Royalties from trailer use

[music_pro]

Hey guys,

Anyone had any experience with royalties from a big feature film trailer? I wonder how much you can get from licensing a single track for use in one huge theatrical trailer such as “Avater”/”Superman” etc…

I am talking about royalties here (100% writer share), I heard you can get in sync fees from 5000 to 20,000 (before a split with the library)

Thanks!

[B Minus]

Hey music_pro – it sounds like you might be confusing royalties and license fees. Trailer music can attract large license fees, but I know nothing about its royalties.

[music_pro]

B Minus, no 🙂 I am asking about how much public performance royalties is typically generated from one placement in a major trailer, paid by BMI/ASCAP.

Thanks.

[Mark_Petrie]

I’ve had a little bit –  it’s come from the UK, France, Germany, Canada and other countries that pay out on theatrical airtime. The US does not, unfortunately.

I’ve never seen any royalties from shorter TV trailers, just like with all the ads I’ve had music on. The big money for trailers is definitely in the licensing!

ASCAP has a program where you can proactively assist them in getting paid for TV advertising airtime. It’s still done on a ‘survey’ basis, so it’s a bit of a lottery. Here’s the page where the info and forms are:

http://www.ascap.com/members/payment/commercialPromoGuide.aspx

[music_pro]

Mark, thanks.

So I understand that royalties from trailer use is not something you can count on, maybe just a little bonus. Well that’s explains the large licence fees associated with trailer placement.

[Advice]

Unfortunately, in the US, there are no PRO royalties for your music being played in movie theaters. However, outside the US, in many countries you do get these royalties.

So, if the trailer piece is played mainly in theaters, you wouldn’t see US PRO dollars but down the road (1.5 years or so later) you might start seeing foreign PRO royalties if there was play in other countries.

For play in US TV ads, I’d contact your US PRO as suggested above.

That’s my understanding. 🙂

[music_pro]

Yes, I understand this too, but the real question is how much royalties you can get from a typical major release 🙂

[Advice]

Hi MP

Not my area of expertise but I think it’s difficult to answer a question such as “how much royalties you get from a [this or that]” because it varies so widely… Just how “big” the feature film is, what kind of distribution and play it gets, etc… But I’ll defer to someone who has acutally earned royalties in this area.

🙂

[music_pro]

Maybe maybe, but I think most big trailers get played about at same throughout the world, anyway, yes it is the high end side of things.

[Rob (Cruciform)]

MP,

Every other major trailer writer I’ve spoken to says the same thing as Mark. Don’t count on royalties. The revenue is from the upfronts.

[music_pro]

Thanks Rob, good to know.

[Author]

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