Registering versions with PROs

[Danny Truitt]

I’ve been “lurking” and researching posts for about three weeks now, and I’ve found some posts on this subject, but please let me ask for clarification. I know I can list alternate titles for a composition with my PRO. With ASCAP, I have to use the “standard” form (as opposed to the “short” form) to list more than one alternate title, but I’m wondering how those of you who have been in this a while handle versions.

Coming from writing songs intended primarily for current artists who are charting in Billboard’s country and/or Americana charts, all I currently have are full songs with vocals. I get it that I can furnish the instrumental tracks separately and register those with an alternate title (maybe simply adding “Instrumental” to the song title), but what is suggested if I also supply shorter instrumentals–30 sec., 15 sec., etc.–should I list those as alternate versions also–maybe just adding the time to create an alternate title? Or is that beneficial, helpful, or necessary?

Thanks,

Danny

[Art Munson]

Bump

[Danny Truitt]

Well, I’ll “bump” this one time in hopes that someone still might comment.

[Art Munson]

Here’s how I do it and one of the libraries I’m signed does it. I’m with BMI.

Work Title: 50S FEEL GOOD
Alternate Title:
50S FEEL GOOD 30
50S FEEL GOOD 60
50S FEEL GOOD BED
50S FEEL GOOD DNB
50S FEEL GOOD STING

[Danny Truitt]

Thanks for sharing that, Art. That looks good to me. Gives me the confidence to get started. Gonna register some stuff today and hope to start making some submissions very soon!

And as a side note, the info here has been invaluable to me in helping to decide what markets/libraries to pursue. I will happily recommend MLR to all I come in contact with.

[Art Munson]

And as a side note, the info here has been invaluable to me in helping to decide what markets/libraries to pursue.

Thanks dtruitt, best of luck!

[Mojorising]

If you have a track that was retitled for a different library do you just include that as an alternate title of that work, or register it separately as a new work?

[Per Boysen]

I have so far only registered one title for each of my compositions, with my PRO. But I have currently come around some libraries that recommend their composers to register all alternative edits and mixes as compositions in their own right. So I’m about to do that when a time window comes up. My PRO collaborates with the actual MRO and for every composition, intended for libraries, I opt out of MRO’s handling of the mechanical rights.

I’ve also seen recommendations to register every sound recording, even alternative edits, with your organisation that represents your rights as the artist, the musician and the label. Just watch out here for content-ID, digital watermarking, conflicts! With SoundExchange one can opt out of that, if needed (to avoid a client that bought a license for your music from a library will receive a note from somewhere saying that the music is protected).

[mojorising]

question for you Art. Do you register alt versions like sub mixes as an alternative title like you said above, as well as any titles that you completely retitle for a different RF library. So lets say you have 5 sub mixes for 50s feel good, then with a different library you call it 50s feel amazing. you would just do

work title
50s feel good

alt titles
50s feel amazing
50s feel good dnb
50s feel good 30
etc?

[Art Munson]

Do you register alt versions like sub mixes as an alternative title like you said above, as well as any titles that you completely retitle for a different RF library.

In the last couple of years I’ve been using the same title for all RF libraries so it’s not an issue. In the past I was using different titles and registering them separately. So…

work title
50s feel good

alt titles
50s feel good dnb
50s feel good 30
etc.
———————
work title
50s feel amazing

alt titles
50s feel amazing dnb
50s feel amazing 30
etc.

[Mojorising]

Ok thanks Art. Do you know if it works the other way? So far for the songs that have different titled for different libraries I did not register as separate works, I just added the new completely different title as an alt title. Will ASCAP still detect it?

[Art Munson]

Will ASCAP still detect it?

Not an ASCAP member so don’t know how they work.

[mojorising]

just wanted to bump my last question up in case anyone knows the answer to this? When you have a track titled differently for different librarys, can you just register those different titles as “alternative titles” of your original title? Or should those different titles each be registered as separate works? Currently I just add them as alt titles, so I’m hoping I did that correctly to not miss out on any performances.

[Danny Truitt]

I’m not an expert on this at all, but if, when you register your works, you give each library the same ASCAP Work ID for the alternate titles, I would think you’re O.K. But it might be best just to open a Member Service Inquiry (top right of your membership login screen) and ask ASCAP directly. They usually get back pretty quickly.

[mmuser]

I have a similar issue and I would appreciate any help..In libraries allowing this, i use long titles (including extra words in parenthesis…for tagging) while in some other sites i use only the basic title. Though it doesn’t look very cool i have noticed that long titles have generally a positive impact.

ie Bright Faces (Epic Happy Strings Melancholy Strings Sad Word Word….)

To make matters even more compicated:
-from time to time i change these words in parenthesis
-i usualy heave many edits (often over 10)

So for each track arising too many potential titles (and each one of them with many edits). I am registered with a PRO in Europe. I had about 30 sales the last two months but i haven’t registered any track yet. Would it be a good idea to register only the tracks i sell? (with the specific TITLE, version, edit i sold it). I read in another post for someone treating the registered tracks like this. Any idea would be appreciated..

[Author]

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