AIRPLAY 101 - PUBLISHING ROYALTIES FROM RADIO

Friday, October 11, 2002

By Bryan Farrish
We are always asked by people releasing their first record, "Will I get BMI/ASCAP royalties if I get
airplay" !his "#estion is si$ilar to asking, "If I open a resta#rant, will I $ake $oney"%
While it is the &ob of BMI/ASCAP to pay airplay royalties, it's also the &ob of resta#rant c#sto$ers
to pay their check at the end of their $eal% B#t $ost new resta#rants don't $ake a profit, and
$ost records p#shed to radio don't $ake $ore than a few dollars fro$ p#blishing% (#r
reco$$endation) *on't do radio for the p#rpose of p#blishing% *o it instead for other reasons%%%
like to#r distrib#tion% !here are so$e e+ceptions ,one o#t of a h#ndred records do $ake so$e
$oney-, b#t yo# wo#ldn't open a resta#rant if yo# knew for a fact yo# only had one chance in a
h#ndred of $aking it%
!he reason that a new indie act will probably not see a check fro$ BMI/ASCAP is that they will
not get eno#gh spins on the larger stations% BMI/ASCAP does pay for college spins ,&#st check
their websites,- b#t e.en they state that they pay only abo#t a $illion dollars a year for all college
records% !he proble$ is that there are abo#t a tho#sand records $ailed to college radio /0/12
W//3 in this co#ntry ,not all stations get all records, of co#rse,- so #sing the n#$bers fro$
BMI/ASCAP wo#ld show that each record gets 456% B#t what yo# don't see is that $ost of the
$oney goes to less than one percent of all the records%%% the $a&or label and $a&or indie
records%%% beca#se they get the $a&ority of spins, beca#se of the le.el of $arketing that they do%
So the $a&ors get a bit $ore royalties fro$ college radio, and the s$all indies get nothing%
With co$$ercial radio, there is no co$parison%%% #nknown indies $ake 7ero p#blishing in
co$parison with e.en $idsi7e indies% If yo# are a grassroots indie with yo#r first release, don't
e.en waste the energy with BMI/ASCAP%%% spend yo#r ti$e finding paying gigs to play, and sell
yo#r C*s there%
(n the other hand, if yo# are indeed a $idsi7e indie ,$eaning yo#r a.erage title scan 86,666,
and yo# ha.e been doing this for at least three years,- with at least indie distro, and if yo# are
getting newspaper press in at least 86 of the top 966 $arkets, and if yo#r .ideos are also airing in
these $arkets, and if yo#r gigs are p#lling 866 to 9666 paid people%%% and finally, if yo# ha.e so$e
good low:$edi#$ le.el radio pro$otion ,486,666 or $ore- going into yo#r ne+t release, then yo#
will probably get eno#gh airplay to be getting so$e good si7ed p#blishing checks, altho#gh
probably not eno#gh to pay for yo#r pro$otion%
!he point here is that s$all indies ha.e a certain a$o#nt of ti$e they can spend on dealing with
different areas of $arketing, and BMI/ASCAP iss#es sho#ld not be one of the first things dealt
with% By all $eans #se radio, b#t #se it for getting $ore paid gigs ,and $ore people at those gigs-
so that yo# can $ake so$e $oney each night, and sell C*s and $erch while yo# are there% And
#se radio to get referrals to newspapers/$aga7ines, stores, e.en labels and $anagers% ;se radio
chart res#lts to b#ild yo#r $arketing kit% ;se non:co$$ercial radio to dri.e people to yo# site%
;se co$$ercial radio $orning shows to showcase cra7y t#nes and &okes% <#st don't try to #se
radio for p#blishing%