Library Communication Issue

[Vlad]

Hi Guys,

I have an issue with a particular library that i would prefer not to mention by name at the moment. Just looking for advice on a situation that is bothering me.

I have less than 30 cues with this library, all custom cues (hence Exclusive) written to their briefs. They get TV placements and have gotten me a small amount since I have been with them. They have an online library which is searchable. So I went and searched out all of my cues to discover a couple from late 2015 not in their online library.

I contacted them, and was greeted with: sure, I will look into this right away.

A month passed.

I contacted them again, to get no response at all.

I just want to hear some opinions on how I should proceed, because frankly I think it is morally/ethically pretty sh&@ty a thing to do to someone. Just totally blow them off.

I might add that communications with this library have been fine up to this point.

Thanks for your opinions!

[Mark Bodino]

That’s unfortunate. Compromising someone’s time and money invested.
That’s always been my apprehension with exclusive deals.

[Happy Ears]

Did you sign any Schedule A/Exhibit A s for the specific cues?

Did other cues you submitted AFTER these cues already appear in the online library?

Considering it’s only been since late 2015 and if these was the LATEST cues you submitted and I would chill for a while. It’s very common for a library to go months before updating their catalogs, some of the biggest ones only update their catalogs once or twice a year. I did a group of cues for a big library which I delivered August 2014 but it was just released in April 2016 but they paid me a nice upfront fee for the cues which I got right away so I don’t care.
I also knew a library who once didn’t update their online library for 1.5 years, they were still distributing via hard drives but even if they didn’t that’s up to them. Sometimes libraries have major programing projects going on or other higher priorities than updating their catalogs which is often the least important aspect of publishing music.

If the missing cues are NOT the latest cues and you didn’t sign any paper work for those cues and the newer submitted cues appear in their online library and the first letter in the Library name starts with an “S”, I would assume they passed on those cues.
Then I would just shoot them en email saying something like ” Since those (name the cues) cues are missing from your online library and I didn’t get any Schedule A/ Exhibit A to sign I herby assume you guys passed on those so I’m just letting you know I intend to use them for other purposes. Please advise if this is not the case.

Just make it real easy for them to reply and stop you if you can’t use them elsewhere.

Also keep in mind that the person you’re emailing might have been told by the boss to only answer important emails from clients or to do sales or fix registration or only answer emails from composers who generate the library lots of income. This might seem unfair but many of these libraries have only 1-5 people working for them managing 100s of composers and if all of them write emails a few times a month, that might cost the library $5000 extra in salaries to their employes per year just to answer those emails, so always make sure u do anything you can to answer your own question before contacting them.

If it the same library I think it is, it’s also very important how you formulate your question to them, make sure your email is no longer than a 2-3 line and super clear.

Just my 2 cents

[Vlad]

@ Happy Ears,

Thanks for your angle on this. I appreciate it.

These are cues that are NOT the last, and paperwork was signed/sent/acknowledged. Cues I sent after this are in their online library and have gotten placements.

So they definitely accepted the cues, and they are strangely absent.

Perhaps I will wait a bit longer, as your argument DOES make sense that it wouldn’t be worth their time….sadly. A disappointing state of affairs, as I seem to be personally offended by it. I spend a good amount of time on my tracks, and they are pretty picky about quality.

[Author]

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