Originally Posted by John Lawrence Schick
Originally Posted by Sunset Poet
Originally Posted by John Lawrence Schick
"It is pretty funny. But not as funny as sitting with an ASCAP/BMI/SESAC rep and try to have them explain the formulas used in calculating this stuff"

Ha, ha... I've been there Marc when a rep called me and explained for 15 minutes why I wasn't getting paid for 150 Telemundo News Shows.

John smile


What was his explanation for that?


Hey Sunset... The Telemundo Network is a smaller network. Not as much money there (I was told) – however, they’re owned by NBC Universal and service 100 countries and 35 languages. The explanation was that I didn’t show up on their survey mechanism. Their survey for Telemundo only scans 2-3 hours of air time in a quarterly period (major networks are surveyed 24-7). So, if my music doesn’t show up during 2-3 hours during a three-month period, I won’t be paid. Cue sheets have no weight using this formula. By using this formula, some composers will benefit, while most will get the shaft. I got the shaft - ha, ha.

John smile


Thank you. That explains a lot.
A quarter is 3000 hours, give or take. That three thousand hours is scanned 2-3 hours (call it 3) per 3000 of playing time or on air time. That is .01%.
Unless your music is omnipresent during that entire quarter, the chance of your music being picked up in that small slice of time doesnt much actually exist.
If what he told you is true and accurate, that set-up is massively slanted towards the big ones.

And...(correct me if I am wrong)...If I go into my favorite little bar once in a year and pull out a guitar and cover an ASCAP or BMI song on the one night that a BMI rep is in there, that bar will have to pay appx $2000 in annual royalty payments. This was told to me by their staff.

Is that likely accurate?