[Fmpro] My ASCAP quarterly statement just showed up!!!!

[Mark Northam]

For any of this to happen, composers have to be willing to take a stand
against the abuse they receive at the hands of their employers and the PROs
who, by knowingly allowing executives to claim authorship of music they
didn't write, are as guilty as the employers of this despicable practice.

Now it's a matter of finding composers (even one) who are willing to
publicly take on both the well-funded production companies who do this AND
their pals at the PROs who write the checks. [ ...crickets... ]

If the PROs didn't allow this sort of thing to happen, it would be a
different story. But they do, and that makes it an almost impossible task
for any individual composers who want to fight this.

Best,

MN


On 11/21/07 2:11 PM, "Geoff Koch" <gk at kochproductions.com> wrote:

> Mark -- I suppose it depends on how "agreement" is construed.
> 
> Do you think that offense would be criminal in nature?  Any precedent for
> it?  If so, I say let's get the indictments flowing!!!  A few of those might
> get the ASCAP board to sit up straight, too.
> 
> 
> On 11/21/07 3:48 PM, "Mark Northam" <mnortham at gmdgroup.com> wrote:
> 
>> That would be a criminal offense, just like forging a name on a check,
>> unless done with the agreement of the "real" composer.
>> 
>> As to the PRO's policies of allowing employers to demand writers credit as a
>> condition of employment, it's a horrific practice and the PRO's choice to do
>> nothing about it (or in the case of ASCAP, the board voted down a proposal a
>> few years ago to have ASCAP take a stand against the practice, at least in
>> principal) speaks volumes as to the lack of ethics or morals existing on the
>> controlling boards of those organizations. To allow that kind of extortion
>> is outrageous, yet these people keep on getting elected over and over again
>> because the board meetings where they commit their deeds are kept very, very
>> secret.
>> 
>> As I have said before, I have no idea how these people sleep at night, other
>> than perhaps repeating "At least we're not owned by the broadcasters..."
>> over and over and over and...
>> 
>> To have a phony writer listed on a cue sheet undermines the entire integrity
>> of the performing rights royalty system. It's amazing that the PROs haven't
>> figured this out, or perhaps they have...
>> 
>> Best,
>> 
>> MN
>> 
>> 
>> On 11/21/07 1:06 PM, "Geoff Koch" <gk at kochproductions.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> Unless, of course, one of those publishers (or his wife) magically appeared
>>> as "composer" on the cue sheet.
>>> 
>>> On 11/21/07 12:58 PM, "Mark Northam" <mnortham at gmdgroup.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> Yes, but you should still get the writer's side of ASCAP performance
>>>> royalties even for work-for-hire situations. WFH means that the employer
>>>> keeps the publishing side of performance royalties, but not the writers...
>>>> 
>>>> Mark Northam
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> On 11/21/07 10:32 AM, "Les Mizzell" <lesmizz at bellsouth.net> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> I'm well aware of my lack of registered stuff. Most of the work I've
>>>>> done has been for the ETV networks - work for hire. Argh!
>>>> 
>>>> ---------------------------------
>>>> Mark Northam, CEO
>>>> Global Media Development Group
>>>> 
>>>> http://www.FIlmMusicMag.com - The Professional Voice of Music For Film & TV
>>>> 
>>>> 1-800-774-3700 ext. 702 / 310-645-9000 ext. 702
>>>> http://www.gmdgroup.com
>>>> Yahoo/Skype: marknortham  /  AIM: mnortham
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> The Film Music Pro List is sponsored by Film Music Magazine -
>>>> http://www.filmmusicmag.com
>>>> 
>>>> To edit your list options or unsubscribe, visit:
>>>> http://nxport.com/mailman/listinfo/fmpro
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> The Film Music Pro List is sponsored by Film Music Magazine -
>>> http://www.filmmusicmag.com
>>> 
>>> To edit your list options or unsubscribe, visit:
>>> http://nxport.com/mailman/listinfo/fmpro
>> 
>> ---------------------------------
>> Mark Northam, CEO
>> Global Media Development Group
>> 
>> http://www.Muse411.com - The Music Industry Online Directory
>> 
>> 1-800-774-3700 ext. 702 / 310-645-9000 ext. 702
>> http://www.gmdgroup.com
>> Yahoo/Skype: marknortham  /  AIM: mnortham
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> The Film Music Pro List is sponsored by Film Music Magazine -
>> http://www.filmmusicmag.com
>> 
>> To edit your list options or unsubscribe, visit:
>> http://nxport.com/mailman/listinfo/fmpro
> 
> _______________________________________________
> The Film Music Pro List is sponsored by Film Music Magazine -
> http://www.filmmusicmag.com
> 
> To edit your list options or unsubscribe, visit:
> http://nxport.com/mailman/listinfo/fmpro

---------------------------------
Mark Northam, CEO
Global Media Development Group

http://www.FIlmMusicMag.com - The Professional Voice of Music For Film & TV

1-800-774-3700 ext. 702 / 310-645-9000 ext. 702
http://www.gmdgroup.com
Yahoo/Skype: marknortham  /  AIM: mnortham