(l-r) Xandy Barry, Gary Gross, Jeff Rona, Adam Taylor and Kevin Edelman
Photo by Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup
Synopsis
If you are a songwriter, composer or artist, chances are you are trying to figure out where your music fits in the industry and how to "get it out there." The six panelists on the Why Production Companies Can Be an Important Component to Your Future panel (sponsored by APM Music, Killer Tracks and the Guild of Music Supervisors) have expertise in one very real avenue for your music. There are some catches, and it's hard, just like any other part of the music business. When asked about where music libraries in the business are going, composer/producer Xandy Barry said, "It's one of the healthiest parts of the music business." After hearing these guys talk, they make a good point. Very few hits are making a million dollars from royalties in a year, but there are a lot of composers and songwriters making a little money from placements here and there, which ends up being a decent income.
The Big Music Libraries
There are a few big ones. Killer Tracks and APM are the two biggest, housing probably 50% of the market right now. The rest is made up of boutique libraries that specialize in various styles or placement types, like trailers or score music. The bigger companies deal primarily with exclusive licensing (see below for explanation). They have a high quality standard, and as a result are the go-to places for many music supervisors. Music supervisor John Houlihan said that APM and Killer Tracks are some of the first places he goes to to find music. One of the reasons is because of the high quality standard. APM President, Adam Taylor, said that is one of the things they have insisted upon. Fifteen years ago, music libraries had poor quality, MIDI-type samples. Now it is on par with major releases, and even many of the most successful pop producers are writing music for libraries. Regarding usability of the site, Houlihan and music supervisor Kevin Edelman couldn't stress how important the interface is when searching for music on library websites. As music supervisors, they need music and need it now. They have to be able to license a song immediately, which is a major plus to working with libraries. That is also the reason they shy away from working with independents and boutiques. They still do, but as Edelman said, "[With a major] there's less chance of someone coming out of the woodwork, saying they wrote on the track."
Writing for Music Libraries:
Both Edelman and composer Jeff Rona said something really important about writing for libraries and library music. When Houlihan was looking for a song, he had a very specific description of what he needed, so anything that wasn't straight down the middle was a pass. Rona said when he started writing for libraries what he found was that his most successful tracks were non-ambiguous. The music didn't change emotion or direction half way through. It was straight down the middle in its mission. Barry reiterated that. They also emphasized that the production quality must be high. Great writing with bad production will get you nowhere. At the beginning of the panel, Houlian went on his computer and walked us through how he searched for music. When he was searching for music he said, "Yesterday I needed something like a New York street scene." He searched Reggaeton+vocals. About 150 tracks popped up. He listened to about five seconds of most of them, and if he liked it, he scrolled to the middle of the song and listened to another five seconds. He knew exactly what he wanted, so anything slightly off he maybe listened to two seconds of.
Exclusive vs. Non-Exclusive
This is a question that has been around for a few years now. I've heard this question answered by music supervisors, artists, and now music libraries. The panelists were mostly in favor of exclusive licensing. If you don't know the difference between exclusive and non-exclusive, it's basically that with exclusive licensing, the writer is giving one library exclusive rights to license their song or catalog. They often pay to have the track produced/written and in return take the publishing and usually half of the sync fee. Even if they don't pay for the production, they still take the publishing. Killer Tracks president Gary Gross said that 99% of the composer deals they make are like this. Non-exclusive companies take all or part of the publishing on the placement itself. So they don't necessarily have publishing on the track if, say, you put it out on an independent album or got it licensed through your own endeavors. That is why the tracks/songs are often retitled.
With the non-exclusive system, you could possibly have the same song being shopped by several companies. That seems great, but there are a few things to keep in mind with non-exclusive. Music supervisors are more hesitant to license a song that is with a bunch of other licensing companies or libraries. Why? Edelman said he's been in a situation where he's licensed from a library and someone from another library said, "I sent that track to you last year. Why didn't you license it from me?" Kevin gets hundreds of submissions a month. No one can keep track or listen to so much music. So the bottom line is that music supervisors sometimes shy away from non-exclusive companies to avoid these and other types of problems. Also, tracking royalties increasingly involves digital recognition instead of cue sheets. If you are a writer with a song in four libraries and it gets placed with one of those libraries, even under a new name, the new digital recognition technology will consider it the same song, regardless of the title. Roaa acknowledged "You may never see the money." It's a question that each songwriter must figure out for him or herself - is part of the pie better than no pie at all?
The Drawbacks of Music Libraries
One of the major drawbacks in my opinion is giving your publishing up for good. That's kind of scary. It's not just about the money in royalties, it's about the freedom of the song. Rona said, "You need to be able to distance yourself from the song emotionally. It may end up being in a trailer or in Russian softcore porn. Either way, you have to be okay with it." Houlihan said that he knows artists now that have two separate libraries, one for releases and the other just for libraries. Once you give a song or composition to a library, it's theirs. The publisher controls placement and basically controls the song. So you really need to trust the library before you part with your songs. Unless there is a time clause, your song could sit dormant for years and years. It's definitely a chance you take, which is why you want to pick a library that is actually being used. John said there are several networks that only work with approved libraries. If you are looking to go with a particular library, find out if they are being used in the places where you want your music placed. Do they have a good reputation? What other composers are with them? Are music supervisors using them?
Overall
Very informative panel. If you are a composer, production music libraries are definitely viable options for you music. Do your research beforehand and always try to make personal contacts. As Gross said, "The relationships we have with composers are long relationships."
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