TAXI.com

Hi all, I haven't been on here for a few years - life got incredibly busy and took me in another direction for a while. I caught some of last night's Taxi TV which was interesting. One thing that came up was not to ask libraries why your tracks haven't been placed yet. I totally agree with that generally, but I have a situation and I wonder if it's different...
I signed about 30 very strong tracks to a music library in 2012. It was a VERY well established UK library (one of the first ever to emerge in the 1970's). They asked me to write a couple of "albums" for their library which I very happily did and put 110% effort into it.
Roll on 10 years later. The library was sold 3 times over the years. I've had about 2 placements on tiny shows that paid pennies and about 28 tracks have had zero placements. I'm 99% sure I could put those tracks in another library that gets me a ton of placements and make some good income from them. But does the rule still apply - that I shouldn't ask for those tracks back? I wouldn't mind so much if they were tracks I'd just spent a few hours on, but some of them were 30 hours in the making - big orchestral pieces.
Grateful for your thoughts.
Also I was linked to most of you lovely Taxi people on Facebook but my account got stolen and I've never been able to get it back. I'm a bit reluctant to go back on it now.
Georgie

I assume from your post that the tracks were signed to an exclusive library. I would check the agreement to see if there is any reversion clause. If not, and they were signed exclusively in perpetuity, it's probably something to discuss with an entertainment lawyer.

While there's no harm in writing to them and asking if those tracks which have NOT been used (28) could revert to you, you'd need to do your due diligence to ensure they are free and clear before attempting to sign them anywhere else.

For myself, I did get a number of tracks back from an exclusive signing but in the end I didn't feel comfortable pitching them because I just couldn't be sure that the original library (which had ended up not being so great) actually did the work of removing the tracks from their books.

It sucks when music you believe in doesn't get used. You've given it plenty of time and if it is an established library then maybe it's not as licensable as you believed at the time. That's not to say it isn't high quality, but sometimes certain styles of music just aren't a good fit for sync or for a libraries client base.

I'd certainly check the contract for reversion clauses but personally I would just write more new music and find new libraries. Maybe post one or two of them up if you want a 2nd opinion.

Mark

There is nothing wrong with asking if you can pull your tracks from the library, whether or not signed in perpetuity. I professionally worded message stating that the tracks have not received any placements and that you would like to pull them out might be enough. I've done that just one time but the library owner was quite cool with it. It wasn't a ten year thing like yours, but there's no harm in asking.

CTWF wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 01, 2022 9:49 am

I always get heat on the forum when I write this, but being requested to write an album would be an absolute red flag for me if I did not know that this was an excellent library where, essentially, placements were guaranteed as soon as I had tracks in it.

Couple of points here...

Plenty of libraries ask writers to submit "albums" of 10 or 12 tracks. It's quite common and certainly not a red flag. Much easier from an administrative perspective when entering them into their catalog. Here's one appendix document to sign listing your ten new tracks versus sending out five or ten separate emails as tracks come in. Is there a specific thing about writing albums for libraries that has burned you in the past?

Would also love to learn more about this library where placements are guaranteed as soon as you get their tracks in it.

PC

Thanks for your thoughts everyone.
In a strange coincidence, I just this moment received an email from this library with my quarterly statement - which shows zero activity
I think it would be so incredibly complicated to try to get the tracks back - and probably impossible in reality, I'll just have to live with it I think. Two libraries have done this to me actually but the other one was no surprise - this one was!
And who knows.... maybe one day I'll get a placement suddenly.
Onwards and upwards!

Georgie

Hey!
It's my old friend Georgina!!! How are you? I couldn't find your FB page anymore. Been a while since I was getting a car serviced and we chatted, LOL!

I think you should absolutely contact the library and ask if you can pull the tracks! It's 10 years, you are not being a pest. Nothing to lose. Worst case, they say no and you are no worse off than before.

Good to "see" you!
Casey

Casey H wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 01, 2022 11:13 am

Worst case, they say "No." and you are no worse off than before.

+1
the simplest, most direct advice too often overlooked.
Good luck, Georgie.

Hey Casey! I was hoping you'd look in! My FB account was stolen so I haven't been around on there.

Thanks for the advice - and everyone else who has chimed in. I'll have a think and see if I feel like tackling this.
I don't think the style or the quality of the music is the issue at all since they guided me in the style and were impressed with the quality.
They said they were sending all my music over to the BBC and it was "just a matter of time" - but they didn't mention that time might be a decade

Thanks again to you all! You're the best!

Georgie

Tom, in response to your post - yes, it's a risky "business" indeed. But I see it like a writer writes a novel or a painter paints a picture - it's something we have to do because we're driven to do it.
It's a labor of love ultimately. If we are lucky enough to make a partial living at it, that's great. But it is a lottery in the music license biz. If we want a regular guaranteed income, we have to get a job - or invest in a more lucrative biz.

Georgie