Music News (4/2/14)

Performing rights organizations BMI, ASCAP, and SOCAN have entered into a collaboration that will create a more efficient works registration process for members of the three participating PROs. MusicMark allows CWR registrations to take place through a common FTP site. As of March 31, 2014, publishers that use CWR to register music can begin using MusicMark to submit works to ASCAP, BMI, and SOCAN all at once. Later in 2014, MusicMark will be opened up to publishers using other kinds of batch processes, such as Excel sheets.

MusicMark allows PRO members to register songs through a single interface, including works co-written by songwriters who are members of different performing rights organizations. After the song is registered through MusicMark, the song’s data is sent to all three PROs (BMI, ASCAP, and SOCAN) for inclusion in their respective repertoires. This is a useful development for the songwriting and publishing community, as co-writing among songwriters affiliated with different PROs has been commonplace in Music City for years.

MusicMark represents a collaboration between the PROs, though not an official joint venture. Each PRO will continue to maintain its own back offices and copyright records.

The PROs debuted the new common site after music publishers requested a more efficient way of registering works with the PROs. MusicMark is jointly managed by executives from all participating societies. These executives regularly report to their respective CEOs.

MusicMark will aid in providing more accurate copyright information, and a synchronized view of works in the repertoires of ASCAP, BMI and SOCAN. A PDF of extended questions is available online.

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Downtown Music Publishing has signed Parallel Music to a worldwide publishing administration agreement, which was announced by DMP COO/General Counsel Andrew Bergman and Parallel Managing Partner Tim Hunze.

Nashville-based Parallel Music was established in August 2011 as a partnership between Hunze, JP Williams and CT Wyatt. Parallel’s catalog includes “Mama’s Broken Heart” (Miranda Lambert), “Til My Last Day” (Justin Moore), and “Better Dig Two” (The Band Perry), as well as cuts by Tim McGraw, David Nail, Keith Urban, Eli Young Band, Eric Paslay, Randy Houser and Jon Pardi.

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Pictured (L-R): Reid Perry, Kimberly Perry, Sony/ATV’s Troy Tomlinson, and Neil Perry

Kimberly, Reid and Neil Perry of The Band Perry have inked an exclusive worldwide publishing deal with Sony/ATV Nashville.

The trio released its self-titled debut project on Republic Nashville in 2010; the album included “If I Die Young,” (penned by Kimberly Perry), “You Lie” and “All Your Life.” Their follow-up project, Pioneer, has produced two No. 1 singles, “Better Dig Two” and “DONE.,” which earned Neil and Reid’s first chart-topping song as writers.

The Band Perry is slated to open the upcoming Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday, April 6 on CBS.

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Pictured: BMI’s Bradley Collins, Perry Howard, Clay Bradley, and Mark Mason; Overstreet’s wife Julie Miller; Overstreet; BMI’s Leslie Roberts; Overstreet’s children Nash, Summer, and Charity; and BMI’s Jody Williams. Photo: Drew Maynard

BMI Nashville VP, Writer/Publisher Relations Jody Williams and the BMI Nashville Writer/Publisher relations team recently visited Kingston Springs, Tenn. to re-present Country singer-songwriter Paul Overstreet with more than 30 BMI Country Awards, to replace the ones destroyed by Nashville’s flood in 2010.

The replacement awards commemorate classic songs, like Randy Travis’ “Forever and Ever Amen,” Alison Krauss’  “When You Say Nothing at All,” and Kenny Chesney’s “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.”

BMI Country Awards are presented annually to the writers and publishers of the year’s most performed songs. Overstreet has published several of the songs he’s written, doubling his award count.

Additionally, Overstreet received numerous Million-Air certificates, which are presented to songwriters, composers and publishers whose songs amass more than one million U.S. broadcast performances. Overstreet’s songs have amassed more than 52 million performances.

Some of Overstreet’s other award-winning songs include “I Won’t Take Less Than Your love,” “On The Other Hand” and “Deeper Than The Holler.”