COMPOSERs, PUBLISHERs and PROs, Oh my!

thanx for he tips.

i will do more reșearch.
however, if the song doesnt get aired, its nt as good for the composer.
say microsoft or a big corporation buys your song with 20 bucks from pomd5.
you get 10 bucks, and the huge corp. uses it daily as a jingle.
or they use it on the opening of windows 8 or something similar.
this i could consider a rip off. for something that worths 10000 buks to them i get paid 10. so still, dealing directly with the clients, instead of a rf site, seems appealing.

Dear LivingroomClassics,

If you read in the

http://www.pond5.com/legal/license

section 3 paragraph e. CLEARLY states, "Licensee shall not incorporate the Licensed Content into a logo, trademark or service mark without explicit written permission from either Pond5 or the copyright owner."

I don't know about you, but if MICROSOFT is willing to have a NON-EXCLUSIVE tune bought for 20 bucks to represent their BILLION dollar company. Wow.

We all need to pitch IN THE BIG LEAGUES, just have your "name on the ball".


Sincerely,




Nathan Luis Steinke
Owner/Composer/Publisher
www.liftedCREATION.com

Dear Colleagues,

It has been a month for me being a ASCAP affiliated writer and publisher and what a difference it is. It feels like I have "a license to make music". Rather collect my royalties from the music I make. If you haven't chosen a PRO yet and gone over there to register. What are you waiting for?

I have already commissioned my first work for hire, it's a 45 second commercial due out in a couple weeks. But until then I have been registering my music with the ASCAP. It's real easy. This was the first movie trailer I registered -

http://www.pond5.com/stock-music/21235530/psychedelic-flashback.html?ref=liftedCREATION

You will notice that in pond5 it says that I have those little white spaces filled in next to "PRO", "Composer" and "Publisher". THAT is the golden ticket folks. So if you are a "hobbyist" or an "amateur" musician, like I WAS it's time to take what's yours. Learn what royalty-free REALLY means, start back on page one of this post. PLEASE, for your own sake. Go register today!

This is the MOST important post you will ever read if you are not registered with a PRO. (If you are, then you know what I am talking about.)

Once your are affiliated with a PRO it doesn't stop there. Now it's time to further educate yourself. My good friend Aaron Davison, has put together a wonderful package at his website,

http://e30d1mrf8h3ilz9ew6zel66x0h.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=POND5

Sign up for his free e-mail. I did. His FREE advice is SO worth it. And guess what - It doesn't even stop there. Once you understand what you are doing in the BUSINESS side of this you won't be a hobbyists or amateur. You'll be a full blown royalty making machine.


All I ask is, "Who here thinks royalty-free means, as an musician, you will not receive royalties?" <- BE HONEST

If that's you. READ from page one.

Take care of yourselves out there.


Sincerely,



Nathan Luis Steinke
Owner/Composer/Publisher
www.liftedCREATION.com

P.S. Go back to PAGE ONE. READ, then please COMMENT and SHARE. This is big folks. This is it.

BMI is free to join

Dear MuscoSound,

Then there is no reason not to join and register your music and FILL IN these goldmines! You know. It's been a few months, since I became affiliated with ASCAP, everything is better. My music means much more. The business side just started to really kick in for me. I have just finished the background track for a 3 minute web promo, and I have another 45 second TV commercial about to be released.

On a side note: I just started a 60 day mentorship program with Aaron Davison. He asked for musicians to send him some samples, out of 100's, he only invited 38 to actually pay for the course and out of those, the first 5 to pay got in. I got in! I am so thrilled!

So now it's time to put this all to the test. Get my music on National TV. I am writing a blog, you can find it here,

http://nathanlsteinke.tumblr.com/60days

It's going to take the next 58 days to write, so I am off. (I am so very busy.) Thank you all that read my post, and wish me and my family well. With any luck, in a few months to a year we all should be smiling. At least that's my plan. Jump abroad! The train is about to depart.

Sincerely,



Nathan Luis Steinke
Owner/Composer/Publisher
www.liftedCREATION.com

Hey, I was reading some of the replies here... I am not registeret yet, because I thought this is a special appeal to certain customers since they do not have to pay extra royalities. Here in Germany agencies are offering songs that are not registered at GEMA for good money. It's specifically advertised in that way.

If I register now and customers see that I have a PRO-Status, it might result in fewer sales. What do you think?

Dear Soundprodukt,

I felt the same way last year. Listen, if someone wants to buy music that is non-pro. There is plenty to choose from, From a producers point of view, if they "lease" your music from pond5. It's doesn't matter if it is registered with a pro or not. The producers that lease audio from any media marketplace do not pay royalties, they NEVER HAVE! Producers pay "licenses fees". Broadcast companies pay royalties. If a producer, leases your track, they don't pay royalties. They pay to lease your track and then they give their awesome production to a broadcast company and they pay the royalties, And keep in mind the royalties are ALREADY paid. Meaning.. They already have the money set aside. It's not like they are surprised when they have to pay.

Here's the point that changed it all for me, Yes, you could NOT register your music. That's fine, but remember YOU WILL NEVER RECEIVE ROYALTIES, EVER! For people out there thinking they are going to MAKE MORE money by not registering with a pro and don't do this music business correctly are going to be very upset next year.

Listen, let's say you wanted to make 60k a year selling music. If you sold non-pro tracks at 60$ a piece...you would have to sell...2,000 non-pro tracks (you only get 50%, and roughly selling 2k tracks, that's about 8 tracks a day?) Now. Let's say that 50 of the sales were to people that have FULL intentions on broadcasting their production. But you didn't register your tracks...The money is there. They use your music but...they just don't know where it goes.

I know it seems like, geez I just put my track on-line and make a living...do you know how much you can make in 1 minute of nationally broadcasted music? Anyone?

It's enough to make those 2000 sales seem like chump change when you place your music in TV or Film. Listen pond5 is selling a LEASE on your music. Producers never pay royalties.. So really all music is royalty free for them. They pay to lease your track, sync it, change it to fit their production. That is what they are paying for. Then they hand their production, with a CUE SHEET to the broadcast companies that are entirely happy to pay you.

Keep in mind, when I say Nationally Broadcasted, I mean, 10-50 million people will see whatever they are putting on TV. So when they have to pay you some royalties...really they are paying mere 10ths of pennies per view, they don't mind. Paying you is important.

If media producers are out there only looking at non-pro tracks because they think they are saving a bunch of money on royalties are completely wrong. Do yourself a favor are start reading these terms and conditions. Please. I can't do this for any of you.

Registering your music, is so easy. There are tons of tutorials and videos...Listen, the music business was in place long before any of the internet was here. There is a right way and the amateur way. Sure there are a few companies out there telling people to buy non-pro music and they are telling musicians NOT to register their tracks. I can guaranteed I know exactly who is making money on these sites and it's not the non-registered musicians.

If you are putting your music for lease on a marketplace and non registering them. Wow, I am not sure what to say. Good luck! It's a shame. Truly you are leasing your music as an "unknown artist." There are going to be people that take advantage of that. Don't let them.

But - All in all this is UP to YOU. Not me, pond5, or anyone else. Only you can make that choice.


Take care and thank you for the questions,



Nathan Luis Steinke
Owner/Composer/Publisher
www.liftedCREATION.com

P.S. Also be careful with who you deal with. Some of the larger music libraries will NOT accept your unregistered music and if you have your music on certain media marketplaces, they want nothing to do with you. Keep that in mind. This goes both ways.

hey lifted,

Just wanted to let you know I joined BMI (which is free by the way), and that you are completely right. Thanks so much for the info.

Dear MuscoSound,

I saw you are selling music like crazy here! Great work! I have been searching myself for more answers and I am very pleased and surprised to find that, yes, what I said here is correct. It even gets better and better once you are registered with a PRO. There are tons to choose from, and if you do not want to pay application fees, you can join BMI.

Last month I started a 60 day mentorship program with Aaron Davison, and he his helping me understand the music business a lot better! I decided to write a blog about my experience. http://nathanlsteinke.tumblr.com/60days I am in my third week and I am so happy to have a "mentor"

He has a course on-line that I was going to purchase as soon as I convinced myself, music education is worth a few dollars, and right before I was going to buy his material he asked me if I would be interested in his 60 day mentorship program. YES! Of course I am. Anyhow, you can read the blog if you want. It will be finished around may 18th, hopefully with great news of me landing my first placement.

He asked 100's musicians to apply for the mentorship, then only asked 38 of those musicians to actually PAY for the course, and the first 5 got in. I sent my payment as soon as I could and thankfully made the mentorship program.

Otherwise, I am learning about mixing and mastering and will probably be ranting and raving about that in the near future.

I am really glad to hear that you joined the BMI. That is great news! What a grand step in the right direction. As for others that are still unsure. You have to register EACH song you create. So if you have 20 songs...register just one. See how it goes. Take your best track. And get it registered. You will still have 19 tracks that are non-pro.

Listen, once you register with a PRO...you can still sell non-pro music. It doesn't cost anything to register your music. But if you don't register your musice, you could be losing 10,000's or 100,000's of dollars. And you would NEVER know.


Take care out there.

Sincerely,



Nathan Luis Steinke
Owner/Composer/Publisher
www.liftedCREATION.com

UPDATE: I am proud to announce that this week marks the end of my 6 years of considering myself an amateur composer. I have invested a bunch of money into new studio equipment AND sent my very first track off to a professional audio engineer. Meaning, I will have my very first MASTERED track from Hollywood (really that's where he lives)! I will be sure to share it once I get it back. In the meantime, I am waiting, and waiting and waiting...It's the first time for me to actually include another in my creative process. SO...

Instead of having hundreds of tracks to try and push...I am going to have just one for now. (Mastering a track isn't exactly "cheap") and you better believe that I have FULL intentions on registering this mastered track and submitting it to as many music supervisors as I can find. <- something I am learning in my mentorship program, if you are looking for a quick read you can find my little blog about my experience so far here http://nathanlsteinke.tumblr.com/60days

Take care all and thanks for reading my forum post! Be sure to start from page one.