TAXI.com

Some recent Taxi listings include this wording:

"This company offers a NON-EXCLUSIVE, 50/50 split of all income generated by your music. In other words, you’ll equally co-own the Writer’s share and the Publisher’s share of the new title and split all income. Due to the nature of this deal, all composers need to have or be willing to set up a Publishing Company with your P.R.O. if accepted into this Music Library."

This particular listing is #D170827OI for Ominous Instrumentals

I'm not sure why the deal is split this way, instead of the traditional split where the library takes the all the Publisher's share and the writer takes all the Writer's share?

Has anyone signed this type of deal, or do you have any opinions on it? Pro's & Con's?

Thanks, Jim

It appears since it is a NON-exclusive that you are able to shop your song to other publishers and they will share half of the writer's share, and if it's a different publisher, neither one of you will get a publisher's share, you'll just split the writer's share.

Len911 wrote:It appears since it is a NON-exclusive that you are able to shop your song to other publishers and they will share half of the writer's share, and if it's a different publisher, neither one of you will get a publisher's share, you'll just split the writer's share.

Good point Len, unless it's a re-title specifically for that library, in which case I don't know why they would structure their contracts this way.

I have read elsewhere about the move to this sort of deal, it's in response to bigger clients of libraries wanting a share of the publishing.

So if the library gets the writer to split 50/50 publishing/writers then the library also split the loss with the writer of giving the client a share of publishing (maybe it also encourages the client to take 1/3 not a 1/2 ?)

Don't think clients are quite ready to ask for a cut of the writers share - at least not yet

Terrible deal. Don't do it.

I am very leery of us giving up any part of the writer's share of royalties. That means you have essentially said that entity had a hand in the composition and production of your composition and master. How can that be right?

Call Taxi, it's possible something slipped through QA.

Len911 wrote:Call Taxi, it's possible something slipped through QA.

Agree. Check with Taxi. 50/50 splits usually means you get 100% writers and library gets 100% publishing. I would be very surprise if Taxi is allowing this type of deal without very clearly advising their members.

I know there was a library who was offered the same type of deal from a production company but they contacted their writers first before offering the opportunity to see how they felt about it. Some writers turned it down, while others didn't mind since it was non-exclusive.

Personally, I'm not a fan of such deal, simply on an ethical and moral basis. I think it can lead to even more devaluation of writer's work. You don't see these types of deals in any other business.

hummingbird wrote:I am very leery of us giving up any part of the writer's share of royalties. That means you have essentially said that entity had a hand in the composition and production of your composition and master. How can that be right?

Agreed. I know this is non-exclusive arrangement, but I thought Taxi eschewed these types of deals in their listings.