Music Creators

Can I join COMPASS?

You will be able to join COMPASS if you fulfill the eligibility and qualifying criteria set out as follows:

Eligibility

The following persons are eligible for admission to Membership of the Society:

(a) any songwriter
(b) any music publisher
(c) any person who is

  • (i) a widow, or
  • (ii) a child, or
  • (iii) any other relative, or
  • (iv) a next-of-kin, or
  • (v) a beneficiary under the will, or
  • (vi) a personal representative

of a deceased Writer or Publisher, or of any of the persons mentioned (c)(i) to (vi); or of a person who, immediately before his death, was in a category declared by resolution of the Council to be eligible for Membership.

Qualifying Criteria

The applicant for Writer Member must have at least ONE work and the Publisher Member must have FIVE works that has/have been either:

(a) commercially recorded; or
(b) commercially published; or
(c) broadcast; or
(d) performed in public such number of times as the council shall in its absolute discretion consider appropriate, having regard to the nature of the work and the performance(s) in question

Commercially Published means made available to the public by sale or hire in graphic form.

Commercially Recorded means

  • (i) the work has been released to the public on a record label listed in Music Master or Gramophone catalogues; or
  • (ii) the work has been recorded and made available by inclusion in a catalogue of a recorded music (e.g. background or mood music) library; or
  • (iii) the work has been recorded and transmitted by a television or radio broadcasting station or cable diffusion service; or
  • (iv) the work has been recorded on the soundtrack of a film or other audio-visual production that has been released for public exploitation.

Publicly Performed means the work has been performed in premises that are licensed or are eligible to be licensed by the Society.