In this changing music landscape
people who create need to learn about the multiple ways to capitalize on the
talent, and what revenue streams are available for them to do so. Because if
you want to earn an income from your music you need to treat it as a business, there
are four types of royalties that you can
earn from. There are Mechanical Royalties that the Copyright Act allows the
owner of a copyright of a song the right to create copies of the song to be
played on a mechanical device, and even though these devices have changed over
the years the rights have not.
The Copyright Act allows for
anyone to record the song, but must pay the owner of the song for the right to
record it, and through the use of the song or composition there could be other
artists who make records of one song and these recordings will yield royalties
to the original copyright owner as Mechanical Royalties.
As a copyright owner of a
composition you have the right to allow other artists to perform your song, and
collect performance royalties for its use in their performance. The performance
income from a copyright works is licensed through the performance rights
organization (PRO) ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC that can include:
·
Any performance of a
song or composition - live, recorded or broadcast in TV or Film;
·
Any live performance
by any musician in a Bar or Club;
·
Any performance by
any musician through a recording on physical media;
·
Performance through
the playing of recorded music;
·
Any music performed
over the internet (digital transmissions)
These organizations
issue what is called a Blanket license to media outlets and music users for a
fee that the composer and publisher will receive royalties for there is no
payment to performance artist. A television
show, commercial, or film can generates performance income from the license
that is called Synchronization income, and it is paid for the use of background
music, songs sung in a movie or over the credits, These licenses are negotiated
on the needs of the buyer and seller.
