Cash

Pic By Boney Starks

With all the doom & gloom in the music industry about music sales being down and labels holding on for dear life, it’s nice to know someone is making money.

The American Society of Composers, Authors, & Publishers (ASCAP) posted revenue of $863 million dollars, with $741 million in royalties being paid out to members. Thanks to the likes of Jay-Z, The L.O.X., Diddy, & many more artists, you already know the role publishing plays in an artist’s career. ASCAP, along with BMI & SESAC, collects music licensing fees for the music creators (rappers or ghostwriters.)

$240 million was collected from radio airplay, $103 million from non-broadcast entities, $244 million from television and the remaining $244 million coming from new media – digital recording fees, membership applications, & foreign royalties. This means that when you hear “Big Things Poppin” on Sportscenter or “U Can’t Touch This” on that Nationwide commercial, Clifford and Stanley are getting paid (provided they have publishing or song credits.) This is how artists can sustain a career outside the original radio shelf life. Creative (& smart) artist like Kidz in the Hall (5 song deal with ESPN) and Duck Down (song deal with A&E) are finding ways to put music out that’s a) guaranteed to make them money and b) allow them to make music on their own terms.

Hopefully more artists will look to take advantage of these types of deals. Either they or their managers need to find ways to get their music placed on TV, movies & etc. ASCAP believes that with new media, along with music licensing opportunities steadily increasing, the amount they pay out in royalties will continue to rise.

The money is out there, they just have to know where to look.

ASCAP Achieves Outstanding 2007 Financial Performance [ASCAP]

ASCAP Sees Increase In Royalty Receipts Amid Industry Downturn [Tennessean]

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