Dance Music Business Resource

Performance Royalties

The money that must be given to the copyright holder(s) every time the composition is "performed". Every radio station, club, restaraunt, and retail store (that plays music) is liable to pay the copyright holder every time they play the composition.

Since you can't be there all the time checking up on these people, RoyaltyOrganizations (BMI ASCAP GEMA etc.)) were created on behalf of artists to administer these copyrights. There is a lot more money than you think generated from radio play of "underground" music. In the US, since the distributon of monies is determined soley by what they monitor on large media broadcasts (although they collect the money even from small cafés), most of the money goes to the already established artists.