Home › Forums › Copyright Questions › BMI writer, ASCAP publisher: can you do that?
Tagged: ascap, BMI, publishing company
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April 24, 2017 at 12:03 pm #27269Mesa Sand MusicParticipant
My wife’s co-writer just informed me that he has set up a publishing company through ASCAP for his works, but he is a BMI writer. When I questioned him about it, he said he knows several other writers who have done the same thing.
I had always seen everywhere that a BMI writer’s works have to be in a BMI publishing company, ASCAP writer’s in an ASCAP pub, etc. Has anyone seen this done before? Do the PRO’s go along with this?
April 27, 2017 at 9:35 pm #27292Art MunsonKeymasterI had always seen everywhere that a BMI writer’s works have to be in a BMI publishing company,
I believe that is correct but check with BMI to make sure.
December 10, 2017 at 7:21 am #29006ibsenproducerParticipantyes she can do that!
December 10, 2017 at 9:16 am #29007MichaelLParticipantI had always seen everywhere that a BMI writer’s works have to be in a BMI publishing company, ASCAP writer’s in an ASCAP pub, etc. Has anyone seen this done before?
That is correct. Get more of the details from your wife’s co-writer.
Yes, a BMI writer can have an ASCAP publishing entity. I had an ASCAP publishing entity as a BMI writer, but I was publishing the works of ASCAP writers, not mine.
Some composers who are members of one PRO, which may be the case with your wife’s co-writer, have a family member (like a spouse) join the other PRO and then they establish a publishing entity with the other PRO. Is it legit? I don’t know. Do the PRO’s like it? Maybe not, but it’s been going on for decades.
At the end of the end of the day, I’m not sure what the point is unless you are publishing the works of a writer that belongs to the other society.
If it’s some kind of scheme to double-dip, the people involved will eventually get caught and then the PROs will take their money back (at a minimum).
January 9, 2021 at 5:38 pm #37159HONESTIGuesthow can you sucesfully register music on ASCAP or BMI if the writers are BMI and a publisher is ASCAP?
April 17, 2021 at 7:03 pm #37704RenneGuestI co-wrote a few songs, with a person who was registered with ASCAP, and I was registered with BMI. the ASCAP writer self published WITH ASCAP, and somehow ended up with 75% ownership. How can I resolve this so it is 50/50?
October 26, 2021 at 5:52 pm #39077SammyGuestHey Renne. I don’t work at a P.R.O. but I know quite a bit about publishing music. Before you register with a P.R.O. you BOTH have to agree on the splits beforehand. Thats the last box you check at the end of a registration form. You need to call the other writer and have them contact their P.R.O. and request them to adjust the splits. If it’s really serious you can call their P.R.O. directly and file a dispute.(Personally I wouldn’t care that much if it wasn’t a major or medium size publishing deal)
October 28, 2021 at 5:57 am #39079Happy EarsParticipantHey Renne,
Remember ASCAP uses a 50/50 scale vs BMI uses 100/100 scale so that might be the origin of the error. In Ascap terms half the publishing share would be 25% but in the BMI world half the publishing share would be 50%September 16, 2023 at 7:46 am #43494PJGuestAs of 9/16/23 you cannot register a song on ASCAP as a BMI writer with an ASCAP publishing company. I have tried and was forced to open a BMI publishing company because it would not accept my ASCAP publishing company as a BMI writer.
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