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Newbie Questions

One of our readers, Ev, came up with the suggestion to have a section devoted to newbie questions regarding music libraries, music licensing, copyright, music publishing etc. There a lot of experienced people on this site and many are happy to share their wisdom. So, if you are a newbie (or not), and have a question, try leaving it here.

Of course many questions have already been answered here. First try searching in the search bar in the upper right hand corner. Also Google is your friend! I have found one of the best ways to search a site is use site specific criteria at Google’s web site. In other words, to search for a specific keyword, say “contracts”, type it in at Google like this “contracts site:musiclibraryreport.com”. Do not use the quotes.

If you still can’t find your answer then leave a comment here and someone will most likely come to your rescue!

1,260 thoughts on “Newbie Questions”

  1. Hey guys….wondering if anyone knows:

    I realize that some networks take longer than others, but does anyone know: When are cue sheets typically filed? (i.e. before the first episode airs, after the show is entirely done airing, sometime in between, etc).

    Again, I know that some networks are very slow about it, but I figure there’s probably a general rule of thumb to it?

    • You’re lucky if cue sheets get filed on time (by the date the PROs need them by to pay a minimum of NINE months later). The problem is that most production companies don’t really care about it, because although they might be getting the publishing, those royalties are pennies compared to the money they make from a show. Besides, the money will just get swallowed up and put into the coffers of a corporation, from which no sole person will benefit, hence the lack of interest you’ll find at pretty much any production company (especially the big ones).

      The only pressure they get is from the PROs, libraries and composers, so it definitely pays to check in and make sure the cue sheets are filed (and correctly filled in!)

      Cue sheets need to be filed not long after a show airs, it may vary from PRO to PRO, but I think in the US they want the cue sheets in within two months of the air date.

      If they’re not in on time, you have to wait until at least the next quarter to receive the royalties.

  2. Hello
    Just getting started as a composer and submitting to various stock libraries. Basic question about creating and selling new versions of classical music. For instance can I create a new recording of a piece originally by Mozart or Brahms and then submit to a library?

    • As long as you list it as Public Domain RS. Also when registering such a track with your PRO, it must be registered as Public Domain. You would be listed as the arranger with 100% writer royalties. The writer should be listed if known with 0% writer royalties.

      • Thanks for the info.
        So just to be clear then I can record my keyboard performance of a song written by a composer like Mozart for instance and then submit the track to a music library for sale?

        • That’s right RS. Just make sure the music is in the Public Domain and you’re making the arrangement from the original source.

  3. Does anyone here know anything about the PRS(uk) members agreement or any other collection agency agreements ie BMI/ASCAP/SOCAN having a waiver that allows you to sell your registered works royalty free?
    Cheers
    Ian

    • PRS won’t allow you to do that. It’s in the terms and conditions you sign with them on becoming a member. Only way round it with PRS is not to register that particular track(s) with them which you want to sell completely royalty free.

      • Well just had a very interesting chat with the PRS and was told that even if I cancel my membership I can’t deregister a track once its on their database. This seems crazy.
        It feels like they somehow own my track.

        • That’s strange Myles. As long as you and your publisher agree to the deletion, what’s the big deal. I’ve had ASCAP delete a few of my tracks. Don’t understand PRS’s logic.

          • I better check out joining ASCAP then
            My PRS agreement is in the UK so I am waiting for them to email me a copy of it to peruse.
            I think I will be checking out how to complain to the ombudsmen as it seems a very restrictive practice.
            The more I am learning about the library music business the more confusing it gets and the more it seems some of the collection agencies seem to make things difficult.

            Actually just got this thru from them;

            ‘If you cancelled your membership the works would remain on our database but the ownership would be removed, so whilst we’d display your name as an interested party we wouldn’t be entitled to collect any income for those works on your behalf. It just retains the information so that if any labels wanted to use your works they would see that we no longer represent you.”
            Seems a shame to have to cancel my membership just to remove some tracks but do any of the collection agencies allow you to be registered with them and sell the same music royalty free?
            One other point they made is that technically you have to register all your music with them.
            Wow does this seem a little crazy to anyone else?

  5. I’ve noticed a number of composers selling the same tracks on various sites, but at vastly different prices like $89 on AudioSparx and $34 Music Loops.

    Aren’t you concerned about undercutting your own tracks?

    • This happens more than you’d think. At its worst, it can cost composers thousands of dollars in a single license. Non-exclusive companies can only compete via price. Someone a couple of weeks ago called it a reverse auction, dead on.

      You can remedy this by only submitting certain cues to 1 licensing company, or by trying to sell the cues yourself to the end user.

      • “At its worst, it can cost composers thousands of dollars in a single license. Non-exclusive companies can only compete via price.”

        I assume that scenario happens when the same track is with a licensing company, like Crucial, and a royalty free site, like AudioSparx, AND the client “buys” the track for $100 from AudioSparx, instead of licensing it for $1000 from Crucial.

        But what about when you’re only with royalty free sites and one site is selling a track at $89 and the other is selling the same track at $34?

        I guess you look at the occasional $89 sale as a bonus.

        • Hey Anon,

          It’s worse than what you described. Some licensing companies you mentioned have “library deals” with the networks, pre-clearing tracks at a SET RATE of $250 – $1000.

          Other licensing companies choose NOT to have library deals. That way they can ask for whatever amount of money they choose. The Supervisor can always say “We don’t have the budget for the amount you’re asking for, but we can pay X amount”

          Many network shows have budgets of $5,000 – $10,000 to use a cue/song of an unknown band/composer. Of course competition for these uses is fierce, but many shows have these budgets. If you watch a TV show where something explodes on camera, chances are that they have the money to license a cue for $10,000.

          Now…if the Music Supervisors search their Hard Drives for that perfect Armenian Action cue, and your cue comes twice, once with a library deal licensing company, and in a non-library deal licensing company, the Music Supervisor is pretty much bound to license the cue through the library rate company.

          Many times, the Supervisor would like to license it for top dollar, because if they license too many cues cheaply, they’ll lose part of their music budget when/if the show gets renewed for another season.

          These incidents are not isolated. It benefits the library rate “licensing companies” because they get half of the licensing fee and some mailbox money, but the songwriters get robbed out of a substantial sync fee.

          Also. before someone chimes in….”one off” source cue placements on network TV are only worth several hundred dollars in performance royalties, so it DOES NOT make financial sense to undercharge on the front end sync in hopes of making it back in Performance.

          The above paragraph may not apply for theme songs…

          This is why i get mad in a hurry when people question the ethics of “PiR” but thank other companies for landing them a $500 network placement.

          I hope that helps shed some light on the subject.

          If anyone wants to debate these issues, PLEASE show supporting quantitative data and we can compare notes.

            • Also, I should have noted that Library deals aren’t bad by any means. It just takes care and planning when applying library deals to your own catalogue..

              The best way to find out which companies have library deals is to ask the company…

              • “It just takes care and planning when applying library deals to your own catalogue..”

                And therein lies the rub. How does one go about choosing what to place into which library?

                Thanks so much for your input oontz oontz

  6. Sitting here listening to Carl Perkins and still trying to get my head around how this whole thing works.
    If there are any Brits out there maybe you can answer my question
    If I have my tracks registered with the PRS and then allow those same tracks to be used by websites that sell the music Royalty-Free am I gonna have problems with the PRS?

  7. I’ve got a bit of a pretentious question but I simply can’t figure this out:

    I have a track being aired on national TV in Spain. The track is registered with a US royalty collecting society, but it is registered by my publisher (who takes 50%, which is fine) – while I myself am in the UK and registered with the PRS here.

    So my questions is: how in god’s name can I ever expect to receive the royalties for this?

    Is it actually quite simple and I will just have to wait till the Spanish network pays royalties to the Spanish collecting society who then pass on royalties to the US, who then pass my 50% writer share to the PRS?

    P.S The PRS have told me I shouldn’t register any tracks with them personally as my US publisher is putting me in as writer with my PRS details in the US when they register the tracks with the US collecting society.. Registering them myself would apparently make a duplicate entry.

    • >I have a track being aired on national TV in Spain. The track is registered with a US royalty collecting society, but it is registered by my publisher (who takes 50%, which is fine) – while I myself am in the UK and registered with the PRS here.

      Yup, it’s the PRS that’ll be paying you, eventually.

      >So my questions is: how in god’s name can I ever expect to receive the royalties for this?

      Very slowly in my experience.

      >Is it actually quite simple and I will just have to wait till the Spanish network pays royalties to the Spanish collecting society who then pass on royalties to the US, who then pass my 50% writer share to the PRS?

      Thats pretty much the scenario, though I’d think your cut will coem directly to the PRS and not by such a circuitous route. It will take some time though.

      >P.S The PRS have told me I shouldn’t register any tracks with them personally as my US publisher is putting me in as writer with my PRS details in the US when they register the tracks with the US collecting society.. Registering them myself would apparently make a duplicate entry.

      Also correct.

      • Thank you Darkstar for taking the time to reply, and for putting my mind a bit more at ease.

        It seems amazing to me that it could work this way, even without me registering the tracks at the PRS myself. How could they send my cut directly to the PRS without me having the track names registered there? I’m still very naive when it comes to this stuff so please excuse any questions which may seem silly..!

  8. I’ve just had a comical idea for please please someone take up.

    There should be a job opp for someone willing to upload my tracks to these
    royalty free websites, someone who knows what they are doing ( not me )
    can put the meta data in at top speed and i will pay them a cut !! like a call center
    dedicated to helping the music maker, rows and rows of drones inputing data
    and uploading my tracks. oh i can dream.

    After sending to pump, uploading to musicloops and pond5 i have this amazing info
    from this site but still am finding it really hard to decide where to upload next,
    i have realised just how much time it took me to put up 70 tracks on pond5. i have no
    idea how that will go and just wish i had my call center buddy inputing it for me with
    confidence!

    ok keep up the good work and good spirits everyone !

    • saying that and using this great site….. Art ! if you ever are thinking of slowing down on music and diversifing, how about setting up a call center somewhere, giving some people some top notch training on speedy ways to input metadata and choose choice sites for us…we or anyway I will be happy to pay a portion of the income !! ok joking but i still would love it if you did.

      • I actually have thought of this. The problem is how to make it viable. Most folks that know how to do this are probably composers working their own library. Even at that, what’s a fair price to pay someone? We all know how much work it is. As they say, the devil is in the details!

        • Ha. It would be a great scenario but I guess if the fees were ten times as much it would be viable.
          great minds art…great minds !!

          Something that I had not realsised at first was the choice to make a template and then copy the meta data into each of your tracks. The help file on these sites are a little limited and I could have done with knowing this. Its now saved 90 per cent of the time by being able to copy and paste the template. Its the first thing I will look for on a new site, whether there is a template to work from.

          • Yea I use a spreadsheet with a list of top 5 keywords, top 10 keywords, top 20 keywords and description, bpm, length etc. for each track. Makes it easier to copy and paste into a submission form usually and saves you a lot of time.

            A piece of software that would autopopulate the words for you if you put in a few keywords would be handy – like put in drama, sad, sorrow and it puts in 20 keywords automatically based on that and then you can remove which ones you don’t want. I’d like something like that 🙂

            • A piece of software that would autopopulate the words for you if you put in a few keywords would be handy – like put in drama, sad, sorrow and it puts in 20 keywords automatically based on that and then you can remove which ones you don’t want. I’d like something like that

              Now Emmett that would be a good one. I do more or less the same as you, do all the description, keywords on Excel first , then copy/paste.

  9. Hi All-
    Does anyone have any experience in Sports Music Licensing? I want to pitch some songs directly to some NFL Teams and do not want to go through publishers/libraries. It would be helpful to know if there is a status quo approach. Is it a straight licensing fee, a work for hire, a buyout /royalty free deal,sales royalties,etc etc.?

    Thanks!

  10. Anybody know if DL Music is exclusive or non exclusive? I was going to ask under DL Music here but there haven’t been any posts since Sept and there’s no info at all listed. I was just given permission to submit.
    Thanks

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