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Great insight Daniel.
I believe that there is room for everybody in the music licensing business. No one path is better than another.
I have received $199.79 for a placement on Nick.
You do not have permission to view this content.One curious thing…the annual NCTA payment, which is in the September statement was $.07 instead of $1,000 + !!!!! WT*????
But you can always make up the difference with volume, right?!?
On the serious side, that is one heck of a blow to income. Going from $1,000 to 7 cents sounds troubling. Are you going to write the NCTA or BMI to learn more?
I wouldn’t do it.
No problem, Art.
And DI, I agree 100% with Michael L. Home gamer, hobbyists need to look at the situation from the pro composer perspective and consider how their actions affect an entire business.
Hobbyists are not going to care about the entire business because they are not professionals; they are hobbyists!
DIY composers have just as much right to participate and make music as anyone else. I honestly have not seen any amateur take away jobs from professionals. [Removed by moderator as irrelevant]
Remember, no matter how tough the business is, the cream always rises to the top! 🙂
@Desire Inspires…how about if your employer hires someone to do your job at 1/10 your salary, just because they are only doing it for “money on the side as a supplement?”
You OK with that? It’s just business.
It doesn’t matter what I think about it.
If a business wants to hire cheaper labor, there is nothing I can do to stop them unless I take an even lower salary. Companies outsource and offshore labor all of the time. It isn’t right to the employees losing their jobs, but it will happen if it benefits the company.
Music licensing is a tough business. Arguing about right or wrong will not change anything when money is at stake. I have realized that for a while now. I just have to either find new ways to compete or choose a different line of work. No one is immune to being laid off or suffering a drop in income. The world economy is vicious.
I am no revolutionary. I would rather focus on finding ways to make money than working to change the world.
As a composer you should also consider that you are part of influencing the industry – by placing your music in RF or an exclusive library you automatically take a stand on what price level you consider is fair. Should music for a worldwide commercial cost $50 or $20.000?
I disagree.
People tend to politicize issues that are not political. The music business is only about business. There is no stand to take or war to win.
If someone wants to make $50 for a worldwide commercial, that is a good thing. Not everyone is trying to make a career in music. Some just want money on the side as a supplement.
Besides, most composers are not going to make $20,000 for a commercial on a consistent basis. The business can be tough. There is no need to make people feel inferior for making different choices.
There seems to be too much thought put into the whole ordeal. I say stick with whatever solution brings in the money for you. This may include NOT working with music libraries or royalty free sites.
You can actually build your own music library and create a clean & professional site inexpensively.
Am I making this too complicated or is this a legitimate concern?
You are making this too complicated.
A lot more, the $ earned per minute of slower, more refined music is noticeable.
That is good.
I have a bunch of music out there already. The money will come eventually, or not! But the chase for royalties isn’t fun anymore. I remembered when I started out a few years ago.
Companies that didn’t pay upfront always stressed the importance of backend royalties growing and growing every year. That doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. At least not for me.
They go up and down pretty wildly. I do not know what to expect anymore. Even though I have music in more shows, I do not necessarily expect a big increase in PRO money. That is unfortunate considering the amount of time I spent making music. My music is not mind-blowing, but I get staedy placements in shows. That shows that I have some talent and a marketable product.
Anyway, thanks for the tips guys.
Oops, somewhere along the line everyone decided to make themselves cheaper. We devalued ourselves. I always set a goal of making the cue good enough to hopefully claw back a grand in earnings through royalties and license fees over time. Easier said than done….
More advice, do you think that you will make a difference and command $1,000 doing work-for-hire assignments? If you already are commanding this, how did you set yourself apart from others?
I am always interested in learning how the successful people got to where they are. I know that many composers, including me, are busy chasing libraries and seeking out work.
I now want to learn about those composers that have stopped chasing opportunities and are now being chased or at least courted by music production companies that pay money for music.
I used to ‘write’ (and I use that term loosely) very quickly when I was working for TV music companies full time. Sometimes we’d be writing 5 or more tracks a day. It was fun to crank out a lot, but it’s unsustainable, and after a while very unsatisfying creatively.
Have you found more joy in slowing down? More success?
Thanks for the advice. It will take time and education for me to change my approach.