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Hello!

I have a strange situation. I have an exclusive contract with one British music library from 2007.
During all the time I received from them one payment about two years ago (after my own request).
Since then I can't contact them. I send requests, but I don't receive answers.
Their site works, but wasn't updated long ago. And I don't know that to do in this situation.
Are they living or not? What happens to my music? I don't know.

Maybe someone from you was in such situation and knows what to do?

Thank you!

Dmitry

Sadly, that's not a terribly unusual situation. The lack of communication could mean they're so busy pitching their catalog/your track that they don't have time to answer emails, letters, the phone, etc. but it could also mean the owners are bankrupt, retired, in a coma, being sued or are deceased. In any of those latter situations, you'll only need to wait for the ownership of the intellectual property rights to be sorted out, but in the meantime, you could maybe contact the UK Performing Rights Society to see if they're still getting placements/revenue. They may not be able to legally disclose anything officially, but someone there might take pity on you.

Or, if they aren't responsive, feel free to submit your tracks to other libraries.

Try to call them. Email can be unreliable, if you end up in the spam folder.
You can also check if they are still registered as a company in the UK. Try https://www.gov.uk/get-information-about-a-company

These companies come and go, I'm afraid. Some are very small, and the competition is fierce.

Paulie wrote:Or, if they aren't responsive, feel free to submit your tracks to other libraries.

Dude. [sotto voce]

I wouldn't. There's not much exposure, it's not likely to have dire consequences, but you just don't know, 'til you know. And until you learn, why take chances? It's just music; you'll make more. Write, submit, forget, etc. Some swings are strikes, some are foul balls. Keep swinging for the fences.

I second mojobone. Since it is an exclusive contract you would probably be on the safer side just working towards getting in touch with someone first.

efimus wrote:Hello!

I have a strange situation. I have an exclusive contract with one British music library from 2007.
During all the time I received from them one payment about two years ago (after my own request).
Since then I can't contact them. I send requests, but I don't receive answers.
Their site works, but wasn't updated long ago. And I don't know that to do in this situation.
Are they living or not? What happens to my music? I don't know.

Maybe someone from you was in such situation and knows what to do?

Thank you!

Dmitry

I'm in a similar situation and I suspect that the individual who owns the company is losing interest in moving forward with his library. It makes me very leery of signing an exclusive in the future. One other caveat, I continued to send him tracks over about a two year period in which he accepted each song via email, but when I sent him an amended Schedule A, I never received his signature in return. Would this have any bearing on the legality of the contract? His signature only appears on the first song I sent him.

Paulie wrote:Or, if they aren't responsive, feel free to submit your tracks to other libraries.

As mojo said, ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! You can't assume they are out of business and therefore you might be in violation of a contract. You really don't want that and the potential issues.

Casey

I'm in the UK and wondering if the company being discussed is one I had contact with some time ago.

They seemed to be quite a professional outfit.

I applied and was accepted and invited to upload tracks but for some reason,nothing more than the vaguest instinct I decided not to.

If it's the company I'm thinking of,(the name has religious connotations) then the owner is actually American.

The website is still up but none of the contact buttons are active.

Just to reiterate the good advice already given,if you have signed something then you have to honour it. (In this case,unfortunately.)

If You submit to someone else...being an exclusive deal...will other libraries even consider you?....so much to learn!