Another Royalty Ripoff!

[Art Munson]

Martin Sheen is a SAG board member. You should try and reach out to him there.

Thanks Debbie, worth a try and I am a SAG member also.

[LAwriter]

Here’s a question for you guys who do a lot of commercials – maybe Art and/or Music 1234 (or anyone else). Does ASCAP and/or BMI ever just track and pick up the commercials for you – like they should – with no effort on your part? Or are you always left tracking them down, doing the legwork, and trying to get them paid by your own efforts? Just curiosity from a TV underscore guy….

[Art Munson]

Does ASCAP and/or BMI ever just track and pick up the commercials for you – like they should – with no effort on your part?

They may have but I have never relied on them. My history with commercials only goes back about 10 years. Usually, once I hear them on Tunesat I start investigating.

[Music1234]

Does ASCAP and/or BMI ever just track and pick up the commercials for you – like they should – with no effort on your part?

No.

Or are you always left tracking them down, doing the legwork, and trying to get them paid by your own efforts

Yes

[LAwriter]

Thanks guys. M1234 – got your message. (And I pretty much understand the “method” – more or less). I was just wondering how often BMI/ASCAP actually DO THEIR JOB without handholding and cajoling.

IMO, it’s high time for a production music focused PRO. One that takes only seasoned writers who actually are putting out a lions share of broadcast music. One that could care less about the newest hipster indie artist or their booth at SXSW or Coachella. I’d change over in a heartbeat even if it meant a few years of down royalties, cause I know long term, if writers embraced it, it would end up dwarfing ASCAP and BMI and relegate them to bottom feeder status. We are all pretty much aware of where the big $$ is coming from, and who / where it gets doled out to.

Time for a change.

Sorry you guys have to work so hard for something that should just “show up” on your email.

[Tbone]

I have some tracks that are with SESAC due to a publisher being with that PRO, and although I have no idea whay I may have missed, I have noticed commercials being paid out without me having to track anyone down. There’s a commercial running now so that’s going to be the next one I check in a few months’ time..

[Music1234]

I have noticed commercials being paid out without me having to track anyone down.

That is because your USA sub-publisher knows how to do the paper work and admin work on your behalf. Your sub publisher is motivated to do this work so they get paid the publishing performance royalties for the tv spot sync license they sold.

T Bone we are not tracking down “People” when we learn about our music on an advert/ tv spot. We are chasing after our “performance royalties”.

How in the heck do they deal with TV spots in the UK at the PRS? I would like someone over there who is well informed to explain it once and for all because the UK’s approach seems very complicated too…and dishonest and shady too if I may add…

[MichaelL]

Does ASCAP and/or BMI ever just track and pick up the commercials for you – like they should – with no effort on your part?

Last year, BMI paid me for a Bud Light radio spot. No tracking anyone down. No chasing after royalties. Zero effort on my part. It was a nice surprise.

[Music1234]

@Michael L….surely though your publisher had to have filed a claim on the spot? Someone had to inform BMI about the project.

Pleasant surprises do happen. I was paid 3K in performance royalties from Romania last year with a stock title I registered as writer and publisher. Someone in Europe had my back and reported usage accurately on my behalf.

But here in the USA, when I get wind of my music on a TV spot you can bet that I will e-mail the PRO all information I can dig up as evidence the music is airing on TV. This rule of no competitrack data = no performance royalties needs to change.

@ Intelligent and experienced UK Writers, can you please explain how the PRS processes performance royalties for TV spots? They owe me money but are not in the mood to send it to me.

[MichaelL]

.surely though your publisher had to have filed a claim on the spot? Someone had to inform BMI about the project.

That’s quite possible, Music1234. The publisher is a well-known PMA library.

[Music1234]

If they don’t file the claim, the performance royalties don’t show up. So I am sure this well known PMA library did their admin/ paper work accurately with BMI. I don’t mind doing this work because I really enjoy earning “double” the money as writer and publisher.

Heck one hour of admin time is certainly worth it when you collect the royalties twice.

Hey Art,
From I Spot: Single Care
National Airings
9,328

Time to raise hell if you do not get paid in September. I have to believe though that the outcome will be in your favor….I’d inform all PMA leader peeps about this one. This one needs to go straight to the President of BMI today I’d think.

[MichaelL]

I really enjoy earning “double” the money as writer and publisher.

I do too and that does happen for my for music that’s in RF libraries. I also really enjoy getting paid upfront for my tracks AND getting backend for that music too. So, I do both.

[Art Munson]

Hey all,

Update:

I have been having numerous e-mail exchanges and a long phone conversation with Jackie Simmons, Sr Director of Business Operations at BMI. She has been very open and helpful. According to her, everyone at BMI is very aware of this situation as I am not the only with this problem.

They have had conversations with Numerator about their not tracking all products. Numerator’s response is that they don’t track pharma (or any company) ad campaigns that are generally single product campaigns without any competition. Numerators business is providing data on ad campaigns for competing products. At least that’s how she and I understand it. She has tried contacting iSpot.tv a couple of times to get a demo on their tracking system but has had little response from them. She also promised that they are not letting go of this as they know they need to solve this. She promised to keep me in the loop.

Anyway, that is the latest as I know it.

[Art Munson]

The latest update is that Numerator/Competitrack has started tracking this commercial. Unfortunately their start date is May 2020 so that doesn’t account for the thousands of airings from December 2019 through May 2020. It’s progress though and hopefully Numerator is now tracking all healthcare commercials.

[Music1234]

Good news Art, you should be paid for every air date period. I have seen that spot on tv several times this past month or so and I only really watch TV in the evenings for 1 or 2 hours, mostly news.

BMI should honor the I Spot TV data. If they don’t, we may just have to riot. That spot is no small potatoes especially since the Sheen’s are in the deal. Performance royalties to composers and publishers always come from ad spend. Your music is helping to sell the service single care is offering and they clearly have a BIG ad budget to spend on network and cable TV. The TV networks send a portion of that ad revenue to our PRO’s so we can get paid for those performances. Basically, you are owed 5 figuresin Jan 2021 (Possibly half on the September Payout) based on the data I am seeing below. Congrats….this is a big one!

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/nf4I/single-care-martin-sheen-saves-on-prescription-drugs

[Author]

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