National Music Publishers' Association
ASCAP's Clearance Express

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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

Thankyou.

Now I looked them up and their faq's...but I don't know what I do from there. I searched Artie Shaw but got nothing...so I don't know where I go from there.

Thanks.

ASCAP's Clearance Express ( http://www.ascap.com/ace/search.cfm?mode=search) lets you search for the song, the performer, the writer, etc. I searched for Artie Shaw as the performer and got many results. What you may want to do is search for the song, then find the specific recording with Artie Shaw that you're looking for. You will then see which publisher owns the rights to the song, as well as which label owns the mechanical rights for the particular recording. License must be obtained separately from the writer(s) (or whoever represents the writer), as well as from the entity (record label, a company or individual) that owns the rights to that specific recording of the song.

I looked for a song "Lady Be Good"; It was written by the Gershwin brothers, so publishers are two separate entities ("George Gershwin Music" located in NYC, and "Ira Gershwin Music", located in SF). The recording featuring Artie Shaw (among many other musicians) is now the property of Warner Brothers Music (Chapel Music), in LA. To obtain the "synchronisation rights" (allowing you to put your music into a movie) for this particular recording of "Lady Be Good", you'd have to contact all three entities.

Okay thanks for that guys/gals. There is a first time for everything. Anyway I was looking for Man from Mars and I found the owner in New York. The music was written and performed by Shaw.

There was no email or even a website so I called the number listed and spoke to a woman who confirmed they owned the rights to the song. I have to email/snail mail my request and they will decide.

I don't know why they would decline...having said that I didn't ask and she didn't state if there was any money involved. I am going to assume not - because she didn't say..but if there is - and its cheap I will consider it.

Thanks.

If I remember well, the amount of money they would ask will depend on the purpose and the context. Normally, they would want to know how the song will be featured in the film, as well as what is the target audience/medium for the project. In essence, they need to know how much money you may expect to make from it, and how many people are likely to actually watch it. A major studio film by Ron Howard would likely have to pay significantly more than a zero-budget indie (or private/corporate/family) little project.