dispatch, production libraries, music supervisors

[stupidgenius]

Hello - I'm new to the game here. Just wanted anyone'sfeedback who has had film/TV placement (either through dispatch or by manually submitting tracks to production music libraries) and the experience you had working with music supervisors. I've read articles that Michael wrote, and attended his seminar in Tampa a few weeks ago, and he suggested trying to get as much music as possible into various production music libraries (if anyone has a list of some good ones, that'd be great too!)I guess I'm just a bit confused about the whole process - it seems like a placement through dispatch would put you in contact with a music supervisor who would potentially license your track for their broadcast. Am I correct to assume that I still would hold the copyright, and could use this same track in another production of mine, or another broadcast? Now in contrast, if I were to submit music to a production library, would I only then own a percentage (that would entitle me publishing money based on performance royalties)? Would these libraries buy the tracks outright from me, or just keep them in their catalog and pay me only if they were used? Could I submit the same tracks to multiple production libraries?Here is a quote from Michael's "Television Music" article: "My advice--try to license the stuff that's been sitting on the shelf for a while and has no great probability of ever being a hit. Save your best for Clive Davis if your ultimate goal is to get a record deal."Is this because you are signing exclusive rights to the production music library to make it into their catalog?One last thing (which I thought Taxi may provide a comprehensive list of before I joined) is finding the right libraries to work with. Here is the final quote from Michael's article: "One word of advice--the companies that need this music won't track you down, you'll need figure out who they are and how to make contact with them. Hint: The networks themselves aren't the people to call. Try to find music libraries, publishers who regularly work in film and TV, and music supervisors working on film and TV projects. There are directories that list some of these companies. Work on your phone presentation before you call--be succinct, keep the conversation very short and very to the point. Happy hunting!"Any help would really help me (and probably alot of others) out on this matter. Thank you, sorry this was so long!

[jay10music]

Hi StupidGenius:I sent you a private message.Jimi

[hookstownbrown]

Huh?

[thaahum]

I'm not a member of Dispatch, but plan on joining soon. After reading the previous posts on dispatch, I would like to know how popular are requests for Hip Hip/Rap songs?Has any member whose genre is hip hop, been forwarded & selected for any TV/film project?

[ksmad1]

Is their a way I can find out the answer to StupidGenius's question? Or why does the answer have to be private in the first place. I have music that I want to shop to labels, A& R and Taxi's Dispatch and most times the songs are the same.

[matto]

The answer is, it all depends... ...no, really!Typically, a music supervisor will not take any part in ownership of the tune, therefore you could still do anything you like with that same tune.With publishers specializing in tv/film placements, and music libraries, some will represent your tunes on a non-exclusive basis (meaning you can still do anything you want), some will want a semi-exclusive representation (meaning they have the exclusive rights to your song for visual media, but you can still pitch the songs for a record deal), and some will want to become the exclusive publisher of your songs (meaning they are the owner of the copyright and have full control over the songs). This is sometimes referred to as a work-for-hire type agreement. In any of these situations, you will always retain at least your writer's share of performance royalties (which is 50% of the total).So there are a lot of possible deals, and you can always negotiate to try to get a deal that works for you. My advice would be to pitch your songs, and IF you're offered a deal, evaluate it, negotiate if necessary and then decide on a case by case basis if you wanna sign or not. And if it's your first deal, you definitely would want to have a qualified music attorney take a look at it.As far as a list of music libraries, you can easily come up with your own using google...also the Hollywood Reporter has a special issue on film/tv music at least twice a year which contains has one...you have to be prepared to do a little bit of research on you own...matto

[anne]

Hi - is it possible to get the answer you were sent to this questions? Truly appreciated - Anne

[thedivys]

Great site that we belong to that has gotten us signed with a music library in Studio City, Cais www.filmmusic.netwww.TheDivys.com

[prez]

Quote:Great site that we belong to that has gotten us signed with a music library in Studio City, Cais www.filmmusic.netwww.TheDivys.comWow. This just made my day. Thanks for the info.God bless.