First scoring job!

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  • #20270
    David H
    Guest

    So this week I signed the dotted line to compose 10 minutes of music for a driver/bicycle safety video from the Texas Dept of Transportation. Video is very professionally done. OK, I’m not exactly scoring it, but composing 4 tracks that will replace royalty-free music they had used originally. They now want the music to be theirs exclusively.

    Of course, they will own the rights to the music… but it could go nationwide and I will be in the credits. Pretty excited to do this! Music is not complicated; typical corporate pop stuff. Being government based, their budget I was told is somewhat low, but I’m getting paid $1000… that’s $100 per minute of music. For a newbie, I think that’s a pretty good start!

    How did I get this job? A friend who knew someone in a production agency in Texas.

    Thoughts?

    #20285
    Edouardo
    Participant

    Congratulation David!

    Make sure though that you only give them an exclusive Licence and that you keep the rights on the tracks (PRO): If it goes nationwide, and passes on TV, then you would get royalties.

    100$ a minute is not that of a deal in my opinion. Some of my RF tracks have been out there for only a year, and have brought me more than 200$/min already just in licence fees…

    #20286
    energyflow
    Guest

    Congratulations! That’s very inspirational.

    Well done to you!

    #20288
    MichaelL
    Participant

    Congrats David.

    100$ a minute is not that of a deal in my opinion. Some of my RF tracks have been out there for only a year, and have brought me more than 200$/min already just in licence fees…

    I agree with Eduardo on this, especially if they own the rights. $100 per minute is low, but if it’s your first job, then it’s a good start.

    I charged $150 per minute for this kind of work 20 years ago AND kept all of the rights to all of the music, which is now forming the basis of much of my RF catalog. So, basically, I was paid upfront to compose my RF catalog.

    #20293
    Steve Ballard
    Guest

    Congrats David, it’s a good start. Credits are nice but don’t put food on the table. Like Edouardo and MichaelL pointed out retain the rights.

    #20296
    David H
    Guest

    Hmm, so here’s what they told me about rights to my tracks…

    “My understanding is that they need exclusive rights to the content because they will file copyright on it.”

    Does this mean I can still file it with BMI?

    #20298
    Desire_Inspires
    Participant

    Does this mean I can still file it with BMI?

    Ask them if they plan to register the tracks with BMI. Usually the copyright holder will register the tracks. You will need to provide your writer’s share info.

    Does the contract you signed have any statements about PROs and royalty splits? Most contracts usually lay those things out in detail.

    #20299
    MichaelL
    Participant

    Does this mean I can still file it with BMI?

    Does the contract you signed have any statements about PROs and royalty splits? Most contracts usually lay those things out in detail.

    My question would be why?

    A 10 minute safety video for the Texas Dept of Transportation sounds like a non-broadcast educational product most likely shown to school kids, and in drivers’ training classes.

    Going “nationwide” most likely means distribution through schools and civi organizations, etc, to be shown in classes and at meetings.

    PRO’s do not collect money for these kinds of uses.

    Take the money and run.

    #20304
    David H
    Guest

    no, contract only mentions amount to be paid and that the music is theirs exclusively.

    #20305
    David H
    Guest

    good point! it is definitely something you’d see being shown in high school. perhaps my worries are for nothing. 🙂

    #20310
    Mark_Petrie
    Participant

    Of course, they will own the rights to the music

    They don’t need to own the copyright to the music. Just a ‘license in perpetuity’ is all they need. As others have said, $100 per minute is not amazing money, and certainly not worth giving up royalties for the rest of your life on (and for 70 years after you die!)

    I’ve given up my copyright (which effectively means the publishing royalties, and the ability to license the music on your own) on tracks plenty of times, but mostly at the start of my career (I made my share of rookie mistakes), and more lately, only when it made more sense. For example: being paid on a film project where I received an amount of money I could live on for a few months (and film producers are often determined to own all the ‘assets’). I sometimes still give it up if the upfront money is good – $1000 or more per minute, on projects like games and films. Writing for the top libraries requires it too, but they pay $1000 per track.

    #20311
    David H
    Guest

    Here the lowdown from the folks putting the video out. I look at it as a “work for hire” job. As a newbie, I will call this a stepping stone to greater things

    “This is a “Public Domain” project which means the public gets this video for free, even if it goes nationwide, it will always be a free video to the public. There will be no royalties; however, if other DOTs use the video including the music written for it, your names will appear in the music credits section of the video for each of your pieces written. Other DOTs may strip the video of the music and use their own music and could possibly call the video something else, but I believe it is TxDOT’s intent to copyright the video and program so that it will not be stripped away, even if other DOT’s want to use it. The music compositions you prepare for this project will be owned by TxDOT and cannot be registered with anyone else, because it is my understanding that once you register the music with someone else, that they own the rights. The deal with TxDOT is that no one else can own the rights because they will want to trademark the video, logo, program, etc.”

    #20312
    David H
    Guest

    Regarding $$$ per minute of music… seems an odd way to charge. A simple one minute 3 track piece of just piano, bass and guitar will obviously take a lot less time and energy than a complex one minute 18 track epic orchestral piece. Yet, you’re saying it’s standard to be paid the same? Seems to me that being by the actual time it takes makes more sense.

    #20313
    MichaelL
    Participant

    Regarding $$$ per minute of music… seems an odd way to charge. A simple one minute 3 track piece of just piano, bass and guitar will obviously take a lot less time and energy than a complex one minute 18 track epic orchestral piece. Yet, you’re saying it’s standard to be paid the same? Seems to me that being by the actual time it takes makes more sense.

    That’s the way it’s done. This first time I scored a film / video like this was in the late 70’s. I’ve done hundreds since. The complex minutes tend to average out with the less complex minutes.

    Set your per minute rate high, as if they’re all complex minutes, and if they turn out to be simple, good for you.

    But,in reality, they’re all complex minutes.
    Figure in the time that you spend communicating with the client, reviewing the film/video, getting approval of the music, possible rewrites, etc.

    Also, if you’re doing this right, buy that I mean syncing your DAW to the video and composing to picture, with appropriate hits and transitions, vs just composing 10 minutes worth of library music that they own, it will take time.

    Ten minutes for this kind of project should take you 3 to 5 long days, max. So, $200 to $333 per day is not bad.

    #20317
    daveydad
    Participant

    good points. yeah, as originally stated, this isn’t a true score synced with the video… simply replacing stock music with original music. i simply listen to the stock tracks and compose something similar, without ripping it off. so far, i’ve composed 4 tracks about 2 mins each in two days of work; guessing maybe 8-10 hours of total time. so far, the video people love what i’ve done!

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