http://www.rightsworkshop.com/index.php/12/ Brooke Wentz is a seasoned music rights executive who has more than twenty years experience working in the television, cable, film and recording industries, and gives frequent seminars on music rights and copyright issues. en-us Fri, 27 Jul 2007 17:22:58 EDT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.rightsworkshop.com/index.php/12/20 Small webcasters are waiting bated breath to see what happens with the result of the Copyright Board’s decision to collect royalties from Sound Exchange. Sound Exchange, on the other hand, is charging 4x more than they use to for webcasters to stay afloat, but they can’t. So they are shutting down. Boo hoo. And all that money that Sound Exchange wants baby bands to collect from them would be better served had they not collected and allowed the small webcasters broadcast their music. Fri, 27 Jul 2007 17:22:58 EDT http://www.rightsworkshop.com/index.php/12/20 http://www.rightsworkshop.com/index.php/12/19 Snocap, the company that is now the 'new' Napster, which sells music on-line, wanted to purchase a song from an artist to use as their theme song. Theme song on what I first think? The radio? TV? Their site? Well, the song was written by a young guy who has his publishing and is trying to get heard, as ususal, and also protect his rights. The company wants to pay him "a few hundred dollars", to own the song forever and fully outright. The client wanted about 20 more hundreds added, and keep the publishing, which is about right to own a song forever. Their paultry fee is downright disrespectful to an artist. It does not even pay for their time in the studio! It does not even pay the union fee of an artist for a three-hour session. Guess Snocap is showing its true feathers...no regard for artists! Tue, 13 Feb 2007 07:04:04 EST http://www.rightsworkshop.com/index.php/12/19 http://www.rightsworkshop.com/index.php/12/18 Well, new medias are prevailing each and every day. We now are faced with public television wanting download rights and streaming rights. If requested, major publishers will quote high without understanding the programs' reach. Once quoted $5,000 per side for download rights on a documentary. It doesn't match who is watching the program. It's absurd! Is this a case of quoting high and then coming down in price after years? Sat, 20 Jan 2007 20:20:23 EST http://www.rightsworkshop.com/index.php/12/18 http://www.rightsworkshop.com/index.php/12/17 New medias are popping up all the time, and the licensors can't decide what to charge. A client has a documentary film about an 85 year old artist that aired on PBS and now need download rights for the Internet. This is for educational purposes, but then any one can, I guess, access it and download it. But what do you think the licensors want to charge? Take a wild guess? $5,000/side. Crazyness....so the song is going to cost her $10,000 if she keeps it in. But of course she can't when the original licensing rights were $500/side or $1,000 for the song. Now it is going to cost her $2,000 to take out the song and put in a new one that will have to be written or gotten from some other source. Can the licensors please come down out of their cages and take a look at what is happening around them???? Wed, 11 Oct 2006 13:22:12 EDT http://www.rightsworkshop.com/index.php/12/17 http://www.rightsworkshop.com/index.php/12/16 Yes...unfortunately, according to one of the publishers who controls a lot of the catalog....she tells me she gets high fees, and gets these prices. I responded that only Hollywood gives these prices, so I told her I guess no documentarian or indi film maker can use the catalog. She tells me not to put words in her mouth....No. I was not,...but then again that is exactly what she said. Here Here! It's a crazy world. Thu, 20 Jul 2006 09:43:54 EDT http://www.rightsworkshop.com/index.php/12/16 http://www.rightsworkshop.com/index.php/12/15 So....EMI has changed CFO's.....what do you think that means????? Yeap...you're right! Prices are goin' up...........take note. Thu, 20 Jul 2006 09:44:22 EDT http://www.rightsworkshop.com/index.php/12/15 http://www.rightsworkshop.com/index.php/12/14 There was a discussion on a community website about 'royalty free' music....I think to myself, what the heck is that? You don't pay royalties obviously. But then again film makers don't pay royalties. The performing rights societies pay performance royalties to the writers of songs in the film only when the song airs on the television, or overseas in a theater....They don't pay royalties on home video units pressed...no, they pay an advance on units pressed and sold...and if you press enough units (over 10,000), you should contract for a flat buy-out fee.....So, what is this "royalty free music"...........ah..............it is LIBRARY music! Music production library music? Yes, No? I don't know.....Ironically writers of library music gets paid the same performance royalties as anyone else....so I guess they mean PUBLIC DOMAIN music????? That is just outright free to use music any time..... So, go wild, use public domain music any where any time you want and yes, you don't have to pay a "royalty"! Thu, 20 Jul 2006 09:34:51 EDT http://www.rightsworkshop.com/index.php/12/14 http://www.rightsworkshop.com/index.php/12/13 Well, there is so much to say about his crazy business..as I listen to some solo violin, late at night.... I deal with independent film makers and users of music on a daily basis, and each day brings another crazy story.....what was it today? Well, we had one instance where a client wanted to use a piece from a fairly large catalog (names can not be revealed) and the song(s) were denied. We went the distance and contacted the manager of the group who tells us he has not been informed, or didn't even know about the use. Amazed? Should we be???? No, not in the least.....Although the role of the publisher is to represent the writer, on occasion, the writer is not informed....And, in this case, the publisher decided not to inform the writer and ironically, the writer is VERY interested in the project and wants to do even more with the director than we had ever anticipated. What are we to do? Let the two talk! That's what we should do...Let them party...have fun...and more importantly connect. But it is ironic that although a publisher's job is to represent a writer, that they did not even bother to ask. Oh well, on to a new situation.... Fri, 14 Jul 2006 23:00:22 EDT http://www.rightsworkshop.com/index.php/12/13