Get Your Songs Ready for Music Supervisors
by Susan Basko, JD.
The other day, I attended a meetup with several top music supervisors - the people who help choose songs for movies, television, and ads. One thing discussed was Clearance -- the need to be able to legally clear your song quickly and surely. If your song cannot be cleared quickly and easily, the Music Supervisor has to skip your song and move on with others that are easy to clear.
That's because Music Supervisors have to move quickly and often there is very little time after a show is edited to the placement of songs to the time a show is turned in for airing. If you do not have your legal ducks in a row, they are forced to move on without your music. Don't waste your time pitching your music if you don't have your legal work done right so it cannot be cleared.
The WAY to make your song easily clearable is to have ALL your legal paperwork completed and ready. This means that you have CONTRACTS all signed with everyone who was involved as a musician or producer. It means you have the COPYRIGHTS already registered on the songwriting (if you own it) on the music and lyrics, and on the SOUND RECORDING. If it is a cover song, it means you already have the licensing from the songwriter(s) and their publisher. If you have used any beats, loops, or samples from anyone else or from any existing recording, you need to have contracts signed that clearly give you license to use those.
I AM A LAWYER AND I DO THIS KIND OF WORK. I write the contracts that are exactly correct for your situation. I register the Copyrights. I advise musicians so their paperwork is done perfectly in advance so they do not miss any synch placement opportunities.
It is now taking about 4 months to get a US copyright registered on a song. Copyright law is such now that the registration must be fully completed, meaning you must have the certificate in hand. So you have to be prepared well in advance if you are going to be sending your songs out to Music Supervisors. You need Copyrights on your Sound Recording and on your Song Writing -- completed and done properly. You need a Contract signed with every single person who was involved in the creation of that Sound Recording.
That's what I do. Feel free to email me if you want to discuss. Suebaskomusic@gmail.com