Submission for rec-music-gaffa

[Dan Kozak <dbk@mimsy.umd.edu>]

Path: mimsy!dbk
From: dbk@mimsy.UUCP (Dan Kozak)
Newsgroups: rec.music.gaffa
Subject: Re: Submission for rec-music-gaffa
Date: 24 Jun 89 16:52:51 GMT
References: <8906241049.AA22985@saqqara.cis.ohio-state.edu>
Reply-To: dbk@mimsy.umd.edu.UUCP (Dan Kozak)
Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742
Lines: 35

I said:
>> This is BS. [Views on recording/publishing contracts deleted.]

bcd-dyn!Uosu-cis@cis.ohio-state.edu said:
>Not 100% true.  It really depends on the act, and how valuable that
>publishing income is viewed, as well as how shrewd your attorneys are.
>If the record company doesn't get any of the publishing, they make money
>on every record sold, but if another artist later covers the song they
>don't see any income from it.  Publishing income can be extremely
>lucrative, and hence it varies considerably how much the record 
>company, your manager, etc., are cut in.  Yes, Kate Bush Music Ltd. is
>probably just a corporate receptacle for publishing income, and it may
>very well go just to Kate Bush.  But I can't say for sure.

The "BS" I was specifically referring was this (from your previous
message):

>it depends on her contract with EMI, who probably gets more than 50%
>of the publishing income on her songs - typical arrangements for new
>artists get them substantially less than that)

As I said before, this is NOT typical (even in the Sixities a 50/50
split was the norm not "more than 50%") of contracts these days.
Artists may CHOOSE to give up some of their publishing for one reason
or another, but almost never is this a requirement of the contract
anymore.  Now at one time what you are saying was true, but since then
people have learned how awful it can be when you give up publishing
rights (can you say John Fogerty?  Lennon and McCartney?).  While, yes
it is POSSIBLE to still get railroaded into giving up your publishing,
it is unlikely - it didn't happen to me (when I was in the biz) and
I'm sure my lawyers weren't any shrewder than Ms. Bush's.
-- 
#dan

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