Have any of you sold to music libraries?

[Stephanie Pray]

Hi everyone,
Have any of you sold to music libraries? I'm wondering how that works. Is each deal completely different? Did you get to keep rights/royalties from your song? Do they pay you? How much is average?
Thanks for your help! :)

[Joseph Burrell]

Isn't that like selling your soul to the devil? :p

Seriously, from my take on the various posts about this before, there is a negative feeling about doing this around the forum.

I could be wrong though.

[Stephanie Pray]

Thanks Joseph. That's kinda what I'm thinking. (about selling your soul...) I consider my music as an extension of my soul, and I don't want to do the wrong thing. If I have to sign over all rights etc., I wouldn't want to do that because the music's a piece of me... I just don't know how it works - the A&R company that I have a membership to has a lot of offers from libraries. :confused:

[Larry G. Alexander]

Companies that produce commercial production music usually require music that is timed to fifty-eight and twenty-eight seconds. They do use longer compositions for "industrial" voiceover backgrounds. They don't want any instrument to stand out because that would detract from the voiceover itself. Usually they go for nondescript music, the blander the better.

If you don't want to someday hear your music behind a radio or TV commercial for a used car lot, I would pass on the library scene. I had a thirty-five year radio broadcasting career with decades of experience in the use of music production libraries.

Regards,

Larry Alexander

[Shazbot]

Isn't that like selling your soul to the devil? :p

Seriously, from my take on the various posts about this before, there is a negative feeling about doing this around the forum.

I could be wrong though.

Music is essentially a commodity, like most other things, and the needs for it for various uses necessitate acquiring it from composers. As long as you're keeping some measure of the rights to your work, or are getting paid enough where you're okay to sell it outright, why not sell it if you can? Depends how it's being used, I suppose... I wouldn't sell my music to someone looking for music for their porno videos (I don't use enough wah wah, anyway :p ), and something like a beer commercial would be very iffy for me, but for most other uses I'd have no problem with having my music used, depending on the deal.

[jc5]

Thanks Joseph. That's kinda what I'm thinking. (about selling your soul...) I consider my music as an extension of my soul, and I don't want to do the wrong thing. If I have to sign over all rights etc., I wouldn't want to do that because the music's a piece of me... I just don't know how it works - the A&R company that I have a membership to has a lot of offers from libraries. :confused:

I have actually been looking in to this - and have not yet reached any definite conclusions.
From what I have seen though, you generally do not sign over your rights for the music. You retain the rights, and the licencing fee is split between the library and the composer. You also have the option of taking your music out of the library after a specified amount of time.

I have no idea what libraries are actually 'good', and cannot vouch for the honesty of anyone.. :p

Most people here do not seem keen on them, but I know there are some who claim to earn a significant portion of their income this way.

[Stephanie Pray]

Thanks Larry,
I wouldn't mind hearing my music in a commercial/on TV - I think that would be very cool! :cool: So I guess then that a good rule of thumb would be to not submit my best work to the libraries? Just bland stuff? That doesn't sound bad at all - as long as they pay me :)

[Joseph Burrell]

Ack, I am having a hard time constructing my thoughts on this one...

I would say that if you can churn out run of the mill music that you don't mind losing creative ownership of, then go for it.

Your creative artwork is better served for a private or more meaningful collection though.

How's that?

[Stephanie Pray]

Yes - that's what I mean. (I think) I'm wanting to get rid of the day-job and wonder if maybe libraries are the way to go for now anyway, for the music that is good, but doesn't have the type of "theme" etc. that could be built upon for a full score. I'm not sure if I can pay all of the bills this way though. What do they usually pay? Anyone know? Thanks all! :)

[jesshmusic]

They will not pay enough to live off of. A good friend of mine does this on the side.

The part that is hard for me to get over, is you completely lose ownership of the music. This is not good.

[Stephanie Pray]

You can't keep any rights? That's a point worth reconsidering. Maybe I should try to do it on the side for a while and see what it brings in before I quit the day job :(

[jesshmusic]

Definately don't quit your day job to do this. Check with your state's Film and Music commision. Get the book and look at all of the names in it of guys and girls doing the same thing. My buddy (who is really, reallly good) only does a couple of these per month.

[Stephanie Pray]

Thanks for telling me :) I'll check into it

[spettigrew]

You can't keep any rights? That's a point worth reconsidering. Maybe I should try to do it on the side for a while and see what it brings in before I quit the day job :(

You can keep all the rights to your music, just not what the library places. It depends on you and the library. Usually if you write for a library, they'll get 50% of publishing and or writing for ONLY what they place and you can continue to use the work for whatever you want. If they buy it out right, then you can't use it, cause you don't own it anymore. Every library owner has their own contract they like to work with. Beware of the owners who like to take advantage of the warm and fuzzy look in your eye, when they tell you you'll hear your music on the telly. Without knowing the name of the library, it would be impossible to give you any specific advice.
_Scott

[jesshmusic]

Most of the companies buy it outright. That way they may use it as often as they like without paying royalties.