� SoundExchange . This company is a PRO of another type . They handle a very specific right : digital transmission of a performance for things like satellite radio and the internet . But remember this right is specific to the audio recording--remember the two different assets from Part 1 ? As an independent , you typically own your song and master rights . By being a member of both SoundExchange and your traditional PRO , you collect royalties for both rights .
� Other registrations . There may be other types of music that require additional registrations . For example , gospel music has a separate PRO called CCLI , which handles copyright licensing for churches .
� Recordings . I think everyone is familiar with UPC codes , which are placed on CDs . But there ’ s another kind of registration code for digital releases , called an ISRC code . It ’ s basically a UPC code for each individual song . This registers each individual audio track ( i . e ., song ) for digital distribution . And remixes , edits , and any other changes to an audio track requires its own unique ISRC code .
This may be one of the most important ones of late . With all the lawsuits circulating around Spotify , Pandora and the other streaming services , there is a potential landslide of back revenues for previous plays not paid .
Keeping Track Sounds like a lot of data--and it is . Every company has its own unique procedures and policies , most major companies require a custom built solution . But we ’ re just regular people--how do you keep track of it all ?
Most people will start with a simple spreadsheet , one for each song . Frankly , anything is better than nothing . As things grow , you can look to pre-built solutions , or try to build something yourself . Mesa Sand Music recently released SongNook as a solution to organize the metadata for all your original works . It ’ s available at SongNook . com
It ’ s more important than ever you have your songs ’ metadata under control . You could be missing out on real money by being sloppy .
So here ’ s something to think about for next time . Did you know if you don ’ t get all that copyright stuff right on your CD cover , you can lose the right to defend your copyrights ? If you don ’ t want to make that mistake , check out my next column on credits .
Paul Bordenkircher has spent the last three decades building a wide base of knowledge in the fields of studio production , live sound , publishing , marketing and promotions . Mesa Sand Music offers independent artists the kind of background and knowledge gained only from hands-on experience in the challenging entertainment industry . He ' s also the developer for SongNook , an organizational tool for songwriters , at SongNook . com . His Music Biz Blog is at www . mesasand . com .
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