MECHANICAL LICENSE EASILY EXPLAINED

Quick Q&A for all those ready to record albums and want to make sure they have dotted the I’s and crossed all the T’s on their paperwork.

What happens when I record a song without getting a mechanical license?

It is illegal to record a (NON- PUBLIC DOMAIN) song without paying for the royalties Copyright is the “right to copy” owned by the copyright holder of the song (typically the publisher/publishers) If a song has never been recorded before, the publisher not only has the right to choose the minimum prepaid amount, but they have the right to decline your request if they are waiting on a more established artist’s consideration first. If the song has been recorded before, they cannot decline you, unless you are changing the words , but you are still obligated to pay the mechanical license.

*Many artists don’t want to record a song that someone else recorded (even if 99.99999% of the world has never heard their version). Thus, if you record a song and don’t pay the songwriters you could essentially kill their song before they ever made 1 penny, which makes them pull their hair out. Don’t ask me how I know:)

How long do I need to wait before a song becomes public domain and a mechanical license is not necessary?

Any song written today is public domain 70 years after the last co-writer passes away

What can I typically expect to pay for a mechanical license?

The most common mechanical license is a $120 prepay which covers your first 1,000 pressings or digital sales (any combination of the 2). That’s the statutory rate of 12 cents per copy, up from 9.1 cents as of December of 2022. After you reach that point you simply request another license and keep going.

*Please note that some of the larger publishing companies may have a $500 minimum or even higher. Always check before recording, so there aren’t any unwanted surprises.

How do I obtain a mechanical license?

Reach out to the publishers of the song and they will either send you one on their behalf or let their Administration company know to send one to you. Many are represented by Harry Fox or another company which will collect on their behalf for a 10% fee or something similar.

If I co-wrote the song do I still need to get a mechanical license from the writer I wrote it with?

Of course. That’s probably why they wrote it with you, hoping you would record it:) The good thing is it would be half price because you own half the song On a 1,000 copy prepay you would just pay $60 for the mechanical license to your co-writers publisher, instead of $120

Do I owe more to the writers when I play the songs live?

No It’s BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC’s job to monitor live play for the publishers and writers (whichever one they belong to) They will pay accordingly If you are a performing singer/songwriter you can (and should) report your playlists to your prospective PRO and you will get paid along with the other co-writers for songs you helped create. Most artists don’t do this and they miss out on money. So do their co-writers:(

What

if I want to record a classic Christmas song that I hear on the radio every year? Surely those are all public domain by now?

Actually, most of your favorites are not public domain, so you still need to get a mechanical license from the publishers. You can easily google public domain Christmas songs and find out which ones are royalty free and which are not. The beauty of writing Christmas songs is that they get recorded over and over either way. That’s why I write at least 125 of them every year. Well, that and it gives me an excuse to drink hot chocolate in June!

Have a wonderful June everyone - Christmas Corey

*If you are not happy with the songs you have access to, I’m more than happy to send you some. Best of luck to everyone on your journey,

Corey Lee Barker www.coreyleebarker.com

TIC TOC GOD'S CLOCK

TIC TOC GOD'S CLOCK TIC TOC GOD'S CLOCK

Hunter Logan Hunter Logan Hunter Logan

I'M GOOD I'M GOOD I'M GOOD

Steve Roberson Steve Roberson Steve Roberson

IF I BE LIFTED UP IF I BE LIFTED UP IF I BE LIFTED UP

Matt Foster Matt Foster Matt Foster

AVAILABLE ALL

PLATORMS

Living Water Living Water Living Water

James and John James and John James and John

SOMETHING TO SAY SOMETHING TO SAY SOMETHING TO SAY

Hadlei Klair Hadlei Klair Hadlei Klair

AVAILABLE ON ALL

PLATFORMS

Rank Song Title

Artist Name

Emily Ann Roberts

Dave Herrera #9

Corey Farlow #11

Kellie Longworth #12

Zach

Adam Sanders

#16 Prodigals

#17 Enter Into Praise

#18 Devil's Been Breathin Down My Back

#19 Thankful, Grateful, and Blessed

#20 Kindness

#21 Never Till Now

#22 God Gave Me A Girl

#23 What He Didn't Do

#24 All Come Together

Chris Golden

Bruce Hedrick

Danny Joines

Richard Lynch

Six One Five Collective

Ashley Cooke & Brett Young

Russell Dickerson

Landry Cantrell

John Berry & Friends

Olivia Lane #26 On My Way

#25 Wherever You Are

Restless Road #27 Homesick

Hannah Belle

Scott Mac Brown #29 Heavens Open Range

#28 Faith Like That

#30 Broken Things

#31 Good Morning Mercy

#32 I Still Pray

#33 When Jesus Spoke

#34 Jesus Was A Country Boy

#35 Make Me Turn Around

#36 Tailgate Church Pew

#37 Jesus Signed My Pardon

#38 Cowboy Constitution

#39 Only Jesus Can Do

#40 For My Good

Winston James

Mary James

Jason Crabb & Dylan Scott

Mickey Guyton

KristeNicole

Glen Templeton

Casey Rivers

Grainger Smith

Mike Leichner

Curtis Grimes

Daniel Mulkey

After Grace ft. Joel Vaughn