Instrumental music PRO TV royalties

[ceedub]

Why is there such a large discrepancy in PRO royalty rates between instrumentals and songs with vocals? Is there any momentum to change this?Do songs with vocals get paid at the instrumental rate when the vocals aren't used? (Example: the 15 second instrumental intro is played, but the use stops before the vocalist enters.)

[matto]

Mar 22, 2009, 8:06am, ceedub wrote:Why is there such a large discrepancy in PRO royalty rates between instrumentals and songs with vocals? Is there any momentum to change this?Do songs with vocals get paid at the instrumental rate when the vocals aren't used? (Example: the 15 second instrumental intro is played, but the use stops before the vocalist enters.)Almost every PRO pays more for vocals than instrumental tracks, but the discrepancy is not the same at all. I think a vocal song is considered to have more "value" since it also has a lyric which instrumental music lacks. Historically, the lyrics were usually written by a different person so it would make sense for a vocal song to pay more as two writers have to be compensated.That being said, the large discrepancy that ASCAP and BMI have had has to do more with the fact that songwriters have historically been more involved and visible at the PRO's than instrumental composers.Both ASCAP and BMI have recently decreased the ratio between vocal and instrumental payment rates, at least in some categories, but it is still higher than it is at many foreign PRO's.If an instrumental section or version of a vocal song is used, it will pay at the normal rate for instrumerntal music, NOT the vocal rate.In my personal experience, it takes me a lot less time to write and produce an instrumental than it does a vocal song, so I think instrumental writers can make up for this discrepancy to some degree. And, in music for the media, a LOT more instrumental music is being used than vocal songs, so there are far more opportunities for placements.HTH,matto

[devin]

That's a brilliant response Matto, thank you.

[ceedub]

I'll have to get more involved with my PRO!Thanks very much for all the great info, Matt.