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Liner Notes
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Publishing and Royalties 101 continued:
The Nuts and Bolts of Songwriting Income
PART TWO:
PERFORMANCE RIGHTS SOCIETIES: ASCAP OR BMI?
By Darcie-Nicole Wicknick
Special to MusicBizAdvice.com
HOW DO THEY KNOW IF MY SONG IS PLAYED ON THE RADIO OR AT A CLUB?
There are several methods. Typically, Writers and/or Publishers notify the performance
rights organization about new placements so the organization can start tracking the film
or TV airings. In addition, nightclubs and colleges and other venues pay blanket licenses,
as do jukeboxes, Muzak (grocery store and "elevator" music), and other sources.
Radio works a bit differently - more on that in a moment. The blanket license is important
because many bands may perform different versions of the same song at a clubs, events, or
colleges in one night - virtually impossible to track. So, venues pay a fee. The fee is
divided as a small dividend each quarter among members of their organization. There is
even a dividend from blanket licenses paid from the sales of blank recording media. And
according to ASCAP’s website, there are even licenses for websites that host or issue
downloadable music.
Radio is another animal. Airplay of songs is tracked through a system called BDS and each
week, radio stations report on rotation of every song in their play list. This information
is shared with performance rights societies and is used to calculate royalties.
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