Anybody had their tunes used in a movie?

Jason S · June 18th, 2008, 01:22 PM

I may have an opportunity to have some of my tunes used a small independent, straight to DVD movie. They are asking me how much I want for the use of the tunes. I have no idea what is the going rate. If there is one. Any thoughts?

Oster · June 18th, 2008, 02:12 PM

I've had it happen. I made about as much as the film did: nothing. In my case it was an independant movie directed by a friend. The honor of being asked (and having my song used in pretty good film) was payment enough.

fezz parka · June 18th, 2008, 02:21 PM

Ask them what their budget is for the film, and if they're getting any kind of distribution other than via the internet. How many songs are we talking about? They'll cry poor, but you'll have to charge for both the use of your composition (sync) and the use of the recording (master). If it's a very low budget with minimal distribution, I'd ask $2500 for both. If they're getting it into stores, I'd ask $5000. You also have to think about performance. Will this air on cable or broadcast TV at any time? If not, this is all the bread you're going to get from them. You can always bargain with them and there's always a possibility that these folks could do something bigger in the future. This is also a consideration when setting a license fee. You may get your songs into bigger productions through your relationship with them...

Teleglide · June 18th, 2008, 02:25 PM

I did the soundtrack for a movie produced and filmed here in Vermont called Nosey Parker. John O'Brien, the filmmaker, made a minor splash with his previous film called A Man With a Plan.

It was pretty spontaneous - he booked a studio for two full days and hired musicians - we wrote and recorded the music (all instrumental) in the studio. he said he wanted an Al Green/Booker T vibe for a lot of it. Some of it was country-ish also.

He paid the band a flat fee of $500 apiece. We were billed as the Nosey Pickers.

We recorded a bunch of different music cues of varying lengths. He would describe the scene and we would come up with something. They sliced and diced it in the studio to fit the actual scenes. It worked out pretty well, although I wish we had had more time.

I hope to do it again someday! It was fun to write music that wasn't song-based.

getbent · June 18th, 2008, 05:24 PM

there was a wah wah part in anal intruders 45 that I could swear was a rip off of one of my songs, but I could never be sure enough to sue them. The plot in that movie wasn't that good either.

TDPRI · June 18th, 2008, 10:53 PM

I haven't but our member Alvin Youngblood Hart had a number of his songs in a recent Hollywood movie produced by Oprah and directed by and starring Denzel Washington... the Great Debaters. Alvis posts here off and on because of his touring schedule.

Here's a link to the Soundtrack on Amazon. Scroll down to the music listings and you'll see Alvis was deeply involved.

garytelecastor · June 18th, 2008, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by getbent

there was a wah wah part in anal intruders 45 that I could swear was a rip off of one of my songs, but I could never be sure enough to sue them. The plot in that movie wasn't that good either.

I think I remember that movie. Wasn't that the one with the guy and the girl and they do some stuff and there is some music in the background? I think I remember that wah-wah part...wacka...wacka...wacka...
the guy was walking down the street or something wasn't he?
Or was that the part where the pizza guy showed up?

klasaine · June 18th, 2008, 11:14 PM

What Fez said, and if you plan on doing some more of this I'd register with either ascap or BMI. Even if it's a super small movie it'll probably still get picked up on a cable channel and possibly something over seas. A licensing agency such as the aforementioned will collect some monies for you (quarterly) - in this case it will most likely be very little, but it's something. You get a bunch of little 30 second spots placed and those checks start getting bigger.

* I played that wah part in AI#45 and yes Randy I did rip off your wah-wah part. Bwah hah hah hah! *

fezz parka · June 18th, 2008, 11:21 PM

FWIW, I work at MGM, putting songs into movies and releasing soundtrack albums. Been there and at Sony since 1993. The license fees I quoted are real world estimates for lower budget films.

purpletele · June 18th, 2008, 11:25 PM

A couple of my bands songs are in a horror movie. The director is a friend so we didn't charge.

rand z · June 19th, 2008, 09:32 AM

videos produced for non profs... multiple sclerosis society, pacer of minnesota, and the state of minnesota (for a boundary waters video).

and a few others that escape my memory.

rand z tropicalsoul.nedt

sixstringbastard · June 20th, 2008, 10:02 AM

A couple of lo-budget sub B horror movies. Nothing really in the way of money but I got copies of the movies and bragging rights.

bowman · June 20th, 2008, 12:01 PM

Or lead guitar player had a song placed in some ultra-low-budget, DVD-only movie. It was a song he'd written with some other guy, and the director heard it on the internet and thought it would fit. He told me they wrote and recorded it in about an hour and promptly moved on to the next thing, so it didn't really mean much to them. I think they got $100 apiece for it.

mickeydean · June 20th, 2008, 01:14 PM

i had 30 sec. of one of my songs put in an industrial training film. i got 500 bucks.

teleblasterdog · June 20th, 2008, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by getbent

there was a wah wah part in anal intruders 45 that I could swear was a rip off of one of my songs, but I could never be sure enough to sue them. The plot in that movie wasn't that good either.

ac15 · June 20th, 2008, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason S

I may have an opportunity to have some of my tunes used a small independent, straight to DVD movie. They are asking me how much I want for the use of the tunes. I have no idea what is the going rate. If there is one. Any thoughts?

I've had a couple tunes from my old band in an independent movie. I don't remember the specifics of the agreement, but we didn't make dime one.

E.D. Patton · June 20th, 2008, 06:43 PM

My 2 favorite days of the year are July 15 and January 15.

Royalty checks!

boneyguy · June 20th, 2008, 11:05 PM

Back in '81 or '82 I helped write and perform some music for a short film that was entered into an independent film festival/competition put on yearly by the CBC. I don't know if the competition even exits anymore. I remember getting some sort of paper certificate as acknowledgment. That ended my illustrious career in the movie biz.

Lion's Skull · June 21st, 2008, 08:10 AM

I'm working on a horror movie soundtrack (www.morituris.com), for the most part it will be ambient or drone-based stuff, and i'm in a bit of embarassment asking for money on this thing. I really don't know how much to charge. I think in the end i'll get to ask the lead actress out and that will be it. :)

r.

Frank B · June 21st, 2008, 11:18 AM

Did the soundtrack of an independant movie about 10 years ago... it got me 5 free beers, a box of donuts and a free meal at the premiere.
...Oh and a vhs copy of the movie and 4 cds of the soundtrack.
Needless to say I was only in it for the money and the fame !

BUT: I got to spent 200hrs in a studio writing, producing & playing whatever the heck I wanted... I've played on tv, all types of venues but I had not done soundtracks and even though it was an independant (bad) movie, it was great to get all that studio time for free and actually try something new.

June 18th, 2008, 01:22 PM	#1 (permalink)
Jason S Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: S.F. Bay Area Posts: 175 10 Photos	Anybody had their tunes used in a movie? I may have an opportunity to have some of my tunes used a small independent, straight to DVD movie. They are asking me how much I want for the use of the tunes. I have no idea what is the going rate. If there is one. Any thoughts?

June 18th, 2008, 02:12 PM	#2 (permalink)
Oster Friend of Leo's Join Date: May 2003 Location: Latveria Age: 39 Posts: 2,571	I've had it happen. I made about as much as the film did: nothing. In my case it was an independant movie directed by a friend. The honor of being asked (and having my song used in pretty good film) was payment enough. __________________ "May the long time sun Shine upon you, All love surround you, And the pure light within you Guide your way on." Songbuktu!

June 18th, 2008, 02:21 PM	#3 (permalink)
fezz parka Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: A town south of Bakersfield... Posts: 1,290 48 Photos	Ask them what their budget is for the film, and if they're getting any kind of distribution other than via the internet. How many songs are we talking about? They'll cry poor, but you'll have to charge for both the use of your composition (sync) and the use of the recording (master). If it's a very low budget with minimal distribution, I'd ask $2500 for both. If they're getting it into stores, I'd ask $5000. You also have to think about performance. Will this air on cable or broadcast TV at any time? If not, this is all the bread you're going to get from them. You can always bargain with them and there's always a possibility that these folks could do something bigger in the future. This is also a consideration when setting a license fee. You may get your songs into bigger productions through your relationship with them... __________________ www.myspace.com/cjneel

June 18th, 2008, 05:24 PM	#5 (permalink)
getbent Moderator Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: San Benito County, California Age: 48 Posts: 9,551 37 Photos	there was a wah wah part in anal intruders 45 that I could swear was a rip off of one of my songs, but I could never be sure enough to sue them. The plot in that movie wasn't that good either. __________________

June 18th, 2008, 11:21 PM	#9 (permalink)
fezz parka Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: A town south of Bakersfield... Posts: 1,290 48 Photos	FWIW, I work at MGM, putting songs into movies and releasing soundtrack albums. Been there and at Sony since 1993. The license fees I quoted are real world estimates for lower budget films. __________________ www.myspace.com/cjneel

June 18th, 2008, 02:25 PM	#4 (permalink)
Teleglide Tele-Meister Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Vermont Posts: 112	I did the soundtrack for a movie produced and filmed here in Vermont called Nosey Parker. John O'Brien, the filmmaker, made a minor splash with his previous film called A Man With a Plan. It was pretty spontaneous - he booked a studio for two full days and hired musicians - we wrote and recorded the music (all instrumental) in the studio. he said he wanted an Al Green/Booker T vibe for a lot of it. Some of it was country-ish also. He paid the band a flat fee of $500 apiece. We were billed as the Nosey Pickers. We recorded a bunch of different music cues of varying lengths. He would describe the scene and we would come up with something. They sliced and diced it in the studio to fit the actual scenes. It worked out pretty well, although I wish we had had more time. I hope to do it again someday! It was fun to write music that wasn't song-based.

June 18th, 2008, 10:53 PM	#6 (permalink)
TDPRI Administrator Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: TDPRILAND Posts: 5,399 36 Photos	I haven't but our member Alvin Youngblood Hart had a number of his songs in a recent Hollywood movie produced by Oprah and directed by and starring Denzel Washington... the Great Debaters. Alvis posts here off and on because of his touring schedule. Here's a link to the Soundtrack on Amazon. Scroll down to the music listings and you'll see Alvis was deeply involved.

June 18th, 2008, 11:14 PM	#8 (permalink)
klasaine Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: los angeles, ca Age: 46 Posts: 1,361 6 Photos	What Fez said, and if you plan on doing some more of this I'd register with either ascap or BMI. Even if it's a super small movie it'll probably still get picked up on a cable channel and possibly something over seas. A licensing agency such as the aforementioned will collect some monies for you (quarterly) - in this case it will most likely be very little, but it's something. You get a bunch of little 30 second spots placed and those checks start getting bigger. * I played that wah part in AI#45 and yes Randy I did rip off your wah-wah part. Bwah hah hah hah! *

June 18th, 2008, 11:25 PM	#10 (permalink)
purpletele Tele-Holic Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Morgantown,WV Posts: 669 10 Photos	A couple of my bands songs are in a horror movie. The director is a friend so we didn't charge.

June 19th, 2008, 09:32 AM	#11 (permalink)
rand z Tele-Holic Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 972	videos produced for non profs... multiple sclerosis society, pacer of minnesota, and the state of minnesota (for a boundary waters video). and a few others that escape my memory. rand z tropicalsoul.nedt

June 20th, 2008, 10:02 AM	#12 (permalink)
sixstringbastard Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Pittsburgh PA Age: 35 Posts: 190	A couple of lo-budget sub B horror movies. Nothing really in the way of money but I got copies of the movies and bragging rights.

June 20th, 2008, 12:01 PM	#13 (permalink)
bowman Tele-Meister Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Westborough, MA Age: 56 Posts: 375	Or lead guitar player had a song placed in some ultra-low-budget, DVD-only movie. It was a song he'd written with some other guy, and the director heard it on the internet and thought it would fit. He told me they wrote and recorded it in about an hour and promptly moved on to the next thing, so it didn't really mean much to them. I think they got $100 apiece for it.

June 20th, 2008, 01:14 PM	#14 (permalink)
mickeydean Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2008 Location: millersville Age: 54 Posts: 142	i had 30 sec. of one of my songs put in an industrial training film. i got 500 bucks.

June 20th, 2008, 06:43 PM	#17 (permalink)
E.D. Patton Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 879	My 2 favorite days of the year are July 15 and January 15. Royalty checks!

June 20th, 2008, 11:05 PM	#18 (permalink)
boneyguy Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: victoria b.c. Age: 50 Posts: 2,727	Back in '81 or '82 I helped write and perform some music for a short film that was entered into an independent film festival/competition put on yearly by the CBC. I don't know if the competition even exits anymore. I remember getting some sort of paper certificate as acknowledgment. That ended my illustrious career in the movie biz. __________________ "Shut up n' play yer guitar"

June 21st, 2008, 08:10 AM	#19 (permalink)
Lion's Skull TDPRI Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Asti - Italy Age: 26 Posts: 33	I'm working on a horror movie soundtrack (www.morituris.com), for the most part it will be ambient or drone-based stuff, and i'm in a bit of embarassment asking for money on this thing. I really don't know how much to charge. I think in the end i'll get to ask the lead actress out and that will be it. :) r.

June 21st, 2008, 11:18 AM	#20 (permalink)
Frank B Tele-Meister Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Quebec city, canada Posts: 314 10 Photos	Did the soundtrack of an independant movie about 10 years ago... it got me 5 free beers, a box of donuts and a free meal at the premiere. ...Oh and a vhs copy of the movie and 4 cds of the soundtrack. Needless to say I was only in it for the money and the fame ! BUT: I got to spent 200hrs in a studio writing, producing & playing whatever the heck I wanted... I've played on tv, all types of venues but I had not done soundtracks and even though it was an independant (bad) movie, it was great to get all that studio time for free and actually try something new. __________________ "Don't play what's there, play what's not there.” Miles Davis