Getting Your Songs Back...in plain english

Sometimes there’s elephant in the room that can’t be ignored.

In 1976, Congress created an opportunity for songwriters and artists or their families to get the ownership of their songs back for free! Remember, the life of the copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years…and that’s a long time. The window for that opportunity is now open and the songwriters or their families need to be aware that they have the right to regain the ownership of their catalog or renegotiate a significantly more favorable deal than they currently have. There are two different termination provisions in the Copyright Act of 1976 for getting your songs back depending on whether you signed over the ownership of your songs to a publisher after January 1, 1978 or before 1978.

My good friend and esteemed legal scholar, Robert Clarida at Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman, P.C. in New York has provided a basic how to in plain English, which is available at http://bit.ly/GetYourSongsBack

Keep it in the groove,

Eli Ball

Founder

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LYRIC Announcements

Our royalty advance program, FastForwardMyRoyalties, now in its third year has come a long way since it began with BMI in 2007. We have funded nearly $5MM in royalty advances to songwriters, publishers, artists and producers. Yep…that’s right we are now funding artist and producer advances.

LYRIC funds advance

requests on performance, mechanical, artist or producer royalty streams from ASCAP, BMI and most of the major labels/publishers.

For more information on royalty advances, visit www.fastforwardmyroyalties.com or you can contact me directly at eli@lyricfinancial.com. FastForwardMyRoyalties is a simple, safe and fast way to access your royalties.

LYRIC Success Stories

For those who could not attend, BMI’s Trailblazer Gospel Awards Luncheon in Nashville last month…it was incredible. The Grammy’s should take a page from BMI VP of Urban, Catherine Brewton’s playbook as she turned a barren warehouse into an intimate, dramatic venue. To experience Marvin Winans, Donnie McClurken and Yolanda Adams on the same stage was simply life affirming!

And did I forget to mention that my friend and LYRIC client, Derrick Starks won the award for “Most Performed Gospel Song of the Year”. All of us in the LYRIC family are so proud of Derrick’s success…he’s an absolutely phenomenal talent and most importantly, he’s a genuinely great human being! Check out Derrick at myspace.com/derrickstarkstodaysgeneration

- Eli

Lyric Financial had the chance to catch up with Derrick and this is what he's up to...

From his early years at the edge of an organ stool, watching as his Auntie Chaquila played hymns at church, Derrick Starks found himself drawn into the world of music. And through two decades in the music industry, Derrick has worked with some of the greats — and remains passionate about songs that “transcend generations.”

Between writing and recording his own music, and running his Starks Music Group gospel label, Derrick is busier than most — but music doesn’t offer the comfort of weekly paychecks, which is why he’s sought out Lyric Financial.

“Lyric has given me the resources to start and run my label, support a studio, and develop new artists,” Derrick says. “At a time when our economy was having major problems, Lyric helped me continue to pursue my dreams. They offer a variety of financial solutions, with more flexibility than a traditional financial institution… I encourage anyone who relies on royalties to consider talking to Lyric.”

Read Derrick's entire interview here

Upcoming Events

March 9, 2010

California Copyright Conference

"Monetizing Music Publishing - Show Me The Money!"

Commerce in music publishing has never been livelier. Buying, selling and borrowing against copyrights remains a vibrant market. During these challenging economic times, lenders are offering publishers and writers creative ways of generating cash flow . A panel of experts (including Eli Ball of Lyric Financial) will discuss music catalog valuation and deal structures for sales and securitization purposes, how royalty streams can be pledged, what lenders require to finance publishing deals and the due diligence steps publishers can take to enhance copyright value.

To register for this event please visit http://www.theccc.org/meetings.php