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

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Casey H
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Re: A sobering look at the composer's trade. Must-read article..

Post by Casey H » Fri Mar 11, 2011 8:37 am

I want to add that even though some PRO royalties for cable TV instrumental background are very small, we have to remember that if it weren't for the existence of all these cable channels, reality programming, 24x7 TV, etc, these opps wouldn't exist at all. So, there is a positive-- lots of opp to 'cut your teeth' in the film/TV music world, make contacts, strive to get better and land more lucrative deals, etc.

:) Casey

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

Post by Dwayne Russell » Fri Mar 11, 2011 8:43 am

I have not gigged for many years, but every one I know says the same thing. And it's not just the night club scene. It's all the way up to bigger tours.

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

Post by mojobone » Sun Mar 13, 2011 6:36 pm

Well, the bigger tours are a different story; don't let the artists fool you, they've got sweetheart deals with Amex and the venues and are using Ticketmaster and their own fan clubs(!) to scalp their own tickets. This is why fans can't get good seats, though if a tour tanks, you can get loads of ducats, come the day of the show. The venues are forced to jack up the add-on fees for parking and concessions to make up the difference, because the agents for must-see acts are eating their lunch. Ticketmaster is happy to take the blame along with their commission. This has all been documented by Bob Lefsetz and many others.
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Re: A sobering look at the composer's trade. Must-read article..

Post by DesireInspires » Sat Apr 28, 2012 8:00 am

Len911 wrote:2011 FILM & TV COMPOSER CENSUS (USA) SUMMARY

* 54,000 film and TV titles represented
* 700 pages of data regarding the works of 25,723 composers and songwriters
* The most comprehensive publication of its kind
* Inclusive of American network television, basic and premium cable, plus nationally syndicated programming
* Covers feature films, MOWs, short subjects, documentaries, game shows, talk shows, news and strip shows, as well as all forms of episodic TV
* Research indicates composers represented by at least 55 performing rights organizations (PROs) worldwide
* Thousands of detailed annotations in the “Notes” column
* Produced by a team of 40 research volunteers and advisors over an entire year
* The Census Group did not have the resources necessary to include music from promos, logos, music for advertising, nor programming originating on local television stations
* Free download provided to the industry

http://composercensus.com/?page_id=14


Here are some of the facts and stats as requested,lol!


Here are some more. If you google "Industry code 856" and NAICS code 711510 and 711130 that will give you the lumping of songwriters and composers, amongst other similar professions, and you can see stats from the census bureau to your heart's content. Here's a starting place:
http://www.census.gov/econ/industry/pro ... 711510.htm

Sweet! I made it onto this list. I wish they would have put one together for 2012. I have so many more placements than I did in 2011.

I guess you just have to stop analyzing the industry, roll up your sleeves, and get to work.

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

Post by Casey H » Sat Apr 28, 2012 8:26 am

I've seen the census document before in prior years and can't for the life of me find any value in it. It's cool 8-) to see your name, but other than that?

In my case, only one of my placements shows up. It's not very comprehensive or accurate and even if it was? What's the value? :?

Casey

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

Post by DesireInspires » Sat Apr 28, 2012 8:55 am

Casey H wrote:I've seen the census document before in prior years and can't for the life of me find any value in it. It's cool 8-) to see your name, but other than that?

In my case, only one of my placements shows up. It's not very comprehensive or accurate and even if it was? What's the value? :?

Casey

The value of it for me was to see what composers were getting a lot of placements.

I was able to look up composers through the BMI and ASCAP searches and find contact info. I got some good advice from some of the guys and girls I contacted.

The list is also good at providing a list of shows that use production music. I was able to search for the production companies behind some of those shows. I reached out to some of the companies to see if I could submit music directly.

I still use that list periodically for research purposes.

The information is out there. You just have to figure out how to use it for your benefit.

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

Post by guitarhacker » Mon Apr 30, 2012 6:56 am

Bah..... keep doing what you love....and damn the torpedoes.
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Re: A sobering look at the composer's trade. Must-read article..

Post by coachdebra » Mon Apr 30, 2012 4:37 pm

mazz wrote:How did this come about? Because as a group we suck at business.
:shock:

Not if I have anything to say about! Just sayin... ;)

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

Post by Casey H » Mon Apr 30, 2012 6:22 pm

DesireInspires wrote:
Casey H wrote:I've seen the census document before in prior years and can't for the life of me find any value in it. It's cool 8-) to see your name, but other than that?

In my case, only one of my placements shows up. It's not very comprehensive or accurate and even if it was? What's the value? :?

Casey

The value of it for me was to see what composers were getting a lot of placements.

I was able to look up composers through the BMI and ASCAP searches and find contact info. I got some good advice from some of the guys and girls I contacted.

The list is also good at providing a list of shows that use production music. I was able to search for the production companies behind some of those shows. I reached out to some of the companies to see if I could submit music directly.

I still use that list periodically for research purposes.

The information is out there. You just have to figure out how to use it for your benefit.
So DesireInspires, do you contact these other composers anonymously or do you actually let them know who you really are?

:? Casey

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

Post by DesireInspires » Mon Apr 30, 2012 7:02 pm

Casey H wrote:
So DesireInspires, do you contact these other composers anonymously or do you actually let them know who you really are?

:? Casey

I contacted them using my real contact info. I explained what I had accomplished and asked for practical advice. No one was mean or irritated. A few guys were actually surprised. When I get some time, I may contact a few more fellow composers.

But a little mystery never hurt...

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