The Art Of Music Licensing

Whether you are a music publisher or songwriter looking to maximize the value of your music catalog, or a producer, ad agency, or internet music service seeking to clear music rights for products, performances, and other uses, the new Fifth Edition of Kohn On Music Licensing offers you comprehensive and authoritative guidance. This one-of-a-kind resource takes you through the various music licensing processes, type-by-type and step-by-step. In clear, coherent language, the author, a seasoned attorney and executive in both the entertainment and high-tech industries, provides detailed explanations of the many kinds of music licenses, identifies the critical issues addressed in each, and offers valuable strategy and guidance to both rights owners and prospective licensees. Kohn on Music Licensing, Fifth Edition: Walks the reader through the history of the music publishing business, from Tin Pan Alley to the user-generated content phenomena of the present. Dissects the songwriter agreement, providing the reader with a clause-by-clause analysis and offering the best negotiating strategies to achieve the best possible outcome for their clients. Analyses the newly enacted Music Modernization Act, signed into law in September 2018, which significantly changed the way music is licensed in sound recordings in the United States. Guides the reader through the complexities of co-publishing agreements, administration agreements, and international subpublishing agreements, with a report on the rapidly changing music licensing landscape in Europe. Takes on the intricacies of licensing music in sound recordings, from the traditional CD format to the newer delivery methods, including downloads, streams, ringtones and ringbacks--including the rates and terms used in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom. Confronts the pitfalls of licensing music for audiovisual works (synchronization licenses) using history as a guide, from the early talkies through streaming internet content. Explores new media and its impact on the licensing process. Technological developments have forced the industry to rethink licenses when dealing with video games, computer software, karaoke, and digital print (including downloadable sheet music, lyric database websites, and digital guitar tabs.. Sizes up the digital sampling controversy and offers up suggestions for negotiating licenses for digital samples. Explores the ever-evolving concept of Fair Use and its application to the music industry. Provides the reader with a look at the landscape of licensing fees, including "going rates" for synch, print, radio & TV advertising, new media, and other licenses, to assist in negotiating the best rates for their clients. Proven tips and suggestions, along with the most up-to-date analysis, are given for the technical aspects of music licensing, from the perspective of both the rights owners and prospective licensees, including How to "clear" a license Advice on maximizing the value of your music copyrights Formalities of licensing Duration of copyright, renewal and termination of grants Typical fees And much more Every chapter of Kohn on Music Licensing has been completely updated in this expanded Fifth Edition. New topics include: The Music Modernization Act, enacted in 2018, which changed the way music is licensed in sound recordings in the United States. Mechanical license fee regimes, including rates for ringtones and on-demand streaming for U.S., Canada, and U.K. Webcasting rates in the U.S., Canada, and U.K. A discussion of the right of publicity in the context of digital sampling. Print License chapter has an updated discussion on adaptation right as well as examines terms for digital print, digital guitar tabs, etc. Custom musical arrangements are also covered. Synch License chapter now covers terms for downloading and streaming of video. Previous Edition: Kohn on Music Licensing, Fourth Edition, ISBN : 9780735590908

Do you want to pursue a career and succeed in the lucrative area of music publishing? The Art of Music Publishing provides real inspiration and a tangible hands on perspective to this exciting side of the high-risk, high-reward music business. Prepare yourself for a career in music publishing and understand this complex but profitable part of the music business. Author Gammons walks you through all you need to know * understanding the role of the publisher * copyright * managing rights * income streams * contracts*. Learn how, when and where income is generated in all the current areas of business as well as exploring the new industries offering new income streams and the business models that are developing. The supporting website includes video interviews and podcasts with music business legends. 'If there is anything that Helen Gammons doesn't know about music publishing, it's probably not worth knowing! If you want to take it to the next level in music publishing - read this book. I know I'll be referring to it often.' David 'Hawk' Wolinski Composer of "Aint No Body" (Rufus and Chaka Khan) and one of the most covered songs ever. "Whether you're already a music publisher or would like to be one, this book will give you a mass of useful information - fresh ideas, up-to-date legal opinions, video interviews with music biz legends, provocative thoughts about where the business is heading, and plenty of good anecdotes." From Simon Napier Bell Manager: The Yardbrids, George Michael and Wham, Marc Bolan. Japan.

Music Rights Unveiled provides an inside look at the complex world of music rights for film and video and includes step-by-step guidance to navigate these tricky waters. Authors Brooke Wentz and Maryam Battaglia share their decades of expertise in this user-friendly guide, designed specifically with filmmakers and producers in mind. The book provides a brief history of the pricing of music in film, television and digital media markets, and explains the process by which music is licensed or acquired for films, highlighting pitfalls to avoid and strategies for success. Further features include: A discussion of new media platforms and the intricacies of the rights needed to use music on those platforms; Tips for working with key music staff on a production - the Composer, the Music Supervisor and the Music Editor; An in-depth explanation of building a budget for the music component of your media project.

Today’s music marketplace is more complex than any previous era. It’s easy to feel paralyzed by the plethora of digital services and business models, to say nothing of corresponding revenue streams—all of which are established by copyright. In simple and easy-to-read language, Music Copyright: An Essential Guide for the Digital Age takes readers step-by-step through the world of music copyright, imparting tools to navigate this intricate system. Casey Rae demystifies the laws, business practices, and trends that enable—and sometimes frustrate—a rapidly evolving industry and empowers music creators, managers, and entrepreneurs to make informed decisions. Learn about the exclusive rights attached to expressive works and how they correspond to different roles and royalties within the music marketplace. The book provides: information on protecting and registering copyrights an explanation of recent developments in the courts and Congress pertaining to music copyright law valuable strategies for music licensing information on how to sign up for royalty collection societies and an array of other useful organizations and services

Shortcut the process to make money licensing music, using 14 years of experience from Seb Jarakian and Randy Schroeder, owners of Musync, a well known music licensing company in San Francisco. Learn how to take the next step to get your music into the hands of people looking for great music every day - film and television producers and editors, ad agency creatives, music supervisors, video games companies and more. Use this simple step-by-step guide to learn and grow fast.

First-hand advice for musicians from Brian Tarquin, author, who has over twenty years of experience in licensing music to record labels, TV shows, feature films, radio promos, and network promos. This book takes you through how licensing really works: what type of royalties are expected, digital royalties from companies, receiving royalties from iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster through digital distributors like IODA/The Orchard, and how they pay. Also covered are mechanical royalties from broadcast radio licenses, how foreign royalties are collected, publishing administration deals, and a breakdown of sync and master licenses. Interviews with major industry players offer advice directly to musicians. Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.

Written by an attorney with over 30 years of experience in the music industry, Music Publishing: The Complete Guide is the definitive manual on music copyright. Whereas many books on the subject are aimed at artists and songwriters, this book will serve as a thorough guide for industry pros, lawyers, and music business and law students. Subjects covered include copyright; performing rights organizations; mechanical, synchronization, and print licensing; songwriter and composer agreements; publishing administration and foreign sub-publishing; production music libraries; pitching and placement companies; sampling; and much more. The discussion also delves into historical perspective and current trends and revenue opportunities in the evolving digital marketplace. Easy-to-read narratives explain the key points for all of these types of deals. There are many sample agreements included in the book, all annotated in simple terms that explain the often complex contract language. There are also links to copyright and publishing resources, listings of foreign performance and mechanical societies, and anecdotes and case studies from real world incidents. If you're looking for a thorough grounding and go-to reference book on music copyright, not just a quick crash course, your search is over. "Steve's Music Publishing text is fantastic. It is personal, practical, and even includes excellent real world case studies. Furthermore, the helpful agreement annotations and comments are a most excellent resource for breaking down agreement language and terms for the reader. His knowledge, experience, and sense of humor make this the best music publishing text I've read. I will be using Steve's book as the official text for our Music Publishing course at The University of Colorado Denver's Music Industry Program. All those interested in learning more about music publishing or having a sharp reference text should get this book!"---Benom Plumb, Assist

Want to get your music heard by millions of people world-wide, and make a great living in the process? The traditional music industry has been in a rapid decline since the early 2000's, and these days, listeners expect your music to be free. So, as creative individuals, how can we share our gifts with the world, without struggling to pay the rent. The answer is through Sync Licensing. Successfully licensing your songs to TV Shows, Films and Commercials is a MUST if you want to survive in the Modern Music Industry. But there's a process that must be followed to not only get your songs placed. This book details the 4 Steps that will allow you to generate consistent placements of your music. It's not about 1 or 2 random placements here and there... it's about strategically getting 10, then 100, then 1000.

​This book discusses the economics of the music industry in the context of the changing landscape brought about by innovation, technological change, and rapid digitization. The ability of digital technology to reduce the transaction costs of music copyright licensing has all but destroyed the traditional media business models of incumbent Performance Rights Organizations (PROs), music publishers, record labels, and radio and television stations. In a climate where streaming services are rapidly proliferating and consumers prefer subscription models over direct ownership, new business models, such as direct licensing, are developing. This book provides an overview of the economics of the traditional music industry, the technology-induced changes in business models and copyright law, and the role of publishers, copyright holders and songwriters in the emerging direct licensing model. In Part One, the author examines the economic aspects of direct licensing as an alternative to the traditional blanket license for copyrighted musical compositions, with an emphasis on the often monopolistic nature of PROs. In Part Two, the author focuses on the music publisher and the role direct licensing and competition may play in the changing business models in the music industry and the potential benefits this may bring to copyright holders, such as songwriters. To compliment this model, the author proposes a maximum statutory fixed-rate for musical performances to further streamline the royalty process, especially where distributors such as Google and YouTube are concerned. This book adds to the growing body of literature on the economics of music licensing in the digital age. It will be useful to those in the fields of economics and law, as well as music executives, musicians, songwriters, composers, and other industry professionals who are interested in understanding how technology, innovation and competition have reshaped the music industry.​