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Hi, I'm new on this board so maybe my question has been asked and answered a million times but... Most all of the requests state that the requested music will give the person requesting the music ALL (100%) of the publishing rights. My questions are: Is this fair? and what is the percentage of publisher rights (100%) vs Writers rights(100%) - in dollar amount?? And... Can I negotiate these publishing rights? Thanks KB

keithbeck wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 26, 2022 7:29 am

Hi, I'm new on this board so maybe my question has been asked and answered a million times but...

Yes it has !

keithbeck wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 26, 2022 7:29 am

Most all of the requests state that the requested music will give the person requesting the music ALL (100%) of the publishing rights.

Yes

keithbeck wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 26, 2022 7:29 am

My questions are: Is this fair?

You write the music - and the library works hard to try and find clients who will want to use it and place it TV / Ads / Film, that's how they earn their half.

It's a fair and equitable split IMHO. There are worse deals out there.

keithbeck wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 26, 2022 7:29 am

and what is the percentage of publisher rights (100%) vs Writers rights(100%) - in dollar amount??

That would depend how much the track has earned , could be zero, could be a few dollars, could be several hundred and occasionally they get into the thousands. It all depends and these tracks often accrue smaller amounts over time but it adds up.

keithbeck wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 26, 2022 7:29 am

Can I negotiate these publishing rights?

No not really, it's a standard deal and they will just move on to the next writer rather than mess about - the deal is the deal really. Take it or leave it but it rarely gets much better than 50/50

https://youtu.be/JkbyKQi7Qt4

cosmicdolphin wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 26, 2022 9:36 am

keithbeck wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 26, 2022 7:29 am

My questions are: Is this fair?

You write the music - and the library works hard to try and find clients who will want to use it and place it TV / Ads / Film, that's how they earn their half.
It's a fair and equitable split IMHO.

A lot of people seriously underestimate (in a huge way) what it takes to do what the library does. Actually PLACING your songs is a major undertaking involving lots of different skills, more than full time hours, building relationships and trust with clients, administering and keeping track of thousands of songs, reviewing music, curating pitches to client's needs, contracts and negotiations, and a host of other things. So yea, they earn their 50% easily.

Also keep in mind that there are different kinds of music library deals with respect to their publishing rights:
(1) They get 100% of publishing, exclusive, but only for sync uses (film, tv, ads, video) but you can still put your music on streaming sites, sell downloads, have other artists record, etc.
(2) They get 100% of publishing, exclusive, and it is all encompassing.
(3) Non-exclusive: They get 100% of publishing but only for the sync placements they make. This is done by re-titling your track and registering it with the re-title name and them as publisher. Often they just add a tag to your title such as "Lib X - I Love You Always".

HTH
Casey

Caveat - if you believe you have a hit song then hold on to it all unless a guy with a big cigar gives you the mill.

If it is a cue then you need a willing (i.e. 50%) publisher to make it even possible to make money out of it

thanks a lot! That clears up a lot of thing for me...

SubRivers wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 26, 2022 6:17 pm

Caveat - if you believe you have a hit song then hold on to it all unless a guy with a big cigar gives you the mill.

Of course, everybody thinks they have a hit song!! Someone might, but most songwriters starting out think they have written hits and it's a rude awakening when they find out that's not the case. When I joined Taxi in the early 2000s and started getting pro critiques from Taxi and NSAI, I was very quickly educated, even if kicking and screaming a bit.

Keep in mind that even if you do have a great song with hit potential, getting it to an artist without a publisher or representation such as a music attorney, is pretty much impossible. Again, that's where they earn there money.

Casey

My question was not worded correctly
"what is the percentage of publisher rights (100%) vs Writers rights(100%) - in dollar amount??"

What I wanted to say was - If my song gets played on tv and the publisher makes $100 on it ,what do I get as the writer? $100 as well or much less or maybe more?

I hope that makes better sense. Thanks

keithbeck wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 29, 2022 1:24 pm

My question was not worded correctly
"what is the percentage of publisher rights (100%) vs Writers rights(100%) - in dollar amount??"

What I wanted to say was - If my song gets played on tv and the publisher makes $100 on it ,what do I get as the writer? $100 as well or much less or maybe more?

I hope that makes better sense. Thanks

Every dollar is generally split 50/50 between writer and publisher. If you place a song on tv and the show pays a $200 sync fee, you get $100 and the publisher gets $100. PRO royalties (ASCAP, BMI, etc.) are automatically split such that the publisher gets 50% and the writer gets 50%. Make sense?

Beautiful! Thanks