Thanks to Music1234 for this spreadsheet. Please leave your comments if you have any information on networks/channels that we can designate as paying, or not paying, performance royalties. I will update spreadsheet.
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Hi Guys! Seems like a great idea. I’m not able to view the doc, although. Has it been taken down?
Cheers
Working on this end. I can see it fine.
Got this updated a bit more and added Kubed’s updates.
Art,
You can add a “Y” to HGTV, Travel Channel, ID Discovery, WE Network, HLN and The Weather Channel.
HGTV? Have a lot of stuff on HGTV and no money. Currently many episodes of Forever Home and not a cent.
Art,
I stand corrected on HGTV. I watch House Hunters and always hear my music. Just checked the BMI statements. No payments.
Why is this s***t even legal?
Write to the President and top executives and board members of BMI and ask that very question. This is the whole point of this thread. It would be nice if these networks (cooking channel, HGTV, DIY, WE atc….) paid performance royalties for all shows they air. Then again, why do they pay for TV spot performances, but not “in show” performances? Any opinions on Hallmark Channel?
Also NY Composer, I have an opening theme of the local news on WPIX New York Channel 11. While this is “Local” , NYC also happens to be the largest city in the country with 15 million viewers as the total market size/ reach. The track opens the 7AM news, every single day. It will be interesting to see if my pro considers this. Any thoughts on that one?
Music1234,
I speak to the Executive Office at BMI a few times a year. Their answer is very easy and convienent. They just say that BMI collects what the networks report. They can’t do much more. That’s total BS IMO. I truly believe it’s WHO you are at BMI, which determines payment amounts, etc.
Do you think Danny Efman gets screwed on TV spots or ads? Is his team chasing down payments? No. All of our money is going to big time names.
As far as Network payments. I got royaly screwed on a bunch of promos on CBS that played for 1:45. I got horrible payments for them. BMI looked into it and claimed the reason was that the Neilson ratings were low. Keep in mind that during the airings, the whole country was basically locked down and people stayed home. Poor ratings?… Uhhuhhh….
I don’t understand if Tunesat can capture every broadcast, why aren’t PRO using the same technology? This seems so simple. Also, why wait to get a payout every QUARTER? Technology can recognize songs instantly, and people can be paid instantly through Venmo and other services. It seems to me this industry is ripe for disruption…
Disruption is underway. BMAT detects and reports to many European PRO’s. I heard that some European PRO’s may eventually ignore manually produced “cue sheets” and rely solely on BMAT reports.
Soundmouse detects and reports to PRO’s (ASCAP being one of them) but does not share the detection data with writers (They have data to hide from writers LOL!)
Tunesat helps a lot but they do not pick up every station in every country. We still have a long way to go for full fingerprint detection transparency.
Oh, and by the way, BMAT and Tunesat are not exactly cheap services for writers and publishers with larger catalogs.
The entire business is designed to keep as much money away from artists as possible. Music Producers are ALWAYS the last to be paid in the food chain. We eat last. Always. Spotify, Apple and PRO’s eat first, Music Publishers eat second, writers eat left over scraps last. This is why I have said a million times ownership and control of your catalog is the only way forward.
Frankly, if money is a motivation for anyone getting into this business, and it does seem like wall street and private equity investors have A LOT of interest in music royalties, just know that only crumbs on the floor will be served to you, last, as always.
“Also, for DIY, we do have a “Y” there for “yes” but only because for whatever reason, I seem to be paid for one show on that network, but others…..hmmm….I think not.”
Same here and also for The Cooking Channel.
The following networks found in the spreadsheet also pay performance royalties:
TV One
SYFY
FYI
Big Ten Network
Paramount Network
Tennis Channel
MLB Network
AMC
POP
Smithsonian Channel
TV LAND
TELEMUNDO
UNIVERSO
HBO Latino
And here are some networks that also pay royalties but aren’t included in the spreadsheet:
Sportsnet NY
Womens Ent
Pivot
NECN
Spike TV
Lifetime Women
FM
Comcast Sports
CMTV
Direct TV Sports
Echostar Sports
Centric
In Demand Sports
Velocity
Reelzchannel
Data was taken from my BMI statements.
Thanks for participating KUBED. Art, I can also confirm that I was paid (by BMI) for a Promo on TV LAND, so we can put a “Y” next to that network.
Thanks Kubed, I will update.
Thanks for posting this Art. This should give all USA writers a lot of clarity in terms of which networks actually pay performance royalties. It would be great if some publishers can chime in and study this and add their opinions too.
Also, for DIY, we do have a “Y” there for “yes” but only because for whatever reason, I seem to be paid for one show on that network, but others…..hmmm….I think not.
I also think that makes the situation more frustrating. I’d love to ask BMI and ASCAP why some shows pay and others do not. Finally, I will add that PRO’s seemingly pay for TV spot performances on most networks, but some TV shows seem to get a pass for background cues which also is an inconsistent and confusing scenario.