Is Jingle Punks dead?

[John (the other John)]

This is beginning to sound like a lot of people wandering around a casino wondering which slot machines are the “luckiest” and payout  the best – MichaelL

Great analogy for the music library business. 😀

[woodsdenis]

This is beginning to sound like a lot of people wandering around a casino wondering which slot machines are the “luckiest” and payout  the best – MichaelL

Great analogy for the music library business. 

+1

Also lets not forget that the library business is a “world wide ” one. Even though the USA is the biggest producer of TV and Film in the world your rates, both sync and PRO are smaller than other territories. Maybe to do with Cable and affiliate stations, I don’t know.

I know writers who have only ever written for non US shows and who make a very good living. For example big Saturday night shows in the UK  (60 million people ) are between 8- 14 million viewers. Your viewing figures in the States are nowhere near this pro rata. Point being there are many other revenue streams, its a big world out there.

If JP has gone exclusive with their “house writers” getting preference, so be it. By all means discuss the situation in JP but also be aware that there is very little we can do about it whatever the outcome.

More than ever, in a fast changing market, a composer needs to think outside the box.

[Michael B.]

Regarding whether network cues pay more than cable. It’s a matter of QUALITY vs. QUANTITY and which one applies to any given placement.

NETWORK “DOES” pay more for ONE  cue no doubt. But as Steve correctly said, most of the time it’s a ONE time deal. Cable repeats and repeats. However, I’ve been lucky enough to get a number of NETWORK “FEATURES” during PRIMETIME. (remember, time of day is figured into your royalties-Primetime will pay much more than daytime, also matters length of cue as well of course–up to a minute and over).

Now the feature during Primetime will blow the doors off cable royalties. A network feature during primetime can garnish anywhere from $1500 to $2500 PER AIRING. (That’s writers/pub combined). Those are times I sit and pray for a REPEAT & REPEAT AGAIN–:)   I landed those placements myself so I received UP FRONT fees as well equal to one airing.

So, with that, I do like Jingle Punks. But they are just another avenue to get your music out there in this whacky biz. GOTTA DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN for sure. But they are the most PRO of the LIBRAIRIES by far I’ve dealt with. Their submission process is second to none. There are no stones left unturned that I see. I feel very confident in their integrity and professionalism.

However, taking into consideration, there are chances of landing tunes on my own, it’s tough to sign my ENTIRE catalog over to them. I too have written them asking how to pick and choose which songs to go exclusive with them–with no response. But I am sure they are overwhelmed at the moment.

I will probably sign, but not my entire catalog. And someone else said this, we are just FILLER to them. Which is just fine. As I said, gotta try everything. They are getting cues I would not be able to get on my own. It’s better than having tracks sit on your HD. 100% of nothing is nothing. I am not a hunter anymore, but as my late, great Grandpa Frank used to always say to me about trying things “Ya can’t get a duck unless you put shot in the air”…BUT the “EXCLUSIVE” tag has me “HOLD’n” a bit…

[Josh t]

try to get into audiomine. Tougher, but they will continue to offer Nonexclusive and I am told are still appealing to those customers you mention “are only doing biz w exclusives”

[Composer Producer]

I have asked jingle punks some relevant questions about the exclusive deal:

– How and when will we get a chance to let them know which cues they can have as exclusive and which one’s non-exclusive?

– Will the current search engine be divided into 2…one for NE cues and one for Exclusive cues?

How will clients know which tracks are exclusive and which one’s are non-exclusive?

They have no answer for these questions…they have been met with silence.

I have read this contract and it is very one sided and favorable to them. Exclusive cues need to be purchased from composers. This contract that they have sent gives them publishing in perpetuity. I see no reason to sign cues over to them exclusively unless they create a separate “exclusive” search engine that will be given more attention by the major networks and the composers get inside info as to what cues they are currently in need of  and they must show a willingness to pay for the cues as commissioned work. We all know that is not going to happen.  I am sure the resources needed and programming involved to divide one huge search engine into 2 search engines- 1 for NE cues and 1 for Exclusive cues is an investment they will not be willing to make…so why bother?

Clients will search….if they find what they want and need they will use it regardless if it is NE or exclusive.

Regarding royalties: the math is bizzarre and we need not worry. This last statement I received $300 for 1 cue on a VH1 show. I was shocked because that is quite a bit. So I decided to watch the episode to hear the cue….20 seconds of background music with VO acting over it…why this paid so much I have no idea.

We need not get all worked up over network cues for ABC, CBS, NBC etc…I also have had cues on NBC that only pay $15 to $20….I’ll take $300 for a VH1 reality show over a $15 NBC promo any day of the week. Go figure….this makes no sense…

Bottom line, no composer should sign this contract…you simply will not benefit at all. The deal is not a win/win scenario. It’s a Jingle Punks wins scenario.

 

[smiley J]

The contract sounds good to me. I have benefited from JP in the past. The future is bright for me. But those that faeel uncomfortable should not sign. That just leaves more opportunity for me to get cues licensed.

[Sean]

“The contract sounds good to me. I have benefited from JP in the past. The future is bright for me. But those that feel uncomfortable should not sign. That just leaves more opportunity for me to get cues licensed.”

I agree with you on this.  Although I had my reservations at first, I got to thinking about it.  JP has gotten me ‘started’ so to speak and they are the only reason I have a statement in ASCAP at all. It’s not a lot but more than nothing.

 

 

[Michael Nickolas]

And, it looks like JP continues to provide music to Scripps networks programs that do not pay any sync fees or any performance royalties. This was on their blog today:

“Catch The Season Premiere Of Mystery Diners, Featuring Music By Jingle Punks, Tonight On Food Network…Mystery Diners features music sourced from the Jingle Punks artist library.”

Could you imagine providing music exclusively, only to have it used with no payment at all to you!!! No upfront payment, no sync fee, no royalties?? Really, why bother?

[MichaelL]

@Michael Nicholas I think that Sean answered your question.

“JP has gotten me ‘started’ so to speak and they are the only reason I have a statement in ASCAP at all. It’s not a lot but more than nothing.”

THAT is one sentence worth a thousand words.

This article from Sound on Sound applies equally to writing for libraries.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may12/articles/notes-0512.htm

 

[smiley J]

I am not concerned about the Scripps deal. A giveaway here and there isn’t really going to hurt my income too much.

I don’t understand why composers that don’t like Jingle Punks are trying to convince others that this library is bad.

I could give a laundry list of libraries that I think are terrible. But composers need to learn from their own experiences. Publicly bashing is a bit futile.

[MichaelL]

“I am not concerned about the Scripps deal. A giveaway here and there isn’t really going to hurt my income too much.”

It already has, because you haven’t gotten paid for your work. That IS less income than you should have had.

I’m not trashing JP, but rather, like Michael Nicholas, question why some writers don’t care that they are losing income to freebies. There is no benefit to you whatsoever. Where is the trade-off?….the up-side?

[Advice]

My only concern right now is getting info about what they will be doing with the non-exclusive side that I’m in. It’s not clear (probably not to them either!) what the future opps for these tracks are.

They sent me an email asking if I wanted to go exclusive and I replied I wanted more information about the non-exclusive tracks… no reply yet… I know they don’t seem to answer questions on this topic very well.

😀

[Advice]

BTW, I have nothing negative to say about JP. They’ve made placements for me and hopefully there will be more. I’m disappointed I can’t get more info on this one issue but I also recognize there is a lot of turmoil right now and even THEY might not know what to say.

😀

[smiley J]

There isn’t any tradeoff or upside for free placements. But what good is complaining going to do?

The majority of my music earns revenue for me. I can’t worry about every microcent I am missing out on. For me, it is easier to focus on the positive. My income is increasing and Jingle Punks has helped me tremendously.

It is a bit frustrating having people treat great companies lile trash over issues that don’t involve them.

[Steve]

Smiley J, if you knew how much JP is paying their new “in house” composers that get priority over your exclusive tracks (that JP pays nothing for btw), you wouldn’t be so positive on JP.

JP has done well for me too, and I plan on keeping an eye on this, but after hearing the deal that the in-house guys get it really, really put a negative light on JP WAY beyond them giving up music to Scripps.

[Author]

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