a guide to music libraries This page is intended to serve as a guide to what production music libraries do and how the main different types of libraries work. It is important to remember that the following is intended to serve as a generic overview of production music libraries and is not aimed at any specific libraries. what is a production music library? Every piece of music has an owner, usually the writer, their publisher or both. As such music has rights which can be granted or declined to potential users. To use chart or original music in a television or other audio visual project, requires that you obtain the relevant rights (permissions) to license the music, otherwise you would be using this music illegally. The cost of obtaining these rights can be complex and often incurs a very high cost. Production music is music with these important rights cleared for such productions and is found in production music libraries (often known as just 'music libraries'.) what are the differences between music libraries? The vast majority of music libraries can be split into 3 groups: mcps music libraries These music libraries belong to a body called the MCPS who are responsible for setting the rates that they all must charge to the client. A large number of libraries sign their music over to MCPS administration and MCPS rates differ based on several factors including what project a client wants to use music for, how long the music is and which territory the project is to be shown in. There are in fact, a huge amount of other variables dictating what a client can and can't do and if you are unsure about where your project may take itself, you could well be facing further costs well after the production has been made. You need to consider territory, internet usage and whether it will be produced on a physical format e.g. DVDs etc. Some examples of 2009 MCPS rates would be: A TV advert (global clearance): £5,500 per 30 seconds. Feature film trailer for TV (global clearance): £2000 per track Music for a comercial website: £110 per 30 seconds Platinum's perspective: In general, very good quality music can be found in these libraries. The most common thing we hear from UK based clients though is that MCPS libraries can be very expensive for the budgets of many production companies. The second most common comment is that the rates/licensing system is confusing, often incurring the need for 'bolt on' payments, or re-licnesing. royalty free libraries Some libraries decided not to go down the MCPS route. These libraries offer clients their music for a one off fee, which the library set themselves and these fees vary substantially from library to library. Confusingly, all those that we've come across aren't technically 'royalty free' (see the 'Royalties' section below)! However, the ability to pay a one off fee for a track or cd of tracks in a style or genre can be an appealing and simple choice. Platinum's perspective: Easy and simple licensing, which is a good thing for clients. However, in an opposite twist to MCPS libraries, unfortunately royalty free libraries do not seem to have a reputation for high quality music. We have even heard of producers describing music as 'sounding a bit royalty free' to describe substandard tracks. This is perhaps a little harsh, but royalty free music doesn't seem to have a reputation for quality from those who we've spoken to. platinum music At Platinum Music the premise of our whole business was to combine the best of both worlds. Our library contains very high quality production music, an easy way to buy it and we are able to offer you the rights to use our music directly in any format, in any territory. We offer the following easy licensing options: 1) Purchase per track to use a piece forever, in any future productions you make. 2) Purchase a single production license, to use as much music as you want from our library for that single production. 3) Purchase an annual license, to place as much music as you want from our library on any productions you make over a one year period. Any option you purchase means your music is always globally cleared for usage, across all platforms (internet, DVD, podcast, etc) and, importantly, once you make the programme the music can remain on it forever. (Episode and annual licenses are only needed to synch the music to make the production (the one-off act of placing it on your production), you don't need to still be in a license period with us when the production is aired or used!) Unlike similar libraries, our rates do not vary dependant on usage and you have no extra charges to pay whatsoever should your production go to retail. performing royalties Platinum, MCPS and all royalty free libraries we've come across require production companies to fill in a cue sheet when you use our music. This is so that PRS royalties, (a prerequisite of using music in many situations such as on television for example) can be tracked and paid by the relevant Performing Rights Society. (You may have seen the PRS logo in many public places such as shops and bars, where music is played). For broadcast, these payments to the PRS are the responsibility of the broadcaster, such as the BBC, Sky One, etc to pay themselves, but the production company need to provide them with the details of music used in a production on the cue sheet. Platinum have a downloadable cue sheet for those using our library. For every use where music is to be communicated to the public (including online) a PRS license needs to be in place. For more information on this the PRS online licensing team are on 020 7306 4991.