Royalties From Playing Live
Yes, that is actually a thing. You are owed royalties for playing shows
Blackbraid - Photo Wolf Mountain Productions
So I Get Royalties for Playing Shows?
You are owed royalties anytime your music is “performed".We usually think of royalties as coming from songs being played on the radio , TV, or streaming, but you are actually owed royalties for your live performances as well.
Yes. You read that correctly.
You are owed royalties for playing your own songs at shows you are already being paid to perform.
You are owed royalties for playing your own songs at shows you are already being paid to perform.
(and even if you're not being paid for the show, but that's a whole different problem)
Where Does the Money Come From?
These are paid to you by your Performing Rights Organization; ASCAP or BMI in the US. Both of these organizations cut artists a check quarterly.
Venues pay a yearly membership/licensing fee in-order to host live music. Live performance royalties are then paid back to the artists from that pool.
How Much?
Royalty amounts per song performed are dependant on the venue's capacity.
Pinpointing an exact rate is difficult since the amounts paid are determined by the PRO's pooling the total license funds for live venues & then distributing them proportionately to the artists.
Pinpointing an exact rate is difficult since the amounts paid are determined by the PRO's pooling the total license funds for live venues & then distributing them proportionately to the artists.
In the end, It doesn't seem like much per song; but it adds up over time, especially if you are out touring and hitting some larger rooms.
And at the end of the day, if you don’t claim your live performance royalties, you’re just leaving money you already worked for on the table.
What's the Catch?
You have to manually submit your setlist for each show to ASCAP or BMI in order for them to know about and issue royalty payments for your live shows.
You also have to do this in the same fiscal quarter the concert was performed.
Yes, that's very tedious and annoying.
But if you can make filing your setlist a regular “post show” chore, you will be rewarded with a nice little bonus on your future royalty checks.
But if you can make filing your setlist a regular “post show” chore, you will be rewarded with a nice little bonus on your future royalty checks.
The other catch, is this only applies to shoes played in the US*
To claim royalties on concert performances in other countries, you will need to register with a PRO in that country.
To claim royalties on concert performances in other countries, you will need to register with a PRO in that country.
How to do it
To do this, you need to already be enrolled as an artist with ASCAP or BMI and have your playlist tracks registered with them.
From there, the processes for both PRO’s are below:
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