BMI, ASCAP, SESAC, et al are not a perfect system of collecting royalties. Far from it. They operate like a Mafia “protection” scam. Should they limit their collections to the larger venues? Perhaps. Are songwriters entitled to compensation for their work when it is used by businesses for profit? Definitely.


Publishers get the lion's share of these royalties, not songwriters; but that is a result of unscrupulous publishers (go figure!) and ignorant songwriters – not BMI/ASCAP. Van Morrison's “Brown-Eyed Girl”, one of the most-played songs in recording history, made next to nothing for Morrison. Why? Because he signed a contract with Bang Records without the advice of an attorney that stated all recording/promotion costs would come out of his royalties. After these were paid, Bang did a lot of “creative” accounting, and kept almost all of the royalties.


On the other hand, my next door neighbor in Socal was a guy named Rico Reyes, who had written a bunch of stuff for Carlos Santana. He was a single father, and he was raising his young daughter on the royalty checks he was receiving.

If you ever write a smash hit, you will thank God for the PROs. Providing, of course, that you consult a lawyer before you sign anything. grin

Dyslectics Untie!


https://90dbband.bandcamp.com/

https://soundcloud.com/90-db

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm_3mpivKYV7T7XFJmXL-GA