The re-title game is over

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DesireInspires
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Re: The re-title game is over

Post by DesireInspires » Mon Feb 18, 2013 6:38 am

jaysoul wrote:hey DI - thanks for your comment.

So you're saying you do sign the same songs with a number of non-exclusive libraries and not had any problems with this?

Also, if yes, are your songs always re-titled - either by adding a prefix/suffix to it or by actually giving it an totally different title?

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I have not encountered any problems. I do not think I will have any problems. The allure of blanket licenses is just too much for most networks to give up. The basis of using music from libraries is to save money.

In America, there are only four major TV networks. There are hundreds of cable networks of various sizes. Major networks may stop working with libraries that have retitled songs, but they also have bigger budgets than cable networks. They can pay sync fees for individual tracks instead of paying for blanket licenses.

Honestly, a major network can alleviate any hassles by exclusively using music from one music library with retitled songs. That gives the network access to a large pool of music, but reduces legal concerns because the network knows exactly what library the songs came from. The networks would only deal with one group of publishers. Easy, right?

I don't know where the industry is headed. I can only guess. The only things I have control over are making impeccable music & working hard to receive compensation.

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Re: The re-title game is over

Post by jaysoul » Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:32 am

Ok, clear. Your logic makes sense. Thanks again for your feedback, much appreciated.

Back to the music...

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Re: The re-title game is over

Post by Casey H » Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:53 am

DesireInspires wrote: I have not encountered any problems. I do not think I will have any problems. The allure of blanket licenses is just too much for most networks to give up. The basis of using music from libraries is to save money.

In America, there are only four major TV networks. There are hundreds of cable networks of various sizes. Major networks may stop working with libraries that have retitled songs, but they also have bigger budgets than cable networks. They can pay sync fees for individual tracks instead of paying for blanket licenses.

Honestly, a major network can alleviate any hassles by exclusively using music from one music library with retitled songs. That gives the network access to a large pool of music, but reduces legal concerns because the network knows exactly what library the songs came from. The networks would only deal with one group of publishers. Easy, right?

I don't know where the industry is headed. I can only guess. The only things I have control over are making impeccable music & working hard to receive compensation.
Please just keep in mind...

We have no ability to dictate how major networks and/or their production companies will decide how they will work with music libraries. Suggesting how THEY can alleviate problems is kinda like telling the owner of the company you work for how he/she should run the company. (I've tried it and it hasn't gone well, LOL :lol: )...

As we've discussed (and I think you alluded to, DI), blanket licenses are actually a big issue now. End users find themselves paying blanket license fees to multiple libraries, only to find they are getting a lot of the same tracks. That's not a very efficient use of their tightly-budgeted money or their time.

And then there is one issue that only exclusive publishing addresses-- that is a very high confidence level that the party signing the music truly has the sole right to do so such that there is no risk of future legal complaints.

I'm not saying I believe that only exclusive publishing is the way to go... Just mentioning the facts and issues.

:D Casey

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Re: The re-title game is over

Post by DesireInspires » Mon Feb 18, 2013 8:59 am

One non-exclusive library can fit well with different exclusive libraries. I still do not see why a network would pay blanket licenses to more than one non-exclusive company. A major network can just pick one non-exclusive library and use that catalog for a majority of its uses. Using one non-exclusive company would cost less than using multiple non-exclusive companies. The network can then pay sync fees for other cues from exclusive companies.

The solution is relatively easy to me. Just because I am a composer does not mean that I do not have problem-solving capabilities. But in the end, I am not in control of a major network. Fortunately I do not have to stress out over these issues. All I have to do is make the music.

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Re: The re-title game is over

Post by matto » Mon Feb 18, 2013 10:41 am

One issue with retitling occurs if (or more like *when*) the PROs switch over to fingerprint technology to identify and pay for plays. SESAC is already using TuneSat and the others are working on phasing in their own technology, and if that technology detects a play of a song that is in multiple libraries, the PRO has no way of knowing which publisher/library should be paid.
As of right now it is SESAC's practice not to pay *anybody* (including the writer) until/unless the proper entitled publisher can be identified.
With the worldwide network of PROs gradually migrating toward some type of detection technology, this could become a major issue and a lot of royalties could be held in limbo, or not be paid at all. And you might never even know about it if it's ocurring somewhere overseas.
That's definitely a concern for me as I depend on my royalties to make a living...

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Re: The re-title game is over

Post by jaysoul » Tue Feb 19, 2013 1:30 am

Great point matto. You're right is the direction PROs are moving in. BUMA here in The Netherlands is already partly doing this fingerprinting for a few years. But perhaps for the foreseeable they will at least use a combination of fingerprinting and good old cue sheets?

Food for thought.

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Re: The re-title game is over

Post by DesireInspires » Tue Feb 19, 2013 5:11 am

matto wrote: With the worldwide network of PROs gradually migrating toward some type of detection technology, this could become a major issue and a lot of royalties could be held in limbo, or not be paid at all. And you might never even know about it if it's ocurring somewhere overseas.
So if fingerprinting becomes the way to track placements, it is possible that songs with two or more publishers would not receive any PRO royalites for either publisher or any songwriters.

If this is the case, direct licensing through a music supervisor could also be affected. It would not make sense for a composer to have a semi-exclusive cue with a music library. If the same song were licensed by the library and then directly licensed through a music supervisor, both the songwriter/library publisher and songwriter/publisher could lose out on money.

There is so much information to consider.

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Re: The re-title game is over

Post by matto » Wed Feb 20, 2013 2:32 am

You are absolutely correct Tramel. Whenever an audio fingerprint refers to more than one title/entitled party, the corresponding royalties *could* be in held back until/unless the correct entitled party could be identified.
It makes no difference why the different titles/entitled parties exist.
Although it stands to reason that the more different titles/entitled parties a given fingerprint might reference, that harder it might be to identify, and pay, the proper one...

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Re: The re-title game is over

Post by DesireInspires » Wed Feb 20, 2013 6:17 am

matto wrote: Although it stands to reason that the more different titles/entitled parties a given fingerprint might reference, that harder it might be to identify, and pay, the proper one...
Well that brings up another great question: How reliable will fingerprinting technology really be?

It would be exceedingly difficult for a human to change his/her fingerprint. But a song could be slightly tweaked and could therefore generate a different fingerprint. Would the new technology even be capable of recognizing the difference?

I think that fingerprinting technology would actually be a great thing. My though is that more songs would be detected and songwriters and publishers would make more money. I just hope that the PROs do not use the technology to withhold money from people.

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Re: The re-title game is over

Post by Cat Herder » Thu Oct 03, 2013 10:11 am

Sorry, but I have not been on in months. I just saw a comment repeated a number of times I would like to clarify. Blanket licensing is not the realm of re-title non-exclusive libraries only. Suggesting this is the reason for using NE/RT libraries is not valid. All major libraries offer clients blanket licenses, including the exclusives. As far as fooling TuneSat, it would require a major re-write, the technology is not so simple as to be able to fool is so easily. So you may want to just write a new piece.

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