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15.08.14 Music Week 19
5 WAYS TO IMPROVE MUSIC PROCUREMENT AND SECURE BEST RETURN ON INVESTMENT 1. Creative research and actual procurement of music are two very different skills. Separating the activities ensures objectivity and specific expertise…
n Advertising agencies are likely to be in the best position to manage the creative searching and selection of music. n The licensing (ie. procurement) is best managed centrally by one specialist organisation or an expert in house team.
2. Ensure that the creative team and the licensing experts work closely in parallel so that creative ideas for music can immediately be checked for financial and legal viability.
3. Costs associated with the creative search process can be better controlled and spiraling costs can be avoided by…
n Discussing and agreeing realistic budgets for music with the client at the pre-bid stage based on the importance and role of the music. n Ensuring that music supervisors with the appropriate skill sets and strengths have been selected for the project. n Writing a comprehensive brief with functionality, reference tracks and untenable music directions all clearly defined and agreed.
n Ensuring that music supervisors are made aware of timelines as this will impact considerably on music choices and ability to negotiate. n Insisting that music supervisors and rights owners provide a clear writer account of the likely costs and availability when they pitch music ideas. n Creating or using an existing centralised system that allows all relevant parties to access and rate all potential music choices and share their thinking.
4. Whether separating the creative search activity from licensing or not, go through a rigorous selection and contracting process with music supervisors and licensing experts
n Ask rights owners to identify music supervisors that they like to work with an explain why. n Invite a range of different providers to pitch so you can copare and contrast their ways of working. n Ask how they manage the communication flow between themselves and all the parties involved in making decisions about music. n Ask to see examples of music supervisor’s in house systems for capturing and reporting information. This will avoid passing the buck and difficult conversations later. n Check that contracts include professional indemnity and to what level. n Avoid potential indemnification issues and hidden
mark-ups by ensuring that the license is a first party license from the licensor and not the music supervision or licensing expert. n Ensure that all sound and music experts make their fee structure completely transparent by identifying if and where any items are marked up and/or if they will be receiving commission from any parties involved in the licensing eg. rights-owners.
5. Organisations that regularly spend significant sums of money on music should consider contracting long term with one music licensing consultant...
n A long term contract, on an annual or monthly basis, enables a competitive fixed monthly fee to be negotiated which includes up to a specified number of requests and a specified number licenses which keeps costs low and predictable. n Long term relationships make it possible to develop one central source of data captured over time that will facilitate strategic, tactical and financial planning and in turn enable more effective negotiation. n A longer term relationship also enables the consultant to develop good relationships with all those involved in providing music and ability to negotiate effectively. n Maximum value will be achieved if the contract allows for the terms to reviewed and updated on a regular basis in case the volume of work decreases.
4 WAYS TO IMPROVE THE PROCESS OF SOURCING, SELECTING AND LICENSING MUSIC 1. Ensure that music is routinely put on the agenda much earlier and given greater importance...
n Specify music as a consideration when planning and include within the first brief to the creative team. n Discuss what the role and function of music and sound will be at the planning stage. n Put all music on all pre-production meeting agendas. n Asking directors to provide musical, as well as visual, references during the pitching process will help ensure that their music ambitions are realistic.
2. Allocate a budget for music and sound that is commensurate with the role and value that the music and sound will provide for a campaign.
3. Make more music and sound knowledge and expertise available by…
n Introducing music and sound training with a particular focus on copyright n Creating sound guidelines for each brand n Providing planners and the production team with a comprehensive record, kept by accounts, of all sound/ music tracks used by the brand and the outcomes. n Ensuring there is at least one expert involved closely throughout the entire process who ideally has both a creative understanding of music and in depth licensing knowledge.
4. Design a flexible but rigorous procedure that facilitates the whole process of sourcing, selecting and licensing music, in particular…
n Design an effective pitch process for selecting music supervisors/composers with the required expertise for
CASE STUDY: MUSIC’S IMPACT FOR MERIDOL
German brand Meridol ran a TV advertising campaign for its toothpaste from 2001 which saw below market average sales. Based on findings from research, Meridol commissioned a new distinctive piece of original music and ran the same ad with the new music in 2003. Over the course of the next two years, the brand sawsales out-perform the market by 25%, according to the Music Matters report.
particular campaigns n Allow enough time overall for the finding, resourcing, commissioning, licensing and producing of music and in particular allow more time towards the end of the process so that creative evolution can occur without crisis. n Make one person responsible for managing and getting consensus for music selection. n Develop comprehensive guidelines to writing a brief. n Involve and encourage the exchange of ideas and feedback between all parties at the right time in the process eg. using a centralised online system where track ratings and comments can be shared n Consider using market research to test the impact of using different soundtracks. n Ensure that market research designed to pre-test ads only uses music that is definitely available and affordable to license.
MUSIC MATTERS
The two-part Music Matters report contains feedback from in-depth interviews with a cross section of nationally known brands, their agencies and music industry experts including senior creative licensing manager at Universal Music Neil Mulford, SVP of Kobalt Music Group Michelle Stoddard, creative director at Syco TV Carole David and head of film and TV licensing at Universal Music Publishing Tom Foster. The full report can be found at
soundlounge.co.uk.
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