Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Music Publishing Times - They Are A-Changin'

Way back in 1963, Bob Dylan had been studying a newspaper. He settled back on his sofa. He picked out a few chords and hummed a pinch of a melody. He thought for a moment, then scribbled a phrase on a scrap of paper... The Times, They Are A-Changin'Those words are truer today than they were over 40 years ago. And nowhere as much as in the Music Business. In Dylan's days, back as far as the 50's and even in the 60's, Music Publishers would often sign talented Songwriters to deals that saw the Writer getting 10 or 20% - the Publisher pocketing 80 or 90%.As times went on, Music Lawyers and Attorneys started fighting for better deals for their clients. Songwriters began to wise up about the massive profits that could flood in from just one, simple 3-chord trick. So nowadays, a 50/50 split is more common.But The Times, They Are A-Changin'...Since the advent of the Songwriting Superstars, like Neil Diamond, Diane Warren, Prince, 50 Cent, Alannis Morissette, Joni Mitchell, Springsteen... the Money Pie is changing too. Songwriters with clout are no longer prepared to 'sell out' their Songs, their Copyrights, their Talent, for 50%. Some of the 'Big Names' are taking away 90%+. And the Music Publishers and Record Labels swallow it... why? Because they still make A WHOLE LOT of cash.And after all, 97% of Songwriters accept their 50/50 deal and they don't bother holding onto their Publishing and Copyrights...Music Publishers make mega money for years and years - but not all us Songwriters have the lifetime talents of the Lennon/McCartneys, Sedakas, Bon Jovis or the Ulvaeus/Anderssons of this world. (The ABBA guys.) So when you sign ANY Song Deal, you need to be sure to get the very best deal you can - and savvy Songwriters are increasingly not signing over all their Publishing and those valuable, lifetime Copyrights.So here's my point: it's getting a whole lot more common for Songwriters NOT to sign whatever terms a Music Publisher or Record Label slaps down on the table. Modern Songwriters are wising up Big Time and using a word that the Publishers and Labels prefer NOT to hear - 'Negotiation'.In fact, the Best-Case-Scenario is that the Publisher becomes a 'Co-Publisher' to the Songwriter's Publishing Company - so that the Songwriter owns his or her own Publishing, the Songwriter owns his or her own Songs, the Songwriter owns his or her own Copyrights; the Songwriter co-publishes with the Publishing Company and retains a bigger chunk to the profits - and up to 75% is not uncommon.Just take a look at the publishing credits on any CD cover - sometimes you'll see six or seven publishers mentioned.At the beginning of the 20th Century, the Music Publishers often signed contracts with a 90/10 split in their favour. Towards the end of the last century, the split was more commonly 50/50.But the times, they are a-changin'...

Norman MacLeod, originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, is a writer, author and musician living and working in Spain. Having had copyright material stolen by a US-based record label to the 'tune' of $225,000+, he established ipCOip.com, a Copyright Registration System that records and stores your original, copyright material in a secure storage facility in neutral Switzerland, for a small fee. The wor

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