This topic may have been brought up before, but I'm looking for any information you can share with me regarding the points structure for artists on a compilation CD. Specifically, a CD of 10-12 songs including maybe 5 different artists. What can you tell me about the individual artists' points, or what website/book can you direct me to. All inputs are sincerely appreciated.
BTW, the soundtrack CD will cover original music written and performed on the direct-to-DVD drama series entitled The CLOSET, an indie series. Check it out at:
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The money that Kurt mentioned is only part of the overall money
The money that Kurt mentioned is only part of the overall money flow......
The songwriter / publisher portion covers mechanical royalties on the compositions. To create a compilation you will also need the rights to the master recordings of the compositions. For this, you deal with the labels. Sometimes the labels also control the publishing, often not. You need to negotiate a deal, and often (always!) the labels will look for an advance on the royalties.
It is important to do this right, or you could get sued to hell and back... That is why they invented lawyers - for getting it right, or alternatively for squeezing as much money as they can out of people who don't get it right!!
BTW, I am NOT a lawyer - but I have been the executive producer on many compilation projects.
Get a recent edition of "This Business of Music" and be prepared for a steep learning curve. It's OK, if you can learn recording you can learn the Biz too, and you should!!
The going rate currently is between .08 cents and .10 cents per
The going rate currently is between .08 cents and .10 cents per copy ... That is each writer would get that fee for each copy pressed ... for a 10 song compilation, expect to pay out $1.00 per copy ... so if you press 1000 copies, you will pay out between $800 to $1000 to the song writers ..
As you can see, songwriting is the most lucrative end of the business.