[Fmpro] Using a foreign PRO for foreign Royalty Collections

[Josh Silver]

Thanks Les, that was very informative.
So I mostly have product in Canada and the U.S., but I always see  
broadcasts showing up on my statements from Europe, Japan, Australia,  
Hong Kong, Norway etc.
You said in your email that PROs receive, they do not collect outside  
their own domestic path, this makes me wonder how the foreign  
royalties are making it to SOCAN now?  Are they just being sent to  
SOCAN from these foreign PROs?  If this is the case, then I can see  
how it makes sense to go directly to the foreign PROs rather than go  
through SOCAN if they are taking some kind of Administrative fee for  
receiving my foreign royalties.  What I'm not clear on is where  
exactly does the inaccuracies occur in my current situation as opposed  
to if I joined these foreign PROs?

It seems that whether I join these foreign PROs or not, they will  
collect for me for foreign broadcasts.  I'm understanding that the  
main difference that would occur if I joined these foreign PROs would  
be that the royalties would be sent directly to me rather than to  
SOCAN, and then to me.  Am I on the right track with this?  If I was a  
member of these foreign PROs would the foreign PROs be doing anything  
differently or would the only difference lie in the fact that SOCAN  
would be out of the picture for those collections?

If this is the case then since at least half of my broadcasts are  
currently in the U.S., then I should probably join directly with BMI  
or ASCAP rather than what I'm doing now which is going through SOCAN  
and selecting BMI as my U.S. collector for the territory of the U.S.  
but through SOCAN.

How does this work for publishers?  Can I collect publishing royalties  
as well through these foreign PROs?

I've heard that one can select a single PRO for all of Europe, but it  
sounds like you are suggesting that I join multiple to collect for  
markets based on language.  So for example SGAE collects for ALL  
Spanish speaking markets including Latin America?

Wow, this is some pretty deep stuff....

Thanks again Les!

Josh


On Jul 2, 2008, at 12:14 PM, LesHurdle wrote:

> Hi Josh,
>
> Please excuse the cut n paste [c n p] below].......
>
> Where do you have product, where do you expect to have product around
> the planet?
>
> Please remember  PRO's receive, they do not collect outside their own
> domestic patch.
>
>
> On Jul 2, 2008, at 8:50 AM, Josh Silver wrote:
>
>> This is a pretty interesting conversation and has raised some
>> curiosity on my part about using foreign PRO's to collect foreign
>> royalties for me.
>>
>> I was until recently under the impression that the main reason to use
>> a foreign PRO for foreign collections was to receive foreign  
>> royalties
>> much faster than if I went through my domestic PRO (SOCAN) to collect
>> my foreign royalties.  Now after reading the recent fmpro emails on
>> this topic I am a little confused because I have been reading that
>> using SACEM or GEMA for example to represent a composer for the
>> territory of Europe would not only collect royalties faster, but also
>> more accurately than my domestic PRO???  Am I understanding this
>> correctly?
>
> Yes you are !!!!!!!!!!!
>>
>> Previously I have decided against using a foreign PRO for this  
>> purpose
>> because I was under the impression that the only real benefit was
>> quicker royalty payments for international broadcasts.  So since the
>> foreign PRO would end up getting a percentage of my royalties in
>> exchange for the collections I decided not to do it since I don't  
>> mind
>> waiting longer for the royalty payments.
>
> They get the % at this time anyway, then you pay extra for SOCAN to
> admin the income.......... go direct !
>>
>> Now this topic has been opened up again for me as I did not know that
>> using SACEM or GEMA would actually increase the accuracy of the
>> European collections, I am considering going with SACEM or GEMA as my
>> European reps.
>
> You may be entitled to a pension if you sign up with GEMA and/or
> SACEM............ seriously........... join them all, get the
> benefits for all.
>
> e.g.  Join SACEM for all French speaking markets,  SGAE for Spanish
> speaking markets,   PRS for the UK etc etc
>
> I wish I had done so decades ago, but in those days PRS frowned on
> any 'move'.......... ok for publishers though ;-)
>
> I joined ASCAP for the USA and it caused immense concern at
> PRS.............. equally my ASCAP publishing company had my
> 'writers' product on air in the UK......... this was interesting, I
> was paid my writers share by PRS but not the publishing by
> ASCAP...............  until one compared statements [for and to
> them]......... then my publishing co and the money was 'found' ...
> clerical error !
>
> Always have the means to cross check, it pays dividends, but really
> upsets staff.
>
> L
>
>>
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>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> Hale Music
>
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