$$$ Scoring Film

[k o star]

Present:So I passed my demo cd to the Supervisor (mentioned below) abt 2 weeks ago & just saw her again yesterday & in her own words told me that she is "extremely impressed" with my works & feels that my stuff is very suitable for film music so she asked if she could pass my demos to the film department at her company... and I told her that becos most of my works are already in a couple of libraries in the US, I'm not quite comfortable with them being used here yet... (and becos I only started writing "film" music 3 months ago, my collection isn't big enough yet) and she said, no worries cos they'll probably pass me movies to score music over instead of placing my current tracks over their film/films... So now I'm wondering if anyone here knows if this is a good way to work in terms of $$$wise versus placements and also...What do composers earn ard... say for scoring music to a 60min film?I just need some rough estimates, just to get an idea...I'm thinking that it be good for me to know... in case someone contacts me and ask me what I charge for that kinda work?All feedback welcometh & appreciated...Cool Peace,-KelPreviously on:Placements AdviceWith a touch of luck, I just found out thru conversation with one of my music student's Mom that she is in charge of placing songs on Tv and some Film in Victoria Australia...She told me to pass her my collection of music in broadcast quality (48k- she specified) so that if it fits I can be placed... so, it seems like she is very willing to help me with music placements.Before I joined Taxi, which is only abt 3 mths ago, I didn't write music for Tv nor Film... so, most of my material which I have right now, about 20 songs were written for Taxi listings... Some of them have been forwarded, some are still pending... Haven't had any deal offers yet from those forwarded... So, my question/questions would be...If I get placements here first, and then I get an offer or deal in US or elsewhere... how often are these deals exclusive? ...and if these deals are exclusive, will it matter if those selected tracks were already broadcasted over here?I have until next Monday to pass her my music... I'm wondering if I could also get advice on, what are some of the things I need to be aware of? What are some of the things I should find out from her regarding the Tv/Film placements I may be getting over here?I am so new to this business... I feel pretty lost to how to go about all these?Would appreciate all advice and feedback cos right now I could really use some, in fact any available...Thanks in advance...Kel

[gitarrero]

hi kelwell, first I would find out what kind of deal this lady offers - is she a supervisor? or is she a publisher?those are quite diffrent scenarios.if she's a supervisor, you could give her your songs and issue a license each time she wants to use something. you can still give the very same songs to a publisher who handles the songs non-exclussively (or semi-exclussively, eg. you can't give them to another music library).in any way, I'd recommend to inform both parties what you're doing / where the songs are and make sure this is OK for both.my 2 centsmartin

[k o star]

Thank U so much Martin for that info...I think I'm gonna ask some silly questions now... but I really need to know...How do U go about issuing a license?What does issuing a license mean?When I asked, she said she isn't linked to a library so I assume she's a supervisor... I'l ask again on Monday...She told me to provide my songs id no. from my PRO to keep track of the music used...Is it good news that she is a supervisor?Sorry if I'm asking stupid questions... guess I gotta find out somehow by asking...Kel

[t4mh]

May 13, 2009, 6:48am, gitarrero wrote:hi kelyou can still give the very same songs to a publisher who handles the songs non-exclussively (or semi-exclussively, eg. you can't give them to another music library).martinSort of interested in this thread. I too need to learn much of these things. I have read through the TAXI FAQs about some of this but they don't always answer all of the questions.If you have a non-exclusive deal with a library, are you saying you cannot have another non-exclusive deal with another library for the same track at the same time? If this is true, why?Kel - hope it works out for ya bud!Keith

[k o star]

Thanks Keith...Gonna pass them my tracks next Monday and speak with the Supe... all fingers & toes crossed ^_^

[gitarrero]

May 14, 2009, 7:10pm, t4mh wrote:If you have a non-exclusive deal with a library, are you saying you cannot have another non-exclusive deal with another library for the same track at the same time? If this is true, why?it all depends on the exact wording of a particualr contract.there are contracts that are fully non-exclusive, which means you could (legally) give the very same songs to other non-exclusive publishers.personally, I wouldn't recommend that simply because of overlapping - imagine you're a supervisor and get the very same song under 3 diffrent titles from 3 diffrent sources... you might be a little bit p***ed off.there are also semi-exclusive contracts that allow you to pitch the songs to users (tv station, supervisors..) directly, but you can't place it with another publisher.May 13, 2009, 7:02am, reasondemon wrote:Thank U so much Martin for that info...I think I'm gonna ask some silly questions now... but I really need to know...How do U go about issuing a license?What does issuing a license mean?When I asked, she said she isn't linked to a library so I assume she's a supervisor... I'l ask again on Monday...She told me to provide my songs id no. from my PRO to keep track of the music used...Is it good news that she is a supervisor?Sorry if I'm asking stupid questions... guess I gotta find out somehow by asking...Kelkel,if you really want to dive into the licensing world I'd recommend to read some books which explain all the principles. I found "all you need to know about the music business" (passman) and "music money and success" (brabec) very useful.with a license you basically allow a user to use your music in synchronisation with motion picture (or other media, too). a user can't use your music legally without such a license.a publisher / music library does exactly that: they find users for the music in their catalog and issue license for that.hth,martin

[k o star]

Thank U Martin... Appreciate the info..Kel

[t4mh]

Thanks Martin for the clarification! I was thinkin along some other lines but your explanation more or less wacked me back into the straight and narrow where I should be!Keith

[mojobone]

From the description of your music in your signature, I would guess that your style(s) should probably be licensed as non-exclusively as possible, cuz they'd have pretty wide-ranging applications if you've described them accurately. (stands to reason a given track could make a bit more $ in the American market) Given that Oz is a bit more socialized than the states, I'd guess your contact has a pretty good "in" for both TV and films-good deal! It's unlikely any deal advice I could offer would be helpful, as the rules in your neck of the woods could be substantially different than mine; I hope a more experienced Aussie can guide you. Congratulations and good luck!

[k o star]

Thanks for e feedback Mojo... I just moved to Australia... so I'm not too sure how it works here yet either...