What Is Licensing Collective?

A licensing collective is like a fairy godmother for authors. It's an organization representing copyright owners, publishers and creators of copyrighted materials. They are usually paid royalties by negotiating licensing terms and securing licensing fees (or royalties) for payment to copyright owners. If you need to become more familiar with licensing, it's when someone uses your creative work in exchange for money. For example, if your friend wanted to use one of your photos on their website or in their book without asking you, they would infringe on your copyright. If they asked for permission first, you'd enter into a license agreement with them. You'd let them use the photo in exchange for money. Licensing collectives typically represent authors, photographers, illustrators, graphic designers, musicians… anyone who makes money from their work by selling licenses to others who want to use it. The Brand Development Organization is a collective of authors, writers, and creators that provides licensing on a collective basis to empower authors and secure immediate payment for creative innovation. The American Society of Composers, Artists and Publishers (ASCAP) is an example of a U.S. licensing collective. The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) pays royalties to copyright holders who have obtained blanket licenses for public performances. The Canadian model differs from ASCAP's because it has no membership requirement. Instead, it requires all businesses to purchase a license from SOCAN. The SOCAN license covers virtually all commercial music-related activities in Canada, including bars and restaurants, retail stores, hotels and motels, fitness centers, gyms, spas and salons, local and national broadcasting stations and cable television networks such as MTV Canada or Global Television Network. It's important to note that there are some exceptions where SOCAN doesn't cover the use of music, like at private events or in self-published media such as magazines or newspapers, where you can publish what you want without having to pay any fees whatsoever!