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Hi all, hope it's OK to ask this question in this subforum - wasn't sure where it should go.

It seems there are 2 kinds of music libraries: libraries that are happy to publish collections of artists' works where it appears as a compilation of different artists and those artists' names are retained and fully credited.
And then there are libraries that stamp their own name over the top of everything they release: all of their releases appear on YouTube and Spotify under the music library's name (e.g. [redacted]) and the artists who created the work are never visible in the front-end. When you browse collections on these music libraries' sites, the name of the artists who wrote each track is never visible.

Why do some music libraries operate this way? In anyone's experience, does it equate to more customer confidence to have a cohesive name on all the music and ultimately lead to more placements? Does it make music supervisors feel like they're getting more "solicited"/curated music and make them more likely to license a track than if it had an individual artist's name on it? If so I get it, but it's also kinda lame.

I've been asked to make a full collection/album for one such library and, while I have zero doubt I'd be compensated if anything in the collection was placed, it feels like a shame that all that work would appear on YouTube/Spotify/etc under the music library's name, not mine. It feels like it's all just a lot of work to build the music library's empire, with my only benefit being a kickback under the table if anything got used.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Keen to hear your thoughts. Cheers.

Unless you already have a well known name ( and there are some famous people that write music for libraries BTW ) I don't think it matters a jot.

I've never even considered it to be honest. Most Libraries use Source Audio sites which are searchable by composer so I suppose if an editor liked your work they could find more of it via the metadata.

But sync licensing is not really about self promotion , it's a service industry and we are judged purely on whether the music is suitable for a scene not by reputation. I wouldn't worry about it.

Mark

I think it depends on the intended purpose of the collection. For instrumental cues meant to add mood under dialog I wouldn't see the benefit of having an artist name attached to the collection. For vocal songs meant for higher end placements in scripted shows and movies there's a hipness factor involved and artist names can lend a certain cache and attraction that can be appealing to music supes/production companies.

In this case, their direction is to make the tracks "artist-authentic", with vocals, and to forget they're being written for a library. I get that sync work isn't about self-promotion, but in this case I could use the same tracks for my own artist releases, or give them to the library to release under their name.

I'm still keen to do it. I love the fact that this industry judges by the music in and of itself. I just wonder if anyone else has come up against this conundrum because it's making me spin my wheels on this project a lot.

PeteCrane wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 08, 2021 3:47 pm

In this case, their direction is to make the tracks "artist-authentic", with vocals, and to forget they're being written for a library.

Yeah that gets thrown around a lot - Pretty much every library brief I've ever been sent says they want tracks that could play alongside music the radio - i.e. Not typical Library music.

PeteCrane wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 08, 2021 3:47 pm

in this case I could use the same tracks for my own artist releases, or give them to the library to release under their name.

I suppose it depends on what your goals are. If it's income then I suspect one decent sync placement will blow any streaming income out of the water for most people ( unless you're getting hundreds of thousands of streams per month )

If you're doing it because you'd like more people to hear your music ( whether they know it's you or not ) then most of us will never get more listeners than the audiences for some of these shows & movies

If you seek fame/celebrity then typically sync is not geared towards that end, although there are libraries that want their catalogue of songs from 'artists' and promote the music as such because it looks cooler. Maybe working with a library like that would be more your thing? There are some artists who have blown up because of sync placements who were relatively unknown beforehand.

PeteCrane wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 08, 2021 3:47 pm

it's making me spin my wheels on this project a lot.

Well either way you have to finish the music, don't use it as an excuse for procrastination - you should be able to knock out 2 albums by the end of this year if you crack on with it, so why not make one for each purpose.

Mark

I've seen some libraries who does feature their artists, but usually they have some good credits that can help push the sales. But it can be a bummer for sure, if you don't even get your name on your own music, and it's doesn't help you brand your name either. I guess it's up to you to determine if there is enough in that deal for you to do it.

If you have 2 albums worth of high quality vocal songs, this type of library may not be the one for you. There are plenty of good libraries out there, many Taxi friendly ones, that will pitch your songs for Film/TV. Some exclusive, some non-exclusive, and even many exclusive ones allow you to still put your songs out on streaming platforms like Spotify, etc. (I'm assuming you are talking about vocal songs based on your posts).

PS We don't mention specific library names in this forum, it's against Taxi rules.

Good luck!
Casey

Casey H wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 09, 2021 6:15 am

PS We don't mention specific library names in this forum, it's against Taxi rules.

Redacted!

Since joining Taxi last year I've hooked up with a few libraries. One of them has taken my tracks exclusively and retained my name in the collection. Another has licensed some of my artist tracks non-exclusively, so I was able to include them on my last album earlier this year too. So it's been a good set of experiences and all hooked up via Taxi listings.

I guess it is worth weighing up whether it would be better to go with one of the non-exclusive libraries for these tracks (if they're keen). I think curiosity is driving me more than anything. Who knows what this exclusive library can do with my tracks? I feel like I have to put my chips in to find out.

FYI I know of at least one good exclusive publisher that allows artists to have their signed tracks on streaming platforms, sell on itunes and at gigs and all that.

eeoo wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 10, 2021 10:44 am

FYI I know of at least one good exclusive publisher that allows artists to have their signed tracks on streaming platforms, sell on itunes and at gigs and all that.

Only one of my exclusive publishers does not allow it. Many are fine with it because they only want the exclusivity to apply to sync with video.