How You Get Paid By Licensing Your Music For Use In TV and Film
Published: Fri, 02/08/08
Hi ,
You generally get paid twice for any song that is used in a television broadcast. There is typically a one time, up front licensing fee that the show pays to the writer in order to use the song. Then once the song airs the writer receives the performance royalty that I've talked about. The amount of the licensing fee varies but for television shows is usually in the range of $500.00 to $3,000.00. The amount of the performance royalty varies greatly depending on a number of different factors. These factors include the length of the segment in which your song is used, how prominently your song is used, whether your song is aired during prime time or during the day and a variety of other factors. To give you an example, the first time I had a song on TV, one of my songs was used in a daytime drama and was used for :55 seconds. The royalty I received for this placement was $800.00 and in addition to this I received a $500.00 licensing fee. So I made a total of $1,300.00 for 55 seconds of air time.
For films in theatrical release you don't receive performance royalties while the film is in theatrical releasse, but the licensing fee is larger. Licensing fees for feature films are generally in the range of $2,000.00 to as much as $25,000.00, or even larger for more established artists. The licensing fee varies depending on the film's budget and how badly they want a particular song. More established artists generally command larger licensing fees.
The first step to licensing your music is to start submitting your music to people working in the industry. Over the last few years I've put together a very comprehensive directory of places to submit your music in the TV and Film Music Business. This directory is a priceless resource that will provide you with specific information on how to get your music to the right people and companies who can get your music placed. Check it out here.
I also recently finished a program, that covers in depth, from A - Z, all the different aspects of the music licensing business. This program is based on more than five years of knowledge that I've acquired as a result of working in the music licensing business. I walk you through the step by step process I took to get started and show you how you can do the same. I also cover all the technical aspects of the music licensing business and go over the different types of licensing deals that exist. This program also comes with the industry directory as well.
Until Next Time.... Happy Songwriting
Aaron Davison
