If you are a composer and/or songwriter, please leave your comments and experiences with this company. We want to hear the good as well as the bad! Please rate, from 1 to 10, by clicking on one of the stars. Below is some general information but we make no guarantee of accuracy. Check with the company for all details. Please contact us for any corrections. |
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| URL: | http://gratismusiclibrary.com/ | |
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| Twitter: | ||
| Facebook: | ||
| Accepting Submissions: | Yes | |
| Submit Online: | Yes | |
| Submit By Mail: | No | |
| Submissions Reviewed: | Yes | |
| Types Accepted: |
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| Charge For Submissions: | No | |
| Up Front Money: | Unknown | |
| Royalty Free: (non-broadcast use) |
Unknown | |
| Exclusivity: (Exclusive, Non, Semi) (Semi = Free to place on own but not with another library) |
Unknown | |
| Re-Title: | Unknown | |
| Set Own Price: | Unknown | |
| Contract Length: | Unknown | |
| Payment Schedule: | Unknown | |
| License Fee Split: (writer/library) |
Unknown | |
| PRO Split Based on 100%: (writer/library writer/library/publisher or writer) |
50/50 | |
| Requires Licensee To File Cue Sheet: | Unknown | |
| Pays On Blanket License: | ||
| YouTube Content ID: | ||
| Active Site: | No | |
| Offers Subscriptions To Clients: | ||
| Notes: | ||
19 thoughts on “Gratis Music”
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Link took me to Big Score Music
Looks like they changed their name or bought Gratis out. URL says gratismusiclibrary.com.
I don’t know about typical, but I have seen both $1000 and $100 as “work-for-hire” fees from libraries. I said no to $100.
Thanks. I’d say no also. Might start looking at the deal closer if around $250…
Really, I think it would be a bad idea to go that low. I always think about it like this (and I’m still getting started with this, but still) what if that one song was your ticket, or at least could go one to generate way more than any of your other tracks? I don’t know if I’d ever go for a complete buyout of any of my songs, but even if I did it would sure have to be a high amount of money.
Could anyone comment on what they’ve found to be a typical advance payment for a work for hire library track? Are you seeing the $1000 mentioned in above posts, or seeing something closer to a couple hundred dollars? Thank you.
I realize this question is a few months old, but here’s what I know: big libraries like Megatrax and Killer Tracks pay around $1000 a track. Smaller libraries pay around $600 – $800 a track. Libraries run by established TV composers generally pay $100 – $200…but the upside of writing for these guys is a much higher chance of getting royalties.
This just looks like a #2 scenario to me. No creative fee or advance, and 100% writer’s share to writer. I have never been presented with a total buy-out option and have and am in some situations like ^^^. In a #2 scenario you should receive 50% of all other revenue (sync, direct license, and mechanical if it applies. As always you must also evaluate a libs territory and distro, clientele, admin, sales, and volume. In short: ^^^ is more normal than not.
my understanding is different: In a #2 scenario, if you do sell 100% publishing in a work-for-hire way, you will not receive any portion of sync fees, or anything from licensing ( as that goes to publisher), unless there is a strange contradictory agreement I’m not familiar with. The library above will NOT share sync, according to what I understand. So the scary part is if this library (or any library that buys your publishing exclusively) licenses your music to an ad for ten grand (out of which you receive nothing), and it generates no royalties (ad’s don’t generate royalties unless there is at least 15 seconds without voiceover and then … maybe… but you have to submit an actual copy of the video to PRO to prove it- so I’ve been told) I could be wrong, as this stuff boggles the mind sometimes.
You are correct. Every scenario is out there. The fundamental difference you’ll find in this argument is whether a composer deems total ownership paramount or not. There seems to be a trend against giving away publishing in (what may be a by-product of) the digital age re: content management and distribution with wanting to control and administer your own sound recordings. I’m lucky enough to work with big PMA libs but they all own publishing (because they buy it via creative fee) and some share sync (and whatever else you negotiate) in lieu of creative fees and work on an advance. Others are 50/50 no questions asked retitle drives.
I want catalogs of music with motivated publishers that have big clients. Other relationships I have are structured differently and I encourage everyone to diversify. And to paraphrase the article you still have to be able to: create great sounding tracks that fit the criteria of being broadcast anyway. People need to make the great libs first and worry about their deals later in a sense.
Wanted to second what Chris said – I’ve ‘given’ music to libraries for free (buy out) because not only would I receive the writers royalties (goes without saying), I’d also get 50% of any license fees and blanket licenses (according to how much music I had in the library).
This is a risky gamble, but my experience has been that one deal like this was not good (not a very significant return from dozens of tracks, needless to say I don’t work with this company anymore) and another deal just like this has turned out very lucrative.
I would say if you can churn out tracks fast, deals like this shouldn’t be immediately dismissed – they can be another form of income ‘diversification’ along with royalty-free libraries, libraries that focus on license fees, and of course writing gigs!
OH! Thank you Art. This type of agreement does not seem very convenient for the composer
From their website:
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1. The music must be original.
2. You must own and control 100% of the music copyright and be authorized to assign the copyright to Gratis Music as publisher.
Upon acceptance of your music into Gratis Music you will be presented and expected to sign contracts including a work for hire agreement. As the author and composer you will retain 100% of all writer’s broadcast performance royalties distributed directly to you by BMI, ASCAP, SESAC or other performance societies depending on your affiliation. These performances will be based on music cue sheets submitted by broadcasters based on our business model and success in getting music placed in National and Network TV content.
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Yikes! Work For Hire agreement? Make sure you know what you are signing, you have been warned!
This means that you give up the right to the song forever, correct?
A “work for hire” generally means you no longer have any rights to the song, forever.
Art: I would be careful with “work for hire” agreements too, but it is my impression there are two types. Has this been your experience?
type 1: is the “old school kind” , which is the kind where the composer gives up everything, including back end- in essence, giving up all composer credit to whomever is hiring you. very bad.
type 2: the “lite” version, where the term “work for hire” is used but the agreement is essentially a publishing deal, where the composer sells 100% publishing (and therefore control of copyright) but retains the composer half for the PRO/back end.
Yes, you are correct and we are in one of the second types (though we do have the right to re-license the music as long as we re-title) and we did get paid fairly well for the music we created. Even at that it wasn’t the best deal we could have made.
But for a music library to want you to sign any work for hire agreement, without any compensation, would not be in a writers best interest. At least I don’t think so.
I forgot that this library was offering no upfront money! That makes a “work for hire ” in this case something I would prob not sign. I guess my point was a lot of agreements composers might see might have the words “work for hire” in them and that that alone should not be a deal breaker. examples: main title themes and music written for ads are usually designated “work for hires” …but this leads to me a question to you, Art- (perhaps it should be in a different thread) Are you comfortable with the arrangement of some of the major libraries- $1000 (ish) to buy 100% publishing and exclusive control forever and ever and beyond (while the composer keeps the composer’s share of back end)? I am almost comfortable, EXCEPT for the worst case scenario- the track becomes a “hit” in a non royalty generating place (trailers, commercials with dialogue, video games) your thoughts would be apprec.
Hi Fish,
I think a lot of this boils down to individual preferences as to what’s comfortable. Maybe better said how hungry one is for money, attention or just trying to establish yourself with a particular company. I don’t think I would have a problem with $1k per track if it was a library I felt would really work hard for me. But, that worst case scenario would be hard to swallow!