Schedule A practices

[elser]

Whenever I have sent an amended schedule A, adding new songs to an agreement with a library, I have never received a signed response. Is this normal? Would it be a legal loop hole?

[Casey H]

Whenever I have sent an amended schedule A, adding new songs to an agreement with a library, I have never received a signed response. Is this normal? Would it be a legal loop hole?

I wouldn't call it a legal loophole and try to use it to get out of a deal. Since YOU initialed or signed it and/or agreed in the original contract that future schedule A items would fall under the contract, it's probably binding. (Not a lawyer)

I can't say I've always done this but it's a good idea to always ask any library you sign with to send you back a copy of any executed paperwork with both yours and their signatures or initials.

Casey

[elser]

Whenever I have sent an amended schedule A, adding new songs to an agreement with a library, I have never received a signed response. Is this normal? Would it be a legal loop hole?

I wouldn't call it a legal loophole and try to use it to get out of a deal. Since YOU initialed or signed it and/or agreed in the original contract that future schedule A items would fall under the contract, it's probably binding. (Not a lawyer)

I can't say I've always done this but it's a good idea to always ask any library you sign with to send you back a copy of any executed paperwork with both yours and their signatures or initials.

Casey

I've done that and the company is unresponsive. This is sort of a tangent from efimus's post regarding "no answer from music library". Something Mojo said in that thread was "it's just music, you can always write more". I tend not to think of my writing that way. I normally put a lot of thought and effort into everything I write. There are some tunes that I could dismiss without much care, but there are others that I feel hit the mark and could be profitable for me. Some of these are owned by a library who shows increasing signs of stagnation, and who won't even sign a request for an updated schedule A. I have the same concerns as efimus in his post.

[Casey H]

I've done that and the company is unresponsive. This is sort of a tangent from efimus's post regarding "no answer from music library". Something Mojo said in that thread was "it's just music, you can always write more". I tend not to think of my writing that way. I normally put a lot of thought and effort into everything I write. There are some tunes that I could dismiss without much care, but there are others that I feel hit the mark and could be profitable for me. Some of these are owned by a library who shows increasing signs of stagnation, and who won't even sign a request for an updated schedule A. I have the same concerns as efimus in his post.

I hear ya. I take each song of mine very seriously as I am not that prolific. So it comes down to "What's it worth to you?". You might want to send a registered/certified letter to the library saying you have not been able to reach them and if you don't hear from them to confirm they are still in business and capable of exploiting your works per contract, you will consider the contract null and void. BUT I CAN'T GIVE THAT AS LEGAL ADVICE, so you may want to ask an entertainment attorney.

BTW, was the deal through a Taxi forward?

Best
Casey

[VanderBoegh]

Hey Jon, I write music for plenty of libraries that don't send me signed (or initialed) copies of the schedules either. In fact, some of the libraries I write for don't even use schedules AT ALL. The business practice seems to be, if I send it to them and they confirm receipt of the tracks, then it's theirs. Just because you don't have a signed piece of paper doesn't mean they're not working though... Some of my biggest successes are from libraries that don't use schedules at all. And some of them don't even confirm receipt of the tracks, other than removing them from a shared DropBox folder.

Maybe this isn't the most legally-sound business practice, and I understand how it can leave you scratching your head, but it seems to be a rather common occurrence. And if you consider the amount of composers these libraries have working for them, and the sheer amount of tracks that must get sent in from everyone on a weekly basis, it would probably be a logistical nightmare so get signed schedules back to everyone. It would probably take a full-time staff member just to push the paperwork around.

Probably doesn't put your mind at ease, but that's been my experience.

~~Matt

[elser]

Matt and Casey, you both make a lot of sense. Casey, yes the contract was through a Taxi forward. When I was contacted I was so flattered being a guitar player because he has many famous guitar players listed as some of his writers, so I jumped on the deal. In the future I will be more selective.

Matt, I kinda figured that was the general practice regarding a schedule A. I guess I just need to buck up and shut up about these tunes. Write, submit, repeat fuggetaboutit, write some more, take a nap, stay up all night and write some more, repeat....

[jonnybutter]

I am signed with a pub which considers any submission (not any pitch) that they accept as added to our Sched. A. I got the original countersigned document, but no extra doc when Schedule A has been amended.

I don't love it, but that's how they roll.