Songwriter royalties

[wacko]

We all know that is where the money is. But in a Group context is it fair that those who did not write songs get nothing ? I'm thinking particularly of long-term band members ? And sometimes they contribute small parts here and there over many years with no attributions.

 

[RickyC6]

In many cases the non songwriting members get royalties just at a lower rate. See The Smiths court case!

 

[Alex N]

I guess it depends on the band, but it’s certainly true that successful bands that stay together the longest share songwriting credits equally. U2 and Radiohead, for example.

 

[wylton]

..is it fair that those who did not write songs get nothing ?

No, it's not fair & it's been the ruin of many good bands.

 

[Bob McC]

Alan Price says yah boo sucks…

 

[sq225917]

Equal sharing of royalties has a lot to answer for, without maybe Coldplay would have split years ago.

Pity the 4th member of Muse, he doesn't even get to go on stage with them, but plays at all their gigs usually off to the side.

 

[Alex N]

Pity the 4th member of Muse, he doesn't even get to go on stage with them...

lol, I didn’t know that.

Not sure if his status hasn’t changed recently, but I read somewhere that Ronnie Wood’s essentially been an employee of Mick and Keith for over forty years. Still, the pay must’ve been decent.

 

[Weekender]

The worst one I heard was Andy Summers and the guitar riff for Every Breathe You Take. Zilch. More galling when it was sampled by Puff Daddy and Sting got the royalties.

 

[Tumeni Notes]

Depends on the band.

Deep Purple Mk II songs were credited to all five band members.
Early Whitesnake, although Marsden-Moody-Coverdale did all the songwriting, they included one song every album credited to everyone.

 

[Woodface]

They get performance royalties but it is at a lower rate. I think I’m some instances the non-songwriters make an even bigger contribution, imagine ‘My Shirona’ without the drum licks? The Band without Levon Helm?

I think the invidious example is The Animals - ‘House of the rising Sun’, Alan Price gets the ‘Trad Arr’ but the rest of the band are left in relative penury.

Ring Starr has done rather well through a couple of credits & performance royalties, net worth of over £200m, far richer than most.