A Guide Through the Legal
Jungle Trivia Question
Successful songwriters generate hundreds of
thousands and sometimes millions of dollars by licensing their songs for
various uses. Several organizations assist songwriters by issuing licenses to
and collecting the corresponding revenue from those who want to use the
songwriters’ material. Which one of the following organizations does NOT assist
songwriters in collecting song revenue.
- ASCAP
- BMI
- Harry Fox
- SOCAN
- SoundExchange
The correct answer is E. SoundExchange does not assist songwriters or
administer rights in songs. Instead,
SoundExchange is a performing rights organization that administers certain
rights in sound recordings on behalf of the owners of sound recordings – which are normally record labels.
As for the other organizations on the list, ASCAP
and BMI are two of the three United States performing rights organizations that issue and collect public performance
revenue for songwriters and music publishers. SOCAN is the Canadian equivalent
of ASCAP and BMI. Harry Fox issues
licenses for the reproduction and distribution of songs.