Non exclusive vs exclusive licenses

[kimm336]

Hi. I am new to Taxi. I am ready to start submitting songs for placement but I'm a little nervous about licensing. I just want to make sure I make the right decision. Can anyone give me some advice on what to look for? I know I need to be established first but I don't want to be taken advantage of in the meantime. thanks for your help.

[DesireInspires]

Honestly, you will be taken advantage of if you put in any serious amount of time and effort into music licensing. Make your mistakes, correct course, and never repeat those mistakes. It is a process.

[ResonantTone]

Hmm... if you're strictly speaking of exclusive vs non-exclusive deals, there are definitely pros and cons to both. However, the major trend for libraries over the last few years is to move away from non-exclusive deals and sign exclusive-rights music only. There are still non-exclusive libraries out there for sure... they are just getting less common. I heard someone recently say that instead of thinking of it as "signing your music away forever" with an exclusive deal, think of it as a commitment. If you're committed to the library and think they'll help you succeed, then it's absolutely worth the commitment. With the exception of a single cue, every placement I have received thus far has been from an exclusively signed song.

If your question is more in general, I had the same sense of "I don't want to get taken advantage of" when I first started... and to be honest, I've had some situations that did feel like I was being taken advantage of for whatever reason. But here is what helped keep things in perspective for me. The reality is, the chance of you making it big or even finding success in general with a handful of songs/placements is very slim. You need a decent size catalog to make ground (unless you are in the top .01%) So what that means is that even if you sign a deal with a somewhat shady publisher, you mitigate that by spreading your songs around. Create enough music of high quality that more than just that one library is interested in your stuff, and you minimize how detrimental it actually is. (and that is in the rare occasion someone actually would be taking advantage of you!)

The other thing to remember is that Taxi screens their clients very thoroughly, so the likelihood of someone straight up scamming you is very slim if you're channeling all your music here. Yes, there may be deals that don't appeal to you for whatever reason, but the vast majority of that is just business. Some libraries can afford to not have as appealing deals for their composers because they get that many really great placements.

When I started, I was going overboard about analyzing stuff in a way that seems pretty ridiculous now. It's definitely nerve-wracking, but don't sweat it too much. If you get an opportunity and someone wants your music, your best bet is probably to sign it and write more music! If it's between sitting on a digital shelf somewhere collecting dust and being in a library where someone could find it and use it... well, you get the idea.

For all the in depth details in regards to things like PRO's, writer's share/publisher's share, sync fees, consideration fees, blanket license fees, reversion clauses, etc.. I suggest you just do a lot of digging on here and watch a lot of Taxi TV. Both will get you really far with the knowledge you need to make an informed decision. (even just taking those terms and searching for them in the BIZ TALK section here will get you started)

Hope that helps some, and feel free to ask more questions here if needed!

Andrew

[kimm336]

Thank you so much! Very helpful!

[cosmicdolphin]

Your best bet is probably to sign it and write more music! If it's between sitting on a digital shelf somewhere collecting dust and being in a library where someone could find it and use it... well, you get the idea.

100%

The industry is not full of shysters trying to rip people off. It's a business. Get it signed..write some more.