What Joe said.
This is my understanding too. You pay the fee they collect the royalties.
Which is why (in the 1990's-2000's) I say flip a coin. And yes Bug is a
publisher . . .
-jim
On Fri, 2 Apr 1999, Joe Gracey wrote:
> Dave Purcell wrote:
>
> >
> > I seem to remember reading that it's hard to get into ASCAP
> > unless you're a little more established, whereas BMI takes anyone.
>
> I don't think that is true. They both take anybody with the dough to
> sign up. The history of the two is this:
>
> ASCAP was the original New York group, Broadway, Tin Pan Alley, etc. In
> the old days (40s) they had become snooty and Establishment. This is no
> longer in any sense true, and they now actively recruit all comers.
>
> BMI arose as a response to this elitism, formed by the Nashville and
> rock & roll cadre, who found working with ASCAP a pain because they were
> looked down upon. As I recall, perhaps wrongly, BMI was also the first
> rights org. to collect radio airplay royalties.
>
> SESAC I know nothing about.
>
> Each of them will tell you they pay the best, most promptly, etc, but as
> far as I can tell there is very little, if any, difference between them,
>results-wise.
>
> (BTW, none of this has anything whatsoever to do with publishing. Bug
> Music is a publisher. BMI and ASCAP are "performing rights societies"
> which serve as collection agencies for performance royalties only, send
> them to the publishers and writers, and deduct 1% of your royalties to
> pay their overhead. In order to collect "mechanical royalties", or money
> from record sales, you either have to have a publisher, be your own
> publisher, or at least register yourself with the Harry Fox Agency (they
> have a website) in order to collect your mechanicals.)
>
> --
> Joe Gracey
> President-For-Life, Jackalope Records
> http://www.kimmierhodes.com
>
