Collaborating across time zones

[jakito]

Just got my first forward to a music publisher and I am now trying to make sure that any obstacles are out of the way when (I hope) the publisher will contact me. My main concern right now is the different time zones: I am located in Copenhagen, Denmark which implies that my time zone (CET) is 9 hours ahead of PST where I assume most of our "targets" are situated and what concerns me most is the time difference meaning that realistically I will usually only be able to take calls until say 2PM or 3 PM PST.

I wonder whether any of you can help me understanding how the interaction typically plays out with a publisher/music library/media network - what is the typical mix of e-mails, phone calls, face-to-face meetings etc?

I am very used to coping with geographical distance: I had an international job for several years with my management and many colleagues on the US West and East Coasts so I am used to working remotely with many e-mails, conference calls and occasional travel. Currently I am a freelancer with several clients in the US and Canada. All this runs quite smoothly because my industry is very e-mail driven and somewhat asynchronous of nature.

How serious do you think the time zone barrier would be and what do you think I could do to remove them?

[llama]

Hey Kim,

FWIW most interactions I've had with music libraries or publishers has been via email. In fact I can only think of two occasions where a phone call has taken place as opposed to many many emails. I think email is the de-facto standard in the music industry. As for face to face meetings I've yet to have one. I deal with 4 or 5 libraries on a regular basis and a couple more on an irregualar basis and all communication is via email. Having a phone that lets me receive and send email is a big plus too, since then communications that need to be acted on quickly can be taken care of. HTH.

Derek

[Casey H]

In today's world where most communications is by email, it's a non-issue. People do business across continents and time zones all the time. I wouldn't give it any worry at all.

Casey

[jakito]

Derek, Casey,

That is encouraging news. Thank you very much for bothering to answer my questions!