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I just got a forward to "a Major Music Publisher that pitches daily to music supervisors in TV, film and advertising". From what I understand, it is common when you sign a deal for a song to give the company the publisher's side and you keep the writer's side. What about the synch fees? Is a 50/50 split common? From the TAXI listings it seems like a good amount of income from a placement is the synch fee. I would be hesitant to give it all away. I would be interested to hear from anyone who has signed deals with libraries or publishers what your experience has been in terms of where the money is.... how much you would expect to earn from performance royalties for a placement in comparison to synch fee revenues. Thanks. Ray

sqwinch wrote:I just got a forward to "a Major Music Publisher that pitches daily to music supervisors in TV, film and advertising". From what I understand, it is common when you sign a deal for a song to give the company the publisher's side and you keep the writer's side. What about the synch fees? Is a 50/50 split common? From the TAXI listings it seems like a good amount of income from a placement is the synch fee. I would be hesitant to give it all away. I would be interested to hear from anyone who has signed deals with libraries or publishers what your experience has been in terms of where the money is.... how much you would expect to earn from performance royalties for a placement in comparison to synch fee revenues. Thanks. Ray

The deal sounds great. Sign it.

Knee jerks aside, yes 50/50 on performance royalties is very common. Irregardless of whether there is any sync split, performance royalties (with some rare exceptions) are always part of the equation.

Typically the splits for sync fees are all over the map depending on the types of deals (exclusive vs non, etc.). There's lots of info in well regarded books out there (google and amazon are good places to start) and legal advice from a qualified entertainment attorney is always recommended.

Thanks for the info. I picked up a couple books and I'm starting to get a grasp on things. I'm a new member and got a couple early forwards. I was psyched to get forwarded and then I started thinking I'm woefully unprepared for the next step (if it happens)! I appreciate the tips. Thanks again.

sqwinch wrote:Thanks for the info. I picked up a couple books and I'm starting to get a grasp on things. I'm a new member and got a couple early forwards. I was psyched to get forwarded and then I started thinking I'm woefully unprepared for the next step (if it happens)! I appreciate the tips. Thanks again.

Good for you! Being on the forum is a great way to learn the ropes!

Did you sign the deal yet?