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Too funny Art!!! I literally just copied that link and was about to post it on the MLR. Great minds…
Yes, very very appropriate to what we do. AND, I’ll say it right now for all the newbies: Don’t fall for the exposure line!
Nice one. I will never forget a particular email I got some time ago.
It went something like this:
—
Hello
I need music composed for my play by next weekend. I need the following styles: x, y, z in each of these parts of the play. And I need about 20 minutes of music. And I won’t pay you. And you might get someone to hear it. Please hurry up and send it to me.
—I had never spoken to this person before and I was so fed up that I couldn’t help replying that like other human beings I also have to EAT and earn money, and they could basically get lost.
Another time I spent weeks writing for a student film “for exposure” and all I got was a credit. And guess what, they spelled my name wrong in the only credit.
I remember it was that experience about 9 years ago that made me decide to only write for money, and to only write for money up front if it was anything other than a reputable library.
This is why I do not write custom work anymore. Saying no upfront actually feels better than saying yes and hoping against hope for future compensation.
Besides, with the number of songs available for cheap these days, custom work is almost extinct. People with no budget does not need custom work; they need a budget!
This one just kills me. Last month I had a guy contact me about writing custom music for a product campaign. I must have spent at least two hours in phone conversation and emails to hear how great his product was and what he was looking for in terms of music. Every temp track for his video had been recent pop radio release successes. When I told him I would give him an estimate when I knew all of the details required….he sounded like I had just asked him for his first born. “But the other guy didn’t need an estimate.” ……You mean, the guy that did it for free and you realized he was a hack and didn’t use his music? Right.
A drummer I know had a student ask why he charged for attending rehearsals. His response, “Your father, at his corporate job, does he work for free?”
Ya..I’ve been approached a few times with “exposure” as the compensation..(I don’t work free either) it’s insulting that they don’t want to pay you..but even more insulting that they think you’ll fall for that line..
Excellent article.
I think you guys all underestimate the value of exposure!
In my corner of the world all composers get free milk and bread in the store as long as they have some good credits from low budget films 😉I agree that in *MOST* cases, especially for anyone who already has made placements, doing work for exposure only isn’t worth it.
That being said, EARLY in your career, doing a few such projects *MIGHT* be OK because you (1) Get to refine your custom cue writing skills and (2) Get something for the bio.
Having some bio credits when you do go and contact libraries on your own may be helpful. And learning to write on spec is a skill that many of us need.
Please don’t throw tomatoes at me. I am not saying “credit only” is a good deal for most folks here. At this point in MY career, when I see a listing on FMN (for example) that says low budget/credit only, I simply delete it.
Great article , thanks for posting. I shared like crazy.
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