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How did you get the media buy and a copy of the spot?
I tracked down the production company (Google is my friend!) and asked them for a copy. Couldn’t get the media buy but just filled out the jingle data sheet as best I could and submitted to BMI. BMI uses competitrack.com for tracking commercials (you probably know that).
BTW I overstated the amount earned. More like $200-300 to date but there is another quarter or so to go.
The spots are here http://artmunsonmusic.com/video/. Robofish and Zumo are the two spots. The other ones I didn’t bother with.
As far as time involved? I don’t think it was more than a couple of hours.
I was hoping to see songlofts spot. Nice job though Art!
>>>> 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.
PRO’s have nothing to do with master/sync license fees. So I don’t get this statement.
What I am saying is that it’s really a “wish-list” for the future. I do think, though, that the PRS sets minimum fees for the various broadcasts of works for Background TV cues, TV Spots, Radio Spots, etc, etc.
My wish is that PRO-affiliated publishers who register all composers’ cues should meet with Pros and create some common sense protection for us so companies like Google, Chase Bank, McDonald’s, Coke, Apple, Microsoft, Exxon Mobil, etc. don’t go and get a track for $3 for their national or Worldwide TV spots! This CAN happen and this is the most serious threat to this business that I can see right now.
10 years ago no one ever had an issue with coming up with $1500 for a TV spot music demo for goodness sake.They needed a service performed by a composer for 2 days of work, and set aside money to get an idea executed….Now we are down to $4 license fees if those want that!
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.
Exactly what happened to me this year. Lost most of my business through these shenanigans. I wouldn’t have known they were budgeting high and buying low if I didn’t have friends on the inside letting me know why I wasn’t getting the call.
We’re basically headed towards $1 for a track on anything.
I also remember the days of $1500 demo fees for Ad work…
After 50/50 split with the library, the composer sync fee was $125 so it looks like a $250 license. Here’s the spot in question. Should be higher paying than a promo I’d think.
<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/RFStdNtTkNI” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>
Appreciate the feedback everyone… It’s not always easy to get a consensus on “the going rate”
Sorry bad link. Here you go:
Sounds like a very good track. Nice one.
Man, advertising kills me a little more each day. Maybe I’m just old and cynical.
Well Songloft, I watched the spot and here are my thoughts. Proctor and Gamble is doing this spot to be “charitable”. They are stating that they are going to throw a $million at the cause, but of course they are conveniently plugging the soap brand “Dawn”. All in all it is disappointing, but the only reason why I can think of them allocating very few dollars to the music in the spot is because they plan on being very charitable themselves.
This did not come across as a big important spot that provides the national “image” of the brand. It’s something they’ll run in select markets for a short period of time….my guess…
I did work in an agency that had the Old Spice, Mr Clean, Head and Shoulders, and Metamucil brands. P&G runs a tight ship, but at the same time is one of the most remarkable companies in the world.
They should have at least spent a grand on music. Perhaps someone was being frugal, and someone took advantage and negotiated a track on the cheap (or just decided to squeeze you) to make a bit more profit for themselves.
This is all my opinion, but it is an educated opinion. It will be interesting to hear others comment too…
Sorry, More Advice, but I’m not drinking the Kool-Aid. That’s an ADVERTISING spot positioned to pull the heart strings of eco-friendly consumers via warm & fuzzies. The agency is pushing PRODUCT and that’s their job.
They spent way-more than $250 on catering for the edit and MUCH more on food service for the shoot. Charitable? That’s silly. Now, if the CD, AEs, AMs, copywriters, storyboard artists, director, cinematographer, LDs, actors, animal wranglers, VO, audio studio, engineer, editor, etc. worked for pittance rates on a PSA, I’d understand your point. But that’s clearly not the case. That’s first-class American advertising produced under AFL-CIO agreements. Oh, and there’s the small matter of the AIR BUY that dwarfs all other expenditures. C’mon, let’s get real with the Kool-Aid. NOBODY worked that spot for pittance except the music providers.
Even so, I have no real beef with an agency who availed themselves of a virtual freebie. But I’d be LIVID at the incredibly stupid, incompetent, and irresponsible LIBRARY service that allowed such a license to be issued. I’d yank my material outta there PDQ just to avoid additional mistreatment. And mistreatment it was, SongLoft, way under market. NOBODY worked that spot for less than you and your collaborators. I’m sorry for your loss. Now, get away from that chump-library.
Hey Songloft,
Competitrack has the spot as chugging along well, the backend should be decent for 3Q and/or 4Q performances. still airing…
Here’s another cool site that has airing stats, including what it last aired during. http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7nQN/dawn-cleaning-oil-spills
Before we jump to conclusions, do we know *ALL* the facts?
Was this license for a short term such as 3 months, etc. and would have to be renewed for additional license money? (And the possibility of renewal, likely, such that the library felt it was worth a shot?)
I’m not saying it doesn’t sound like a low fee. But without the OP having a discussion with the library as to ALL the details, we *MIGHT* be getting our underwear in knots too soon.
I did read that the OP hasn’t received return emails from the library yet. That would be sad… Unless there was a tone to the emails sent by the OP (not saying that’s true!).
The OP also said this library made good money for them in the past. That’s definitely something to consider here.
Anyway, my only point is sometimes people go “off” based on a little info in a post and really don’t know everything about a situation.
NOBODY worked that spot for pittance except the music providers.
And here’s where I depart from the crowd. Forgetting for a moment that the sync fee was low….that songloft didn’t “work the spot,” unlike the crew, caterer, editors etc., who actually did “work the spot,” who got up early to be on location, to prepare the food etc., and will be paid once for their time, afterwhich they will not have a product to resell and monetize.
It’s completely passive income for songloft, who may be paid again through royalties, and again and again, when he sells/ licenses the cue to other clients.
If P&G had said to songloft, “well give you $250 to compose music for this spot and we own it,” that would be another story altogether.
Effectively, they paid what we used to call a “needle drop.”@ Mark Holden, trust me I am just as disgusted as you are, but we do need more facts. Budgets for spots have been the “wild west” since Day 1.
It rarely makes sense. Until the facts come out two things happened in this instance:1. The producer simply did not have any money for music after the spot was shot, edited, etc (They just, oops, ran out of money…and got a stock track)
2. The Library sold the track for more, but is telling the writer “we only got $250.
Look, we all know P&G has billions of cash to spend on anything it wants to spend cash on, but let’s just remember this, music is no longer a big concern and hasn’t been for a while, it’s always the last thing CD’s and writers and editors think about after the film is shot and they go into post. It also comes down to a benevolent producer setting aside money (when they originally draft their estimate to the client) to stick into his composer buddy’s pocket for original music. Most likely the editor found this track, cut to it, they all liked it, and it survived to go final. The library screwed up on the negotiation, or lied about what they were paid, or their rate card is $250 for a broadcast needle drop…We’ll never know because the person who made the deal will never say…and Michael L is right, the music was not sold for exclusive use and songloft can continue to earn money off the track.
It all sucks, but like I said earlier $1 pay days are right around the corner for the 30 second commercial. It’s probably already happened.
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