SESAC: Building Careers on Relationships
Crystal Caviness
December 21, 2007
Welcome to the 21st-century SESAC, where pride, excellence and continuous growth and development are the norm.
SESAC, founded in 1930, with headquarters today in Nashville and offices in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and London, is playing an aggressive role in the performing rights world.
During the past decade, under new ownership, SESAC has transformed into a leader among organizations that represent copyrights of songwriters and publishers while licensing music users throughout the nation. Many respected and prolific writers grace its roster, from Bob Dylan and Neil Diamond to urban innovators Bryan Michael Cox, Nate "Danja" Hills and Omarion, Latin music's Fonseca and jazz's Cassandra Wilson.
On the Country and Americana side, the company is in the midst of a string of hits, with two chart-topping songs from Rodney Atkins ("If You're Going Through Hell [Before the Devil Even Knows]," written by Sam and Annie Tate, 2006 SESAC Country Songwriters of the Year), Taylor Swift's first two singles ("Teardrops on My Guitar" and "Tim McGraw," both written by Swift and 2007 SESAC Country Songwriter of the Year Liz Rose) and strong showings from artists and SESAC writers Blaine Larsen, Lance Miller, Joe Nichols and Brian White.
As the first PRO to give awards in the burgeoning Americana format, SESAC bestowed honors to several artists and songwriters in the genre, including Peter Cooper, Bob Dylan, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Buck Jones, Kieran Kane, Dustin Welch, Kevin Welch and Walt Wilkins.
One key to SESAC's success was its decision 10 years ago to become the first performing rights organization to monitor performances through use of Broadcast Data Systems fingerprinting technology.
"In the early '90s, we embraced BDS with the mindset that we would continue to look at technology to help us do what we do even better," said Tim Fink, SESAC Associate VP, Writer/Publisher Relations. "And that still holds true today. So when companies talk today about their new initiatives and employing technology to track performances, that's already part of our everyday attitude," he continued. "It's part of our business plan. We've employed new things specifically in tracking music in television jingles and commercials. We've utilized new technologies that have not been utilized elsewhere, to give the composers and songwriters a huge leg up in having their performances represented so that they don't have to go through the laborious paper trail of getting information any longer.
"It's all in an effort to be more efficient in how we go about collecting the money and distributing it back to our writers and publishers," Fink concluded.
In marshaling technology to serve the interests of its writers, SESAC launched its AdVantage Tracking System in July. This program combines data from Competitrack, which uses a proprietary fingerprinting technology, and DigSound (OTC DGSU), which tracks production music used in TV programming via a watermarking technology, to more accurately track and pay royalties for advertisements and promo performances on network, cable and local TV.
Boutique in size and selective in its affiliation process, SESAC embraces its differences from its industry neighbors as advantages, while staying in a state of continuous improvement.
"We're a dynamic company, growing in all aspects," said Pat Collins, SESAC President/COO. "Our size is most certainly an asset; it enables us to change. But that doesn't mean the things we did last week are things we should do next week. Our philosophy is that just because it's working, that doesn't mean it can't work better."
Consistent with its goals, SESAC is participating in a program run by Tennessee Center for Performing Excellence, a nonprofit organization dedicated to monitoring and encouraging businesses statewide to improve their efficiency and productivity. SESAC has passed Level 1 status and applied for ranking at the more advanced Level 2. This desire to improve reflects more than just the current state of affairs at the company.
"We are a proud organization," Collins asserted. "We're proud of our history. We're proud, most recently over the last decade or so, as to the protection of intellectual property. We've engaged with lawmakers of the United States to ensure that the rights of songwriters and publishers are protected and not encroached upon. We're proud of our exponential growth. We've grown dramatically in the number of charting songs we've had.
"We're also proud of our unique brand of service," he continued. "The fact that we're small is an asset at this company, because we can go the extra mile for our affiliates and potential affiliates. We can focus on people's needs. Most of the organizations can license and collect, and we certainly do that very well. But we have the ability, by our size, to give attention to songwriters and publishers."
That level of attention is crucial at SESAC, even to the point of advising writers to consider whether they've reached a point where it makes sense to affiliate with a PRO at all.
"Many people say the first thing you need to do as a songwriter is to affiliate with a performing rights organization," Fink said. "I say the first thing you need to do is build a relationship with a performing rights organization. The two sides of the business are the relationship and the representation of the performances. If neither of those two things is going to be represented, my opinion is that you don't need to affiliate with a performing rights organization. However, if you are able to develop a relationship, or if you are having performances that need representation, then in my opinion that is the time to become affiliated with a performing rights organization.
"The only reason you'd need to rush," he added, "is if you have performances on a regional level or public performances occurring where you cannot control the ability to license those performances. Then, you need a performing rights organization to represent those performances. Prior to that, it's about relationship: Where are you going to develop a relationship that is going to be a part of your career, with someone who will work with you as a songwriter to further your craft and get you to a point where you're generating revenue, where you're generating performances to be represented, where money can be collected for you?"
Relationship building, continuous improvement and a quest for excellence: As Collins sees it, that all points toward one smaller company whose growth in revenue and repertory exposure is escalating rapidly.
"Growth is an organic word," he said. "We've recently opened in Atlanta and Miami. We're expanding our Los Angeles presence, taking on another office. We're becoming bigger, but we're not losing sight of our values, of what distinguishes us - the special brand of service we offer. I guess that's what sets us apart."
On the Web: www.sesac.com
2007 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.
SESAC, founded in 1930, with headquarters today in Nashville and offices in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and London, is playing an aggressive role in the performing rights world.
During the past decade, under new ownership, SESAC has transformed into a leader among organizations that represent copyrights of songwriters and publishers while licensing music users throughout the nation. Many respected and prolific writers grace its roster, from Bob Dylan and Neil Diamond to urban innovators Bryan Michael Cox, Nate "Danja" Hills and Omarion, Latin music's Fonseca and jazz's Cassandra Wilson.
On the Country and Americana side, the company is in the midst of a string of hits, with two chart-topping songs from Rodney Atkins ("If You're Going Through Hell [Before the Devil Even Knows]," written by Sam and Annie Tate, 2006 SESAC Country Songwriters of the Year), Taylor Swift's first two singles ("Teardrops on My Guitar" and "Tim McGraw," both written by Swift and 2007 SESAC Country Songwriter of the Year Liz Rose) and strong showings from artists and SESAC writers Blaine Larsen, Lance Miller, Joe Nichols and Brian White.
As the first PRO to give awards in the burgeoning Americana format, SESAC bestowed honors to several artists and songwriters in the genre, including Peter Cooper, Bob Dylan, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Buck Jones, Kieran Kane, Dustin Welch, Kevin Welch and Walt Wilkins.
One key to SESAC's success was its decision 10 years ago to become the first performing rights organization to monitor performances through use of Broadcast Data Systems fingerprinting technology.
"In the early '90s, we embraced BDS with the mindset that we would continue to look at technology to help us do what we do even better," said Tim Fink, SESAC Associate VP, Writer/Publisher Relations. "And that still holds true today. So when companies talk today about their new initiatives and employing technology to track performances, that's already part of our everyday attitude," he continued. "It's part of our business plan. We've employed new things specifically in tracking music in television jingles and commercials. We've utilized new technologies that have not been utilized elsewhere, to give the composers and songwriters a huge leg up in having their performances represented so that they don't have to go through the laborious paper trail of getting information any longer.
"It's all in an effort to be more efficient in how we go about collecting the money and distributing it back to our writers and publishers," Fink concluded.
In marshaling technology to serve the interests of its writers, SESAC launched its AdVantage Tracking System in July. This program combines data from Competitrack, which uses a proprietary fingerprinting technology, and DigSound (OTC DGSU), which tracks production music used in TV programming via a watermarking technology, to more accurately track and pay royalties for advertisements and promo performances on network, cable and local TV.
Boutique in size and selective in its affiliation process, SESAC embraces its differences from its industry neighbors as advantages, while staying in a state of continuous improvement.
"We're a dynamic company, growing in all aspects," said Pat Collins, SESAC President/COO. "Our size is most certainly an asset; it enables us to change. But that doesn't mean the things we did last week are things we should do next week. Our philosophy is that just because it's working, that doesn't mean it can't work better."
Consistent with its goals, SESAC is participating in a program run by Tennessee Center for Performing Excellence, a nonprofit organization dedicated to monitoring and encouraging businesses statewide to improve their efficiency and productivity. SESAC has passed Level 1 status and applied for ranking at the more advanced Level 2. This desire to improve reflects more than just the current state of affairs at the company.
"We are a proud organization," Collins asserted. "We're proud of our history. We're proud, most recently over the last decade or so, as to the protection of intellectual property. We've engaged with lawmakers of the United States to ensure that the rights of songwriters and publishers are protected and not encroached upon. We're proud of our exponential growth. We've grown dramatically in the number of charting songs we've had.
"We're also proud of our unique brand of service," he continued. "The fact that we're small is an asset at this company, because we can go the extra mile for our affiliates and potential affiliates. We can focus on people's needs. Most of the organizations can license and collect, and we certainly do that very well. But we have the ability, by our size, to give attention to songwriters and publishers."
That level of attention is crucial at SESAC, even to the point of advising writers to consider whether they've reached a point where it makes sense to affiliate with a PRO at all.
"Many people say the first thing you need to do as a songwriter is to affiliate with a performing rights organization," Fink said. "I say the first thing you need to do is build a relationship with a performing rights organization. The two sides of the business are the relationship and the representation of the performances. If neither of those two things is going to be represented, my opinion is that you don't need to affiliate with a performing rights organization. However, if you are able to develop a relationship, or if you are having performances that need representation, then in my opinion that is the time to become affiliated with a performing rights organization.
"The only reason you'd need to rush," he added, "is if you have performances on a regional level or public performances occurring where you cannot control the ability to license those performances. Then, you need a performing rights organization to represent those performances. Prior to that, it's about relationship: Where are you going to develop a relationship that is going to be a part of your career, with someone who will work with you as a songwriter to further your craft and get you to a point where you're generating revenue, where you're generating performances to be represented, where money can be collected for you?"
Relationship building, continuous improvement and a quest for excellence: As Collins sees it, that all points toward one smaller company whose growth in revenue and repertory exposure is escalating rapidly.
"Growth is an organic word," he said. "We've recently opened in Atlanta and Miami. We're expanding our Los Angeles presence, taking on another office. We're becoming bigger, but we're not losing sight of our values, of what distinguishes us - the special brand of service we offer. I guess that's what sets us apart."
On the Web: www.sesac.com
2007 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.
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