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Hi folks:
Would you please give a little feedback on this ? Thanks in advance.
A well known library offered me to produce a cd with vocal songs under this conditions:
-10 songs, 3 years exclusive, no money up front.
I usually do fewer songs and I produce them for specific listings, because it requires me to pay work for hire agreements for singers and some live musicians, and they require me much more production time. I usually do a lot more instrumentals.
The question is, is it usual to make these types of contracts without money in advance?
You would do it even if it means you stop doing much more instrumental cues?
The library offered me a strong promotion with all its affiliated partners.Thanks for your feedback ¡
It’s usual for more and more Libs “To get away with” not paying upfront payments. I guess it depends on how much promotion and how much backend royalties are at stake.
There are still Libs that pay money for Instrumental and Vocal albums but they have to be A-Game, awesome tracks with top notch production.
You never mentioned if the Lib pays sync fees or what the split is.
BTW, I believe you answered your own question when you mentioned having to lay out cash for WFH agreements.
I’m not telling you what to do, or give you legal advice, but If I had to actually lose money in WFH agreements to submit an album to a library, I would personally decline.
I think you are using the word “library” incorrectly. A “library” in the true sense of the word, is a company that commissions composers by giving them money to produce an album (or songs to be included on an album) which would cover the cost of production and be included in their “library”. They would own the copyrights and masters. If there is a business out there that asks you to lay out all of your own costs – that’s a music placement company. When songwriters/composers submit songs to be repped by companies like this, they have already produced the songs on their own dime. Offering you an agreement where you have to produce songs they say they want – not necessarily songs you would produce on your own as an artist – without buying them – I have never heard of.
As far as sharing writer’s share – it’s a nefarious practice I would not do if I were you – unless you are given money to create the song in the first place and also, you feel OK agreeing to that. I mean, producing is one thing where someone co-writes with you or is heavily involved in the creative ideas AND guarantees you a placement(s), but just taking an already existing song and insisting their name goes on it without pay or guarantees is unethical.
Also, how does that split work? They are the “composer” and then after the 3 years, they aren’t? OR do you mean they offer 50% of the sync and you keep your writers share, they keep publishing share? If that is the case, they are offering you a standard deal but you’d have to retitle your work – otherwise, how will the song title revert back to you to collect on anything after 3 years? That’s a whole other conversation.
So to be clear – a music placement company asked you to produce songs with vocals on your own dime under a 3 year administration agreement where you split sync 50% and writer’s share 50% AND… who owns the publishing? RUN. FAST.
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