1,729 thoughts on “General Questions”

  2. Does anyone know of an online resource that lists all dates a particular tv show has been aired?

    I just found out about my first cue placement. It was on a Discovery Channel show called Hillbilly Handfishin. I am curious how many time the show has aired.

    All I can find is original air dates.

        • Hey Gary, I see that you have a lot of songs in Audiosparx. How is that working out for you? I am not quite sure if my stuff would sync well with their site. Just curious.

          • Synth:
            I have been with them since July of 2010, and have done pretty well. They tend to charge more for their tracks, so I don’t do a huge volume with them, but when I do make a sale it is more dollars than other sites.

            In fact this quarter has been my best with them since joining.

            They are great people to work with as well. Barbie and Lee are extremely helpful in getting the most from your tracks. They also have quite a few distribution partners which also helps to bring in some extra money. All in all, I highly recommend them.

  4. Yeah, it would be cool. Probably pretty tough though since everyone is spread out.

    No I’m not, I’m an east coast boy. Philly area.

  6. Synth,

    Sorry you feel that way.

    I’m very busy — currently writing for 5 television shows (6 or 7 next year), and writing and reviewing tracks for our library. I’ve tried to offer concrete and practical advice on how to advance in this business, based upon my experience as a television composer, library composer, publisher AND attorney.

    Some of my answers were based upon what I would expect from, and look for, in choosing to work with another writer for our television shows and library. My expectations are not likely to be very different from any other exclusive library or publisher.

    It takes a lot of time to provide thoughtful answers, especially if there are legal issues involved. I don’t gain anything by taking the time to answer those questions. however, I think that doing so has reached a point of diminishing value.

    Best of luck in your career.

    Michael

    • Hey Michael, I deleted synth’s comment you are responding to. Really counter-productive and when people get into name calling I have no use for them. If he keeps it up he will be banned. I for one appreciate all the time you take to willingly share your knowledge and expertise.

      Have a Happy Holiday!

      Art

      • Hey Art,

        No worries. And, no problem with Synth. He’s young and passionate which is generally a good combination.

        The hardest thing to convey here is the intangible. We can talk about music, exclusive, non-exclusive, royalty-free, until we’re blue in the face. But, how do you communicate professionalism, protocol, decorum — the stuff that is essential for making it in the business world? These things can be as important as your musical chops.

        All the best,

        Michael

    • @ Michael:
      Looks like you have a lot going on.
      My co composer and I would love to help out.
      Love to submit! How does that work since you’re
      always looking?!!,,,,

      • Hi Dan,

        “My co composer and I would love to help out.
        Love to submit! How does that work since you’re
        always looking?!!,,,,”

        Thanks. I do have a lot going on, but see my response to daverock below. One of the reasons that I choose to stay semi-anonymous is that I do not want to be deluged by submissions. Our library is exclusive and I have one other hand-picked writer working on the shows. He’s great, but it takes a lot of time to review just one other person’s work. So, for now, we’re not accepting submissions. Sorry.

        All the best,

        Michael

    • I think the great thing about this site is the broad range of views and experience on here. I find it easy personally, to distinguish the people whose advice and comments I listen to and take in and those I don’t. If someone makes a blanket comment, they get called on it quite rightly.

      There is no right or wrong , Exclusive v Non exclusive. retitling v sole copywrite control etc. But there are many different issues to be aware of whatever you do, and this is what this great resource is about.

      And of course you can disregard whatever I say too, it’s all part of it. I can only answer based on my experience ( of which I have a lot of considering my age LOL).

      And finally “Music is in the ears of the beholder” in this game. Your opus may never get licensed but your
      30 second version of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star may make your mortgage payment.

  7. Thank you Synth Player 🙂 I do understand ” exclusive ” in most part , it’s just that I’ve read and been told from more than a few exclusives about the point I brought up , just wanted other artist’s input for some clarification independently from the influence from the library.

  8. Thank you everybody , sincerely appreciated, it all helps. Michael 🙂 , It wasn’t my intention to start anything negative.

    • JS, you asked some great questions. There can never be anything negative as long as people speak from experience. All of our experiences are a bit different. Please feel free to call out people on information if it sounds or feels strange. I myself have no problem discussing my success/failure. Others will feel differently about revealing their progress.

  9. Also, some non-exclusive libraries may actually be exclusive. Read the contracts carefully. Some non-exclusives only allow their composers to personally sell their music, but not be signed to other libraries. It would be nice if the terms exclusive and non-exclusive had more concrete meanings.

    • We usually call those “semi-exclusive”. That is where it’s either exclusive to film/TV pitches only -OR- just as far as other libraries are concerned.

      🙂

  10. Hello ! Just a question and observation about exclusive libraries ? example … if Co.A licenses a track can Co.B also license the same track from that exclusive library ? If so, what really is the purpose of exclusive as they explain it, besides the idea of only them having the track in their library ? They say that one purpose is so a client doesn’t have to be concerned about someone else using the track, if so then their reasoning then doesn’t add up, or am I missing something ? I apologize if this appears in an existing thread, I’m hoping it’s a new topic, it’s my first posting. Thank you.

    • Hi JS
      I think we need to clarify things a bit. When we talk about library exclusivity, we are talking about them being the only ones who REPRESENT that track to end-users (film/TV sups), not with respect to the end-users themselves.

      If you sign an exclusive contract with a music library, depending on the contract wording, they are either the only LIBRARY who represents your track to film/TV sups or the only ENTITY that does that. The idea is, there won’t be conflicts with a music sup getting the same track from multiple sources.

      However, the exclusive library can license your track to as many end users as possible (unless a deal they make prohibits that which is not that common and might require your additional approval). It’s not at all unusual for an exclusive libary to place your track in multiple places.

      Am I making sense? Does that help?
      🙂

      • An exclusive library can also add a composer’s music to multiple non-exclusive libraries. Don’t be fooled by exclusivity. Only a handful of exclusive libraries are worth the hassle. Exclusivity is in the best interest of the library, not the composer.

        • I have to disagree with the broad, sweeping statements about exclusive libraries. There are some excellent ones out there making good money for composers. Many of these have high end clients that won’t deal with non-exclusive/re-title libraries. Remember, some major networks are already balking at taking any tracks from non-exclusives.

          That doesn’t mean all or any exclusives are better for anyone than non-exclusives. Not at all. It’s case by case, situation by situation.

          Also remember that in the exclusive domain is custom work to spec. Here you often get an upfront fee (not always) but the publishing goes to the library for life. You collect writer’s share.

          It’s important that none of us judge libraries (myself included!) by how hard it is to get our tracks accepted by them.

          • +1

            Art…time for the reality filter. There are a lot of potentially harmful opinions and often bad advice coming from writers with relatively little experience.

            Many writers have strong opinions, that’s OK. But, thoughtful and measured answers, not blanket statements, are most helpful.

            _Michael

            • “Art…time for the reality filter. There are a lot of potentially harmful opinions and often bad advice coming from writers with relatively little experience.

              I agree that there are some potentially harmful opinions on here, especially in reference to exclusive libraries.

              I tell you what I object to most though, is people dishing out supposedly ‘expert’ opinions when really there is no evidence to suggest they know any more than the next man. Fine, be an expert but then post some recent stuff and let’s see what you’ve got to back up the words. This is such a common thing on music forums – everyone’s an expert but then when asked “OK, show me what you can do” things go a bit quiet.

              An old Chinese proverb once said: “Before speaking from a great height, it is necessary to have first climbed the mountain”. With some people on here I’m getting rather a ‘base camp’ vibe.

              In general guys, I say consider your posts. You want to find out about exclusives? Go and listen to some! Do the research. Look at some cue sheets, see what’s being used in films.

              Compare and contrast to non-exclusives. Consider the merits of each. Trust your ears. What do you want? Usage? Money? Just some recognition and someone to accept a track or two? Enough to leave the day job? A hobby? What do you want in the long term? Are you prepared to pump out 100 trax a year with no income for the first 2-3? Can you offer something new and unique? or are you another one doing dance music with long intros?

              Consider all these and plan accordingly and don’t be swayed by what people post on here, which is sometimes helpful and occasionally not.

              • Hi Daverock,

                What kind of evidence I can produce that will satisfy you? Simply posting a current track is meaningless. But….I’ve written hundreds of tracks for 8 exclusive libraries. I currently write for, and publish, music for 5 television shows. My theme music alone will air over 100,000 times next year. I am a composer, publisher AND an attorney. If that’s not expert enough for you….what is?

                I am not semi-anonymous because I have nothing to show. It is because I do not want be deluged by submissions.

                You’re advice below is right on target.

                “Compare and contrast to non-exclusives. Consider the merits of each. Trust your ears. What do you want? Usage? Money? Just some recognition and someone to accept a track or two? Enough to leave the day job? A hobby? What do you want in the long term? Are you prepared to pump out 100 trax a year with no income for the first 2-3? Can you offer something new and unique? or are you another one doing dance music with long intros?”

                We’re on the same page.

                Best,

                Michael

            • Art, I see that daverock responded to this post, but I cannot read his entire post (maybe it’s awaiting moderation).

              Thanks,

              Michael

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