How do you count "placements"?

[jdstamper]

When I hear stories about Taxi members with 1,000 placements, or 10,000 placements ... I start to wonder, what does that mean? How does everyone count placements? What's the definition?

What do you think?

PS. No matter how you count it, I'm nowhere close to 10,000

Jim

[Telefunkin]

Some count only unique placements, omitting any repeat broadcasts of the same thing, and I can see some merit in that. However, I prefer to count every broadcast, as we're supposed to be paid for them all. Besides, that's usually a much bigger number and gives me more a sense of achievement . Then there's the middle figure - the broadcasts that we actually did get paid for ! I'm not sure there is a official definition, but it would be interesting to learn that there is.

[cosmicdolphin]

Like Graham says I am one of those who will only count each unique placement when a piece gets used in a TV Show / Ad / Movie.

I have a few in shows such as "Keeping Up with The Kardashians" which get repeated a bunch as evidenced on Tunesat but I only count the first airing as a "placement"

OTOH if a piece get used multiple times in one episode then I would count each one, i.e. I had a track used on " E ! - Golden Globes Countdown to the Red Carpet" and Tunesat flagged up 5 separate spots which I listened to and they were all unique so I would count that as 5 placements even though they were in one show.

I'm on track to break through 100 placements this year but it's taken over 5 years to get to that point so 10,000 seems an impossibly long way off from here. I suppose I might make the 1,000 figure which seems more achievable.

Mark

[Casey H]

It's never occurred to me to count reruns. I only count unique placements, a given song (or cue) in a given TV episode.

Casey

[eeoo]

That sounds like a lot of work. I just keep track of how many shows/movies/ads/promos etc. that I've had placements in. I wouldn't even know how to begin to count total number of placements counting reruns and multiples in a single episode.

[Paulie]

I count shows first, then placements. If three different tracks used in a single Kardashians episode, I would count them as three placement on a single show. In general I go by what shows up on my royalty statements, counting different episodes separately. I don't count reruns or internet streams, etc.

[cosmicdolphin]

I count shows first, then placements. If three different tracks used in a single Kardashians episode, I would count them as three placement on a single show. In general I go by what shows up on my royalty statements, counting different episodes separately. I don't count reruns or internet streams, etc.

In that case when you say you count shows - is it each episode you count as a "show" or once you've counted KUWTK as one show, you'd never count it again even if you had placements in subsequent Episodes/ Series ?

[Telefunkin]

It's never occurred to me to count reruns. I only count unique placements, a given song (or cue) in a given TV episode.

That's great if its that simple. However, Tunesat can show a list of broadcasts of the same piece of music, where sometimes the shows are different, sometimes the channels are different, sometimes the versions are different, and sometimes the lengths are different. Checking them all just to find which ones are originals and duplicates is work I can do without.
- Does being broadcast on a different channel make it unique?
- What about the same show in a different country?
- What if its different versions of a promo?
- Are all placements equal, or Is a single primetime broadcast on CBS worth a few hundred local cable broadcasts at 4am, or a few thousand internet streams?
- What if your underscore mix is used in the same show as your full mix - is that 1 or 2?
- What if your music is used in a video excerpt, and that same excerpt gets used in 2 different shows, is that 1 or 2?
- Does any of this self-measurement matter?
- Should we simply be happy we're on TV?

YMMV!

[eeoo]

I count shows first, then placements. If three different tracks used in a single Kardashians episode, I would count them as three placement on a single show. In general I go by what shows up on my royalty statements, counting different episodes separately. I don't count reruns or internet streams, etc.

In that case when you say you count shows - is it each episode you count as a "show" or once you've counted KUWTK as one show, you'd never count it again even if you had placements in subsequent Episodes/ Series ?

I just count shows, I don't keep track of how many times I've been placed in a particular show. Seems like trying to keep track of every placement would be impossible, where do you draw the line?

[jdstamper]

It's never occurred to me to count reruns. I only count unique placements, a given song (or cue) in a given TV episode.

That's great if its that simple. However, Tunesat can show a list of broadcasts of the same piece of music, where sometimes the shows are different, sometimes the channels are different, sometimes the versions are different, and sometimes the lengths are different. Checking them all just to find which ones are originals and duplicates is work I can do without.


YMMV!

I've been counting the same as most of the responses above. I've never used Tunesat, so I'm relying on BMI quarterly statements.

If I counted the number of re-broadcasts, I would have to keep a spreadsheet and then add in the number of airings each quarter for each TV show ... a lot of work! (But it would get me closer to 10,000]

This is how I would answer the questions based on how I'm counting. I'm NOT saying there's any right or wrong way! I started this thread just to find out what others are doing ...

- Does being broadcast on a different channel make it unique? .... No
- What about the same show in a different country? .... No
- What if its different versions of a promo? ... Yes I think: Seems similar to having 1 song appear multiple times in a show
- Are all placements equal, or Is a single primetime broadcast on CBS worth a few hundred local cable broadcasts at 4am, or a few thousand internet streams? ... All are equal for counting placements ... Income is a whole other thing
- What if your underscore mix is used in the same show as your full mix - is that 1 or 2? ... That's 2
- What if your music is used in a video excerpt, and that same excerpt gets used in 2 different shows, is that 1 or 2? ... That's 2
- Does any of this self-measurement matter? ... It's not critical or anything. But number of placements does seem to be used as one indicator of success.
- Should we simply be happy we're on TV? ... Absolutely! Totally!