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@Scott: I wasn’t offended at all. In fact I would have most likely done the same thing. I have contacted production companies and networks when I felt it was appropriate. I’m on your side. 🙂
any time one puts a song in a library it is an experiment. some experiments work and some don’t. if one is watching the dvd special features, hear their song, and then find out they didn’t make any money from that, that is very lame. nobody will argue that.
what that sounds like is that experiment didn’t work. or it didn’t work in this instance.
luckily, the experiment is low-risk. one can take that same song to as many non-exclusive libraries as one can find, and simply pull the track from JP at thier next availability, which should be within 1 year.
if one’s first course of action is to contact JP by e-mail and/or phone, and JP didn’t contact back or didn’t answer one’s question, then yes, starting to inquire outside JP would be logical. but, if one’s first course of action was to contact outside JP, i think that starts to do some general devaluing to the library, however small.
and btw, i just put my first 28 in JP in the last few months, before this whole exclusive thing and thread was started. gulp. so i’m definitely hoping for the best. some here say don’t worry, some say it is now hopeless. if it doesn’t go well i’ll just take ’em outta there when i can.
the take-away from this is that blanket deal means the client only has to report uses to jingle punks if they are PRO earning.
It does appear that blanket licensing issues are a big part of this whole exclusive/non-exclusive thing. As mentioned earlier, TV shows do not want to sign multiple blanket license deals only to find the same tracks in the various catalogs.
Audiosparx is jumping in the blanket licensing game as well. Although they will offer both exc and non-exc tracks, it does appear that as time goes on, exclusives will have more and more of a better shot. If you are with AS, plesae DO NOT share here any artist communique emails they sent out. They clearly ask us not to do that.
I used to think all this exclusive stuff had to do with the higher end of the chain– vocal songs on major TV networks, etc. It still might but what we are seeing right now is on the so-called “lower” end. In fact, Crucial isn’t concerned about all this. It’s the blanket dependent libraries that are.
Personally, I have a very hard time giving exclusives on instrumental tracks that will be background on cable reality shows and pay very little. However, I’m a realist and if that becomes the only way to be in this game, I will have to adapt or get out.
As far as JP having 25,000 exclusive tracks now, most likely, those tracks are from the company principles and inner circle. I know that JP staff names are always on the cue sheets along with ours for placements. Since those tracks were not signed elsewhere, it would have been very easy for JP to simply call them exclusive now. I can’t see accusing them of anything dirty. If any of us had treated our non-exclusive tracks signed with them as exclusive (e.g. not signed them elsewhere), we’d immediately have the same option now. They didn’t set out to take advantage of anyone (IMHO). The industry changes and that’s the way it is.
😀
I think I have figured out my solution to this issue. I am going to carry on like nothing has changed. I have tracks with JP, and SK and they both make me money. So, if they want to continue getting their 50% then they probably will continue offering my tracks. If someone had make me money in the past there is no way I would cut them loose. Business is always about the dollars, bottom line.
BTW I have 25 vocal tracks with Crucial and when one gets licensed (3 or 4 times per year) I make more from that one license fee than I do from a whole quarterly statement from the blanket only libraries. I also recently started with my first “royalty free” site and couldn’t be more pleased as this has also already paid more in upfront fees than the blankets and they don’t take any of the backend!
It has taken me 12 years to get to this point. Lets all be patient and just keep on writing and recording and sending out those tracks!
>I have not been paid for that song by JP, never on a BMI statement, and never got a check for the use.<
I’m glad you got your answer as to where the use came from. I know most here are trying to stay positive in the face of the library business today. But I can’t find a positive spin to put on your story. I don’t see any reason that a piece of music should be used on a DVD for sale with no payment at all to the copyright holder.
It’s not right. Blanket licenses should be restricted to backend paying situations only. No one should be using our music for free…
PROs do not collect mechanical royalties.
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