- This topic has 92 replies, 30 voices, and was last updated 2 years, 9 months ago by MM_Musicworks.
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February 5, 2019 at 12:53 pm #31602AlanParticipant
bump! figured it would be nice to hear how the previous posters did last year, and maybe some new ā5 yearā folks could chime in as well
+1
As a newcomer I find great wisdom and inspiration in this threadā¦ I humbly request all you veterans to update us on your progress in 2018.Here you go, I guess this is a 9 year report for me, wow!
2018 Total Income – $23.5K (down about 10% from previous year)
PRO Income – $11.7K (up about 11%)
RF Income – about $10K (about the same)
Sync Fees – about $2K (down about 60%, as expected, I had a lucky 2017)I expect I’ll be leveling off now at $20K-$25K annually.
I only wrote about 25 tracks in 2018, but I’m shooting for higher quality now. I’ve hired session musicians a few times, plus I’m opting to record real instruments over samples as much as possible. That really slows things down, but I’m hoping the better quality will pay off in the long run. I bought a tuba last year, haha!
My catalog is a little over 300 tracks now.
I feel like I still don’t know nearly enough about this business, but I have gotten better at spotting a rotten deal.
My Tunesat Subscription has made me very cynical. Now that I know how often I don’t get paid for my placements, I’m very selective about what goes to exclusive broadcast libraries.
Good luck in 2019 all!February 5, 2019 at 3:08 pm #31603boinkeee2000Participantthanks for the update Alan. I guess if you pretend those lucky one off syncs didnt happen you’d actually be up a bit…
btw how did that batch of excl tracks work out for you?
February 5, 2019 at 9:54 pm #31604MM_MusicworksParticipantThank you Alan! Much appreciated!
By not getting paid for placements, do you mean the exclusive libraries didnt register them correctly with the PRO?
If so, thats scary!
February 7, 2019 at 5:24 am #31607AlanParticipantBy not getting paid for placements, do you mean the exclusive libraries didnt register them correctly with the PRO?
No, I mean they license them to Scripps, PBS, BTN, etc that pay very little to no back end.
February 7, 2019 at 6:02 am #31608MM_MusicworksParticipantRight… Got it… Thanks again! š
February 9, 2020 at 8:39 am #34264UpFromTheSkiesParticipantGoing into year 5, and my first quarter ASCAP statement surpassed my entire backend earnings from 2018. Very encouraging, and I owe much of the progress to information gleaned from this site. Thank you all for the wealth of info!
February 9, 2020 at 9:01 am #34267Art MunsonKeymasterCongrats UpFromTheSkies!
February 9, 2020 at 1:59 pm #34268PatParticipantI feel like I’m writing more and more tracks but getting basically the same back end money or slightly more. Congrats to UpFromTheSkies tho.
February 9, 2020 at 2:32 pm #34269KubedParticipantWow, congrats UpFromTheSkies!
February 9, 2020 at 2:34 pm #34270Art MunsonKeymasterI feel like Iām writing more and more tracks but getting basically the same back end money or slightly more.
Same here Pat.
February 9, 2020 at 4:13 pm #34271boinkeee2000ParticipantCongratz skies! thanks for keeping this thread alive…if i may ask you fivers hows your intl royalties looking compared to domestic?
February 9, 2020 at 4:17 pm #34272UpFromTheSkiesParticipantMy most recent Int distribution was around 35% of my domestic statement.
February 9, 2020 at 4:21 pm #34273LAwriterParticipantSame here Pat.
Same here as well. I’ve hit the BMI glass ceiling. Tripled my content “on air” and virtually no BMI growth in the last 3+ years. The problem is twofold IMO – BMI’s draconian “terms and practices” and the fact that streaming pays 4-8% of what Cable pays, and everything is moving over to streaming…. š
February 9, 2020 at 4:32 pm #34274boinkeee2000ParticipantLAWriter, trying to make sense of your numbers…if you tripled your placements, and assuming your getting same placement stats as 3 years go, if my math is correct, then its BMI that has decreased payouts by 1/3?
February 9, 2020 at 7:07 pm #34275MichaelLParticipantIāve hit the BMI glass ceiling. Tripled my content āon airā and virtually no BMI growth in the last 3+ years. The problem is twofold IMO ā BMIās draconian āterms and practicesā
In 2014, BMI altered it āterms and practicesā by including a show’s ratings in its royalty calculation. I saw a huge drop from that point forward until 2019. Things picked up as the result of non-TV placements including music used by the Tampa Bay Rays, Universal Theme Park, a Bud Light radio commercial, and “general use” of a 23-year old track in Hong Kong! The last distribution was the best in several years, up about 40% over the quarterly average for 2017- 2019.
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