[tone]

Anyone can join PRS. The fee is £10 and it's collected from your first payments. And you don't even need to be on youtube. You can join and collect royalties from playing your own songs at gigs. Every venue pays a licence to PRS who collect the royalties on artists' behalf. If you're playing your own songs, you'll get paid (not much, but it's better than nowt.) Of course, if you're played on the radio, you'll get a much higher rate.

[postmn]

 BASCA, it looks amazing, sunds like sumthing i'll join in the future

[Barney]

The Guild of International Songwriters & Composers www.songwriters-guild.co.uk is an excellent organisation with a 30 year 0ld established intellectual copyright registration center which is free to members. All the free services to members have been established over the last 30 years and their Songwriting & Composing Magazine published since 1986 which is free to members carries valuable information and articles.

I Don't quite understand the negative comments posted unless those posting have an ulterior motive. As a member of longeveity I have only benefited from my relationship with Guild of International Songwriters & Composers and find their free services most beneficial.

At least you don't get asked to by the Guild  to re register your copyrights after a certain period and pay for that priveleage like some of the other so called copyright registration services. The Guild's copyright service lasts for the period of copyright being 70 years after your demise. The fact that the Guild's free copyright service to members has been established for such a long period of time along with all of the Guild's other free services is a testiment to an organisation of established repute along with an established membership.

Whilst these posts are old, and my having just found it, I felt it necessary to put a counter opinion.

[Boydie]

I couldn't agree more BARNEY - and even though I am not currently a GISC member I certainly recommend it to every member with a copyright or "how can I write more commercial sounding music" as I have also found the GISC song assessment service really valuable

I think GISC would be more popular if they had a more "professional" web presence as their website is a little old fashioned (something I have fed back to them directly)

[Barney]

Many thanks Boydie. Whilst the old Guild site looked old fashioned it did work very well as an information site for the Guild I am given to understand.

The reason for the old feel is that I was told that as the Guild's membership was universal across all colours, creeds and ages  it was left as it was for many years so that the older generation some of whom were unable to navigate around modern websites would feel comfortable in its construction and information, so it seems there was a compromise for practicability purposes.

This may have alienated some but it did carry the salient information which attracted me to it and the services I must add are second to none accross for all age groups.

The website I think you will find has been updated with amendments ongoing and the navigation should not proove an obstical for any age group.

I only found this topic recently and note that the adverse comments came from guest log ins, so my
assumption was that there was ulterior motives to the postings. Having been a member of the Guild for a very long time and having had their services competantly proved to me I felt compelled to post my comments.

Information at: www.songwriters-guild.co.uk

[Marrianna]

I have just come across this thread and staggered that it was so long ago when I first contributed.

I enjoyed belonging to GISC and had many long phone conversations with Rod who ran the Association. When I lived in Cornwall for a while, I then met him and his wife. I also met him at entertaining evenings when the played keyboards and sang, sometimes with backing vocals with his wife.
He was very keen on the Irish music market and signed some of my songs on the First Time Music label.
That's all for now
Marrianna