Thea Maichle is a freelance Producer living in Venice, CA. In her recent role as line producer for the film "Rock Prophecies,"
she oversaw the music licensing of songs from artists such as jimi
Hendrix, Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jeff Beck, as well as various
independent artists. Check out the trailer!
Thea may be contacted at rockprophecies@gmail.com
As
the line producer for Rock Prophecies, I spent much of my time on the
phone working with our music supervisor to get last-minute music
licenses approved for use in the film. Finding the right music while
staying within budget for an independent film is challenging. If early
on, someone had clued me in that I would spend hours upon hours
negotiating with artists and labels and reading through endless music
contracts, I would have chosen another career. I KID! For me, it has
been exciting, rewarding and quite necessary in order to make our
projects really stand out. Hopefully I can shed some light on how
music is chosen and what to expect for payment for music used in an
independent film.
How music is chosen
Independent filmmakers are always on the lookout for independent
artists who want exposure. There are a couple of different ways a song
can find its way into the edit bay and therefore into the final
timeline of a film. Typically, the editor does a rough string out of
the story and begins to seek out music that will fit with the feel and
timing of the scene. For example, for an opening montage where buses
are driving by, people are dancing, and quick cuts are happening, the
editor may look for a bluesy song with a harmonica that is high energy
and moves quickly. The director has some input and may have a certain
musician or song in mind. However, it usually ends up that the
director and editor will go to the producer like myself and say, “Find
us this type of song.” At that point, I either go to sites such as
MySpace, Facebook, or my friends’ music libraries to search for similar
music.
Another option is to reach out to a music supervisor (a person that
quickly becomes a producer’s best friend). You will notice that in the
credits of most films and TV shows there is a music supervisor listed.
I encourage musicians to get their music in front of music
supervisors. I work with a fantastic music supervisor, Bruce
Rabinowitz of Feedback!, who is constantly listening to new music,
searching for a gem that will fit for a film. Use the Internet and
some detective work to find the addresses of the companies where music
supervisors work and send them a demo with a note describing what type
of music you produce. It’s worth a shot.
Also, if you know any editors, directors, or producers, make sure they
have your latest CD on hand and check in every once in awhile to make
sure that your music is fresh on their minds.
How much $$ to expect
None. I’m kind of joking, but not really – just being realistic. Many
times low-budget, independent films have no money for music licensing.
In this case, you have to weigh whether or not the exposure that you
may receive is worth taking the time to work through contract details.
I say “may” because the plain fact is that most independent films never
see the big screen.
If an independent film is able to include music licensing as a line
item in their budget, it’s usually not much. Songs get paid out per
side, meaning you get paid an amount for the publishing rights (one
side) and paid an amount for the master recording rights (the other
side). When your music is used in an indie film you can probably expect
anywhere from $100 – $500 per side for a buyout of broad rights,
meaning in all media, in perpetuity (forever), worldwide. A “buyout”
is not an exclusive deal – it simply gives the film company the right
to use your music in association with the film in its entirety. You
still retain the right to license your music for as many other films
and uses as you choose. The right to use your music for a trailer or
commercial should be additional, separate licenses.
With that said, I believe that it is 100% worth the time it takes to
review a contract and give it a go. I understand the amount of work
that goes into writing and producing a song, so don’t get me wrong; I’m
not saying that artists should always give away their music for free.
In fact, I would love it if all the projects I worked on had fat
budgets for music clearance. However, many times it’s hard enough just
getting the money together to make the film, so the music clearance
budget suffers. This is when you need to take a step back and ask
yourself, “Is the potential exposure worth me licensing my music for
use in a film?” As long as you do not sign away exclusive rights for
the use of your song in a film, then it doesn’t really hurt. In the
end, any exposure is good exposure.
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