Work for Hire or Splits?

[amayzlin]

Collaboration can be very helpful. You might have a good song idea and a collaborator might be able to work with you on it and do the production. Networking with other folks here on the forum and at the Road Rally can help that. I'm not saying don't learn production but along the way, you could start getting songs out there. I get the impression you write vocal songs, as opposed to instrumental cues? They are obviously slower to crank out because you need lyrics and a good singer.

I don't produce any of my own songs. While I do often pay for productions, I've also done a lot with collaborators that I met through Taxi. Recently, along with 2 co-writers, I got a song placed in an indie film. If it wasn't for the collab with those folks I met here, it couldn't have happened (One of them did the production).

I hope you can come to the Road Rally. Well worth it for a lot of reasons.

Best,
Casey

Hey Casey, yes, I am into writing vocal songs. And, yes, the "collaboration" path is one of the main reasons I created this topic. It's exponentially faster to execute things in parallel rather than sequentially. At the current moment, I booked the hotel and am monitoring the plain tickets to LA to attend the Rally

[JohnAtonic]

[/quote]
There's no answer that fits all situations.
Work-For-Hire: You pay a fee for the work and retain all ownership and royalties. Make sure you get a signed WFH agreement if you do this. Pro: You own 100% when done. Con: The upfront fee can be costly, outside of your budget.
Split: Here you share the ownership of the composition and/or the master recording. Usually, folks keep it simple and make the splits even (e.g. 50/50) across the board. Pro: No upfront cost. Con: Any income gets shared.

Some things to keep in mind. A large percentage of songs we put in music libraries never get placed. And if they do get placed, they may not earn enough to cover the WFH fees. Of course, that depends on what you paid. If you only paid a singer, for example (usu. $150), you *might* earn that back. If you pay $500-$1000 for the entire production, much less likely.

If you do a split, make sure you sign a collaboration agreement that details the agreed upon percentages for master and composition. My opinion is if the other party was involved in the songwriting (melody, chords, lyrics), do a split.

With mixing and mastering only, it's less common to do a split, though it's very possible. I usually see mixing and mastering as pure fee for service. Whichever way you go, make sure you get the proper paperwork signed. Don't wait till later on when a deal is on the table and the other party can't be reached or balks at signing.

HTH
Feel free to ask more questions.
Casey
[/quote]

Hi Casey, in a situation where let's say I compose and produce all the music and a rapper writes all the words and performs the vocal, would 50/50 be fair? Why would I give 50% of my master since I do all the production? And why would rapper give 50% of song?

How about I give 10% of my master fee, rapper gives me 10% of song? Understanding that the backend could be substantially more than the master fee which is already a 50/50 split with the publisher/library. I just trying figure out what is fair.

[Casey H]

Hi Casey, in a situation where let's say I compose and produce all the music and a rapper writes all the words and performs the vocal, would 50/50 be fair? Why would I give 50% of my master since I do all the production? And why would rapper give 50% of song?

How about I give 10% of my master fee, rapper gives me 10% of song? Understanding that the back end could be substantially more than the master fee which is already a 50/50 split with the publisher/library. I just trying figure out what is fair.

This is my personal opinion. Would this track even exist if it weren't for both your contributions which are of significant value? If this track gets placed in Film/TV, don't you think it's very much because of both of you? Think of it as a partnership, split everything 50/50. This is how the pros do it.

Casey