[Fmpro] Pump Audio story

[Tracey Larvenz]

I tend to think that there is less scoring work available.  Just  
listen to what is on the soundtrack of those stations above channel  
13 on your cable box.  It's nearly all library.  When you listen, you  
hear the same stuff over and over again, be it the food channel, TLC,  
or whoever.  I haven't seen an increase in the budgets for shows in  
years.  If anything, the rates are declining as they're trying to  
squeeze out more programs instead of running repeats.  One of the  
things that is also hurting us is the practice of producers tempting  
hundreds of young composers with the lure of credit instead of pay.   
This is even done on PBS, which used to be strictly score.  Just  
scour Craigslist and you'll see the ads.  It used to just be indy  
films, but now tv producers are jumping on the bandwagon.

Ugh.

Tracey Larvenz
www.melodiousthunk.net



On Oct 5, 2007, at 8:52 AM, Michael S Patterson wrote:

> I would somewhat disagree with the idea that there is less scoring
> opportunities.
>
> But I guess it’s what you are comparing present day to.
>
> There are so many more channels out there, it’s no longer 3  
> networks and
> 2-3 indies per large market. Less than 20 years ago I only had 30  
> channel
> with my premium cable package and a number of those channels just ran
> old movies.
>
> Plus all the deals that cable stations make with libraries only  
> apply to
> not using other libraries. I’ve scored series for networks that  
> have had
> deals with libraries but didn’t want to use them because they wanted
> ‘branding’ so to speak.
>
> There is a ton of opportunity out there! It’s just that you can’t  
> expect
> a network that gets a .6 share to pay the same as a network that gets
> a 3, 5 or 10 share.
>
> Michael
>
>
>
>
> On 10/5/07 7:55 AM, "kirbyko3 at aol.com" <kirbyko3 at aol.com> wrote:
>
>> Pete, I'm right there with you. Scoring gigs are harder and harder  
>> to come by
>> anymore, because of music libraries. And the music libraries  
>> becoming SO
>> competitive is reducing the fees that anyone has to pay to even  
>> use one, which
>> means that the pie getting split up amongst the participating  
>> composers is
>> even smaller.   But if someone is just starting out in the  
>> business, I can see
>> where a library would be very appealing: you can build up some  
>> resume credits
>> and you can start triggering the ASCAP payments, while you work  
>> towards
>> finding the scoring gigs.  I truly hope that a few years from now the
>> pendulum swings the other way and people start hiring composers  
>> again.  But
>> I'll be the first one to admit that I like the occasional library  
>> checks and
>> accompanying ASCAP checks that pop up in the mail every so often.   
>> I won't
>> count on it in my budgeting, but as found money, it's kinda nice.   
>> But it DOES
>> sorta feel like I'm helping to contribute to my own demise as a
>> composer. Kerry
>
> -----Original Message----- From: Peter Wetzler
>> <peter at soundforms.net> To: fmpro at nxport.com Sent: Fri, 5 Oct 2007  
>> 10:29
>> am Subject: [Fmpro] Pump Audio story I hate to be pessimistic but  
>> I used to
>> get a dozen or so bread and  utter doc. scores a year through an  
>> ABC house in
>> NYC until a new  roducer came in and signed a deal with Pump Audio  
>> and only
>> once  ince then when the editor complained loudly about the  
>> inability to  o
>> anything original did I ever get called back in.  As I peruse AES   
>> nd NAB
>> conventions each year I observe new music composition  oftware  
>> programs
>> (Sony, Apple, etc) and other programs bundled with  ibraries.  I'm  
>> amused
>> when I hear the loops in Soundtrack Pro on TV  hows or films and  
>> though I'm
>> hopeful that in 5 years time they will  e passe and producers will  
>> crave
>> original music again  the die seems  o be cast and most likely in  
>> five years
>> there will be an "all new"  oundtrack pro library.  All of us who  
>> love the
>> thrill of watching  icture go by and weaving a musical underscore  
>> can't help
>> but feel a  reat sadness at the prospect of making music  
>> libraries.   Peter
>> Wetzler/Sound Forms            "Intuitive Music"
>> www.soundforms.net 18-360-9171  •
>> 416-848-8268 ______________________________________________ he  
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