BMI writer, ASCAP publisher: can you do that?

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  • #27269 Reply
    Mesa Sand Music
    Participant

    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?

    #27292 Reply
    Art Munson
    Keymaster

    I 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.

    #29006 Reply
    ibsenproducer
    Participant

    yes she can do that!

    #29007 Reply
    MichaelL
    Participant

    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?

    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).

    #37159 Reply
    HONESTI
    Guest

    how can you sucesfully register music on ASCAP or BMI if the writers are BMI and a publisher is ASCAP?

    #37704 Reply
    Renne
    Guest

    I 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?

    #39077 Reply
    Sammy
    Guest

    Hey 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)

    #39079 Reply
    Happy Ears
    Participant

    Hey 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%

    #43494 Reply
    PJ
    Guest

    As 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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