And it is not just heavy metal groups. Jazz also has a tremendous following in Japan and Europe. Many of the legendary jazz artists from the bebop era found that in the 1960's, their only sustenance was the appreciation of French fans. Recently, a number of female singer songwriters, such as Penelope Houston, have found themselves with German record deals, which they then parlay into U.S. deals after demonstrating their foreign sales figures. Foreign recording and publishing deals can be a valuable source of income for the developing artist.
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Yet, there are important differences in the manner in which foreign royalties are paid which are, unfortunately, rarely apparent to the artist who lacks experienced legal counsel. In addition, there is often a cap on payment of mechanicals based on ten compositions per album. The method by which mechanical license fees are paid outside the United States is entirely different. In the U.S., the mechanicals, as indicated above, are paid on a per song basis and are paid directly to the respective publishers by the record companies. In most countries the mechanicals are a set percentage of retail price, which covers all songs on the record.