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It’s not a question of what the library wants, it’s what the client needs. These are mainly for picture editors who are not music editors, working on advertising. Advertisers buy time in blocks of :60, :30, :15 and :05 (in the US). No advertiser wants to pay for silence in a spot where music is supposed to fill it. Also, if the sound noticeably cuts off at :29 or :59 (in the middle of an audible fade or tone overhang), it doesn’t work.
Hi Allan,
Networks and Ad Agencies have servers that house libraries and independent artists songs that that they have blankets or other deals with. Their employees have access through their logins. Many of them do not allow non-exclusive or retitled (which would be non-exclusive) content on them.
Yes, there are tons of them. However, if you want your songs to be included on the servers (search engines) of many major or cable networks, streamers or ad agencies, it cannot be available for licensing by anyone else other than whoever uploads it to them. Being on these servers allow thousands of producers, editors and music departments instant access to your music for their Productions.
“I am a “Vendor” for a few of The Majors I am with. This “preferred Vendor” I will be checking into. “I’m not giving up any more of my Prize Winning Recipes, and My Good Baking tips with MY Execs, if they haven’t been giving me “preferred” status!!“
I’m referring to the agreements that are between the network and the library agency. Not the composer and the library.
“Maybe that might be with some, or maybe I am reading this the wrong way. But that has not been My case, especially lately with my placements. I’ve been getting a good amount of “Needle Drop, and Syncs”.“
I said unscripted programming – if you’re talking about your library tracks and you’re getting single drops / syncs rather than seeing just the performances on your PRO statements in news, reality, documentary, live sports, competition shows, etc – or radio or tv stations, you are an exception and that’s awesome. Is that what you’re saying? If it’s songs you’re seeing in this space and only on your PRO statements, your rep probably has a blanket with the network or production company. Scripted programming is drop /sync in most cases.
I’m not sure about non-exclusive placement companies because re-titles are banned from being on the servers of most US broadcasters, as well as the #1 Ad Agency platform in the US, for legal reasons. There is question as to 1) who really owns the underlying composition and 2) how many times is the composition on the search engine under different titles. I have preferred vendor agreements with most of them and the language is very clear. If you are on these platforms, music is being searched through there by the producers or music execs – not on the library website. When the client can’t find what they are looking for, they reach out to the library to send a playlist request.
For unscripted programming or TV or radio stations, they are all under “blanket” agreements meaning production can only use the music that is under a blanket – unless the production has a composer. Exceptions would be songs with vocals that would be featured and in those cases, they will be well-known songs because there are so many good songs already to choose from libraries.
So IMHO, websites are more for marketing purposes and the indicator of how successful a company is from that perspective, would be how many placements does the site list and are they good ones, or just ones of reality TV shows – which means the music has been usually offered gratis. That being said, if it’s just 1 placement in a reality TV show, there is very little back end – like $1- per first airing, give or take – but blankets will add up to good money if you are the composer or publisher of all of the works in the blanket.
I’m not sure how non-exclusive libraries work in the broadcast world because so many broadcasters ban them from their search engine servers, due to legal issues of who really owns the underlying composition. I have signed preferred vendor agreements with all of the major broadcasters and most of them, except one, ban retitles on their systems. The biggest Ad Agency platform in the US also bans them.
As far as web traffic goes on a site, if you are a library that does have these preferred vendor agreements in place, your music is on those systems because you upload them there and then the clients for the most part are “self serve” – meaning producers and music executives use the internal search platforms that their company makes them use. The clients who have a hard time finding what they need reach out to the libraries personally and ask them to send playlists.
Then there are blanket agreements, which all TV and radio stations are under, as well as all unscripted TV shows (which use libraries in conjunction with, or instead of) composers. Unless you have a song (with vocals) that is needed for a feature in the program – usually meaning a well-known song because libraries have so many good songs now – there is no way you will get your music in this programming.
So IMHO, web traffic is not a good indicator of the success of a library, agency or music placement company.
https://pmamusic.com/all-prefixes/ . and just because a library is not a member of the PMA doesn’t mean they are not kicking ass at getting placements. The best you can do is find out who is getting the most placements in the shows you think your music fits best in and find out if they are looking for new composers to commission.
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.