Michael Nickolas

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Viewing 15 posts - 331 through 345 (of 523 total)
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  • in reply to: Recent success #26903
    Michael Nickolas
    Participant

    Sorry for your circumstances, and I know what you mean. Most of my income comes from custom song writing for the educational market. When I’m in between work for hire projects, it’s nice to have whatever income the library business can bring.

    in reply to: Recent success #26899
    Michael Nickolas
    Participant

    Thanks to everyone for taking the time to post! Like Art has said before, you never know what news the next email you get could bring!

    in reply to: New and need some opinions #26867
    Michael Nickolas
    Participant

    It takes a lot of research to find libraries best suited or most interested. I think that’s why no responses here. Maybe narrow it down to a handful you would consider, then read and/or post in that libraries listing page.

    in reply to: Mastering for Music Libraries #26854
    Michael Nickolas
    Participant

    It’s like cooking, you can always re-heat something undercooked, once it’s overcooked it’s overcooked… Basically it’s easy to add loudness

    I always worked under the assumption that adding loudness with a L1 type of plug-in was a once only thing. Files should not be processed in this manner twice. If you want to add loudness go back to the original file. Same with “overcooking”, go back to the original file.

    in reply to: New ascap website #26847
    Michael Nickolas
    Participant

    Didn’t think of that, thanks!

    in reply to: New ascap website #26843
    Michael Nickolas
    Participant

    Using the new website, has anybody figured out how to filter works to show tracks registered within a date range? If I click “More Search Options” a column called Submission Details shows, with start and end date fields. Doesn’t seem to do anything though. Nothing comes up regardless of the dates entered.

    in reply to: Coming from custom scoring to library scoring #26837
    Michael Nickolas
    Participant

    I guess you mean the possibility of a client seeing you have a track for sale on RF and saying hey, why do you charge me so much for custom score when your RF pieces are so cheap? Still, it’s two different markets. They are paying a premium for custom music, where stock pieces just won’t cut it. They are paying for all the revisions needed to reach their vision of the music. Maybe paying to hire musicians and vocalists. Paying for the composer to work to their deadlines and to deliver whatever they ask for.

    But, I also see the possibility of them not understanding all that, when a completed RF track costs forty bucks. So I guess I’m no help. 🙂

    in reply to: Coming from custom scoring to library scoring #26829
    Michael Nickolas
    Participant

    I don’t see why not to use your name. Custom score work and library tracks are two very different endeavors. I don’t see you competing with yourself. Clients that use custom score do so because a library track is not going to work for them. I also don’t think having tracks in libraries would affect what you are paid to custom score. I’ve done a lot of custom writing. The pay is good because of the back and forth required, always making changes to please the client. Then there are the deadlines and most likely giving away rights as a work for hire job. Having tracks in a library wouldn’t change this.

    in reply to: Big fish audio #26783
    Michael Nickolas
    Participant

    I just emailed them a few days ago to ask a pre-sales question – wanted to know if I bought a certain product would they provide a special use license. They responded in a reasonable amount of that that yes a SUL was available for that product. Didn’t mention any change in their agreement.

    FWIW – I’ve never had a problem getting a SUL and never saw it as a barrier, but I don’t tend to buy construction kit format, more groupings of a single instrument. Then again, it will be nice not to have the extra step.

    Michael Nickolas
    Participant

    Loops definitely have a place in-conjunction with live instruments. They are great for adding color. For example you might do a country piece recording live resonator guitar, acoustic guitar, bass and etc. Then pepper it with some pedal steel loops and it really adds something. Many times I’ve had people ask me who’s playing the sax? Or how did you record the fiddle? They are not hearing an attempt to mimic live playing at all, but a natural and real sounding part. I know there are some who can use MIDI effectively, and program realistic string and other parts, but not me. Looking at a softsynth with all the programable knobs and parameters just makes my eyes glaze over.

    in reply to: Are You Genre Specific? #26744
    Michael Nickolas
    Participant

    also those people who have a passion for lets say Jazz for example are always going to be a million times better at making it than me who doesn’t like the genre.

    My all time best selling/earning track is an African piece. What do I know about African music? I’m a middle aged guy living in Massachusetts since the 80s’s. I always wonder, why don’t the music supervisors just get a piece created by authentic African musicians? I don’t know why mine gets used frequently, but it does.

    Other styles in my top ten for uses/sales are Indian, Bebop Jazz and Minimalist. How’s the old saying go? “When you limit yourself, you’re only limiting yourself”. 🙂

    in reply to: Exclusive vs. Non-Exclusive Strategy? #26724
    Michael Nickolas
    Participant

    If you have great tracks present the music and just ask if they want to take it in non-exclusively

    I had good results with this recently. I joined a new to me library over the summer with a handful of exclusive tracks. After getting my foot in the door that way, I offered up any tracks they might like from my non-exclusive catalog. They took me up on it and signed a good portion of my tracks non-exclusively. I consider the exclusive tracks I gave them the price of admission. Of course I do have a reversion clause on those.

    in reply to: Exclusive vs. Non-Exclusive Strategy? #26713
    Michael Nickolas
    Participant

    My last ASCAP statement (domestic) showed my music placed by ten different libraries. Six of the ten were formally non-exclusive, but now have gone to an exclusive model. One was always exclusive, one went the performance royalty free model with a 35/65 split and one is in the graveyard. Only one remains non-exclusive, but is not active enough.

    So in analyzing that, I don’t see a non-exclusive library that I can put my music into (not talking RF here). If I don’t feed the exclusive libraries tracks, eventually my back-end will dry up. Unless someone wants to tell me privately the names of these great non-exclusive libraries filling their statements with placements. 🙂

    in reply to: PRO deposit #26706
    Michael Nickolas
    Participant

    I see, that explains why, in some cases, you would register cues. Do you split publishing with the artist, or take 100%?

    in reply to: PRO deposit #26703
    Michael Nickolas
    Participant

    From my experience AS usually registers tracks for you.

    Why would a non-exclusive RF company register tracks with a PRO? They have no stake in collecting writer or publishing royalties. Am I missing something with AS?

Viewing 15 posts - 331 through 345 (of 523 total)
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