GET PAID WHEN YOUR MUSIC IS PLAYED!

       Music is all around you. It’s played on the radio, on television and also in films. You listen to music without thinking about the hard work that is put into one song. Producers, songwriters and composers worked together to create complete works of music. But how do they get paid? Who pays them? One of the most popular associations that help handle royalties is BMI.

What is BMI?

       BMI stands for Broadcast Music, Inc. BMI “collects license fees on behalf of the more than 500,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers it represents and distributes those fees as royalties to members whose works have been publicly performed (“About BMI,” n.d.).” According to the “About Us” page on the BMI website BMI.com, BMI is a performing right organization that issues licenses to several avenues of music such as Internet services, mobile technology businesses, television, radio stations, satellite radio and live concert venues.

       BMI currently represents over 7.5 million compositions and is continuing to grow. According to BMI.com, they have distributed more than $789 million in royalties to its members. Not only is BMI a major organization in the United States, BMI is also an “acknowledged leader of the international copyright community (“International Leadership,” n.d.).”

       BMI not only helps distribute royalties to its members, it provides various support programs and benefits to its members. BMI offers career building and songwriter support, which includes workshops, seminars and industry showcases. They also offer insurance, discounts on various industry tools such as instruments, magazine subscriptions etc. BMI is also a major supporter of the arts, giving significant financial support to numerous music organizations that help benefit future songwriters or composers.

Why BMI?

      BMI is an asset to the entire music industry from independent songwriters to major composers. Without BMI it would be extremely hard for each individual songwriter or composer to manage different licenses and royalties on their own. Being a member of BMI is a great way for independent artists to make some money as well. If a songwriter gets their songs played on a satellite radio or if their song is on the soundtrack of a movie, BMI represents the songwriter or composer and distributes the royalties to all necessary parties involved.

       Another great benefit of BMI is that it allows each member to create a professional website for conducting business online. This portal allows each member to track their royalties, register new works and other great tools to help maintain each membership. The great thing about the BMI membership is that it’s free! BMI is an organization that every songwriter, composer or publisher should be apart of. It benefits its members in numerous ways. BMI is an organization that genuinely cares about supporting its members and the professional development of songwriters, composers and publishers. 

For more information about BMI go to bmi.com

Inside look at the events, workshops, conferences, showcases and seminars.

BMI's How I Wrote That Song: DJ Khalid, "We Takin Over"

Subscribe to BMI on YouTube

The X FACTOR Addiction!

One of America’s most anticipated music competition reality shows is back and is now auditioning for Season 2. This is really a great opportunity for independent artists to showcase their talent and try to win an unprecedented $5 million recording contract. The first season was exciting and addicting and you can tell by all the tweets they are receiving fans cannot wait for the premier of the new season. But what exactly does it take to create and produce a successful show like The X Factor? The same elements it takes to create and produce anything successful in the entertainment industry, a great team, strategic planning and execution. The X Factor has all of those elements, which is why it is such an amazing show.

“Effective teamwork is essential to the success of any business. As “no man is an island,” the positive effects of productive teamwork can energize an entire organization, just as the negative effects of a lack of teamwork can cripple an organization (Teamwork: Components of an effective team).”

The X Factor team consists of experienced professionals in the entertainment industry. Specifically, Simon Cowell has been on his share of music competition reality shows and knows what makes a good show. L.A. Reid is a great asset to the show because of his experience in the music industry. Reid is one of the top moguls in the music industry. The judges and producers of The X Factor make an all-star team.

According to Gary R. Heerkens, author of Project Management, “project management really consists of two major phases—doing the right project and doing the project right.” It seems as though The X Factor is doing them both right! They must strategically plan from the auditions to the casting to the actual show. From watching the first season, you can tell it was very well planned out. That brings us to execution. By watching the performers showcase their talents and compete in the different challenges it shows how prepared they were. It is one thing to create a great plan but that plan is worthless without executing it.

What we see on television and what we hear on the radio is the glamorous finished project. Sometimes we don’t stop to think about the time and effort that it takes to create a hit song or produce a great show like The X Factor. Taking those necessary steps and implementing those key elements will help bring you success to any project in the entertainment industry.

For more information on The X Factor visit www.thexfactorusa.com

References:

Teamwork: Components of an Effective Team

Heerkens, Gary R. (2002). Project Management. p 107. 

YMCMB: Young Money Cash Money Billionaires

Ever since the release of her debut album Pink Friday in November 2010, Nikki Minaj, an YMCMB artist, has been on top releasing hit song after hit song. She has won several awards such as “Best Big Beat” for Super Bass, “Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Artist,” “Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop” album for Pink Friday and many more.

Drake, also a member of Young Money, has also received several awards and recognition for his music. He is one of the most popular artists in the industry today. One of the biggest players on the YMCMB team is Lil Wayne who has always been one of the top artists in the industry and is still on top today.

One of the most important elements to succeeding in the music industry is having a strong and talented team around you. And that’s exactly what they have. Young Money is a developing dynasty that at the moment is unstoppable with such top artists on their team.

            Forbes has recently put out a list where Sean “Diddy” Combs was their top pick for the “Future 400 richest in America. Birdman of YMCMB, argued that he and Lil Wayne should also be in the discussion of future billionaires. He also stated that his YMCMB brand will be the first billionaire hip hop brand ever. According to ballerstatus.com, Birdman commented on the issue by stating, 

"I think Young Money Cash Money would be the first billion-dollar brand in hip-hop," Baby claimed, in an email to Forbes. "We strong and growing every day as a brand and fast. Within the next few years we will be billionaires."


Article: Birdman Disagrees with Forbes

No other label in the industry has 4 or more of their artist listed on Forbes “Hip Hop Cash Kings” list. Birdman and Lil Wayne tie for 4^th place with earning $15 million in the past 12 months. Drake ties with Wiz Khalifa at $11 million in 11^th place and Nikki Minaj is tied with Swizz Beats and beats out several male hip-hop artists. Stated by ballerstatus.com,

“Nicki Minaj becomes the first female to make the list at #15 with $6.5 million. In addition to touring money, she's also landed endorsement deals with M•A•C Cosmetics and Casio.”


Article: Nikki Minaj is first female to make Forbes list.

YMCMB is at the top of their game and will ultimately accomplish their goal of becoming hip-hops first billionaire brand if they continue to dominate the music industry. Today, you can’t even turn on the radio and flip through stations without hearing at least one of YMCMB’s artists’ songs playing. They are building an unstoppable empire with the world as their audience.

To find out more about Nikki Minaj and Drake's music career, check out their short biography:

Nikki Minaj Biography and Awards


Drake Biography and Awards