1,729 thoughts on “General Questions”

  1. How long does it take anyone else to upload 1 gig to a site – I have been having such a problem with this. I am using yummy ftp on a mac and it honestly takes me 1 or 2 days to get some of my library up. Please could some one suggest any way that they have found thats faster ? i am with virgin broadband. thanks to anyone who can suggest anything. dustin.

  3. My experience so far with music libraries Yooka, Music Dealers, Jinglepunks is very dissaponting after between 8-10 months. However, Pump Audi despite it’s controversial % rates has got me consistent placements in high profile shows, a Sony Playstation game and a film.

    I will continue to send music to Pump.

  4. Survey question for Film/TV composer and songwriters:

    Do you place the same tracks in multiple non-exclusive libraries?

    Thanks

  5. Thank you for the replies. Some of my music is jazz based, but I’ve been branching out a lot over the last year. Here is a site I put up for new music:
    http://www.bolvinmusic.com/newstuff.html
    And here is my latelst cd: http://www.bolvinmusic.com/ebjazz-cd5.html
    Some of the libraries that I am signed with (all non-exclusive)
    Moon Lab, Crucial, Freeplay, Muziko, Audiosocket, Soundfile, Musync. There’s about 20 all in all.
    I am also up on some of the self-serve sites: Audio Sparx, MS-Pro.
    I see a lot of posts on this site about people getting loads of placements and just wondering what, if anything I am doing wrong.
    Thanks for your time and advice!

    Eb

    • Cool tracks ebjazz. I’m sure success is right around the corner for you.

      Good luck, John 🙂

    • Eb,

      Like you, I do jazz as one of my styles. I am trying to diversify my catalog with an eye on “shelf life” . Some genres won’t be used as frequently but they will potentially have a longer life and usage.

      Jazz IMO will generally have a long shelf life. The more current trendy stuff (like a Lady Gaga bed track) may be used more quickly but may not have as long a “shelf life” (that is until 20 years from now the next generation finds Lady Gaga and there is a demand for that as a retro style 🙂 )

      I think as long as the music is high quality it will find it’s way to the market.

      A friend of mine has some Chinese music in a library (it may be Crucial) and he has told me that the track shows up fairly regularly on his BMI statements. When there is a scene in a Chinese reataurant–there’s his track. Another example of both building a diversified catalog and one with varying shelf life’s (or is it lives???)

      BTW I have found the jazz sensibility of playing lines has been a transferable skill set to doing World music, in particular Asian music. I have numerous tracks in libraries with Japanese and Chinese instrumentation. (libraries that pitch travel shows and Discovery Network) I usually come up with a theme and then improvise the other parts with a call and response approach.

      Chuck

  6. So I’ve signed many tracks with libraries but no placements. What can I do to get placements? Anything?
    How do I know if my music is being used? I’ve checked ASCAP and nothing says that there is any usage.
    Thanks for the cool site and help.

    • What libraries are you writing for? The best way to get placements is simply to write for the best libraries. Now there are hundreds of libraries springing up who are mostly feeding off scraps as far as I can tell.

      I might be repeating myself but I think there are perhaps 10 libraries at most worldwide worth dealing with if you have any aspiration of making a decent liveable wage off of royalties.

      Unfortunately, the flawed and misleading ratings system on this otherwise excellent site doesn’t help. If libraries were rated on how much they earn you on average, usage ratios, marketing clout, quality of placements – well, that would be useful info (impossible to do though). As it is I suspect the ratings are delivered (from what I’ve seen) by people who have had either positive or negative responses to their demo and they mark accordingly.

    • “How do I know if my music is being used?”

      Your placements will only show up on ASCAP statements if cue sheets are turned in. Do you get a percent of the licensing? If so the library should send you a statement (normally quarterly or twice a year).

      “What can I do to get placements?”

      So many variables, it’s difficult to answer that. If a library isn’t getting you placements after a reasonable amount of time, find other libraries that may work better for you.

      It partially depends on how film/TV user friendly your tracks are. Sometimes those exciting “gems” don’t work as well as a laid-back track that sets well behind a scene. Incorporate a variety of moods in your arsenal of tracks. Never know what clients are looking for.

      Also, if you only have a couple tracks in a library that has a couple hundred thousand tracks, you may never be discovered. Spread your music around like fertilizer, hopefully something will sprout up.

      Hang in there, success may be just around the corner.

      It took my first library two years before I had a placement.

    • What genre of music have you signed? As your name suggests, is it jazz? If so, that’s a very narrow market. It is not, as John (the other John) suggest, very film/tv user friendly for a number of reasons.

      You need a pretty broad pallet. Try to ask the libraries what they are most successful placing.

  7. Since you can (U.S.) copyright multiple tracks with a single application fee, no reason not to copyright both the version with and w/o vocal.

    In most cases, for film/TV folks like us who are pitching actual recordings, I strongly recommend using the SR (sound recording) form as opposed to the PA form. You are allowed to copyright the sound recording, music, and lyrics all together on the SR form. For the vocal version you would copyrighting music, lyrics, and sound recording & for the non-vocal version just music and sound recording.

    And definitely register both versions with your PRO. Bear in mind that until a track is actually being pitched such as after being signed with a library, you really don’t have to register it with a PRO. But it’s generally harmless to do so. If you sign a publishing or library contract whereby the song will be used with it’s original title, make sure there are no conflicts.

    🙂

    • anon, thank you so much for the detailed info. Beatpick did choose 4 out of 4 (with vocals) I was just hesitating to send the instrumental versions. I did copyright using the SR form, so I guess I am covered. Lucky me !

      Thanks again for the valuable info, s r dhain too for your “yes to all’

      It’s appreciated !

  8. I’ve got a copyright question for anyone who can kindly answer me.

    Should instrumental tracks, which are the same as vocal track but without lead vocal, be copyrighted as well ? Should they bear the same title with an “instrumental tag” ?

    Should they be registered at the PRO as instrumentals too ?

    Just wondering how to treat these. Thanks

    • I don’t have much sales either..
      Would be great to hear about “Calendar sales” from the experienced library composers. I mean, which months are great, which are mediocre and which are depressive 🙂

          • Well after checking my Partners in Rhyme account sales from last year, they were actually very good and constant – same on most other sites. So far no sales on any other websites though which is mad.

            I need to start composing and uploading some more new music though – haven’t uploaded in quite a while in fairness. Interested to know if anyone else is experiencing down time

            • Hello All,

              I’m fairly new to the business model that you seem to be engaged in. Are the interent libraries in which you are selling all the retitling model that some on this forum warn about?

              Without fear of competiton, would anyone mind providing a short list of “best sites?”

              Thank you in advance.

              Michael

              • Most ‘royalty free’ sites re-title because they can’t afford to pay upfront, but still want to amass huge catalogs of tracks.

                As for ‘best sites’ – I think it depends on what kind of music you do, how much you have, and whether or not the site has recently been flooded with new music because of the MLR! Seriously though, here are some pointers to start with:

                – on this site, check out which libraries have a lot of ratings, yet still have a good one (some might have a 9 out of 10 but that’s because there’s only a couple of ratings, which might be from the library themselves!)

                – stick with libraries that give you a fair deal. ‘Fair’ is up for debate, but in my opinion that means a 50/50 split of sales (for royalty free sites) and licenses (for license based libraries). It might be OK to settle for less if there’s a good chance the library will have a high volume of sales. Also consider what the pricing is, because you don’t want to devalue your music and get crummy checks because someone’s selling your tracks for $1 or $2. AudioMicro is notoriously bad at this. I think most composers would agree that a good royalty free price per track is around $35. The more the merrier – some libraries go way above that – Audiosparx ($70+), Music Revolution ($50-$200).

                – Some libraries are huge depositories of tracks, where unless you have a ton of great music (we’re talking at least 200 tracks) you’re likely to get lost in a sea of tracks. An example is Audiosparx, who proudly state that they have 98,000 + tracks!

                – Take the time to read through the comments, you’ll learn a lot about the nuts and bolts of what it’s like to work with any given library, and there’s a lot to be read ‘between the lines’. Everyone has an opinion, based off their own experiences – so take it all with a grain of salt.
                From the comments you’ll find that some libraries are easy to work with, and easy to upload. Others are great at giving you feedback and advice. Audiosparx to their credit is good at this, although their uploading system is a bit tedious. MusicLoops.com is much easier to upload to, but you first need to be approved, and have a decent amount of tracks to even be considered.

                Keep in mind that there are several different types of libraries:

                – Royalty Free websites (pay once use forever)

                – License based libraries (pay for one time use)

                – Performance royalties based (often non-exclusive re-titling situations, with usually no license fees because these libraries gladly hand over their music to TV shows for free. The composer usually just gets the writer’s share)

                – Major libraries (who buy you out by paying well upfront, don’t usually give you any share of the licenses, but get the music distributed worldwide, potentially making you a good amount of royalties)

                Some libraries are a combination of the above, like Pump/Getty. It’s important to remember these distinctions though, because for example, comparing a royalty free site to a major ‘buy out’ library is pretty much comparing apples to oranges.

                • Hi Matt,

                  Thank you for your generously sharing your knowledge — yet again. We’ve communicated before. I posted that message from another computer, and it inadvertently went as anonymous by accident.

                  I have a lot of tracks — 1000+. They need to be recut with current sounds
                  Some are definitely “A” work, others are less so. Styles range from Hollywood cinematic to science/documentary stuff to fairly generic corporate.

                  I can generally find a home for the “A” work. I have relationships with a few exclusive libraries. I’m wondering about the tracks that are not destined for TV or Film, that exclusive libraries might pass on.

                  I’m looking for places to market the less glamorous utilitarian end of the spectrum. Hopefully to yield modest, but consistent, license fees rather than back-end money.

                  We’re not talking about crap. Never have, and never will do garbage. But, my experience tells me that there must be a huge market of industrial / corporate / educational / documentary producers who can’t afford exclusive library fees.

                  I don’t even care if the less glamorous stuff is anonymous, or under an alias. Realistically, its unlikely that anyone will ask you to score their feature because they like your happy corporate pieces. But, I think that there might be some bread & butter money there.

                  More or less – looking for the best places to market that segment of my catalog. I don’t think that retitling is an issue on that level.
                  I just haste to waste usable tracks.

                  Thanks again,

                  Michael

                  And John — if you read this — I am working on your tracks.

        • My previous experience, with traditional libraries, here in the US has been that Christmas and Halloween are most popular. There is also interest in patriotic, e.g. march style music around the 4th of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and President’s Day. I’ve also been asked for music covering Valentines Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, and Thanksgiving.

          Throw in “Pomp and Crimcumstance” to cover graduation season for good measure.

          Cheers,

          Michael

    • Hey Emmett, I’m sure it’ll even out, either later this month or next month. May was a record month for me, and June is about average so far. Are you sure you weren’t caught up in the whole GoDigital mess? If you have been getting a pretty steady stream of sales, is it possible that maybe ML put a hold on your account? I think it also helps with any website to be regularly adding new music, especially ML.

      • Yea hopefully Matt 🙂

        This is from all the websites – ie. Revostock, ML, PIR, Audiosparx,Youlicense, My own website, Productiontrax etc. Lots more.

        Just slightly random!

        Need to get more newer tunes out there – haven’t composed much new in the last few months really as I’ve been busy with other stuff…

  10. I’m now singing the publishing agreement with my PRO (BMI). Is it better/less problems/less headache to register as an individual and not as the company? I wonder, why does it cost 250$ to register your publishing rights and its free to register your writer’s rights.

    • I’m new at this and have NEVER received a royalty payment or license. But ASCAP, (which was probably a poor choice based on what I’ve read here) was very easy to register with both as a writer and a publisher. Registering songs was easy, then adding myself and my previous publisher DSM was easy too.
      ASCAP charges a one-time $35 fee for a publishers membership. To me that’s pretty fair. $250 seems kind of high to me. I can only guess this is because typically the writer is the “starving artist” and the publisher is the business savvy weasel looking to make money off the writer.

      • Why would ASCAP be a poor choice? They emailed me last night around midnight to tell me that myself and other members can now look at CUE SHEETS through our normal member portal. Ain’t nothin poor about that!

        • I agree – this is a great step forward. Cue sheets shouldn’t be considered private information, they’re basically an invoice that all interested parties have to make sure is 100% correct!

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