Heading to The Great Escape or planning your own overseas musical expedition in the coming months? Whether you're showcasing or gracing a festival stage, make sure to file an Overseas Performance Report as soon as you can following the gig. Why? Because just like with shows at home, you earn live performance royalties when you perform your songs internationally.
But, before you even depart, there are important steps you can take to readying those reports. The most important? REGISTER YOUR WORKS. You'll thank us later for this tip.
Overseas Performance Reports are different from the Live Performance Reports for AU/NZ gigs because they need to be processed through our reciprocal Performing Rights Organisations around the world. So there are a few more layers and some very important nuances involved, but the rule-of-thumb is essentially the same across the different territories: submit a form with detailed information from your live performance as soon as you can after the gig takes place.
A: Excellent question! Yes, the #1 thing you should do to save yourself time and prevent payment delays is to make sure you (or your publisher) REGISTER YOUR WORKS. Be precise with your AKAs and encourage any co-writers to become members. It will make the submitting and payment processing much smoother. Seriously, much smoother. Ideally, your work has a unique composer identifier called an ISWC when you file your performance report. Find out more here.
A: You should submit a performance report for all live performances. However, please note that not all venues are licensed and therefore a foreign society might not be able to collect royalties on your behalf. Your claim might trigger the society to look into licensing a premise, so while your payment might be delayed, it does help the cause overall.
These are performances that do not qualify for claiming:
A: Not at all! While some territories collect for the top tours, there are schemes in place for you to collect your royalties no matter the size. Submit your report, let us collect your royalties.
A: There are, but deadlines vary. There is not a firm annual deadline for Overseas Performance Reports like there is for your domestic reports (submit by 31 July, paid in November).
Different territories and their respective organisations have different deadlines and requirements, therefore the sooner you submit your performance, the sooner we can collect on your behalf. Find out more about the process here.
For most territories, you can file reports for up to the 2.5 years prior from the performance date, however some societies have tighter and more specific deadlines including the UK, USA and Germany.
There are three PROs in the US: ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC.
REMINDER: APRA AMCOS has a reciprocal arrangement with ASCAP, so unless you advise us within 30 days of our notifying you of a first-time US earning, you will be designated to ASCAP. You can nominate BMI or SESAC, but try to do so within those 30 days or it becomes a bit more complicated. Read more here.
| Society (Country) | Submit by | Submit to |
|---|---|---|
| ASCAP (USA) | 1 March for all performances in the previous calendar year Jan-Dec | APRA AMCOS |
| BMI (USA) | Within 8 months of performance date | APRA AMCOS |
| SESAC (USA) | Varies | Contact [email protected] with venue and setlist info |
| PRS (UK) | Within 11 months of performance date for 'Gigs and Pubs' small venues | APRA AMCOS |
| GEMA (GER) | Before March 1st of the following year of your performance | APRA AMCOS |
| Others | Within 2.5 years prior from the performance date | APRA AMCOS |
| Especially for societies in smaller music markets, it may take up to two years for your payment to be distributed. Refer to this distribution timetable. | ||
A: Yes, and it is dependent on the reciprocal society’s pool of payments. Some societies pay per song, and some pay per set. Ask us if you would like to know about a specific country.
A: Generally, festivals provide this information to their country’s society. However, it would not be the first time that a band on a multi-day, jam-packed bill inadvertently gets left off of the reporting. Cover yourself – submit a report!
A: Absolutely. Save your setlists, screengrab a Facebook event listing, save a festival bill, keep the sign on your dressing room, grab a drink coaster from the pub you played. Supporting evidence is great to have.
Required information that you need to have record of:
Classical performances: You must, must, must get a copy of a program for the event. This is a requirement of ASCAP as well as other European societies.
A: Yes, it saves time in the overall claim. Please make note of the original writer in brackets next to song title in your report. You are doing the right thing and ensuring another songwriter gets paid. Karma and all that.
A: Hopefully, we have covered the key points. But, please, connect with us on email [email protected], or call us on 0800 69 2772 to discuss in greater detail.