A sobering look at the composer's trade. Must-read article..

[Dwayne Russell]

It pays to be aware, certainly; technology has changed our business greatly in my lifetime, and I expect this to continue, even accelerate, but expect there will always be some room for the human factor, where music is concerned.

One day not too far off the only human factor in music will be to tell the computer what you want. The human factor will stop at that point.

That excludes live playing of course. A computer can never replace the joy of playing your instrument with your own hands.

[t4mh]

After reading this thread some questions come to mind.

1) Do you think the market saturated with composers might have something to do with how the economy has turned down over the last couple of years? Like maybe lots out of work, staying at home and trying to use their laptops to make a buck?

2) If this is true, not sayin' it is, some of these folks might be very good composers and have some measure of success, but then many would probably be discouraged and quit over time or as jobs become available. Maybe?

3) Are there any other possibilities why conditions might change?

Just askin...

Its difficult for me to believe that given the numbers of opportunities that ya'll are kickin' around that the market is truely saturated with GOOD composers. Obviously, there are millions and millions of people who have a guitar and think they can write a song but I'm thinking the number that can actually get it done to BQ is somewhat smaller. I also think the ones that can get it into the hands of someone who can use it, represent fairly rare air. I might have this wrong.

Just sayin'

[Dwayne Russell]

After reading this thread some questions come to mind.

1) Do you think the market saturated with composers might have something to do with how the economy has turned down over the last couple of years? Like maybe lots out of work, staying at home and trying to use their laptops to make a buck?

2) If this is true, not sayin' it is, some of these folks might be very good composers and have some measure of success, but then many would probably be discouraged and quit over time or as jobs become available. Maybe?

3) Are there any other possibilities why conditions might change?

Just askin...

Its difficult for me to believe that given the numbers of opportunities that ya'll are kickin' around that the market is truely saturated with GOOD composers. Obviously, there are millions and millions of people who have a guitar and think they can write a song but I'm thinking the number that can actually get it done to BQ is somewhat smaller. I also think the ones that can get it into the hands of someone who can use it, represent fairly rare air. I might have this wrong.

Just sayin'

I think you are right on. I do not think the market is too saturated with composers of any kind. Why people think that is a given does not make sense to me. If I were to guess I think the ratio of composers to cues needed is less than it was 10 years ago.

[billg1]

Most of the opportunities counted could be the plethora of cable networks where you've got to get a LOT of placements to see any meaningful payment. I would think that aside from video games the cable networks probably represent the biggest influx in new opportunities & some of the royalties from them can be downright sad.

[Dwayne Russell]

Most of the opportunities counted could be the plethora of cable networks where you've got to get a LOT of placements to see any meaningful payment. I would think that aside from video games the cable networks probably represent the biggest influx in new opportunities & some of the royalties from them can be downright sad.

How many $50 royalties does it take to be not sad?

[Casey H]

Most of the opportunities counted could be the plethora of cable networks where you've got to get a LOT of placements to see any meaningful payment. I would think that aside from video games the cable networks probably represent the biggest influx in new opportunities & some of the royalties from them can be downright sad.

How many $50 royalties does it take to be not sad?

Sadly, sometimes the question is "How many $1.53 royalties does it take to be not sad?"...

I think the number of opportunities to actually get music placed somewhere has increased dramatically. As Bill said, many of these are instrumental cable background which don't always pay a whole lot. The opportunity to get placements may be growing but the opportunity to make a living (or at least significant supplementary income) composing for film/TV may be shrinking.

This is not intended to be a negative post-- just a reality check. If the competition is stiffer, you have to be that much better. I certainly see some Taxi members rising as the cream of the crop out there. They work their asses off striving to be better all the time.

And lower paying placements are still a good thing. They build your bio. They are part of working to get better at the craft. They build relationships with library folks who often can bring you better opportunities later.

And I'm still looking for the VST plug in, "Old man with vocal nodes who can barely keep his guitar in tune"...

Casey

[Dwayne Russell]

I think the number of opportunities to actually get music placed somewhere has increased dramatically. As Bill said, many of these are instrumental cable background which don't always pay a whole lot. The opportunity to get placements may be growing but the opportunity to make a living (or at least significant supplementary income) composing for film/TV may be shrinking.

This is not intended to be a negative post-- just a reality check. If the competition is stiffer, you have to be that much better. I certainly see some Taxi members rising as the cream of the crop out there. They work their asses off striving to be better all the time.

And lower paying placements are still a good thing. They build your bio. They are part of working to get better at the craft. They build relationships with library folks who often can bring you better opportunities later.


Casey

So how much harder is it now than before 10 years ago?

It's a difficult adjustment in my mind that more opportunity equals less money.

[Dwayne Russell]

Sadly, sometimes the question is "How many $1.53 royalties does it take to be not sad?"...

hahahaha I have not had the pleasure of getting any of those yet.

[mojobone]

I expect we all will, and that's the sad part...but not as crazy as what's happened to gigging musicians, with clubs wanting to pay the same $300 they were paying in nineteen seventy-something; if you ask for more, they hire some arsehole who couldn't have gotten a gig playing for pizza back in nineteen seventy-something. But you do get what you pay for....

The hope is that those $1.53 placements lead to better things as we learn and grow, and the funny thing; most of those nineteen seventy-something musicians I came up with are outta the game.

[t4mh]

I expect we all will, and that's the sad part...but not as crazy as what's happened to gigging musicians, with clubs wanting to pay the same $300 they were paying in nineteen seventy-something; if you ask for more, they hire some arsehole who couldn't have gotten a gig playing for pizza back in nineteen seventy-something. But you do get what you pay for....

The hope is that those $1.53 placements lead to better things as we learn and grow, and the funny thing; most of those nineteen seventy-something musicians I came up with are outta the game.

I expect this REALLY is part of it. The kiddos don't really know what a good paying gig is and take whatever is given. By the same token I have to admit I don't know what a good paying royalty is. I suspect that this is, at least in part, how they get away with some of the things "they" do.