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| Indie911.com changed licensing agreement for 2008 |
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| posted by Skip-Dawg on Monday January 14 2008 @ 02:22PM PST |
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I noticed that at the beginning of 2008 Indie911.com changed their licensing agreement from "non-exclusive" to exclusive. Since I am already a member of taxi.com, Indie911 told me I could not use indie911 to try to license any of my songs that I have already submitted to taxi.com.
Has anyone had experience with Taxi and Indie911? Did either yield better results? I would think it is only worth it to sign an EXCLUSIVE licensing deal when you are guaranteed to get results, but since I have no idea if Indie911 could help me, or if they even really have significant connections in my genre (rap) it doesn't seem worth it to me. I would appreciate thoughts and feedback. Thanks.
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That seems strange. I can understand if they are agreeing to represent your work, as a library does, but to submit it?
I have no experience with indie911 personally, but that sounds from your description like a bad deal. How long is the song exclusive for? Is it until it is rejected or accepted by the listing client? Some libraries take forever to say no (or don't bother).
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Ed, indie911 recently teamed up with APM Music (www.apmmusic.com) which does appear to be a music library. I believe if indie911 accepts your songs they will become part of APM's library. It looks like the exclusive agreement between the artist and indie911/APM lasts for one year with an additional one year option. Unfortunately you have to download a pdf file from indie911.com to read the whole contract and rules.
I guess an important related question would be whether anyone is familiar with APM Music and whether they are indeed a library which actively represents your work/songs.
Excerpt from indie911's Application Kit:
"Company Background & Types of Clients:
Our music library is highly selective and is the result of indie911’s partnership with APM – a
joint venture between EMI Music Publishing and Universal Music Group. Despite what other
music licensing libraries may claim, APM is the largest and most diverse collection of original
music available to entertainment and media producers. APM’s clients include thousands of
companies such as CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, Universal, Discovery, Current TV, MTV, BBDO,
Electronic Arts, and Midway Games among many others."
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Here is one more excerpt from Indie911's application kit that pertains to what you said:
"Availability to Sign Record Deals, Publishing Deals:
Signing this agreement does not mean we own the copyright to your songs. It does not mean that
you can’t sign a standard record deal or a co-publishing deal that includes the songs you choose
to include in the library. It is however an exclusive licensing arrangement, and there is a
minimum one year commitment. Unlike similar licensing platforms that are non exclusive, the
indie911/APM library will be promoted worldwide with extensive resources with dozens of
people in offices ranging from NY, LA to London: To assist clients in finding and choosing the
right music for their productions, APM offers a variety of complimentary rapid response support
services. The company’s full-time staff of music directors with over 50 years combined
experience help clients find the type of music they want, even when the clients have difficulty
articulating what they are looking for. APM provides direct access to its libraries through
MyAPM, a proprietary search and download song location system that will contain indie911’s
artists involved in the program."
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Anyone have any Indie911 experiences to share?
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I have been looking for music licensing opportunities. Do they rip your music into shreds like another well-known "library". John would prefer that the client get escited over an entire piece of music. Is that asking too much?
Clare Burrows
http://www.johnburrows.com
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escited?? I mean excited.
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Do they retitle the piece?
That sounds much better--a fairly typical exclusive from what you've mentioned. It all depends on how proactive they are.
And one year isn't bad. Often they are three to five years, simply because it can take a long time to get a film or television placement.
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I think you are right - it depends on how proactive they are in pushing your music.... Anyone know how proactive they are at indie911??
This would be great to know : )
-skip
http://www.skip-dawg.com
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I Can't keep me mouth shut any longer.
No...Sorry mate. No experience with Indie911 (Interesting name to choose post 9/11) but I do have and have had experience with taxi.
I've come to the conclusion Mike is a "barker" (I know. I'm biting my leg off) once a year when the "free" "rub shoulders with the bigs" "Road Rally" comes around. Becuase you don't hear much more until the "Rally" rolls around again.(whew alot of quotes)
They give good advice, I will say that. It ends there if the advice doesn't suit or help you anymore.
I read, in a forum, a taxi member replying to taxi's rep, that he submitted a country western song and was told "it wasn't country enough". (He stood by the concept, though somwhat quizzically)
I went to his sight and listened to it. I heard a country tune. A dam great tune. If we were on the block I would of wondered who was doing the COUNTRY song.
I was a member in 2005/2006 and cut. After some cosmic thing I began pouring out jazz/pop/dixieland composistions and decided I had a great shot. I had seen Mike's video on UTube. He and a staff member with a small keyboard at a conference table. They showed how easy it is. They repeat over and over "you can do it with a little tape recorder".
I submitted a good number of songs. Yes, alot of "studio" and "midi" work was involved but I believe it sounded pretty good. I took advice, too, after the first submission, when a rep said it sounded too midi. Now, I still thought it sounded good. I listened to a midi piano from a critique at Broadjam and wow..yup..it was midi. All tinkly sounding. Mine?...It was keyboards folks. But I took the advice added another music works and was composing music with 2 systems, a 12 track Tascam, Taylor guitar and Casio keyboard and a Korg sync.
Never got a forward. All, I was told, were to midi sounding. Now, the un-named company stated they did not want overly midi sounding but if you heard this in a movie or tv show or, heck go listen to it now , you would not think it was a midi generated. It was/is good. (GREAT)(HIT)
Another thing is people are finally asking where are the people who are getting forwarded and Mike finally responded. Not the old "they make it and forget about us and never say thanks" which came to a point ,after 4 years, to not make sense. Then I had a thought. It's just my opinion...That well known, established songwriters are getting the work forwarded and purchased due to their extraordinary means to the best equipment available. They aren't going to say anything. That was another thing I noticed. Pounding in to you "you don't need a pro studio" and each critique I received had "studio technical" type derogatory (helpful critique's) comments.(if I had a studio...Say Apple's?) ie: Me getting ..oh I don't know , one of these boxes that cost $600 to fine tune music on the computer. I'm a singer/songwriter/composer and I don't have that kind of bread-jar money. Think about it....An unknown, striving artist does not shout to the world and taxi Thank You! An unknown composer ignores the link that boosted his/her career? I think not.
Oh, I was also told, for a "sad song" category I had submitted, one song was "not sad enough because there were too many major notes in it". But he liked it musically and it's on target and he knew where it would do just fine..(another thing..they never tell you if you made the change would it forward or just what category would it do great in?)
Right around now the e-mails will begin pouring out from Mike's office to join now and get to the "free" rally in California. Never moved that I know. Always in LA or LV. After I joined the 2nd time I received a few "listings" but nothing near the number of e-mails I was getting before I re-joined. Then a lapse while the "Rally" took place. Then news, news, news about the "Rally". And Photo's!
I pulled all my work out of there 3 weeks ago. I more than followed Mike's video and taxi citic's advice and had music "On The Mark" and better than the video's , which Mike said would do and see how easy it is?
Pay to join then pay to submit? The song goes; "It's all coming back to me now".(Celine Dion) So I will just say..Yes..I've had experience with taxi.
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I loved your piece on taxi. I too was a member of taxi and found like a lot of things in music biz they're a joke. I went to a road ralley. really people i did not learn nothing that common sense wouldn't cover. As far as the part on to much midi. I had the same problem and did not understand them either. so here is a short story on what me and a friend did. we wrote a tv compostiton with strings and piano. we thought it sounded great and submitted it. we were told it sounds to stiff and midi sounding for this work. we were surprised, a few weeks latter we recorded it again at a local high school in the music department with the teacher on the piano and some students that agreed to play the string parts. we used apple logic 7 and four rented mics. the school had a practice room that was sound proof, it sounded great. just for the hell of it we sent it in to taxi for a cretiqe only and low and behold the first comment on the card was to midi sounding try some real instruments mixed in, it was all real insturments. I have since sold my music on my own to many media projects through revostock.com you don't need taxi for the price they charge you could do better on your own with hard work and alot of time on the internet. build a word of mouth biz and you will do fine.
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I was just searching for info on Indie911 as they have offered a licensing contract. I'm not inclined to take an exclusive as most libraries will give you a non-exclusive shot if you have good music. We have 5 libraries now.
My experience with TAXI absolutely matches Dykens above. Only difference is we were patient obedient members for 4 or 5 years before I figured it out. At first I was delighted to get any feedback. And it was very encouraging. Problem was, the better we got, the worse the feedback became. Not right for the listing, out of tune (even though it had been checked and found perfect in autotune) and by the way, we do have all that pro level equipment - probably around 60K worth.
Finally, I had enough of the "advice" and went hunting other resources. Within 6 weeks I had 3 library offers, a best song award and a placement on CBS. The kicker is the song was one of the "out of tune" tunes that never got a forward from Taxi. Since then it has had two other placements and is on the club list for the international Winter Music Conference in Miami. We just made the featured artist list on Billboard this week - you guessed it, on a song that was declined by Taxi as not ready for prime time.
IMHO Taxi can help a beginner for a few months, but after that move on. You're better taking your career in your own hands.
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| NOTE: If you need a reply you should email CD Baby directly instead of posting here. We don't often read old message board postings, and have no way of replying to them!
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