Volume 1, Issue 3 |
| Frank Liwall |
It is vital for songwriters and musicians to understand the basic principles of music publishing.
Thanks to Frank Liwall, President of Royalty Network, many artists, producers, and songwriters are
getting their royalty checks and leading successful careers in music.
IAE: Please tell us where you’re from and what led you to your career in music?
FRANK: I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. It wasn’t always easy. My plan was to be an accountant, as I
always had a thing for numbers. When I graduated I went on to work for a public accounting firm and got
involved in doing royalty audits. First, I was doing film and video audits but then I ended up moving on to
royalty audits in the music industry. So that’s how I made the transition into being a business owner. At that
point I was auditing for four years on behalf of songwriters, music publishers, and recording artists. I always
loved working with numbers but I didn’t care for the boring part of it; the entertainment aspect is what struck a
chord with me.
IAE: When did you decide to start Royalty Network?
FRANK: I started Royalty Network 15 years ago, at which time I saw a chance to branch off and kind of do my
own thing in music and still combine my love for numbers. As an auditor I saw a lot of injustices, to songwriters
in particular, and that’s why I wanted to start Royalty Network. Since I’ve always been a writers’ advocate, the
company was a way for me to spend time educating songwriters about their rights, while still trying to recover
the money that was due to them. I love to help people learn about the business, and explain it to them so they
can see the clear picture before they just sign a contract and take a check. That was the introduction of
Royalty Network and how I got started.
IAE: Upon founding Royalty Network, what were some of the early on challenges you faced?
FRANK: First were those writers who had already signed away their rights, whether it was through a co-
publishing deal or a straight publishing deal. In those situations it was a challenge to first pull together their
catalog and find out what agreements they had signed and what rights were actually transferred; then
aggressively seek to collect the money that was due to them from the publisher they were signed to. Second,
there were the writers and publishers that we were administering who had the majority of their releases on
independent labels. They (the indie labels) were facing their own challenges by either not wanting to pay
royalties, or not having the knowhow of what to do in order to pay the royalties; or simply not having the time or
proper staffing to be able to put together a correct mechanical royalty statement. So those were the initial
challenges, and of course being able to also sign those clients that really would be able to open doors to other
things.
IAE: What is a publishing administration deal, and how does it differ from an actual publishing deal?
FRANK: Under an administration deal, there’s no transfer of copyright. So the copyright remains with the
songwriter or songwriter’s publishing company. Our job as the administrator is to protect their works, handle all
of their paperwork, arrange for the registration of all of their works, collect all of the money, which requires us
to seek out all the sources and users of the music, negotiating and getting the proper license in place, and
follow up and pursue them for the collection of the royalties.
Then the other element that we include in our deal, but is not included in all administration deals; is the
creative element where we also get involved in the pitching of songs, whether it’s to Film, TV, video games,
advertisements, or pitching to recording artists. Part of our job is to keep the songwriter as active as possible,
and to generate revenue for the copyrights.
Under a publishing or a co-publishing deal, you’re actually transferring 50% or 100% of the underlying
copyright of the song to the company that you’re doing the deal with. And in that case you’re often signing
away future revenue streams, plus your ownership stake and your ability to make your own decisions.
IAE: For producers and writers with no credits; what type of publishing deal do you recommend?
FRANK: It would have to be handled on a case by case basis. For someone who doesn’t have credits yet, they
would have to get somebody to back their material. Part of that does come through a publishing or
administration deal, or part of it may come through a management deal. It’s a matter of who else is on your
team and what your particular situation is. I would only recommend signing a publishing or co-publishing deal if
it was a life changing situation. Meaning, if it was something where financially you needed it to get out of a
bind, or something that was going to change your life for years to come. At that point maybe it’s the right
decision. If that isn’t the case, I’d always be an advocate of keeping your ownership and finding an effective
administrator who will add some creative element to what you’re doing. Also, maybe get a great manager who
can work to open other doors for you, as well as having a great attorney. You need to have those 3 pieces in
place, if you want to survive and be a part of the thriving industry.
IAE: For established writers and producers currently seeking an Admin Deal, name some of the
benefits of signing with Royalty Network?
FRANK: The biggest benefit is the creative aspect that we bring to the deal. We not only work to protect and
collect, but we also work on pitching their works. Whether it’s Film, TV, games and ads, or arranging for
collaborations, that is a big plus that we offer under our deal. It’s also the worldwide representation we bring to
the table; not only do we know and work on what’s going on in the U.S., but we’re very active in territories such
as Japan, UK, Germany, Austria, and France. We know what’s going on in a worldwide basis and we have a
worldwide network in place that is doing the same thing that we’re on the ground doing here in the US. They’re
doing it in each of their respective territories, and that’s something that we’ve passed along to our clients.
IAE: What are some of your firm’s most recent successes?
FRANK: Some big songs we have going on right now is, Snoop’s “I Wanna Rock”; Jay Sean’s current single,
“Do You Remember,” which has been a big deal. We also represent Jay Sean in North America. Not only did
we do extremely well with his single, “Down,” which was one of the top 10 most downloaded songs in 2009, we’
ve got the follow up which is also doing extremely well. In dance, we have Cascada’s, “Evacuate the
Dancefloor,” so we’re involved in various genres. Country is about the only area where we’re not extremely
active, but when it comes to Pop, R&B, Rock, Alternative, and everything else, we carry it. We have a cut on,
Susan Boyle’s album also. We have a couple of recent signings that we’re very proud of; it’s actually a co-
publishing deal with a band called The Soft Pack, coming out in February. We also signed a worldwide deal
with a group called, GIRLS, they had the #1 album on eMusic in 2009. We have really big plans for them in
2010 and we’re now getting their material circulated and plan on generating a lot of film and TV uses.
IAE: What would you say is the most rewarding aspect of your job?
FRANK: The most rewarding aspect is sending out the royalty statements and checks. Especially when it wasn’
t something they were expecting, or more than they were expecting; that’s the most rewarding element. That
and getting a song placed in a Film or TV show. As much as we do it, and we do that quite a bit, it’s always
rewarding to watch a show and hear a song that I know came from our efforts at Royalty Network.
IAE: If you could change anything about the music business, what would it be and why?
FRANK: I guess the thing that I would like to see change, is a little less politics. I’d like it to be more about the
music and giving everyone a chance; having a great song heard by everyone who should hear it without all the
politics getting in the way. But things are changing for the better now.
I believe the ability for indie artists to reach potential fans and develop a fanbase on their own, is a new
concept. The internet has made it possible for artists to reach all of their fans at once, no matter where in the
world they are, which is something that’s never been possible before now. If an artist has the right team, they
can successfully join the do-it-yourself machine and make a very good living for themselves. But as with
anything, it requires a lot of hard work and dedication.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON FRANK LIWALL PLEASE VISIT: www.roynet.com
Thanks to Frank Liwall, President of Royalty Network, many artists, producers, and songwriters are
getting their royalty checks and leading successful careers in music.
IAE: Please tell us where you’re from and what led you to your career in music?
FRANK: I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. It wasn’t always easy. My plan was to be an accountant, as I
always had a thing for numbers. When I graduated I went on to work for a public accounting firm and got
involved in doing royalty audits. First, I was doing film and video audits but then I ended up moving on to
royalty audits in the music industry. So that’s how I made the transition into being a business owner. At that
point I was auditing for four years on behalf of songwriters, music publishers, and recording artists. I always
loved working with numbers but I didn’t care for the boring part of it; the entertainment aspect is what struck a
chord with me.
IAE: When did you decide to start Royalty Network?
FRANK: I started Royalty Network 15 years ago, at which time I saw a chance to branch off and kind of do my
own thing in music and still combine my love for numbers. As an auditor I saw a lot of injustices, to songwriters
in particular, and that’s why I wanted to start Royalty Network. Since I’ve always been a writers’ advocate, the
company was a way for me to spend time educating songwriters about their rights, while still trying to recover
the money that was due to them. I love to help people learn about the business, and explain it to them so they
can see the clear picture before they just sign a contract and take a check. That was the introduction of
Royalty Network and how I got started.
IAE: Upon founding Royalty Network, what were some of the early on challenges you faced?
FRANK: First were those writers who had already signed away their rights, whether it was through a co-
publishing deal or a straight publishing deal. In those situations it was a challenge to first pull together their
catalog and find out what agreements they had signed and what rights were actually transferred; then
aggressively seek to collect the money that was due to them from the publisher they were signed to. Second,
there were the writers and publishers that we were administering who had the majority of their releases on
independent labels. They (the indie labels) were facing their own challenges by either not wanting to pay
royalties, or not having the knowhow of what to do in order to pay the royalties; or simply not having the time or
proper staffing to be able to put together a correct mechanical royalty statement. So those were the initial
challenges, and of course being able to also sign those clients that really would be able to open doors to other
things.
IAE: What is a publishing administration deal, and how does it differ from an actual publishing deal?
FRANK: Under an administration deal, there’s no transfer of copyright. So the copyright remains with the
songwriter or songwriter’s publishing company. Our job as the administrator is to protect their works, handle all
of their paperwork, arrange for the registration of all of their works, collect all of the money, which requires us
to seek out all the sources and users of the music, negotiating and getting the proper license in place, and
follow up and pursue them for the collection of the royalties.
Then the other element that we include in our deal, but is not included in all administration deals; is the
creative element where we also get involved in the pitching of songs, whether it’s to Film, TV, video games,
advertisements, or pitching to recording artists. Part of our job is to keep the songwriter as active as possible,
and to generate revenue for the copyrights.
Under a publishing or a co-publishing deal, you’re actually transferring 50% or 100% of the underlying
copyright of the song to the company that you’re doing the deal with. And in that case you’re often signing
away future revenue streams, plus your ownership stake and your ability to make your own decisions.
IAE: For producers and writers with no credits; what type of publishing deal do you recommend?
FRANK: It would have to be handled on a case by case basis. For someone who doesn’t have credits yet, they
would have to get somebody to back their material. Part of that does come through a publishing or
administration deal, or part of it may come through a management deal. It’s a matter of who else is on your
team and what your particular situation is. I would only recommend signing a publishing or co-publishing deal if
it was a life changing situation. Meaning, if it was something where financially you needed it to get out of a
bind, or something that was going to change your life for years to come. At that point maybe it’s the right
decision. If that isn’t the case, I’d always be an advocate of keeping your ownership and finding an effective
administrator who will add some creative element to what you’re doing. Also, maybe get a great manager who
can work to open other doors for you, as well as having a great attorney. You need to have those 3 pieces in
place, if you want to survive and be a part of the thriving industry.
IAE: For established writers and producers currently seeking an Admin Deal, name some of the
benefits of signing with Royalty Network?
FRANK: The biggest benefit is the creative aspect that we bring to the deal. We not only work to protect and
collect, but we also work on pitching their works. Whether it’s Film, TV, games and ads, or arranging for
collaborations, that is a big plus that we offer under our deal. It’s also the worldwide representation we bring to
the table; not only do we know and work on what’s going on in the U.S., but we’re very active in territories such
as Japan, UK, Germany, Austria, and France. We know what’s going on in a worldwide basis and we have a
worldwide network in place that is doing the same thing that we’re on the ground doing here in the US. They’re
doing it in each of their respective territories, and that’s something that we’ve passed along to our clients.
IAE: What are some of your firm’s most recent successes?
FRANK: Some big songs we have going on right now is, Snoop’s “I Wanna Rock”; Jay Sean’s current single,
“Do You Remember,” which has been a big deal. We also represent Jay Sean in North America. Not only did
we do extremely well with his single, “Down,” which was one of the top 10 most downloaded songs in 2009, we’
ve got the follow up which is also doing extremely well. In dance, we have Cascada’s, “Evacuate the
Dancefloor,” so we’re involved in various genres. Country is about the only area where we’re not extremely
active, but when it comes to Pop, R&B, Rock, Alternative, and everything else, we carry it. We have a cut on,
Susan Boyle’s album also. We have a couple of recent signings that we’re very proud of; it’s actually a co-
publishing deal with a band called The Soft Pack, coming out in February. We also signed a worldwide deal
with a group called, GIRLS, they had the #1 album on eMusic in 2009. We have really big plans for them in
2010 and we’re now getting their material circulated and plan on generating a lot of film and TV uses.
IAE: What would you say is the most rewarding aspect of your job?
FRANK: The most rewarding aspect is sending out the royalty statements and checks. Especially when it wasn’
t something they were expecting, or more than they were expecting; that’s the most rewarding element. That
and getting a song placed in a Film or TV show. As much as we do it, and we do that quite a bit, it’s always
rewarding to watch a show and hear a song that I know came from our efforts at Royalty Network.
IAE: If you could change anything about the music business, what would it be and why?
FRANK: I guess the thing that I would like to see change, is a little less politics. I’d like it to be more about the
music and giving everyone a chance; having a great song heard by everyone who should hear it without all the
politics getting in the way. But things are changing for the better now.
I believe the ability for indie artists to reach potential fans and develop a fanbase on their own, is a new
concept. The internet has made it possible for artists to reach all of their fans at once, no matter where in the
world they are, which is something that’s never been possible before now. If an artist has the right team, they
can successfully join the do-it-yourself machine and make a very good living for themselves. But as with
anything, it requires a lot of hard work and dedication.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON FRANK LIWALL PLEASE VISIT: www.roynet.com
| Frank Liwall - Founder of Royalty Network |
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