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@ DA…I’ve written on this topic A LOT. I just spent 1.5 years moving from ASCAP to BMI. How many times has this happened?
My experience was exactly the opposite of yours. By business partner’s BMI royalties were $7,000 higher than my ASCAP royalties. Then, I got my first BMI statement and the royalties for one quarter were 2.5 times more than what I received from ASCAP for three quarters.
You might want to make sure that BMI got all of the cue sheets and air date info. AND, unlike ASCAP, they are really good at fixing things, if there’s a mistake. They sent me a special distribution instead of making me wait until the next quarter.
All of the exclusive libraries that I’ve written for want the following:
Full
underscore
:60
:30
:15That’s a pretty standard professional package. I do the same for RF libraries. Editors really do not want to carve a :30 spot out of a full cue. I make sure that the edits work musically. Do not let the library make the edits for you, unless you don’t mind having your work butchered.
_Michael
.so I have changed mine to “More advice” …Advice, you do have good advice..I will now rename myself as “more advice” !
To quote one of my favorite moments from “Moonstruck,”….”I’m confused.” 😆
Good for you Mark! That’s really admirable of you to track them down on behalf of your clients and composers.
I could give the “composer” the benefit of the doubt and guess that they mistakenly believed that a RF license gives them carte blanche to do what they want with the music. But, that’s probably too generous. The brief exposure that I had on either side of criminal law taught me to never be surprised by the things people do. All I can say is that some cultures have very different ideas about intellectual property rights and/or what is and isn’t ethical in general.
AND…some composers think that you just “sit back” and collect money! They couldn’t be more wrong.
All the best,
Michael
I use the Mackie HR824 (the old ones) and a Tannoy 10″ subwoofer. I’ve got Auralex panels around the room, and Auralex traps in the corners. I have four Russ Berger Soundcouplers mounted over the mix area.
However…when we move, I will put Real Traps in my new studio. They were highly recommended to me by a friend, who is a multi-platinum / Grammy winning engineer, with golden ears.
I’m still working on it. Maybe you’ll get it right! 😆
GEEZ!!!!! Which one of you is giving the BEST ADVICE???? 😀
My advice: use amazing players when you can
+1….now THAT is good advice!!!!
Not only can they “dial up” the sound, they’ll bring the right axe! I guess that there’s a ton of writer’s here who worry about whether or not to buy a $100 plug-in, let alone spend three times that to hire top player, but it’s well worth it.
Funny you brought that, because I just decided to start hiring players again. It can be cost effective. A good player will cut tracks ten times faster (and better) than you can fake it with samples.
_Michael
I love the “Lawerly fight” you always have in you.
Thanks. I knew I didn’t waste those grueling years of study. 🙂
I have a NE cue that became a theme of a show.
Excellent. Grow and prosper!
I have spoken to licensing execs at NBC and Gaming companies and they all say the same thing. I asked them point blank “Are you guys only licensing tracks from exclusive publishers and if so do you think composers should align themselves with E companies?” They all replied, 3 executives, “go NON EXCLUSIVE!” but at the same time, they use both kinds of companies…
That’s what I like, Information based on experience and direct communication. There’s no reason for them to not use exclusive companies.
FWIW…I didn’t say that my friend was correct. He may just be rationalizing the decision.
Continued success Good Advice!
_MichaelL
We also know that some libraries believe there is a problem and again, perception is their reality. If the two libraries (one starts with “J”, one with “S”) that get the majority of my placements stop pitching their non-exclusive catalogs (admittedly, it hasn’t seemed to happen yet), then I have to concern myself.
What I’d be interested in knowing is the difference between who they pitch their non-exclsuive catalogs to v. their exclusive catalogs.
I have a friend who takes the exclusive route with one of those libraries, and he’s convinced that he gets better placements.
One key point the article makes is exactly what I said: fingerprinting only detects performances. That’s it. It doesn’t identify any of the other, critical, information that is found on cue sheets.
frankly I am not worried about 3 years from now. I focus on the business on a quarter by quarter basis for back end and front end.
There’s isn’t an MBA on this planet who would consider that to be a good business policy, especially in a business, where conventional wisdom says it takes 5 years to succeed. Try asking the CEO of Apple or microsoft if they aren’t looking past 3 years.
For writers, I think a balanced strategy and 5 year plan is a good idea.
Mark…I’m not connecting the dots. How do you discover the illegal usage, if you don’t participate in Content ID?
Thanks,
Michael
Just don’t drink the Kool-Aid
Mark…I thought that was funny, until I realized that a huge percentage of the writers here were born long after that cultural reference occurred, and I was in college! 🙁
But hey, we old guys have something to be happy about…a new Jimi Hendrix “album.” 🙂
_Michael
In a more perfect world all the data would be embedded in the performance and automatically transmitted to the PROs.
I have to wonder why the re-titling libraries don’t form an organization, like the PMA, to set standards for themselves, and for writers. More importantly, I wonder why they don’t band together to develop and promote the technology suggested above, that would preserve their business model. Perhaps they don’t look at the “big picture” as much, and /or consider the common good of the industry.
I think the “elephant in the room” as they say, will be the issue of network blanket payments and gratis licensing, which results in Networks paying multiple times for the same music.
It’s quite possible that the PRO’s would reduce what they charge the Networks for blanket licenses, to compensate for the redundancy, which could then result in lower royalties to composers.