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An eleven page ASCAP statement from 12 years ago paid me just about the same amount as an eighty one page statement from January 2021.
When asked “why can I have triple the number of placements, same venue’s and have the same payout, BMI essentially just shrugged their shoulders and said “that’s just how it is”. Essentially, no matter what I do, or how many new shows I add – I’ve hit the proverbial glass ceiling. I must say though that I don’t rattle their cage a lot. I suppose if I did I might eek more out of them. BMI is not a helpful or well paying organization IMO.
Given all the negative changes in our business over recent time, I felt like I was working for pennies, and that is not where I want to be.
I hear ya. For me, it’s never been about huge payouts on individual placements. Sure, they come in from time to time, but it’s been large numbers of continually playing shows that make the backbone of my payments. Lots and lots and lots of little trickles make a huge river.
Unfortunately, my actual bottom line payouts have roughly stayed the “same” for a decade – even though adding hundreds of placements. The ultimate payout has gone from 10’s of dollars, to dollars, to quarters, and now, with streaming sometimes down to $0.01. I guess you can’t go lower than that eh? LOL. There ARE more venue’s to be played / streamed at though, but even so, the numbers per placement or per title are down significantly. (After talking with several publishers and writers, it’s looking like close to a 90% decrease in payout when your show goes to streaming – and that’s a hard pill to swallow.)
So yeah, starting out and seeing pennies is not a great way to get excited about earning a living in production music. I think that perhaps it still can be done, but I wouldn’t want to be the one trying to figure out the new game plan. Plus….when AI hits, I think all bets are off. We’re going to see another huge paradigm shift. At that point, once the glut ensues and music users are overwhelmed with the mass of input — the only ones selling custom music will be those who make it with REAL musicians, recorded with microphones and real instruments. That will be the final frontier I think.
But it’s all just my observations and opinion. cheers,
thanks for sharing your story Lawriter. its interesting your strategy is a lot based around getting thousands more tracks into the system. other long term composers have said to me its not the number of tracks its the quality level of the tracks. for example 500 amazing tracks will go alot further than 3000 mediocre tracks.
Who said anything about 3000 mediocre tracks? I consider my production game to be at the top. My writing is skilled and honed to a T. You’ve got to deliver at the top level or you’re not even IN the game.
After many years of tracking what gets used and what doesn’t and “why” and talking with editors and clients – I would disagree with the amazing vs. numbers comment. At least in writing for TV/Film. Commercials and trailers are somewhat different.
There are so many factors that go into a piece of music being chosen, and there are at least a hundred types of styles that get chosen for an incredibly varied set of uses. Having a good number of titles in a wide variety of styles is what gets you placements. There is no substitute for that IMO. It’s a simple numbers game. The “I only need a few incredible songs” is an artist style perspective and this is not an artist game. Yeah, you can do it that way – but you have to be the one in a million guy. There are thousands of the rest of us making it with numbers…. Best,
Some kids with a laptop can belt out 1000 tracks in no time. The tracks would be legal but would lack soul.
That won’t really be the legit composers main problem. AI will do it 1000 times faster than “some kids” will.
Writing is my main job. I have several other methods of income streams though as well. I’m well over $60k annually from my writing, but IMO, it takes pretty much at least $100k + to live in the US with a house, studio and family these days. I’m outside your range of 10 years, but I’d guess that the vast majority of anyone making $60k + is outside that boundary as well.
Music has always been my “day job”, and I’ve done many things over the course of my career – arranger, film/TV composer, music copyist, session musician, ghost writer, producer, recording engineer, music editor, touring musician, etc., etc. and yes – writing for libraries. So my “transition” back to writing (now pretty much writing for my own production company and a handful of others) was not as dramatic as leaving a job as a CPA to take up music. :). That said, serendipitous situations led me to be writing more and more, and producing / playing or composing for others less and less, and eventually the transition was complete. And now, it’s rare for me to do anything musically outside of my own production company.
IMO, 4 years is not nearly enough time to make a living in this biz. I started transitioning into writing for libraries seriously around 2007. And I was late to the game IMO. At this point, I have almost 2500 titles in play, and have placements in probably 500+ films/shows and thousands of actual “episodes”. And even so, streaming and industry change has stopped me short of where I would like to see my income with the titles I have. For reference – I focus mostly on film/TV underscore – not commercials or trailers.
I used to think 1000 titles would get you “there”. Then, as the industry started to change from the “old school” way it had been for years, I rethought things, and changed the number to “2000” songs/titles. Well….. With the deterioration of the industry, I’m beginning to think that maybe it’s 3000? Haha! Not sure, but I think I can make it there by the time I retire. Or maybe I’ll never get to retire. LOL
I have a dozen + publishers, but these days, I find myself writing for outside publishers less and less – trying to retain ownership of as much of my content as possible. I’d guess that 70% of my music based income is directly from sync / back end.
If I had a crystal ball and could have seen where things are going, I would seriously have thought about another industry, but honestly, I’m a musician and I’m not sure what else I could have done…. But at this point in the game, most of the newcomers are going to be relegated to part time, hobbyist, starving musician, frugal living, or depending on their significant other to carry the lions share of fiscal responsibility.
I consider myself extremely lucky, fortunate and blessed. And I’m not sure I could actually pull it off again if I had to start off with the industry the way it is now.
Actually, I seem to have the opposite problem. Kinda. I want to “give back” now that the end of my career is closer than the beginning of it, and try as hard as I can to try to convince some local talented people to join in and learn the biz – earning while they learn – they seem more intent with performing live, geeking out over guitars and pedals, hanging out with friends, etc..
I’m more than happy to teach someone I get along with, who I have seen has the talent to make it, etc., but they all seem to be focused towards either instant success – or what I would consider laziness. And I have no time for those types.
Mine was down significantly (maybe 50-60%) over last quarter, but last quarter was double what a good quarter usually pays out for me. (had good foreign, and one mega placement k-pop thing that played 7 times and paid out low 5 figures.). So in that respect, it didn’t seem too bad. About normal, maybe slightly less.
For whatever it’s worth – Rident is a US based Neighboring Rights collection agency that not only collects in Brazil, but across the world. They have done good by me.
Really? Is that common phrase considered “profanity”? Poor *****rd stepchild?
Websters defines *****rd as ” an illegitimate child. ” – which was exactly my intended useage – and exactly how BMI treats production music composers. Didn’t use it in a profane way IMO. PS – sorry for the derailment.
@LAwriter. FYI, profanity will end up in the moderation cue every time. Just me being old fashion I guess. ?
Really? I remember no profanity Art. Of course, I was talking about BMI, so it may be possible.
I’m sure BMI & ASCAP both have their flaws. The debate between ASCAP & BMI goes on…
Absolutely. I have so many gripes with BMI I can’t list them. Not going to air it out in public. Bottom line, I’ve often thought about moving to ASCAP. But I know things are just as bad there.
We need a PRO for production music composers. if we could do that, BMI and ASCAP would be gutted and virtually ineffective. Instead, they treat production music composers like the poor b*****d stepchildren of the music industry. While we keep the rest of composers in business…..
off my soap box now.
Some random thoughts on catalog, numbers, and money :
How many tracks you need, and how much money they will generate depends a LOT on the nature of the tracks, where you are marketing them into and how diverse the catalog is. It also depends on what the industry NEEDS right now. Diversity of a catalog plays in HUGE – having 2000 instrumental hip hop tracks is not going to net you 4X’s more money than 500 instrumental hip hop tracks. Having 500 Hip Hop tracks. 500 Orchestral tracks, 500 Americana tracks, and 500 EDM tracks WILL (all things being equal) net you far more than having 2000 hip hop tracks. Even more diversity is desirable. Quality and diversity is critical for long term survival.
Trailers and Commercials – you will need less tracks and make some more $$ as those markets are still somewhat viable for the top industry earners. Underscore for TV (my main gig) you will need exponentially more tracks, and make exponentially less than just a few years ago – making it exponentially more difficult, and harder to get to those numbers.
In terms of “quality” vs. “sub-par quality” tracks. Eh….experience shows me that to get INTO libraries you need high end production and writing skills, but to get USED, people will often choose your crappiest tracks. Every time I get a brief to write for a TV show, I’m quite literally appalled at the musicality and production quality. It’s quite poor, and nowhere near the quality it should be IMO. An example that backs that scenario up – I just made shy of a 5 figure placement for SEVEN performances of a track that I can’t even believe someone would use. A throwaway alt mix that I threw in for editors – not figuring anyone would even use it for anything. Go figure. If I turned that into a library currently – I’d get laughed out of the office. And yet, for me, a indisputable best payout track.
For all sides of the industry, it is indisputable that there is ever increasing pressure from more writers / producers of music, and there is a downward push for budgets. That is not how you define a healthy industry. How that will play out over the next 10 + years is undetermined. But it’s not an upwardly expanding market like computer sciences, AI or the like….
Choose wisely….
It would be worse if VCs were dumping music companies for nothing.
They will be after the Artificial Intelligence VC’s kick their butts.
LAWriter, although I’ve said to a friend years ago the music business could only go one way, up (and it might have gone, with peak production music and the ascension of Spotify?), I just read an interview from the president of NMPA and he’s optimistic about the biz right now. Many VC companies are investing, Artlist and Songtradr got multi million funding recently… I didn’t return because of them, but it surely is a good sign prospect wise.
Yeah, that bodes well for being in the business of taking advantage of cheap content. You’re on the wrong side of the fence if you think you’re going to be making big money as a composer / producer / musician because venture capitalists are moving in.
LAWriter, you’re talking mostly bubbles
Well, you can pursue a “bubble” that’s growing exponentially, or you can pursue one that’s already popped, and been washed down the drain. Your choice. Long term career choices are always a bit sketchy unless you happen to have a very accurate crystal ball.