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Hello all,
I recently had a placement through a music library for a national TV spot that’s been airing constantly, huge brand etc.
The sync fee before splits was a measly $250.
Has anyone else seen the floor drop out on music library TV commercial placements in recent times ??
For similar music, I’ve seen recent trailer placements that were around 10k. I thought the average price for a national TV spot (licensed through a library) would at least be around $1500 — which is still peanuts!
cheers
The sync fee before splits was a measly $250.
Hey SongLoft – such a miniscule sync and master fee for a national branded spot is nUtZ. Suggest you contact the library that licensed this and ask ’em what the hey they’re doing. Was this a ‘check-out’ malfunction? Was it a 13-week license or longer? In any case, that service is hosing you, themselves, and others. I’m hoping this was an admin error rather than intentional pricing.
– Mark Holden
If you are with BMI at least get a copy of the commercial, fill out a jingle data sheet, submit to BMI and get some back end money. I’ve done this with a couple of commercials and it will net you some extra bucks.
Agreed, Art, in always pursuing back-end. But that’s an unrelated revenue stream to sync and master licensing. Perhaps a bit like using a watergun after a house fire.
My queries to SongLoft would include (with apologies for any assumptions on my part): 1) WHY list with a library that would price abysmally under market? Was there due diligence done re the range of license fees? 2) If the pricing was intentional and not in error, recommend SongLoft PULL all material from that library ASAP for reasons of fiduciary incompetence and posing a danger to themselves and others. 3) If there’s no out-clause for protecting musical works from future abuse, this goes back to due diligence in the first place.
I’m still hoping this was an admin error. In that way, the library could go back to the agency and explain the mistake. The agency KNOWS $250 isn’t remotely in the market and this might be explained as a glitch, just as Walmart sold $1300 monitors last week for $12.95. It was an online mistake and the errant price was NOT honored. I’d sure play it that way and give all parties the opportunity to own up.
Finally, if (and I stress IF) a library is going to go carpetbagging on their fees, I hope SongLoft will disclose the name of the service so others won’t be fracked by such reckless and irresponsible behavior.
– MH
You’re right about the rules, SL. Sorry about that – the whole scenario is kinda FUBAR. However, I’m happy to abide with the keymaster’s wisdom. Good fortune in resolving all this in your favor.
Best, MH
In keeping with forum rules if you want to know more please feel free to PM me.
You can post the library details in the individual library comments if you wish.
Just wanted to say to Denis Woods, listened to a lot of your stuff both in libraries and on soundcloud, amazing….
Astonishingly low ball. The library should be named and shamed, so other composers can steer well clear of such a company.
Just wanted to say to Denis Woods, listened to a lot of your stuff both in libraries and on soundcloud, amazing….
Tx Chuck much appreciated
Astonishingly low ball. The library should be named and shamed, so other composers can steer well clear of such a company.
+1
Not anonymous here. So I can’t name anyone or any company because I’m not a fan of professional drama or being alienated. But very recent experience seems in line with this. “The bottom has dropped out” is a very precise way to describe a large swath of this business. There are still major films and TV shows that understand you get what you pay for. But some very unlikely productions are simply leveraging the knowledge that they know you will receive your writer’s share and therefore you should be happy with that and NOTHING else.
Next stop…your writer’s share is in jeopardy.
Having worked in ad agencies and having serviced them as a music supplier, I would not look too much into this at all. It’s really simple, the big agencies like Leo Burnett, Satchi, Ogilvy, Crispin Porter, DDB, Draft FCB, BBDO, Young and Rubicam, etc, etc…will pay the 10 to 20K fee if the producer budgets in 30 K for music for a high profile national “image” branding spot. There is a huge difference between “Image” branding vs. a monthly promo type spot like “we’re having a weekend sale at Macy’s”. Until all the facts are on the table, no one should get all bent out of shape over a $250 synch…which seems to be $500 if there was a 50/50 split.
Can we see the spot before we make any judgement?
Personally, I have received licensing fees this from libraries for 2K and 3K for spots that were just quarterly promo type spots. I was surprised by how much money they allocated.
The back end is BS when it comes to spots, no one is leveraging the thought of “The composer will get their back end.” Agency folk do not even know what that is 9 out of 10 times. Backend is talk for TV shows, not agency stuff. You can collect back end on a spot but it is a pain in the ass, good luck hoping it will show up in the surveys! Good luck trying to get the media buy!
Let’s see the spot. Can you post a link?
But yes….the bottom is falling out and we all are enabling it by loading up great sounding tracks to RF sites. Big companies are going to get wind of this trend and say F___ it…Let’s go get a track for $20 and pocket the $20K.
I would do this if I were them would’t you? It’s a classic case of composers [removed] themselves. Sorry to be so blunt, but really, isn’t this really what it’s all about?
The back end is BS when it comes to spots,
It may be to you but the extra $400-500 came in handy, for me, considering it was purchased off an RF site and not a major brand.
Art,
How did you get the media buy and a copy of the spot?
That alone can be 2 to 3 hours of admin work and requires lots of cooperation from the library and ad agency.
When I say “It’s BS” it’s because the chances of getting folks to cooperate are very slim. I too have collected royalties from spots but it was NEVER easy…and it did typically amount to $300 to $400.
Can we see the spot? Also…the main concern here is US. Yes, all of US, we are 100% complicit in the rapid devaluation. It’s getting to a point where PROS need to get together and set a minimum license fee for a national spot to protect everyone. Amazing tracks can be found for $10…and we all know it. Get used to $10 for a national spot, it’s already happening! Libraries and RF sites are the only one’s who can avert that disaster, and benevolence from agency producers who simply won’t want to pay such a low fee.
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