Big George is pitch perfect from the media song sheet this month.
Cable, satellite and digital broadcasting mean that more and more TV channels are being created in the UK, and more channels equals more opportunities to get your music on the box — which in turn will make your parents proud of you, and start you on the road to vast anonymous wealth. But before you do the job you will have to get the job. Pitching for commissions in the media is now a universal practice and a real pain in the ass.
Pitch Battles
There are some production companies who insist on having five composers pitch for every job. They might already have commissioned a composer, who is, as you are being briefed for the job, in the studio doing it. Their argument for making you jump through hoops for a job that isn't there is that it's beneficial for you, as they will hear what you're capable of and may be able to use you for future projects. Fair enough, I guess, if you at some point become the composer they choose, while four other suckers run around on a fool's errand.
If you find yourself in a pitching situation, how much work should you put into producing something ear‑catching from the incomprehensible music brief you've been given? (Mind you, I'll take a meaningless brief any day, as opposed to a know‑all, tone‑deaf producer saying "I don't know what I want, but I'll know it when I hear it".) If you're new to the media, it might be worth spending every waking moment trying to impress. One producer's rejection is another composer's showreel‑opener.
Brass Out Of Pocket
How much in cash money do you charge? Well, producing music for a pitch (sometimes as many as three different versions) commands a fee of zero, plus you have to pay for the overnight courier delivery they insist on. Then there's the trips to London to sit in a plush reception waiting for your five‑minute appointment, due to start an hour ago.
If you do get the job — and that often means that they'll use the pitched music you've already delivered — what is your fee? My answer to that question (a question which, if you get the job, can be thrown at you from out of nowhere, at any time during the process, with a demand for an immediate and cast‑in‑stone answer) is "the maximum amount in the budget." Producers will usually respond with some old flannel about the music budget being severely depleted by an overspend in the editing budget. Personally, I get offended that composers are there to soak up bad planning by another department. Then again, I don't pitch any more, having been bitten badly a couple of times by dishonourable producers. It's my choice to do less work but for a more trustworthy clientele.
TV music budgets vary incredibly widely. Some shows have a total music budget of £250, whereas a major drama series can spend as much on music as a three‑bedroom semi would set you back. One rule of thumb is to calculate how much it would cost you to do the work in a commercial studio, using session players, and then add 25 percent. You could drastically be undervaluing yourself, as the budget available is treble what you asked for. Or you could be pricing yourself out of the market. Trying to get them to offer you a fee is the way to go. You can always try and squeeze a few more pennies out of them once they have committed to a figure.
Then there's the subject of ownership. If you're not forced to sign a publishing agreement, you're either working for a minority department in the BBC or a production company of integrity. If you are asked to sign an agreement, the deal will be that you relinquish 100 percent of the copyright and 50 percent of the performance income. It will be a case of signing the deal on offer or not getting the job. Illegal as this is, it is the norm. We'll be looking in great detail at this issue over the next few months.
The Price Of Fame
Composing television music that can last for decades and be listened to by millions, most of whom will read your name in the credits as they roll past at the end of the show, is most satisfying. It almost makes up for the aggro you will have to go through to get the job in the first place.
Feedback Feedback Feedback...
And I'm not talking Jimi Hendrix here. Last month's column asked you to tell me by letter or email (big.george@soundonsound.com) whether, over the past 10 years, you have released 50 or more copies of your own CD. Did you apply for a licence from the MCPS? If not, why not?
At the press deadline, which I always nearly miss, I've had less than 10 replies. Frankly, this is totally appalling and you should be ashamed of yourselves. (If you didn't catch last month's column it can be accessed through the fantastic SOS web site (https://web.archive.org/web/2015..." target="_top) or through my site (www.biggeorge.co.uk), which has direct access to the majority of my SOS scribings.) So if you, or anyone else you know who has released a CD, want to send me the physical evidence of your CD release, pop a copy (which I shall keep forever) in the post to: Big George's Music Revolution, PO Box 7094, Kiln Farm, MK11 1LL England.
It is vitally important that I hear from you NOW! The way in which copyright ownership and distribution payments are dealt with is almost at the point of collapse, and a radical change in the law is inevitable. Shall we leave it to a handful of multi‑nationals to write the new laws for the government to rubber‑stamp? Or do you (the people who actually make the music) want to be represented? This is probably your only chance to have your say in the matter. Don't let your apathy allow the rich to get richer, while your chances of making a buck out of music decrease even further.