[Fmpro] Artists Performance Rights

[Scootman Music Productions]

Kevin, I think you are referring to SoundExchange, an endeavor  
created by the RIAA to collect "Artist Royalties";
i.e. - when you are the artist in question that the work is released  
for.

 From their website, www.soundexchange.com :

"SoundExchange is an independent, nonprofit performance rights  
organization that is designated by the U.S. Copyright Office to  
collect and distribute digital performance royalties for featured  
recording artists and sound recording copyright owners (usually a  
record label) when their sound recordings are performed on digital  
cable and satellite television music, internet and satellite radio  
(such as XM and Sirius). SoundExchange currently represents over  
3,500 record labels and over 31,000 featured artists. Its members  
include both signed and unsigned recording artists; small, medium and  
large independent record companies; and major label groups and artist- 
owned labels."

then,

"In summary, SoundExchange handles the following:
•	collects performance royalties from the statutory licensees;
•	collects performance royalties from reciprocal agreements with  
foreign collecting societies for featured artists and labels;
•	collects and processes all data associated with the performance of  
the sound recordings;
•	allocates royalties for the performance of the sound recording  
based on all of the data collected and processed;
•	makes distribution of the featured artist's share directly to the  
artist;
•	makes distribution of the SRCO's share directly to the copyright  
owner;
•	makes distribution of the non-featured artist's share to AFTRA and  
AFM's Intellectual Property Rights Distribution Fund; and
•	provides detailed reports summarizing the titles, featured artists  
and royalty amounts for each of the sound recordings performed by the  
statutory licensees. "


Obviously, the RIAA being 'designated' to this task makes anyone with  
a brain nervous, given their impeccably
forward thinking track record. An indie artist I work for, with an  
album on the charts and lots of play on XM and Sirius,
has "signed" with them, but I don't think she's seen much of anything  
from it.

  - Scott




On May 13, 2008, at 2:34 PM, Kevin Mathie wrote:

> In this month's edition of Musician (AFM's journal), there was a
> blurb about Artists Performance Rights (see page 4). Does anyone know
> much about the details of how this would be implemented? I'm assuming
> ASCAP/BMI/SESAC would administer the rights. Do you know who all
> would be considered "performers?" Would it be just the lead singer/
> performer? Or would it include the sidemen? On instrumental cues that
> are sequenced by the composer, would we be compensated as "artists"
> as well as composers? And what about musicians who double
> instruments? Would they be compensated more than those who play just
> one instrument?