, you've got a link for everything.

[gec]

Easiest company you'll ever start, hardest you ever run..........


The basics - start

DBA license in your city

Checking Acct

You need an Entertainment/Contract lawyer

Join ASCAP or BMI as a publisher

Try to get elected to HFA (Harry Fox)

Submit app to NMPA



Welcome you now have a publishing company, next step



Running the company

- You need to be an absolute expert on the laws regarding copyrights, contracts, and licensing..............

- Build a catalogue of music

- Try to get Major record labels to recognize you as a potential income generated entity

- Work with the film industry to market your catalogue in movies, commercials, advertisements, etc.........


and there is much more.........

[philboyd studge]

Good advice, gec.

For me it's just sort of a leverage tool. Occasionally a song of mine gets recorded by someone so it means more in royalties. And, in the event a song were to be picked up by a major artist, you've a little something to negotiate with on the publishing end.

[gelon]

My main thing is to publish my own stuff; I'm really not interested in putting together a diverse catalog, or trying to generate royalties for other songwriters. I'm just thinkin' along the lines of saving 50% of the royalties on my songs when I sell CD's. (That's basically all a publisher is gonna do for you anyway - keep half your stuff.) In that case, wouldn't the whole scenario be simpler?
Like, set up the company (incorporate, or whatever), get listed as a publisher with BMI (and GEMA, over here), collect royalties, and pay taxes? Anybody ever actually done it?

[gec]

gelon,

If all your publisher does is collect half your royalties, you would need to find a new publisher....

Really, yes you can collect some of your own publishing on certain things....Like ASCAP would collect your songwriting royalties, but my man eventually you would have to enter in a publishing or co-publishing deal. Your looking at it the wrong way your view is they take 50% of my money and if you continue to have that in the long run you will probably lose 75% of your cash.


ok time to break it down

- You wanna collect your own Publishing?

Songwriting membership to ASCAP no problem they'll collect it for you

- whose gonna collect your mechanicals, Harry Fox - ok get elected cuz you don't join them you get elected so you need to know someone in the industry already.


Now for the truth------------------------------

You write a good song. You've got it copyrighted, so you think your protected, right....WRONG

Now mainstream group XYZ heres the song and samples, steals, or somehow copyright infringes the song. Imagine the nerve of them, how could they......hmmmmmmmm


So who's gonna sue them, YOU!!! I hope you got the capital because their lawyers will bury you in paperwork for 2-3 years and by the time the settlements reached you still have to prove that they did copyright infringe!!!!!! Not always easy to do!!!!!!!!!!
And your lawyer fee's will probably outweigh the settlement price.


So why bother having a publisher!!!!!!!!

1 word my man - Protection

People in the music industry are successful and strive for one thing and thats reputation. If you enter into a publishing deal with a reputable publishing company no one will F*** with your music not cuz they fear a lawsuit, but because of the damage done to their credibility. Average underground artists have their sh** stolen all the time, but you never hear about it cuz there ain't much they can do, However, artists with a good publisher never or rarely have any problems and the case is usually settled swiftly.

Lets Move on -

Should you start your own publishing Company- my answer - Absolutely

Should you incorporate - my answer - Absolutely (LLC)

Enter into a co-publishing deal with your company and a major.

A good publisher can always do more than just collect money they handle things you never could like

- Oversea's Royalty collections

- Shopping your Music to industry insiders

Gelon,

I hope I made some good points cuz you seem pretty smart but I can't tell you how many people I've seen like you get screwed with the whole I'm gonna do it myself attitude and not have the proper information....If you want to grow a publishing company break into the industry first then worry about that


peace

[gelon]

gec, Thanks for takin' the time to pass all that along! Guess I'm still pretty naive about a lot of this (sure, I had the music business course at Berklee...and read a lot of other stuff). I figured it was a bit simpler; I mean, everyone's got their own publishing these days. I'm collecting perfomance royalties over here through GEMA, which is relatively simple, so I figured the next logical step (especially with a CD in the works) was to do the publishing thang. Guess I need to do more research. Again, I appreciate your input. Gelon

[gec]

Hey G,

I didn't mean to break any spirits or anything.....and I do agree with self publishing to collect some royalties. Look into HFA they would be a great organization to align yourself with and will protect you and audit any record labels trying to F*** you over