Anyone ever license their music?

The bit I made is about 1 minute long and will be used as transitional music in a fashion, behind-the-scenes-type video.

I'm trying to get the client to license for full usage buyout.

How much should one ask?

Any idea of contract/legal agreement stuff?

I've never done this before.

I don't want them to get scared and just go with royalty free shit.

The track is f'ing sweet, btw.

Thanks!

I'm not sure if I shoulda posted this in the EKT forum. Oh well.

If you don't feel comfortable posting a response in here, feel free to PM me.

Many many thanks!

OMFG!!!!

I pulled it off!

I can now officially say that I'm a paid composer for the first time!!!

This may be one of the happiest moments of my life!!!

I cant wait to show you guys the track. It is my Roland TR-707 with my Korg Polysix... and that's it!

I basically recorded a jam with my M-Box and spliced some cohesive loops together in Pro Tools (The loops sound a tiny bit like a 303).

I then layered it with some other, more ambient parts of the jam (and some arpeggios) and threw some stock pro-tools reverb on it.

It was about 2 days of work.

Not to really toot my own horn, but my wife told me that the end result doesn't sound commercial and "SOUNDS LIKE CEEPHAX" !!!!!!

I'm so fucking happy about this.

Knock on wood that it doesn't fall out from under me. I haven't signed anything yet.

How much did you agree to license it for then?

Well done btw.

Thanks dude!

I haven't got paid yet, so I don't want to jinx myself.

Congratulations!!

I was recently contacted about doing work for an american indie game studio, we're still in talks about the style of music, payment and stuff hasn't been discussed yet, but what's been decided is they want my music and I'm going to get paid. Someone on the team had heard an old track of mine and that's how they decided.

Thanks! I wonder now about what it takes to participate on sites like royaltyfreemusic or audiosparx.

I bet you could make a pretty fair chunk of change by having numerous peope license goofy little tracks you make, over and over and over.

I think for those sites, you get something like $50-$200 per use. I've listened to a ton of it and I'm pretty sure, especially as far as electronic music goes, a lot of you guys could do MUCH better.

FYI...

http://www.audiosparx.com/

http://www.royaltyfreemusic.com/

Nice, congrats. How did they find you?

I'm interested in getting an update from data on the thing he was involved in.

sell out

  On 1/13/2011 at 7:27 PM, Adam Beker said:

Nice, congrats. How did they find you?

I do videoography, so I kinda cheated.

I was editing a video I shot and using a temp track that would have been to expensive/difficult to license.

I basically just threw this thing together and hoped they would dig it. Luckily they did!

I would have been a bit depressed if they hadn't.

I have. It all depends on who you are licensing it to, and the contract. There's many different options (as you've found out). I licensed to Sony. Got very little (b/c there were other people involved)

  On 1/13/2011 at 1:15 AM, jefferoo said:

I cant wait to show you guys the track. It is my Roland TR-707 with my Korg Polysix... and that's it!

Careful with that. Once you license it, you most likely don't own it anymore and you can be sued for sharing a song that someone else owns now. But like I said, it's different for each contract/company. That's how it was with Sony, I own nothing.

Edit: Also as far as talking about your contract price (how much you were payed). Depending on your agreement you could get in big trouble for sharing it on a public forum, even though it is your own personal income. If your contract specifies confidentiality, you could easily invalidate your contract and be fined for discussing confidential details.

Edit 2: If they commercially release a DVD or any other kind of broadcast of whatever it is, with your music in it, you SHOULD get mechanical royalties for your music, unless you opted out of didn't specify. If you did opt out, or it's not in the contract, they'll own it and the only money you ever get is the initial "purchase" amount that you sold it to them for (including all ownership/rights/royalties).

  On 1/14/2011 at 3:43 PM, Brandi_B said:

I have. It all depends on who you are licensing it to, and the contract. There's many different options (as you've found out). I licensed to Sony. Got very little (b/c there were other people involved)

 

  On 1/13/2011 at 1:15 AM, jefferoo said:

I cant wait to show you guys the track. It is my Roland TR-707 with my Korg Polysix... and that's it!

 

Careful with that. Once you license it, you most likely don't own it anymore and you can be sued for sharing a song that someone else owns now. But like I said, it's different for each contract/company. That's how it was with Sony, I own nothing.

 

Edit: Also as far as talking about your contract price (how much you were payed). Depending on your agreement you could get in big trouble for sharing it on a public forum, even though it is your own personal income. If your contract specifies confidentiality, you could easily invalidate your contract and be fined for discussing confidential details.

 

Edit 2: If they commercially release a DVD or any other kind of broadcast of whatever it is, with your music in it, you SHOULD get mechanical royalties for your music, unless you opted out of didn't specify. If you did opt out, or it's not in the contract, they'll own it and the only money you ever get is the initial "purchase" amount that you sold it to them for (including all ownership/rights/royalties).

These things are good to know. Thanks for sharing!

Any advice on contract/legal stuff? I have no idea how to draw up a contract for this sort of thing.

are you registered with ASCAP?

If they don't have a process for this, and aren't putting you in touch with their lawyer, then it will be messy.

With your lack of experience I recommend hiring a lawyer to draw out and notarize the contract for you. It will cost money.

You could however, sell them the song with all the rights and ownership and give them a receipt for sale. But even then, I'd hire a lawyer.

There's ways to get around all this, and do things easier. I'm just recommending the safe ways.

I'm not registered with ascap yet. They want me to draft up a release/license. I'm having a lawyer friend prepare something for me.

  On 1/14/2011 at 7:57 PM, jefferoo said:

I'm not registered with ascap yet. They want me to draft up a release/license. I'm having a lawyer friend prepare something for me.

Very good :)

  On 1/14/2011 at 3:43 PM, Brandi_B said:

Careful with that. Once you license it, you most likely don't own it anymore and you can be sued for sharing a song that someone else owns now. But like I said, it's different for each contract/company. That's how it was with Sony, I own nothing.

I'm in with a few licensing companies and I make sure it says it's non-exclusive [and I retain copyrights] in the contract before I sign.

  On 1/15/2011 at 1:13 AM, Braintree said:

  On 1/14/2011 at 3:43 PM, Brandi_B said:

Careful with that. Once you license it, you most likely don't own it anymore and you can be sued for sharing a song that someone else owns now. But like I said, it's different for each contract/company. That's how it was with Sony, I own nothing.

 

I'm in with a few licensing companies and I make sure it says it's non-exclusive [and I retain copyrights] in the contract before I sign.

And that's great. But my deal was for a tv show that's viewed by millions of people, and Sony gives you no choice :) so yeah, yours is the more obvious ideal situation :)

Hello my friend,

I would take a look to http://creativecommons.org/ for the licenses...

This is a good way to license your music, many Royalty free websites and musicians use it's

I hope this help for you !

Manuel

http://www.royaltyfreepianos.com