Chris Jones recently wrote an article about re-titling over at SonicScoop. I thought it would be of interest to many and Chris kindly gave us permission to re-post it here.
By Chris Jones
With master recording licensing and synchronization now being the current revenue-generating and promotional system in the music industry, we see all the traditional recording exploitation boundaries disappearing.
Music libraries take on scoring gigs, produce artists/songwriters, and ad work while maintaining their catalogs of TV-ready production music. Record labels seem to be fully hitched to omni-lateral licensing pie, artist-endorsed ad campaigns, single tie-ins, whatever. Add the quick-and-easy factor of digital delivery AND soon-to-be ubiquitous audio recognition tech AND deeper metadata AND the slippery slope of what passes as acceptable quality both audio- and video-wise AND this is America, the land of excess. Production = bigger and faster, but not always better.
Point: The “production music” pool is one big pattern-recognizing server of every kind of gang. It’s all our turf. Can you dig it?
One of these “gangs” or business models in production music specific publishers is the re-title library or (to illustrate points using metaphor and acronym) “inert” libraries. It’s a (typically) Independent Non-Exclusive ReTitle music library that will rep your catalog after they give your (only) master a unique title. The library then registers that unique title to their PRO (be it ASCAP, BMI, et al.) as that titles’ “publisher” and can then go forward and collect future performance royalties on said title and also collect any other fees (direct license, sync) associated with licensing. From the research I’ve done, this model has the composer world polarized yet unified in one aspect: we seem to be waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
On the surface, one would think: What’s to lose? I have tons of crap sitting on my drive doing nothing for nobody no-how. If someone can make me money and wants to take 50% please be my guest. And it’s non-exclusive? Even better. I’ll look up every re-title library and get cracking. Man, I am sitting on a f*****g gold mine.
So, should I sign with an inert library? That question creates more questions and that is the universal choking sign of a deal to me. I agree that the inert model could be a positive way to crowd-source useful, high-quality, and (most importantly) available masters. But I speak from the viewpoint of a composer that has a specific agenda of producing a high volume of library music for the big exclusive Production Music Association (PMA) libs in addition to what I’ll call “custom” music like songwriting, sound design for composers, remixing, whatever.
There are many ways to poke holes in the inert model, but let’s start with imminent ubiquity of audio pattern recognition technology. BMI acquired BlueArrow almost 5 years ago, and ASCAP has been working on Mediaguide since 2002. These are technologies and services that give your audio/masters a fingerprint via audio analysis, not traditional watermarking (which is hit-or-miss and distorts the file). The tech then monitors broadcasts looking for matches. Soon (the sooner the better) all broadcasts are going to be monitored with this robotic vigilance. Unfailing accuracy. Amid endless dirty AM radio ads, it will be searching for your singularly unique combination of digital DNA. Wait, what-the? This track has 5 titles and 5 publishers…the robot computes.
I’m curious how that’s going to work.
Plus, I thought the whole idea in business was to be exclusive. Where’d that go?
So I send this stupid breakbeat track called “A” to inert lib A. Inert lib A registers “A” to ASCAP as publisher. Already I’m uncomfortable. I send the same exact file to inert lib B. All the way to f*****g Z. I have 26 people claiming to publish my tracks? Are they all undercutting each other or is there a standardized fee? The fee is nothing because you gave sync away in lieu of the slow buck? You just gave away my 50% of shared sync but I guess the contract says you are publisher so you have that right. Oh and the gig was non-broadcast so there is no slow buck. No buck at all.
Oh well I’ll see money on the back end.
Holy s**t, there are 50,000 tracks on this drive! The editor, overhearing my subconscious italics, says 50,000 is way too much b*****t to wade through and goes back to cutting a backend-less corporate video. Then he looks closer. He’s p****d because it’s the same 50,000 tracks the guy from inert lib G left last week. He went through a random 100 or so and they all sucked so he figured they all must suck. Therefore, all inert libs must suck, he thinks. No wonder he waived sync. To charge would have been criminal and there’s no way he paid for this music.
I only have 25 tracks on that drive. I hope the users find them. Back-end may not enter the picture because there’s tons of s**t you never see called non-broadcast. It’s all front-end. So if they waive sync I’m screwed. If they direct license I’ll do better at .0002%, unless it’s .0002% of zero.
I hope A-Z keep tabs on the reporting process. I hope the drives aren’t circulating. I hope an exclusive deal on a track doesn’t come along because that would mean having to turn down a lot of money. I wonder if I could call every editor in the world that FTP-posted or p2ped my slutty one-offs and say, “I own the copyright on these masters and I want to sell them.” Seems like inert libs and their supporters wave the flag on “copyright control.” But how do you retain total control if your choice to sell exclusive is removed? Note: I worked with one inert model that had an “OK to buy” option but again…how could you repo that master if it’s in A-Z and beyond? I fear being the real publisher of these types of masters for these exact scenarios of potential ass-biting to be honest.
So, no, I don’t like it. I want people selling my stuff like they own it because they do. If you own music and want to re-purpose it please do. But why not re-cut it into expected TV format and sell it to a proper exclusive library with sales, search, and broadcast (back-end) clients? Refuse to re-cut because you “channelled” something or claim “it would just feel like murder”? You are a precious lazy b*****d. It’s a reject of some kind. That’s why it’s sitting on your drive. Slap some make-up on and make a :30. If you get frustrated because you cannot re-cut a through-composed orchestral film score, just think what a TV editor will say.
Regardless of what type of library model you love or hate, consider this: you still have to go away and make amazing tracks appear out of thin air every day. None of these arguments apply to composers that are unaware of their music’s failure to meet the creative and technical requirements to be broadcast in the 21st century.
Guys, Alan Ett doesn’t turn down anyone, this is all a joke.
I was never formally turned down by Alan Ett. I never received a response back after sending in a package. I had also sent a package to Opus1, which is affiliated with Alan Ett Music Group. I never got a response from Opus1 either. If you know something I don’t please let me know.
Don’t count “no response” as a NO. Keep calling then until you get a live person on the phone. Focus all of your hustle energy Alan Ett and pigFACTORY
Yadgyu,
If your heart isn’t into the composing end anymore, you may want to consider a music business career. You could start your own music library. With the Internet today, it doesn’t seem all that difficult. And with all the music out there seeking libraries, you’d fill up your music library in no time. Actually, I’ve been toying with the idea myself.
You could start with blanket licensing. Send your complete library on CD’s to NBC, CBS, etc. for consideration. I hear some libraries charge 5- $6,000 for a three month blanket license. Multiply that by several networks, and you’d be rolling in money.
Just one thing; make sure you save room for some of my tracks. 😀
Good luck in whatever you do.
Best, John 🙂
2nd…and I want to print some of the stuff I said to you privately in the email. Don’t quit.
Don’t quit because you love music. Don’t quit because it’s a positive thing that you like doing. Don’t quit because it works your brain in different directions. Don’t quit because if you are making music to make money and not the LOVE first you will never get better and I think that’s what you want. Don’t quit because your stuff isn’t too far gone. Don’t quit because you want to prove to yourself that you are capable of growth. Don’t quit because all those peeps that “hate on you” will say “see, I told you” and screw them. Don’t quit because music is the greatest thing on Earth and one of the greatest things about being human.
DIY like these ^^^ posts say. Get organized. If you cannot edit your tracks into dynamic storytelling machines find some who can, either way that’s good producing. Come on man get out of your rut and into the game. If I thought your tracks were absolutely useless I’d agree and say maybe you should reconsider. Get mad you SOB. And drop the self-loathing bit it’s bad business! 🙂
Well, it’s been fun. But the music has stopped playing for me. Thanks for all of the advice, guys. Good luck with your music.
Because of the potential mess of having multiple libraries laying claim to the same song, we’re trying to limit the number of libraries we submit work to. If a song is accepted with library A, we don’t submit it to bunch of other libraries.
Now, if library A rejects it, B gets a chance and so on. I don’t know if it’s the right approach or not, but it’s our strategy for now… We’re still very new at this – my wife and I.
Has anyone tried revoking a title from a library? It appears a library only re-titles if they actually place the song. So removing a title/song from from a library that for whatever reason fails to place it might make sense, if another library tends to produce better results for you.
Just did that with one of the libraries I was with. They were not having any success with placing what they had so they agreed to pull the ones that they hadn’t submitted. Those will have to wait till my contract ends.
I knew one with a 2-year minimum or written request to pull ASAP. Inert libs aren’t going to be touched by any well paying placement opps sooner or later. Probably sooner THAN later. Just DIY.
Good commandment check list! You’ll want to excite the listener from beginning to end.
Although, when listening to background music on TV, it doesn’t always fit this criterion. Sometimes TV music is very boring when listened to without the film.
However, to get accepted into many libraries, it takes a stand-alone, knock-your-socks-off type of production. Yeah, I know; kind of a double standard.
Right but who is making it boring? The editor or the composer? That’s the thing I’m trying to shed light on. What you hear in the show may not be what the track sounds like.
I think the best thing to do re: demo critique is just put some commandments up. Again: do what you want. But I can guarantee these are some reasons libs pass on work.
1. poor fidelity
2. poor sounds
3. boring and beddy with no dynamics, edit points, pay-off, drama or storytelling.
4. generic styles/no identity/derivative/played
5. not enough styles
6. all of the above
One of the analogies I always use is this: when the camera shows a flashlight scanning a dark room eventually you see the body. And just because you hear beds on TV DOESN’T MEAN WRITE ONE. Imitate function NOT FORM. NOT ONE client will say “I dunno just give me some boring stuff”. ALL editors want their stuff to pop even if they don’t have the moxie to do so. Sounding like everyone else does not translate to competence as some people think. You are better off missing a brief entirely with some highly original sounding tracks than imitating what you hear and think the clients wants. This goes for record production too. Don’t imitate hot producer X because you think that’s what the production wants: If they want hot producer X they will call him.
Yad-
Everyone here is giving you sound advice. I especially agree with the music is passion comment. Passionate = I’m doing it no matter what until I die.
You sound down on yourself. Stop beating yourself up. I listened to you tracks and have some thoughts. I’ll email them over unless you want me to post here.
Guscave is absolutely correct Yad. It’s all about passion. There are many other vocations that can generate money easier.
Music is a life style. You live it every minute. If the passion isn’t there, then you’re better off finding a new direction.
Most of us here (at least I’m assuming) would be doing “it” regardless of the financial compensation.
Only you know how bad you want it. To me; it’s my life. I’ve been composing for 50 years.
John
I’ve been discussing and developing an expanded model for the music aspect of an audio/video post production partnership I am involved in. We were sitting back, honestly analyzing payout/investment rates and lengths of wait for various music,production and IP scenarios. My partner says (merely factually) “well I can make more money than that doing corporate videos… and without having to wait years for the return.” He didn’t mean it as an imperative…just a true observation, but my first response just spilled off my tongue…
” So when your 80 years old you want your creative legacy to be the right to to be able to say ” I made more money doing corporate videos”?
We both had a good laugh and kept forging ahead;)
Yad
Tell us more about what your setup is at home, how you compose, etc.
Go to library sites and listen to catalog samples in your genre and listen carefully to everything about those pieces. Honestly compare what you have to what you hear and seek out how to bridge the gap.
Saying your music needs to get better doesn’t mean you suck, have no talent, should quit, etc. Everyone started somewhere.
As others have said, it’s time to stop focusing on finding more libraries to pitch and focus on the music. I’ve seen others come from where you are and be successful. Does “successful” mean get rich on it? Probably not though if you work VERY hard you could develop an income stream in 3-5 years or more (yes, that long).
Don’t give up! Put your energies in the right place and you can succeed!
🙂
I am using FL Studio 8 and some other VST instruments. I have a ton of wav files that I use for percussion. I tried to use Reason, but I was totally confused and lost. I have heard that I need to get a Pro Tools setup, maybe just an MBox. But right now, I am in no financial position to buy any new equipment.
I have no musical training whatsoever. I just started using software on my own and learning as I went along. I thought that I could just pick up things by listening to other people’s music and asking a few questions. But no one really wanted to share without shelling out money for lessons or signing up for something. I guess no one really has the time to bother with me if I am not offering any real money.
I am living paycheck to paycheck and I couldn’t justify spending thousands of dollars on what most of my friends and family consider a “hobby”. I have responsibilities and bills that are draining me. I cannot get ahead at work. So music is really the only outlet I have to feel free, bold, confident, and in control. Turns out, I am not even good at that.
Don’t feel sorry for me. I guess I brought this on myself by being such a jerk. I just had no idea that other people were that much more successful than me. 90-100% success rate? I don’t even have a 9% success rate. I think I had better stop fooling myself. There a difference between quitting and quitting while one is ahead.
Yad,
You’re going to need to give yourself a lot of time (years, not months) of learning. Most of the folks in here have probably been playing, writing, producing music for most of their adult lives.
You say that you have no musical training. That’s the first place you need to start from. Learn how to play an instrument. You don’t need to become a genius, just learn how to accompany yourself with an instrument. If that alone gives you a type of passion that you feel you could never give up, then you’ll be ready to move on to “trying” to make some money out of it.
Something else to keep in mind. The music industry is probably the least compensated industry around. A doctor works on a patient, and he gets paid. An architect build a house, and he gets paid. A carpenter build a chair, he gets paid. The same can not be said for songwriters. We can spend years writing & producing music yet never see a dime for the work put into it. So do it for the passion first and foremost.
Best to ya.
The internet is a treasure trove of free education. You can find lessons in just about anything from software to instruments, to building a studio. I am self taught (from the pre-internet world) and haven’t done library work before, just getting interested.
I really can’t speak to the Library success rate issue, because I mostly work with clients, but even with over 20 years in the music biz (only a Film Composer for the last 10) and a couple distributed films and numerous corporate, commercial and music video projects under my belt, EVERY DAY is another day where I say “I need to keep steppin up my game, there is sooo much further I need to go!” educating yourself in the music biz never stops. When it does, staleness can set in and the “fresher” and “newer” starts to beat out the tired. So “Beginner’s Mind” is a good philosophy to reflect on ni matter where you are at in the biz..
Wait, you got turned down by Alan Ett? This has to be a joke.