Publishing Terms

CATALOG - 1. the collection of songs that a publisher controls or administers. 2. a songwriter's repertoire of songs.

COMMERCIAL LICENSE - licenses issued to companies for projects of a commercial nature. Commercial projects are generally made, distributed and promoted at the expense of a major record label.

NON-COMMERCIAL LICENSE - licenses issued to companies or individuals for projects that are not commercially distributed by a major record label.

COPYRIGHT - 1. the right to copy. 2. a body of exclusive rights granted by statute to authors for protection of their writings. It includes the exclusive right to make and publish copies of the copyrighted work, to make other versions of the work, and, with certain limitations, to make recordings of the work and to perform the work in public.

ELECTRICAL TRANSCRIPTION LICENSE - the form of permission that authorizes one to use a song in a tape intended for public broadcast (i.e. - theme music for a radio program).

PHOTOCOPY LICENSE - the form of permission that authorizes one to make photocopies of printed music (i. e. - photocopies of single sheet music, songbooks, etc.).

PRO's (performing rights organizations) - organizations that collect performance royalties for publishers and songwriters. The three PRO's in the United States are ASCAP, BMI and SESAC.

STATUTORY RATE - the prescribed per unit fee set forth by copyright law for mechanical licensing. The current mechanical statutory rate as of 01/01/06 is $.091 per song/per copy or $.0175 per minute (rounding up to the next minute) whichever is greater.