A Clear Explanation : Our
Licensing Process
Overview
An
Ethical Foundation Our Licensing Process
Make Money with Your Music
Definitions Resources
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Our Licensing Process
We help you get mechanical licenses
to record yourself playing a song someone else wrote.
www.easySongLicensing.com
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What do you do for me?
We start by asking you which songs you will record.
You tell us the titles and composers. It is also helpful, although not
necessary, to know the publisher, copyright date, and song ID.
We research your song list using a number of sources
to make sure we find the proper copyright holder for each song.
This is important because publisher information from the title page is
only reliable as long as that publisher retains ownership; ownership of
a piece transfers when a copyright is sold.
After you record, but before you distribute, we send
permission requests to the copyright holders. These requests
include detailed information about the requested song and about your
project.
By the 20th of the month following
distribution, we send a statement of account to the copyright holders
explaining how many units were manufactured and how many were
distributed. This statement is accompanied with a royalty check
for the statutory
rate.
At the end of the year, our licensors may request an
annual statement of account. If they do, we send a detailed
accounting of units distributed and royalties paid for the year, audited
by a certified public accountant.
Our licensing process follows the compulsory
mechanical licensing provisions of the United
States Copyright Law.
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What do I get as proof of permission?
You get written permission sent via US Mail with a
signed statement of our acceptance of the responsibility to legally
acquire mechanical licenses on your behalf under the provisions of the
compulsory mechanical licensing law to the extent that you may legally
distribute your recordings of copyrighted songs. We also provide
information about how to include liner note credits for the publishers
and composers of the songs you use.
Upon request, we will deliver a report of the the contact information for the publishers
for your project for an additional fee
of five dollars per publisher requested (min. $25).
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How long does it take to get permission?
Typically 5-10 business days total.
From the day you submit your complete song list, we provide search results
in 1-2 business days. After that, you can place your order.
After we receive your payment, we send your license requests right
away. Then it is 5-7 business days before you can legally distribute
your recording. At that time we send your formal permission in the
mail.
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What about reorders?
We prepay up to the certain number of units
you plan to distribute. You are covered up to that number.
Beyond that, you can come back to order a new license if you need to
distribute more units. We have to charge our full fees for reorders.
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Can I split a license so that I can
distribute CDs and digital downloads on one license?
We have to send separate paperwork for each
different format you release. For that reason, if you plan to
distribute CDs AND digital downloads, you'll need to order a separate
license for each. In other words, you can't split a license for two
formats and we do have to charge our fee for each separate license.
