pitching other people's music to libraries

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  • #23306
    mojorising
    Guest

    Wanted to see if anyone had any advice regarding this. I have a few bands that want to leverage my experience and contacts in licensing and have me act as an agent to get them a good library deal or deals.

    They are people who know and trust me, but also realize I’m not going to take time away from pitching my own music unless I can make it worth my while. I feel strongly that their albums could do very well in the right niche library.

    My question is, since the library is already going to take 50% of the publishing and sync fee, what would be fair for me to take? split the remaining 50% of sync fee with them? There wouldn’t really be a way for me to take any back end without putting myself in as a writer correct? I wouldn’t feel fair doing that.

    I’m assuming the only chance I have to make it worth my while would be with decent size sync deals so a NE PRO back end only driven company like JP wouldn’t do me any good. I would probably focus on higher end EX companies, since these particular albums are not in any other libraries. If they don’t land with any, then maybe RF with decent pricing might be my next best option. Thoughts? advice? Any legal issues I’m going to have since I don’t own the music I’m pitching? Can I have any sync revenue sent to me as an agent, and I can pay out to them?

    #23318
    Art Munson
    Keymaster

    If the library truly is only taking 50% of the publishing, then you can collect the other half. I think you might have meant 100% of the publishing which is what most libraries take. There are brokers out there who arrange with the library to split the publishing. You may be able to gain some leverage to get such a deal if it’s exclusive and you can put together a good catalog. You said bands, so that may be something that’s desirable to a library if well produced and good songs. Most bands aren’t thinking TV when they record so you’ve got long intros and too many sections which are undesirable in library music. So you edit the music to make it library friendly. Then put together a tightly focused package and hit up a library that has a good track record. You’d almost be functioning as a label here (another legal aspect you;ll have to deal with).

    #23319
    mojorising
    Guest

    Yes I meant the library will take 50% of the total publishing, so 100% of the “publishers share”. Which would only leave the “writers share” which I can’t take any of. Do you think I would be better off negotiating the library for half the publishers share, or just keeping half of the half of any up front sync fee that the placement generates and not trying to take any back end? which would be 25% of the total sync fee. That means I could only go with companies who never give any placements away for back end only.

    #23320
    Art Munson
    Keymaster

    For that deal, you can pitch my music!

    #23321
    Mark_Petrie
    Participant

    If you execute this plan, it sounds like you might be half way to creating your own library, or at least working as a supplier to a bigger APM / West One type distributor. You might want to look into doing that, because the deal points you’re talking about are awfully close to that type of arrangement.

    #23323
    mojorising
    Guest

    If you execute this plan, it sounds like you might be half way to creating your own library

    Yeah, thats kind of what I’m thinking. The problems is while I have made a lot of connections with libraries and publishers I don’t have any connections with actual producers or music directors, but that could come next. I would love some thoughts on this question if anyone has any…

    Do you think I would be better off negotiating the library for half the publishers share, or just keeping half of the half of any up front sync fee that the placement generates and not trying to take any back end? which would be 25% of the total sync fee. In option two I’m limited to only places that get decent sized sync fees. If anything was for the potential back end only I would be out. I guess what I’m asking is in this type of a situation can it be worth it for front end money only, or should I really try to work myself in to the back end somehow? Or does the back end thing make it more complicated legally?

    #24255
    PeteJ
    Participant

    Wouldn’t it be easier just to set up as a publisher and take your cut from the PRO?

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