Registering Your Works

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU READ THIS INFORMATION CONCERNING YOUR RESPONSIBILITY WITH REGARD TO INFORMING SESAC OF YOUR PERFORMANCE ACTIVITY. SESAC MUST HAVE CURRENT AND COMPLETE INFORMATION IN ORDER TO MAXIMIZE YOUR PERFORMANCE ROYALTIES. FOLLOWING ARE GUIDELINES TO HELP YOU WITH THE SESAC SONG REGISTRATION PROCESS.

Musical Works include full-length songs, commercial jingles, and theme and background cues in television programs and movies. Your compositions must be registered in SESAC’s database(s) in order to be properly tracked and for royalties to be paid. Registration must be made via accepted registration applications such as SESAC’s Online Works Registration utility (OWR), the SESAC works registration form, or the Common Works Registration utility (CWR) in order to qualify for payment. Registration must include all additional requirements specified below. Works commissioned specifically for motion pictures or television programs (i.e., theme music, bumper music, or background cues) are registered from cue sheets provided by program production companies and need not be registered via separate registration forms. However, it is still your responsibility to ensure that SESAC receives all cue sheets containing your works so that they are properly and timely registered.

Song registrations (e.g., featured radio singles, jingles, etc.) are posted in the quarter in which they are received provided they arrive five working days before the end of the quarter. Cue Sheets (i.e., registrations for TV/Film cues such as theme and background music) are given a grace period through the 15th of the first month following the end of the quarter in which to receive the same provision. Payment may be delayed or forfeited due to late or incorrect registration. SESAC has no obligation to make payment for performances of any works registered more than one year following the date of such performances. 


Additional Registration Requirements

Recording Information
If your song is to be released to radio, please enter all of the relevant recording information online.

Radio Performances
SESAC utilizes state-of-the-art digital pattern recognition technology provided by Broadcast Data Systems (BDS) to monitor radio performances. For monitoring to occur, a digital “fingerprint” of each sound recording must be created and stored in the BDS database. All major and most independent record labels supply BDS with their new releases. However, you are encouraged to provide copies of recordings of your works whenever possible. CD’s can be mailed to SESAC, Inc., 55 Music Square East, Nashville, TN, 37203, Attn: BDS; or you can e-mail MP3 files to bds@sesac.com or you may upload your files on the SESAC website using our Turn In Your Tunes utility. MP3s must be more than 80 seconds in duration at a sample rate of 44.1 KHz and a bit rate of 128 Kbit/s.

Jingle Performances
Works used as jingles in commercial advertisements on television must be registered via the SESAC jingle information utility. All requisite ad information fields must be completed in order to receive royalty payments for jingle performances.

Live Performances
Set lists and itineraries must be submitted via the SESAC Online Live Performance Notification System in order to receive royalty payments for live concert performances.


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