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I still think it is a liability issue.
BIG ROME said:
My concern is this library may not be telling the truth on the actual fee and pocketing more. cause there is no paper trail given to me.
I don’t think you can function in this biz (or many others) if you go through life assuming the people you are dealing with may be lying to you. If you really are that suspicious of the business practices of a library, don’t work with them and move on. At some point, you just have to trust.
As far as auditing libraries per what’s allowed in the contract, I’d reserve that only for **EXTREME** situations. Once you play that card, you’ve completely damaged your working relationship. Basically, when you do it, you are calling the other party a liar.
True (when you play that card, you are calling that party a liar). And it sounds like you may already be there. I mean, you’re already hyper-suspicious that they won’t tell you details on the placement.
We are all in exactly the same boat. We all USUALLY trust our contacts to tell us the truth. There is no good answer to what to do when you aren’t happy with that trust, because, as you said, the only alternative can be relationship-damaging.
In Business, most people do lie. That why they say its business never personal. Sorry, that’s the reason writers are getting screwed now, cause composer are scared to speak up for themselves.
That is why we are losing royalties with P.R.O.,promos awhile the other guy make sure he gets pays, cause he recognize business.
If more composers spoke up about getting paid vocal background royalties the same as instrumentals (P.R.O.) , it would never changed.
if you copyrights are being used, you have a write to protect. They are intellectual property. They are something of value.
I don’t understand this “duck your head and hope for the best mentality”.
I cannot do that. I value myself more than that.I do agree with you that some composers are too timid. Most people have been taught to avoid risk. Some actually believe that being a professional means putting up with unfair treatment in order to gain some reward in the future.
The truth is that you, Bigg Rome, have to look out for you. I know that you mean well and want composers to stand up for themselves. But this will not happen on a grand scale. That is not how most people are conditioned.
If standing up to a company and asking questions helps you to get paid, go for it. There is risk in most endeavors. Sometimes the risks pay off and other times they do not. Whatever choices you make, own up to them regardless of the consequences.
You will become a great (and wealthy) composer as long as you work hard, ask questions, and correct course when needed.
Here’s a reality check:
None of us, including me, is irreplaceable. We write music for TV…so what? That doesn’t make us a creative geniuses, or even a rare commodity.
There are 10 composers standing in line behind each of us, who are at least as good as we are, maybe better, waiting for an opportunity.
The fastest way to move to the back of the line in this business is to have a chip-on-your-shoulder attitude, and to be difficult.
Good luck.
_Michael
Michael L said:
The fastest way to move to the back of the line in this business is to have a chip-on-your-shoulder attitude, and to be difficult.
So true. 🙂
“You will never know, if you never try” – BIGG ROME!”
That’s true Bigg Rome.
In Spain we say “el no ya lo tenemos”
Directly translated it means “the no we already have”
but basically means “no harm in asking”.When change comes all the composers who did nothing on the sidelines, will reap the benefits of those that stuck their necks.
This reminds me of a great quote by George Bernard Shaw, which goes: “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”