Reversion Clause

[jbeck]

Question for you veterans out there who've made some deals with your music..or for those of you who are at least in-the-know with legal stuff..What exactly is a "reversion clause" and how does it affect songwriters?Thanks,jbeck

[hummingbird]

Quote:Question for you veterans out there who've made some deals with your music..or for those of you who are at least in-the-know with legal stuff..What exactly is a "reversion clause" and how does it affect songwriters?Thanks,jbeckHi - a reversion clause is a clause in a contract that states, after a period of time, if no deals have come about for that music, the rights revert back to the writer. Standard is 3 years. If you don't have a revision clause, that means the publisher/etc has the rights to your piece forever, no matter what. I doubt that most songwriters would want to sign a deal that didn't include a reversion clause. It's the only way you can retain control of your work if the other party doesn't do their job.A good resource for these kinds of questions is "The Craft & the Business of Songwriting" by John Braheny, or Jason Blume's "This Business of Songwriting.Hummin'bird

[jbeck]

Thank you, Hummin'bird...So in an "exclusive deal" there should typically be a reversion clause. I read in another thread something about songwriters keeping their rights, I think Matto had talked about this..so what exactly are the companies securing "exclusively"?I might sound a tad ignorant..which I probably am being green on some of this stuff..but I do appreciate any help/input..jbeck

[hummingbird]

Quote:Thank you, Hummin'bird...So in an "exclusive deal" there should typically be a reversion clause. I read in another thread something about songwriters keeping their rights, I think Matto had talked about this..so what exactly are the companies securing "exclusively"?I might sound a tad ignorant..which I probably am being green on some of this stuff..but I do appreciate any help/input..jbeckMatt & others will correct me, but IMO you want a revision clause with everything you licence.Exclusive deals mean that you've signed over the rights to that piece within a certain framework (i.e., to a publisher for film/tv placements) & that you agree not to licence that piece to anyone else. Often though, you can still release the song on your indie CD, etc., the details of each deal are different.Even with non-exclusive deals, you have to be careful. If you sign a non-exclusive deal with a publisher to place a song in film/tv, and then you also place the same song with another publisher to place in film/tv, you could run into trouble because... obviously, the piece being what it is, both publishers could potentially pitch it to the same opp - and the folks on the recieving end frown on recieving the same piece from two sources & will pass on it. So even in non-exclusive, you want to make sure you are not stepping on toes.In either case, songwriters retain their rights to the songwriting royalties. Their share of the publishing, if any, varies from deal to deal. Most unknown songwriters have to give up their publishing to get deals.Just my two cents. Those books I mentioned help a lot with this stuff. In any case, if you do get an offer - see a qualified entertainment lawyer to make sure you understand what it means and so you can make an informed decision.cheersHummin'bird

[Casey H]

HiI wrote some things about reversion clauses in this thread that may be of value:http://taxi.proboards27.com/index.cgi?a ... page=1Good luck! Casey

[jbeck]

Thanks for clueing me in on your thread...very very helpful..All the suggestions above were really good..Thanks guys,jbeck