Guys,

Thanks for all your replies! As usually happens, your answers have given me more questions and areas of clarification. I'm tracking that ascap will be the one collecting and paying my royalties whenever there are some to be paid. What else should I take advantage of from ascap?

John - you mentioned if there is a cue sheet turned into ascap with my member number on it, then I should get paid whether it is registered or not. Do I need to be including my member number on everything I write and send out (lyric sheets, demos, emails, etc.).

General consensus seems to be that I don't need to register a song until there is a possibility of getting royalties on it. Beyond that, is there any benefit in registering songs for nothing other than building a larger "library" for the PRO to see?

Finally on NSAI - I'm still on the fence about this one. I don't see there being much opportunity for me to get to meetings on any regular basis as I'm 2 hours away from the closest branch in philly. Would it be beneficial to be a member for my occasional trips to Nashville (couple times a year) or is my money best saved? I ask this question knowing it's a person decision but I was hoping to see what other "intangibles" or other benefits people may have experienced people in my same situation.

Thanks again to everyone. I apologize if this is all basic stuff - I'm new to the business side of things and I expect to have lots more questions soon! I'm currently reading "the songwriter and musicians guide to Nashville" by Sherry Bond. Quite informative so far!