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Hi everybody!
Let me introduce this wonderful topic: budgets!
I was sincerely shocked when I saw this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-ZUMXXv9Dc when, around 45:30, a budget of 250k $ is indicated for licensing one single song exclusively for 1 year for a commercial distributed on TV and Web.Am I missing something? Is this real? I’ve never, NEVER, worked with clients with that load of money for music. And I had the luck to work one-on-one with very big fashion and sport industries composing bespoke music for their commercials.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts…
Wall-EI disagree with using the one in a zillion example of a huge license fee when teaching people about music licensing. As you mentioned, even sync fees of 10, 20 or 30K come along only once in a while for the overwhelming majority of Film/TV composers.
AFAIK, those who make a living in this biz, do so much more from an occasional 5 figure+ sync fee, some 4 figure ones, and A LOT of smaller sync fees (many even = $0) and PRO money… As well as RF sales.
So, although I don’t know the person in the video, I hope she isn’t being disingenuous, playing into people’s hopes and dreams to sell her classes.
Caveat: I didn’t watch the whole video and very well could have taken that one part out of context.
Yes, I knew it was that video before even clicking on it, I spoke with Cathy Heller by email, she’s a nice person but her goal is to enroll you in her class so she can teach you how to make 6 figures a year by licensing your music in ads.
The subject of her class is alluring but I sincerely doubt that it could result in such huge license fees.
She does give good information and if you are writing music for Film/TV, you can always learn and get better, even if you are targeting libraries. Those libraries also need music to have the same qualities she talks about, making the music the most sync-worthy.
However, the classes are expensive and you have to carefully weigh the cost/benefit for YOU. My biggest concern would be newbies, who barely know how to write and record a song, signing up thinking they’ll suddenly be rolling in dough. That’s a similar criticism I have of other services, even one that I like a lot for many other reasons.
There are many ways to skin a cat in this business… sync fees, PRO, RF, etc. My PERSONAL philosophy is have A LOT of tracks out there making smaller amounts and not focus too much on going after that one big score (no pun). If one comes along, it’s gravy. Ad placements pay big dollars but they are also the most difficult placements to get, reminding me of my days when I was sure I could land an artist cut in Nashville.
So, I’m not knocking her or her classes (well, not very much), just adding a reality check. As someone who writes songs for libraries like “C” who does go after sync placements, I could probably learn from one of her classes. That is, if I was willing to pay that much.
😀
Also, forgot to mention… She’s targeting more for artists, not so much production music people like most of us. Those big syncs are more likely to go out to artists, often “name” ones or rising ones.
Also, forgot to mention… She’s targeting more for artists, not so much production music people like most of us. Those big syncs are more likely to go out to artists, often “name” ones or rising ones
+1 to pretty much everything Advice said above. If it really were that easy, there would be no MLR, everyone would be making “6 figures” and there would be no race to the bottom.
Hard work, perseverance, no shortcuts and a bit a luck.
Why can’t I subscribe to this thread as with others? Art?
Hi Advice, do you see the box under the reply box that says “Notify me of follow-up replies via email”? Should be a box there that you can check after leaving a comment. There are 2 sections of MLR, the forum section, which you are in and use the check box, and the listing section which uses WordPress posts and which you can subscribe. Set up this way a long time ago and have yet to figure out a good way to integrate it all.
While I doubt an ‘unknown’ act is going to ever command $250k for a license, a hit song by a famous artist or band could easily eclipse that fee.
So on the one hand, while I completely agree that it’s disingenuous to imply anyone could command a fee like that, on the other, licenses of this price range still do happen frequently in advertising and film.
Even the currently popular ‘trailer-ization’ covers of hit songs command larger fees (around $100k, sometimes more).
Re:
even sync fees of 10, 20 or 30K come along only once in a while for the overwhelming majority of Film/TV composers.
I don’t personally know of film and tv composers that deal with licensing very often (most don’t own the music they write, and when their music is licensed, it’s done by the studio that owns the score), but in the trailer world, 10 – 30k is not unusual at all.
Focusing on quality over quantity can open up that world of high end licensing.
Bump
While I doubt an ‘unknown’ act is going to ever command $250k for a license, a hit song by a famous artist or band could easily eclipse that fee.
+1
So on the one hand, while I completely agree that it’s disingenuous to imply anyone could command a fee like that, on the other, licenses of this price range still do happen frequently in advertising and film.
Very few indeed. I know of one instance and that was after the track involved was first made famous by the trailer to a huge blockbuster film. It was subsequently licensed for two major global ad campaigns. It was a one-in-a-million shot.
Hi Art
No such checkbox is showing up under the reply box for me. Is it me? I’m using IE11… Thanks!No such checkbox is showing up under the reply box for me. Is it me? I’m using IE11…
It may be that you are not logged in. Try logging in and see if that fixes it. I’m on 11 right now and I see it.
Ah… I logged in and see it now. I could swear I tried that before. Thanks, Art!
😀
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