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I just read about this computer-generated library on another forum:
<iframe src=”//player.vimeo.com/video/104488077?color=ffffff” width=”500″ height=”281″ frameborder=”0″ webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe> <p>Xhail Preview from Score Music Interactive on Vimeo.</p>
This is a game changer IMO. I still think there will be a demand for quality composers, but I don’t see how this won’t impact large numbers of composers who make quick, cheap music.
By the way, I believe the ownership of the created piece goes to Xhail, not the end user.
It will be interesting to see others come along and compete with their own “better” systems. Perhaps we as composers will have to start to hone our programming chops so we can each make our own “systems” which do the same thing, but with our own personal touch on the algorithms that do the generating of the stems.
I can see it hurting the RF market a little, since that’s about all that alot of “composers” are doing these days. Just cutting up band in a box, or other loops and “creating” songs, that IMO sound terrible. There are some great RF composers, but a bunch aren’t. I don’t think too many music supervisors are going to sit around and create their own music for shows. The shows may hire someone, just to do that though, who knows.
Seems like a nice tool for companies needing cheap and quick music in bulk.
Never mind.
https://vimeo.com/88787873 Our alpha stage of development is coming along nicely. We are working in house on projects for clients from many different media industries. We completed our first alpha project last month for Giant Animation. Here it is!! The score was generated and locked to picture by Xhail, and contains performances from 6 of our composers from different sides of the globe!
Is a quote from their facebook page, the vid voice is Irish so I was intrigued and did a little research. If it contains performances from 6 of our composers then it is not generating music in real time. It is very cleverly combining various stems together all in the same key!!!! There was another system like this that was supported by the BBC I think, the sky didn’t fall then and it won’t now !!
Clever tech no doubt.However rather than worrying about what the computer will do to you, what about what it will do for you.
I think the BBC product was based upon live recordings from BBC shows.
There’s another vid, in which they seek submissions from composers’ back catalogs. I don’t know what’s in it for the composers, except maybe the promise of backend money, which I think is a very attenuated prospect.
I’m kind of curious about the audio sources used on the Xhail stems.
Basically, what they’re building a form of construction kit. If the stems are based on samples from other libraries, that could very well be a violation of the EULA. They’re not selling finished compositions per se, they’re selling a composition tool.You’re right…the world’s not likely to end.
Edit: I’m having trouble seeing the market it for it among serious media producers. Seriously, what interest would a film studio, or game developer, that’s willing to spend many thousands of dollars, recording scores with live orchestras, rather than samples, have in such a product?
With respect to library music, they are way overestimating the burden that it is for editors to search for, select and edit cues. And that’s really the whole premise.
I think they’d be better off selling it as a tool for composers, like Zynaptic, or Liquid Notes.
Also the first piece of music was “created” by the tag happy. Written in a minor key !!! and sounds like a Russian folk tune. didn’t really sound happy to me, that being said with Soundminer etc an editor can pull up thousands of cues that are tagged happy already.
With respect to library music, they are way overestimating the burden that it is for editors to search for, select and edit cues. And that’s really the whole premise.
Agree. And an editor will *still* have to seach for, select and edit cues because a cue automatically assembled from stems isn’t going to magically sync itself to picture.
I think what this is selling is the ILLUSION that a non-musical person can press a button and *create* a composition.
I’d guess that some low-budget/no-budget/cheap-ar$e production companies
will like this and it may impact a few RF/NE placements but at this point it doesn’t look like a game-changer.Also the first piece of music was “created” by the tag happy. Written in a minor key !!! and sounds like a Russian folk tune. didn’t really sound happy to me,
Picture this Denis: an orchestra walks into a concert hall and the conductor says, “today, we’re not going to read any music. Instead, I’m going to say something like “happy” and I want each of you to play what comes into your mind. The only parameter is that you all play in the same key.” Afterward, we’ll assemble all of the pieces into a “composition.”
That more or less describes what Xhail is doing. My initial question was how are they going to get around the EULA’s for sample libraries.
The answer is that they are asking musicians to submit performance stems performed on their own instruments (I assume they mean non-sampled).So, all you guys that do not play, or have actual instruments, like a guitar or kazoo, you’re out. Keep your day gigs.
Now, here’s the really lucrative part of the deal. Everybody gets to keep 100% of their writer’s share, plus 50% of the sync fee, are you ready….for their stem, which is their portion of the overall composition.
Let’s do a little quick math. If a cue is 2:00 minutes long (120 seconds), and your stem is let’s say 12 seconds long. You get 1/10 of the writers’ share. Right? Oops, let’s not forget 50% of 1/10 of the sync fees. But WAIT, this is an orchestral composition. There are 60 stems. So, you may only be getting small percentage of 1/60 of the writers share, after all this “work” has 60 composers. Oops, let’s not forget 50% of 1/60 of the sync fees too. Pity the poor “composer” whose only instrument is cymbals.
I guess my favorite thing is that clients get to “download the mix in any format.” If this is realtime composition, is it realtime mixing too? So much for all the useless high-end gear, and all that processing stuff. Dave Pensado, and Alan Meyerson might as well call it quits now.
Just imagine, a cue sheet with 60 “composers” on it. Now, THAT will make life easier for everyone. 🙂
Hey guys
Delighted to see so much discussion about XHAIL, however we are concerned about the level of confusion it may be causing.
Let us clarify that XHAIL does not compose algorithmic music. It is an advanced music arrangement technology, an evolved production music tool. It intelligently combines the works of multiple human composers and musicians to create new and unique cues each time its used.
We have very carefully structured a business model around XHAIL to ensure that composers receive maximum sync revenue shares whilst also retaining their writers share. We have strong relationships with PRO’s (ASCAP etc), all of whom love our new and innovative model. We are committed to driving revenue back to our composers in a way that actually works.
Our vision is to finally bring the world of production music into the 21st century in a way that sees everyone winning. We invite composers to get in touch if they would like to learn more.
Perhaps ‘Doomsday’ will have to wait a while longer 🙂
XHAIL will launch in 2015.
Warmest regards.
Mick Kiely
CEO Score Music Interactive
Hi Mick,
So, what you’re saying is that XHAIL is an automated music selection and editing tool for video and music editors, not a composition tool?
By stems do you mean full compositions, in like keys, or individual instrument parts in like keys and tempos?
My concern, as a writer who uses virtual instruments, is that providing stems for XHAIL would violate the EULA of most, if not all of my software based instruments, unless you mean full compositions being used as stems, rather than isolated instrument stems. How do get around that issue?
Do the PROs collect money from the game industry?
How will cue sheets for broadcast works be generated, and how will they accommodate a possibly great number of composers on a single work? It’s not hard to envision an orchestra work with 20 or 30 stem composers.I agree. It’s not doomsday…just a few questions.
Best,
Michael
It intelligently combines the works of multiple human composers and musicians to create new and unique cues each time its used.
That sounds like composition, rather than editing, which raises other issues. Under US copyright law, that would be considered a derivative work, in which the creator of the new work owns the copyright in the parts that he, or she, added to, or changed from, the original work(s).
How does XHAIL get around that? Does the creator of the derivative work get a percentage of the writer’s share? If so, how much?
I don’t mean to be a stick in the mud, or to rain on your parade, and I hope that your company succeeds to the benefit of many. But, these are questions that any intelligent composer, or a composer with counsel would ask.
Best.
_Michael
Hi Michael
Here are some answers to your questions.“So, what you’re saying is that XHAIL is an automated music selection and editing tool for video and music editors, not a composition tool?”
XHAIL is an engine which identifies pre-composed and meta tagged interactive stems and combines these stems in a unique combination.
“By stems do you mean full compositions, in like keys, or individual instrument parts in like keys and tempos?”
Stems are single instrument or single section (strings,woods or brass) performances composed by composers or session musician.
“My concern, as a writer who uses virtual instruments, is that providing stems for XHAIL would violate the EULA of most, if not all of my software based instruments, unless you mean full compositions being used as stems, rather than isolated instrument stems. How do get around that issue?”
EULA’s are not being violated under our model or software.
“Do the PROs collect money from the game industry?”
To date PROs don’t collect money from the games industry. This is why we share sync fee with our composers and session musicians.
“How will cue sheets for broadcast works be generated, and how will they accommodate a possibly great number of composers on a single work? It’s not hard to envision an orchestra work with 20 or 30 stem composers.”
Orchestral sections and their articulations are bounced to one stem. For example a string section playing a legato part is bounced to one stem with one composer attached to it. If that composer has a sub publishing agreement with 20 musicians, then that’s their own affair and does not dilute the shares of composers of the other stems in any given cue.
XHAIL creates and tracks all cue sheets at the time of licensing. The user names the cue, we register that cue along with publisher/writer share split info with the PRO. All music cues and stems remain the copyright property of XHAIL.
“Under US copyright law, that would be considered a derivative work, in which the creator of the new work owns the copyright in the parts that he, or she added to, or changed from the original. How does XHAIL get around that? Does the creator of the derivative work get a percentage of the writer’s share? If so, how much?”
Excellent point! The user of XHAIL is given a writers share, but they will have to join a PRO to receive the royalty share. We have spoken with the PRO’s on this and they are willing to accommodate such a request. In terms of how much the split is, we keep it very simple, 100% of the writers share is divided equally between the composers of the stems and the end user, after all, the music cue could not have existed without their creative decision and input. As a composer, if you have two stems in a cue, then you get twice as much as the others.
There has been a suggestion that a licensed cue could have 60 composers attached to it, simply not true! Most cues will contain on average 6-8 stems at most. Those stems will never meet each other in another arrangement combination but will remain in the cloud for multiple new combinations driving revenue to composers on a repeat basis. XHAIL will have a private login for composers, where they will be able to monitor the performance and popularity of their stem content.We are very proud to be paving the way for session musicians to become part of the production music world. If all you play is Bass, Harmonica or Sax for example, then your journey usually ends with the payment of a studio fee. We want to change this, by offering those session musicians publishing deals.
Hope this helps
Mick
Excellent point! The user of XHAIL is given a writers share, but they will have to join a PRO to receive the royalty share
Thank for coming back and clarifying Mick. For that to be the case, that means that PROs recognize that what the user is doing is composing.
I would definitely run this scenario by your counsel (I am a lawyer).
If the end user is “composing” with stems created by virtual instruments, for which they do not own a license, then they (the user) and possibly the creator of the stem may well be violating the EULAs of the samples used.Better yet, send your promo the Doug Rogers at East West and / or Paul Thompson at Spitfire, and get their perspective on this issue. After all they, and their attorneys, are the ones who will decide if the use comports with the intended limits of their company’s EULA. If they give the go ahead, then I’m sure that we’ll all feel more at ease providing stems.
Of course, many composers, contact sample developers before using their products, if there’s any question regarding the EULA and the intended use. XHail is definitely going into uncharted territory. So, I suppose we’ll know soon enough.
Thanks again for your response.
Michael