Anybody know how to purchase the rights to a song? Yes, I googled it. But there are only generalizations when googled. The song I want is by Nat King Cole. It's not a song that's known by everybody, but it's Nat King Cole. I don't want a recording, just rights to the written music. Anyone care to speculate as to how I might pull this off, and maybe throw out a ballpark figure for cost? I realize that the only way to find out is to just contact the publisher, and I plan to do that. Also, is there a better way to contact a publisher?
Purchasing song rights
- Thread starter Cracker Funk
- Start date
There is. Through, I think it's called a clearance... argh. the title is escaping me. Maybe Clearance Officer? Essentially an agent that represents you. APE will know what they're called. There are people who specialize in it. They'll cost you, but I assume it's similar to a decent agent, that they'll save you more on the negotiating end than they cost. They should work close with your E&O provider.
Ballpark figure. The best I could give you is an uneducated number that has no relevance to the discussion... much like this paragraph.
If you want an interesting antidote on the topic, look up Tarantino's story on gaining the music for Reservoir Dogs, how they blew their entire music budget on one song and what they did to get out of that hole. If memory serves me correct, it came from an episode of "The Directors Chair".
Ballpark figure. The best I could give you is an uneducated number that has no relevance to the discussion... much like this paragraph.
If you want an interesting antidote on the topic, look up Tarantino's story on gaining the music for Reservoir Dogs, how they blew their entire music budget on one song and what they did to get out of that hole. If memory serves me correct, it came from an episode of "The Directors Chair".
I have no idea how much it would cost but I'd be willing to bet that it's a lot - in the tens of thousands, probably.
If you want something that's recognizable to people but won't kill your budget, the cheapest way to go is something classical, like Beethoven's Ninth or Brahms Lullaby. The rights to the written music are free and you can have a musician friend record it for you.
If you want something that's recognizable to people but won't kill your budget, the cheapest way to go is something classical, like Beethoven's Ninth or Brahms Lullaby. The rights to the written music are free and you can have a musician friend record it for you.
My favorite example of how costly it can be is "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World was $50,000 plus points.
Cool, thanks for the thoughts, y'all! It's a very specific song I want for a very specific purpose. I've found the publisher, but I'm not sure when I should contact them. Maybe I can find a way to use the tiny-budget filmmaker card to negotiate a reasonable price.
That is definitely what I would do if I were you. Not sure it will work, but play the low budget filmmaker. Tell them you plan to make no money, but still want to use their song and compensate them for it. Let us know how it goes
. This is something i'm going to have to attempt in the near future.That is definitely what I would do if I were you. Not sure it will work, but play the low budget filmmaker. Tell them you plan to make no money, but still want to use their song and compensate them for it. Let us know how it goes
Thanks! I'll definitely let you know what I find out.
Typically these famous artists are represented by a major publishing company like Harry Fox and they'll want an arm and a leg for licensing it. These publishers are out of touch with reality.
I once inquired about licensing a song from an obscure hard rock band that flopped and nobody has heard of (Beau Nasty) and the publisher wanted an ABSURD amount of money. As I recall they wanted like $500 JUST to use the song in my low budget independent film at festivals!
Your best bet is to scour SoundCloud for indie music or if you want to pay a little more then find a publisher like http://www.nomamusic.com/ which handles low cost indie band music.
I once inquired about licensing a song from an obscure hard rock band that flopped and nobody has heard of (Beau Nasty) and the publisher wanted an ABSURD amount of money. As I recall they wanted like $500 JUST to use the song in my low budget independent film at festivals!
Your best bet is to scour SoundCloud for indie music or if you want to pay a little more then find a publisher like http://www.nomamusic.com/ which handles low cost indie band music.
Yeah, I think you're probably right. I had to pay $1000 for a pair of songs that were made by a single dude, on his computer, with a synthesizer, just to be able to screen a tiny-budget film at festivals. It wasn't even a band! I had to do it, though, cuz the songs were absolutely perfect for the two scenes I needed them for.
Unfortunately, the route you suggest won't work, cuz like I said above, the intent for the use of this song is very specific. No other song will do. It's either I get this song, or I completely scrap (or heavily modify) the idea.
For me, finding an alternative song and being flexible is part of what making an indie film is all about.
I appreciate the insight, and people keep telling me that. But I don't think y'all understand. It has to be this song. And if I adapt, it would have to be another famous song. I work with local musicians all the time. But for this particular instance, the whole thing is ruined if it's not the song the exact song I want. Thank you, though.
I've gotten things with emails. But your point remains true. In this situation (and perhaps most), an email is probably insufficient. If I don't hear back from them, I think I'll put this on the back-burner until we're closer to production, by which point I can put someone in charge of negotiating a lower fee, someone who is better at this kind of stuff than me.
It's just something fun I want to do with the closing credits. The rest of the movie is the same without it. Thanks for looking out, though.
In fact, I may even wait until post to try and get the song.
If choosing my words poorly makes me guilty, then yes. Haha, sorry about that. Allow me to rephrase.
The entire idea for the fun thing to do with the end credits is a bust without this particular song. I thought I made that clear earlier, but I guess I didn't. My bad.
Without this song I might be able to find a different fun thing to do with the end credits but it wouldn't be the same.
Just an observation for you to consider. Not picking on you in any way. If you're intending on directing this feature, you may want to consider working on your communication skills. Above all others, it's the most important skill you need as a director. There's been multiple instances on this forum where your intentions have been less than clear. While it's not that important to be clear here, on the set, in pre-production, being crystal clear. The ability to communicate your vision is could mean the difference from achieving your vision or achieving the vision of another crew member who is more articulate with their vision.
Back on the topic, I'm a big fan of post credits scenes. I hope you can achieve your goals.
Back on the topic, I'm a big fan of post credits scenes. I hope you can achieve your goals.