Good news for Songwriters!
Via Wired, I found out about a ruling that will allow ASCAP to collect royalties due to it's publishers (and therefore the songwriters covered under those publishing agreements) from a few of the big Internet companies. And furthermore, ASCAP has set up a petition of sorts that they are referring to as "A Bill of Rights."
Geesh. I can't help but wish that all musicians had the same sort of protection and heft and vested interest to guarantee payment for their creative work. I'm glad that songwriters have a group of folks/lobbyists/lawmakers/etc to protect them so that they can continue doing what they do best. I just wish that there was someone in my camp that was doing the same for me.
In my idealistic world, I think it'd be wonderful if all musicians (not just songwriters) were guaranteed a copyright royalty (or something along those lines) for their performances. You know, spread the love ($$$) around. For this to be done, the definition of authorship would probably have to be altered or changed, but to me the whole thing regarding music authorship (especially in a band setting) is a bit arbitrary and just seems a matter of semantics. But then again, I might just be a bitter old musician, who should have smelled the coffee earlier and become a songwriter, or a good neighbor. In spite of my self-deprecation though, I still would like to believe my view has merit.
"If you're a music fan, the worst thing in the world that could happen is if great songwriters stop writing music because they can't make a living," said David Israelite, president and CEO of the National Music Publishers' Association, which is pushing for a higher royalty rate.
Here's my thought: if somehow the money that gets set aside to pay songwriters and publishers was also divided up to pay the musicians that perform those songs, songwriters and publishers may not get AS rich as they currently are able to, but that the larger music community would benefit by being able to support more truly great musicians.
What if you wrote a great song, and no one was talented enough to perform it? I wish that someone like David Israelite was passionate about the musicians (the guys and girls in the trenches) that perform, interpret and bring great songs to life. I know that the Musicians Union (bonus points if you spot the typo - geesh - on their home page! Punctuation, people!) is supposed to be the organization that does this, but compared to the power of the copyright/ songwriters lobby, it seems they come up with a little less power when it's all said and done. I think it's because as a songwriter, there are laws that protect you. With a Union, it's ultimately the strength of the Union that is protecting you.
And as I write these words, I think about all the other creative professionals involved in getting that great song documented, such as the engineers that don't seem to have as many people lobbying for them as the songwriters do.
I'll end on this quote from Don Henley (taken from this 7 year old article and though the article maybe a bit out of context, I think the quote still works):
"...adding that the United States is the only country "in the free world" that doesn't have performance rights in addition to publishing rights. "If you're just a singer and not a writer, you don't make anything when they play your song on the radio," he said, adding, "This is about economic justice across the board."
Note to all you songwriters out there: you may want to audit your publisher to make sure you get your fair share of the multi-million dollar payout!
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