Market7

For many independent producers, that perfect musical piece is the difference between mediocrity and superiority.  During the BMI pannel at SxSW, ther experienced panel of Paul Haslinger, Linda Kordek, John Anderson, Ron Mann, Michelle Belcher and Grant Lee Phillips cleared up much of the confusion.

1. Who do I contact to get music rights?

“Your first stop for a signed artist is a music publisher.  For an unsigned artist, you have to go dirctly to the artist but be sure to secure your licence agreements” – Doreen Ringer-Ross

“You need to hire someone (music supervisor) who understands the process” – Belcher

“Music supervisors who know what they are doing can save you money by forging deals that you could not do by yourself” Ringer-Ross

2. Why do I need to license both Sync and Master?

Sync covers the original composition (notes on the page), Master covers the specific recording by the composer.  An example would be Dolly Parton’s “I will always love you” sung by Whitney Houston.  Sync rights covers the song as written by Dolly, the Master would cover’s Whitney’s rendition of it (paid to publisher)

3. Original composer vs. Licensing pre-recording

“A lot of composers will take less money and take part of their money on the back end…:” – Belcher

“An interesting source of original music is www.freeplaymusic.com” – Anderson