Dictionary

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP): A nonprofit performance rights organization that protects its members’ musical copyrights by monitoring public performances of their music, whether via a broadcast or live performance, and then compensating them accordingly.

Audio Home Recording Act of 1992: An act that brought another royalty payment for songwriters and performers, in that it requires the manufacturers of digital audio recording devices and the manufacturers of blank recording media pay a percentage of their sales price to the Register of Copyrights to make up for loss of sales due to the possible unauthorized copying of music.

booking agent: Someone who finds specific performing jobs for artists.

Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI): A performing rights organization that collects license fees on behalf of its songwriters, composers and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed.

Canadian Mechanical Rights Reproduction Agency (CMRRA): An agency in Canada that gives mechanical rights to artists.

compulsory licensing: What happens when a song has been recorded and publicly distributed; requires anyone who wants to cover the song must have specific permission.

controlled composition: A song that has been written and/or owned by the recording artist.

copyright: A way to identify who actually owns a song and song recording, as well as who can turn a profit for it.

copyright collecting agency: See copyright collective.

copyright collecting society: See copyright collective.

copyright collective: A group created by private agreements, or copyright law, that collects royalty payments from various individuals and groups for copyright holders.

copyright office: A place to register a song before the song is set loose in the public domain.