Worried about my finances as I've had to pay all my Mum's cremation/funeral/memorial costs (until probate gets sorted) as well as some massive legal bills (dealing with the CCRC and ECHR) and thought I was about to go into the red, when a cheque arrives with 3 months royalties and fees for Let It All Hang Out (Fosters Twist Lager - God bless it) which covers the lot five times over.

Indeed it's paid for my numerous, expensive, five star summer holidays too.

Something always comes up.

Show off! When my mum dies I'm footing the bill! She promises it will be in ten years. I'm not as convinced. Which is fine by me of course. I loe my mum. I'd be lost without her.

A real deserved bonus JK:)

Two ways of looking at it:-

Be a typical Brit and bemoan someone's success or think this person has worked for it over the years, therefore deserves to get paid all these royalities.

I prefer to think the latter as most people who are successful deserve it.

The only think I disagree with JK on, is being lucky, you have worked for it and luck doesn't come into it. If an advert wants to use the song, then congratulations to you.

Sorry to sound thick, but it always puzzles me how royalties for songs are paid to artists due maybe to the complex nature of who sang it, who wrote the lyrics, who wrote the music and where and when it was played. For instance I get a piffling amount of dividend for a few shares I have. I never know when it is to be paid or how much is going to be paid. If I don't receive it, I probably wouldn't even realise it - Is it the same for royalties - I cant imagine you get a statement for each and every time a song of yours is played on various radio shows, tv etc. Or do you? I suppose you have to trust the system to act in your best interests.

For Foz - Royalties.

The collection companies submit statements and cheques every 6 months - sometimes less depending on size (we now get monthly iTunes because we went from hundreds to thousands a month over our first year).

We (that's label or publisher or whatever) then assess the royalties due to writers, performers, producers etc and send them on their money.

Peter Gabriel always used to say we were the only people ever to send him money (as Charisma etc gave huge advances so very rare actual cheques whereas our tiny amounts have flowed regularly for 40 years!).

So that answers your question. I, of course, fit several categories as owner of masters, writer, publisher, often performer and so on, so different amounts arrive at different times (i.e. as a label I will pay JK

Thanks - not being involved in the entertainment industry that does indeed answer my query!

Actually, expanding this thread a little further re-toyalties,wouldn`t it be helpful in these digital days for ALL track codes to be logged automatically and save payment errors?
Pretty easy surely even on local radio.

That does remind me of a visit to Radio Sussex in the late 80's when DJ's used turntables still. The records and CD's had bar codes on them which used to be swiped before they were played for royalty payments. Seemed pretty hi-tech even then! I imagine the system is probably similar??
Fascinating stuff, but I can totally understand why there are always going to be disputes like the one within Procul Harem and the Monty Norman/John Barry Bond theme court case.