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A Shift Towards Exclusive.....?

Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2017 1:44 am
by SteveBaruah
Has anyone else noticed a shift towards Exclusive libraries (as opposed to non-exclusive)?
A library of mine just announced a huge supply deal to major networks, but it's only for their exclusive cues (they also have non-exclusive tracks).
It makes complete sense to me, and I don't know why any music supervisor/network would bother with non-exclusive tracks. Imagine how annoying it must be going through a batch of cues and not finding anything, then going through another batch from another library and finding the same cues. Exclusive tracks are also free, they don't cost any more!
I'm also getting tired of the non-exclusive game. Once I've made a non-exclusive track I then spend an extremely long time bouncing down different formats, adding different metadata, re-titling, and keeping an overview of the whole thing is a nightmare!

So anyway, what do you have more success with, exclusive or non-exclusive cues, and have you noticed any shift towards exclusive cues?


Cheers,
Steve

Re: A Shift Towards Exclusive.....?

Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2017 7:40 am
by hummingbird
I think there is a shift towards exclusive and it only makes sense. We can already detect plays of a certain track when broadcast. There's no way to 'retitle' that.

Re: A Shift Towards Exclusive.....?

Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2017 7:59 am
by davekropf
I'm personally ok with exclusive libraries, especially if there's an option to release the track after a certain period of inactivity. Knowing that technology will make cue identification much more reliable will only serve to accelerate more libraries moving towards exclusivity.

Re: A Shift Towards Exclusive.....?

Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2017 2:52 pm
by DesireInspires
Stay non-exclusive if at all possible.

Why lock up your music exclusively if you don't have to?

Exclusive is fine but a lot of these "exclusive" libraries aren't as successful or glamorous as they claim to be.

I guess you have to play the field and add music to a variety of companies. But don't assume music in an exclusive music library will be the holy grail for you.

Re: A Shift Towards Exclusive.....?

Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2017 11:14 pm
by SteveBaruah
Good point! But if the market swings to exclusive, my cues a locked in non-exclusive libraries!

Re: A Shift Towards Exclusive.....?

Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2017 4:34 am
by DesireInspires
SteveBaruah wrote:Good point! But if the market swings to exclusive, my cues a locked in non-exclusive libraries!
Well you have to write more cues then.

Don't worry about the "market". Just write music for both non-exclusive libraries and exclusive libraries and you will be covered.

Re: A Shift Towards Exclusive.....?

Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2017 4:44 am
by SteveBaruah
DesireInspires wrote:
Well you have to write more cues then.
That's my point. All my non-exclusive cues would be worthless. Until now I have probably given 70% of my cues to non-exec libraries. I think I'll change that to at least 50/50, maybe even more to excl.


Cheers
Steve

Re: A Shift Towards Exclusive.....?

Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2017 9:35 am
by DesireInspires
SteveBaruah wrote:
That's my point. All my non-exclusive cues would be worthless. Until now I have probably given 70% of my cues to non-exec libraries. I think I'll change that to at least 50/50, maybe even more to excl.


Cheers
Steve
How would your music become worthless?!?

There are many places to sell your music non-exclusively. It especially helps to own the rights to your music if you want to do direct licenses with clients.

I don't know why you would think your music becomes worthless when it gets signed to a music library on a non-exclusive basis. You have so many more opportunities to exploit your own catalog when you hold the rights to your catalog. Always be on the lookout to use your older music.

Don't let anyone strip your value or worth away by talk of "markets" or "trends". Hold your value and work to get paid. Your music signed to an exclusive deal that isn't profitable is the worst deal ever.

Re: A Shift Towards Exclusive.....?

Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2017 9:47 am
by SteveBaruah
DesireInspires wrote:
How would your music become worthless?!?
I'm talking about a possible trend towards exclusive libraries by music supervisors and if anyone has noticed it. I'm also asking why music supervisors would even bother with non-exclusive cues when exclusive cues cost them the same. Now hypothetically speaking, if all music supervisors went exclusive-only overnight, all of our non-exclusive cues would be worthless as we couldn't sign them to exclusive libraries. I'm talking about the most extreme circumstance just to get the point across, I don't actually expect it to flip overnight.

Cheers,
Steve

Re: A Shift Towards Exclusive.....?

Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2017 10:49 am
by DesireInspires
I don't see a trend.

Some companies are changing from non-exclusive to exclusive, but I don't think the world will suddenly consider any songs signed on a non-exclusive basis as garbage.

To me, the exclusivity of a song doesn't seem to matter, as a lot of music is just used in the background of cable TV shows. This music isn't being used for a TV commercial of a luxury product or for a movie trailer.

But I guess if people can get exclusive songs for the same price of non-exclusive songs, why not? It's like why would a company hire a person with a high school diploma when they can get a college grad for the same wage?

It is just an illusion that makes some people feel better even though education alone does not determine the worth of an employee. Likewise, the exclusivity of a Cue does not determine if the Cue will work for a basic cable reality TV show.

Such as life!