Reality TV show payout?

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  • #16341 Reply
    daveydad
    Participant

    Just had about 8 seconds of a cue used in an episode of “Treasure King” a new series on ReelZ channel. Any idea how much something like this might pay? And will I get royalties each time it airs? Should I start shopping for a new Ferrari?? 🙂

    #16342 Reply
    P-9
    Guest

    If you are with ASCAP or BMI the payout will be nothing. But if you are with SESAC you will make 5 cents for 1 prime time airing of 8 seconds.

    #16343 Reply
    daveydad
    Participant

    🙁 Well, guess I’ll keep my ’97 Olds! 😉

    #16347 Reply
    MichaelL
    Participant

    In most cases, the person who served you the fast food burger that you just bought with your reality TV placement royalties, is making more money.

    Seriously. Both BMI and ASCAP spell out, what they pay for network, cable etc., during specific day parts (ASCAP is a little cryptic. You need a magic 8 Ball to figure it out). You can find the information and do the math.

    There should be a reality show about the “library” business.
    The streets are clearly not paved with gold on the micro level.

    #16356 Reply
    Advice
    Participant

    Start saving for a new cup holder for your Ferrari. 400 more placements like this and you can buy it!

    Seriously, placements on many smaller cable channels pay very little. There are many factors that include length of cue (8 secs ain’t much), time of day for broadcast, foreground vs. background (most placements like this are background), the particular channel, etc.

    With longer cues on shows that re-run a lot, it adds up but nothing spectacular. Some channels such as MTV get much better PRO payments.

    In the BG reality TV cue market, it’s definitely a numbers game. You need tons of cues out there working for you.

    #16357 Reply
    daveydad
    Participant

    A new cup holder would be nice!! 🙂 In case you’re curious, here’s the clip starting right where my piece starts as they open the garage. Maybe the one-two punch at the end will let me buy seat covers for my Ferrari? 🙂

    #16358 Reply
    gdomeier
    Participant

    For ascap it also depends on what time of day it played. One of my 10 second cues earned $1.75 for a single prime time airing. Another 10 second cue earned .64 for a single night time airing.

    #getrichquick

    #16362 Reply
    Jay
    Guest

    There should be a reality show about the “library” business.
    The streets are clearly not paved with gold on the micro level.

    agreed 🙂 I’m about to hit 50 placements since late 2011 and thought I’d be making a lot more..I have had some good PRO payouts but not as of late and now with Tunesat I can see there’s plenty of placements i’m not making a dime on..but of course I trudge on hoping that the many songs I’ve written in the last 2 years start to catch fire…

    Congrats Davey…the first couple placements are special!
    and reality shows can pay…I had a $180.00 usage not too long ago of a song (but they used over a minute of it)

    #16363 Reply
    MichaelL
    Participant

    I trudge on hoping that the many songs I’ve written in the last 2 years start to catch fire…

    That is like hoping to win the lottery. Songs don’t really catch fire in the library world. It’s not like pop music where someone always has a “hit.”

    If you want to make $50,000? Then write 1,000 usable pieces of music and try to make $50 each…. some variation of this formula.

    #16364 Reply
    Alan
    Participant

    @ P-9
    Does ASCAP really pay nothing, as in zero for placements on the Reelz channel?

    #16366 Reply
    P-9
    Guest

    Of the 30 episodes on Reelz I have cue sheets for, only 5 have ever paid.
    3:30 in prime time paid 84 cents.

    #16368 Reply
    daveydad
    Participant

    Wow, that’s depressing…

    #16369 Reply
    Jay
    Guest

    That is like hoping to win the lottery. Songs don’t really catch fire in the library world. It’s not like pop music where someone always has a “hit.”

    If you want to make $50,000? Then write 1,000 usable pieces of music and try to make $50 each…. some variation of this formula.

    Michael..it turns out my songs are “useable” in the library world…I don’t write cues or dumb down my lyrics for hopeful placements either..and I get how the business works,I’ve been at it a while..I considered writing disposable music as some call it but it didn’t feel right and $50 grand isn’t what I’m after…I write songs and lots of them..ultimately I’d like to get some movie placements but until then I’ll ship them off to the libraries and they’ll make me $ (they have up until now)…to me “catching fire” simply means lots of placements and my last batch of songs submitted 2009/10 did in my opinion…I get just as much of a thrill out of someone downloading a song of mine as I do when I get a placement..both are important to me..I could be wrong but I’m assuming not everyone here simply writes for libraries and placements..then again maybe I am the only one?

    #16370 Reply
    MichaelL
    Participant

    Wow, that’s depressing…

    Please don’t take this the wrong way daveydad. But…did you think that something like this would pay a lot more? If so, how much more?
    And…how did you get the impression that it would pay a lot more?

    I think part of the “flood” in this business has been caused by the mistaken impression that there’s easy money to be made, and a lot of it. So, I’m really curious to understand what the source and/or sources of that impression may be.

    #16371 Reply
    Chuck Mott
    Guest

    I agree David, think more along the lines of a starting point. COngrats on the placement. The fact that you are placing stuff, even on YT vids that are going viral, is at least a sign that things are starting to take off for you ( I’m familiar with David from elsewhere).

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