Re: Royalties for Mechanical Music
By Stephen Kent Goodman
The important point to realize here is what the Harry Fox Agency really is, and what it does.
It surveys the sales of hard materials (CD, cassette, recordings) and pays publishers generally between two to four cents for each piece (song) sold. The Agency itself keeps about 1/4- to 1/2-cent of each fee charged. The fees are collected from the recording company or producer of the product.
As I stated in the last digest, it is best to secure the publishers permission (Harry Fox Agency has nothing to do with this) to use a given selection that is still under copyright protection. How you negotiate its use is up to you, but given the size of the market for music rolls I would ask for a special permission waiver of fees for "promotional purposes", mentioning the size of your limited edition run.
You might also want to head off the publishers "at the pass" by contacting the composer(s) _first_ and getting them to waive any fees collected in exchange for the "honor" of having their works perforated by you for player piano, organ or whatever.
(And my suggestion would be NEVER mention the word "Midi", as the whole field is out of control and publishers as well as ASCAP -- the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers -- are all in a state of confusion and turmoil about it.)
Good luck!
S. K. Goodman
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(Message sent Sat 4 Jan 1997, 17:15:53 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.) |
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