[Fmpro] Registering your works at ASCAP vs cue sheet registration

[Christopher Alpiar]

Awesome thanks Mark!

OK SO---- Say I have a piece of orchestral music and I have it with 3  
libraries as well as with my own publishing company, each library with  
a non-exclusive deal...

Do I make 4 publishers? Listing them as Sub-publishers? Or as  
"Original Publisher One" and "Original Publisher Two" etc etc?

If there are re-titles do I add the different titles to "Alternate  
Title"? Or does each library that has that song take care of this  
filing and I only worry about the version through my publishing company?


Christopher Kennedy Alpiar
Cinematic Composer
937.294.0900 (Dayton Studio)
310.339.9603 (Los Angeles)
877.294.0912 (Toll Free)
www.alpiar.com








On Jun 23, 2008, at 5:09 PM, Mark Northam wrote:

> Hi All -
>
> For what it's worth, here's what I know -
>
> * If the first performance of a work will be in a film or television  
> show
> with a cue sheet that is filed, and the work is not anticipated to  
> be used
> outside that show, film or series, there is no need to register the  
> works
> using ASCAP's Works Registration System (previously called the Song
> Registration System) as the cue sheet will effectively register the  
> work
> with ASCAP.
>
> * If the work is standalone and may be used in different  
> productions, like
> library music, it is advisable to register the work using the Works
> Registration System. Just ignore all the references to songs and  
> lyrics.
>
> * As I understand it, registering your works on cue sheets using  
> ASCAP's
> RapidCue system (only available to selected high-volume composers) is
> effectively the same as registering cue sheets manually or via email.
>
> The issue of course with library music are re-titling libraries,  
> which are
> numerous these days. From ASCAP's point of view, the work under a  
> new title
> is a new and separate work. Do the library companies register  
> individual
> cues under their new names with ASCAP? That's a very good question for
> composers to ask libraries that they are considering placing their  
> music
> with.
>
> For score music, an additional complication is ASCAP's decision to  
> take all
> score music within a show or series that has the same writer/ 
> publisher info
> and lump alll those cues together into a single cue, like "The  
> Simpsons
> cues" and add together all the values. When you look at any show with
> significant background instrumental cues on ASCAP's ACE on the web,  
> you'll
> see what I'm talking about. This makes registration almost useless,  
> as the
> ASCAP system (or at least the public part of it, and the part you  
> see on
> your royalty statements) no longer contains the individual titles of  
> the
> cues, but only lists the "aggregated" (their term) cue title that  
> everything
> gets dumped into. This loss of detail is bad news, in my book, as it  
> makes
> the process of checking and verifying your royalties that much more
> difficult. Of course, songs are not subject to this process. I'm  
> sure ASCAP
> says they do it to save trees, etc, but hey, if I write a lot of  
> music, I
> don't mind a thick, detailed statement that I can glean lots of  
> detail from.
> If they're that concerned about being "green", make sending PDF  
> statements
> by email or detailed online statements an option llike every bank  
> now does.
> But let's not lose data and detail in the process..
>
> Another important issue in this area is for every composer to  
> periodically
> request a complete listing of all works that he/she is listed as a  
> writer or
> co-writer on from ASCAP and BMI. And not just the titles either -  
> all cue
> sheet information must be checked to make sure you're being properly
> credited.  The ACE on the web reports are incomplete, as they lack  
> usage
> weighting codes and only represent (some) music that has been  
> broadcast. A
> cue-sheet audit only makes sense given the fact that:
>
> * Cue sheets do not make it into ASCAP's system for various reasons,
> including loss, improper formatting, etc.
> * ASCAP has admitted that they change cue sheets so frequently that  
> it would
> be impracticle for them to notify writers every time ASCAP changes a  
> cue
> sheet.
>
> I recommend doing one of these once per year. If ASCAP gives you any  
> static
> about getting this report, I would remind them that:
>
> 1. They work for you.
> 2. It's your works, and you have a direct financial interest in the  
> royalty
> flow
> 3. You're the copyright owner (if applicable)
>
> Best,
>
> Mark Northam
>
> --------------------------------------------
> Mark Northam, CEO  |  mark at gmocorp.com
> Global Media Online, Inc.
>
> http://www.FilmMusicMag.com - The Professional Voice of Music For  
> Film & TV
>
> 1-888-910-7888 ext. 702 / 310-209-8263 ext. 702
> Yahoo/Skype/Twitter: marknortham  /  AIM: mnortham
>
>
>
>
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