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Do cue sheets have a field for sync fee paid?
No.
Sorry wilx2, that discussion was part of the PMA fall meeting two years ago. I only have a vague recollection. But, as I said the general jist of the discussion was the potential great harm being done by gratis licensing, when it comes to setting future internet royalty rates. Those rates are likely to be only a fraction of broadcast and cable rates, so I wouldn’t jump for joy as more people move away from broadcast.
The PROS and PMA member libraries are fighting to protect royalty rates. Hopefully, they will be successful.DP, I don’t think there is nothing to worry about really. If the internet will become the main place where people consume media then those places will pay licence fees to BMI ASCAP etc and we will get royalties
Actually music pro there IS a lot to worry about. Internet use only pays a fraction of what broadcast use pays. So royalties could drop significantly. This topic was discussed at a PMA meeting a few years ago.
Moreover, if I recall correctly, the “tribunal” that sets royalty rates bases the amount of royalties paid on some formula in relation to sync fees paid. The concern at the meeting was that the practice of gratis licensing was eventually going to erode the amount of royalties paid, becuase there are no sync fees being paid.
In other words, while gratis licensing may yield a short term gain in the broadcast world, you are screwing yourself in the long run, with the internet.
So, yes, if your music income is backend based, I’d worry. Internet is going to pay, but not nearly as much as TV.
_MichaelFor more reading, if you think I’m making up the “tribunal,” see here: http://www.copyright.gov/pr/carp.html , specifically with respect to “rate making.”
@soundspot, when you say “self-published” do you mean that you have a publishing company, or that you just assign the publishing to yourself?
1) I had an ASCAP publishing company. Its election date was two quarters different than my writer election date. As such, the windows for notifying ASCAP that I was switching my writer membership and moving my catalog were six months apart. That really complicated things.
2) Except for RF libraries, where I own the publishing, I have only written for 7 or 8 money-upfront exclusive libraries. I have not, and do not, retitle, so I cannot answer your questions regarding that.
3) I left all of my older library cues at ASCAP. But...a lot of library music has a “best when used by” date on it. Most of those cues are more than 10 years old and have really run their course.
Cheers,
MichaelYes. Flooding the market with quality music is the key to success. There really is no secret besides that.
DI, I think the concept of “flooding the market” has too many negative connotations. We’re not in the business of writing hit songs that can make millions of dollars from a single work (as a general rule). In this world, we are each our own business, which is analogous to being our own store. From a practical standpoint,the more products that you have to sell, the more opportunities you have. It’s that simple.
For anyone who has grand artistic visions this sort of commodification is an anathema….the race to the bottom, yadda yadda yadda. Yet, others, who are efficient and have no pretenses to limit their potential can do well.* That’s not to say that you can produce crap, quite the opposite. But, production values, not intellectual content tend to weigh more heavily.
* And before anyone chimes in with “you’ll never get placed in a high-end UK documentary that way,” don’t choke on your tea and hyperventilate. I know. I’m addressing the broadest swath of the market, not an esoteric niche.
_Michael
For instance, Library A says they won’t accept submissions from composers that submit to Library B.
Does that mean, that if I submit completely different tracks to Library A than I already have to Library B it’s okay, or do they operate a ‘blanket ban’, resulting in the need for a pseudonym?
Check with the individual library. But, I think Lee from AudioSparx recently said here that it was OK, as long as it’s not the same cues.
As far as going low end with a pseudonym, that’s what I would do, but not for the purpose of getting around library rules.I’ve just started out in library music. At this point I’ve submitted ten tracks to 8 non-exlusive libraries. Most have been approved so far but I have a couple of questions for you experienced guys.
It’s been a couple of weeks, and I don’t appear to be getting any views, never mind purchases. I’ve worked hard on tagging and descriptions.
Is this normal due to the saturation of the market, or am I missing a trick. Or is it that I haven’t uploaded enough music yet?
The only thing that you’re missing is a few hundred cues. Ten cues, unfortunately won’t get you noticed.
My second question is about pseudonyms. Some libraries don’t want to accept tracks from composers submitting to other libraries. Are pseudonym a way to get around this, or is it considered unethical?
It depends. As Advice and Chuck said, this would be a contract violation, and at the very least get you dumped, if you are talking about submitting the same cues to the “banned” libraries. Some libraries, however, are OK with you submitting to lower end libraries, as long as the cues are completely different. In other words, don’t try different titles and a pseudonym to get around these limits. It wouldn’t be a good idea.
Everyone has to start somewhere, but I suggest you read all the threads that discuss how many cues it takes to make a go of this…1,000+
_Michael
Another thought: ask Marina Garza at Tag Team Analysis about keywording / tagging your music. I think their prices are reasonable.
It might help.Best of luck,
Michael
I’m not sure how narrow the market is – I seem to hear it fairly regularly. Maybe just wishful thinking!
That’s why I asked about keywords and tagging. Your potential customers may not know that they are looking for Philip Glass film score stlye music. They are looking for moods.
@Bigg rome read the WSJ article that I just posted, and the Desire Inspires also posted (another link). JP is locked with their clients for reality shows like “Pawn Stars” etc. One person’s Tweets aren’t going to undo those relationships.
Just curious, though, how do you tag and keyword your music? Could make all the difference in the world. I’d keep it simple “edgy dramatic” “dark strings” …things like that.
There are probably two people searching “Philip Glass.”
You should read the WSJ article on Jingle Punks that I just posted.
They don’t use keywords like “pizzicato” because the majority of their clients aren’t musically literate.Cheers,
MichaelNice work Richard, but very narrow market. You might try contacting Gael Macgregor at Musicsupervisor.com or Maddie Madsen (Art has her info). They’ll probably charge you for a consultation, but it might be worth it, if you find a good fit.
Cheers,
MichaelPerhaps following the Wall Street Journal, instead of Twitter is more informative. Business is business. And in this business, your luckky to get your 10 seconds on a cue sheet.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323393804578555944104190584.html
how’s RV and that’s for short SFX..I’m pretty sure you can get $10. for longer SFX but that’s it..I still find it worth selling there and they do well by me but would love to get up to my average of $16. per SFX…Jay
Recreational Vehicle??? 😛
Thanks Jay. Yeah that’s probably about right for their market, which is fine if you make it up in volume.