[Fmpro] Registering your works at ASCAP vs cue sheetregistration

Wed Jun 25 01:14:13 GMT 2008

FYI From ASCAP website RE: Registering music at ACE catalog:

In order for ASCAP to pay on licensed music included on a cue sheet, we must
also have a separate work registration on file that lists the "entitled
parties" - writers and publishers, their shares and PRO society affiliation.
Without this separate registration, the work will be assigned an
"unidentified title code" or "UNID". Credits are held until the work
registration is received. It is essential, therefore, if you are an
independent band or music production library, that you register all of your
musical works with ASCAP before licensing them to film or television
production companies. 

________________________________

Christopher Kennedy Alpiar
Cinematic Composer 
1280 Lytle Lane 
Dayton, OH 45409 
310.339.9603 (Los Angeles) 
937.294.0900 (Dayton)
877.294.0912 (Toll Free)
chris at alpiar.com
www.alpiar.com
________________________________

> -----Original Message-----
> From: fmpro-bounces+chris=alpiar.com at nxport.com 
> [mailto:fmpro-bounces+chris=alpiar.com at nxport.com] On Behalf 
> Of Christopher Alpiar
> Sent: Monday, June 23, 2008 5:38 PM
> To: fmpro at nxport.com
> Subject: Re: [Fmpro] Registering your works at ASCAP vs cue 
> sheetregistration
> 
> 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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> > Music
> >
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