Exclusive contracts for artists - what's a good deal?

[celebritymusic]

Gidday

If a production library that sells licenses for your music to be used in film, ads etc wants an exclusive contract, what would make you sign it over having non exclusive deals with a few libraries?

Also, what is the going rate - 50/50? My lawyer suggested that if they want the songs exlcusively, then the rate should be higher, since they aren't pursuing things like covers deals, ringtones, sheet music, whereas a full publishing deal (paying the artist more like 70%) would be.

LOL - even after a lawyer, I still don't know what I'm better off signing.

Anyone experienced with this?

[tommyd123]

Originally Posted by celebritymusic

Gidday

If a production library that sells licenses for your music to be used in film, ads etc wants an exclusive contract, what would make you sign it over having non exclusive deals with a few libraries?

Also, what is the going rate - 50/50? My lawyer suggested that if they want the songs exlcusively, then the rate should be higher, since they aren't pursuing things like covers deals, ringtones, sheet music, whereas a full publishing deal (paying the artist more like 70%) would be.

LOL - even after a lawyer, I still don't know what I'm better off signing.

Anyone experienced with this?

I have had many library deals as well as things like a "song plugger" deal.
I would never sign an exclusive library deal for strictly add, TV and film placements. There are lots of agents or companies that do song by song on a non exclusive basis. But that's just me. On the other hand you could have a composer deal with a firm that does adds, but that's a different deal and much harder to come by. The going rate at the time I was doing this was 50/50.

[echoclerk]

I would be rather reluctant to sign any sort of long term Exclusive deal for that kind of thing. And would want soem opt out if they do a crappy job and fail to license anything.