Q & A

Finding your note.

Music publishing is a complicated business, but we’re here to help you make sense of it. Below are a few of the questions we’ve been asked most often–check here to see if your question has already been answered. Also included are links to several industry organizations which will provide you with more information.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I copyright my music?

Your work is covered by the US Copyright Act when it is in fixed form, be it sheet music or a recording. US copyright registration further protects your music by making your ownership part of the public record.

How are royalties earned?

Tafari collects royalties from album and single sales, ringtone sales, sheet music sales, radio and television play, performances, and the use of songs in commercials, films, video games and other products.

How are royalties paid?

Tafari reports and pays royalties semi-annually to its songwriters and publishers.

Who tracks song usage?

Tafari does. Licenses are issued for all of your songs. Our specialized software tracks all payments due for your licenses. Tafari also checks regularly for any unlicensed uses.

What is mechanical income?

Mechanical income is derived from the sale of CDs, records and certain digital configurations (i.e., digital downloads, ringtones and ringbacks) and is paid by the record label or content provider. The maximum amount payable per song use is determined by the US Copyright Arbitration Panel (CARP).

What is synchronization income?

Synchronization income is generated when music is combined with visual elements and committed to a fixed form such as a film. This type of income is not covered by the compulsory use provision of the US Copyright Act and must be licensed directly from the copyright owner or administrator. "Synch" income includes uses in film, TV, commercials, karaoke CDGs, and video game music.

What is performance income?

Performance income is generated when your song is sung or played (live or recorded) on radio, TV, on the internet or through other programmed music services (airlines, cable music services, etc). This income goes to the writer and publisher through their respective performing rights organization (PRO) such as BMI and ASCAP.

Industry Links

For information on ASCAP, the 93 year-old performing rights organization.
www.ascap.com

To learn more about BMI, which represents over 300,000 songwriters, composers and publishers:
www.bmi.com

Who is Harry Fox? And what do they do?
www.harryfox.com

To find out the writers or publishers for a specific song, check Harry Fox's "Song File":
www.songfile.com

To read the US Copyright Act:
www.copyright.gov

Loud Feed's "Tools for Independence" enable Distributors, Music Labels and Artists to save 80% of their time and effort in marketing and monetizing your music. You easily control the content fed to your web site, plus we offer support services to promote your music, like tour data management (including ticket sales) and video feeds to dozens of social networks and blogging platforms via e-commerce enabled viral social media widgets.
www.loudfeed.com

For more information on songwriting, check out the Nashville Songwriter's Association International:
www.nashvillesongwriters.com

For more information on music publishing, visit the Association of Independent Music Publishers website:
www.aimp.org

Royalty administration software licensed by Simply Royalties:
www.simplifiedsystemsinc.com

If you can’t find what you need, please feel free to contact us:

301-588-0950