I often read about how composers “should” value themselves and about how they value themselves impacts the larger community of composers.
So, let’s get into the nuts and bolds of it.
HOW “SHOULD” COMPOSERS BE COMPENSATED ACCORDING TO THOSE WHO SHARE THOSE OPINIONS?
To help make this concept more concrete, and not about how much garbage men or pizza store owners make, I have listed seven monetary forms of compensation a film composer might receive: UP FRONT FEES, DEFERRED COMPENSATION (Box Office Bonuses, Profit Participation), WRITER’S SHARE OF PRO INCOME, PUBLISHER’S SHARE OF PRO INCOME (if publishing is retained), ROYALTIES (artist, producer, mechanicals, sheet music), LICENSING (music for other uses), RESIDUALS (Secondary Market Fund as musician).
SO, AT WHAT DOLLAR LEVEL OF EACH OF THESE FORMS OF MONETARY COMPENSATION IS A COMPOSER “PROPERLY VALUED?”
Are they “valued” fairly if they make $10 in each category?
How about if they make $100 in each?
How about $10,000?
How about if they make $100 in one category and $100,000 in another?
How about if they make $0 in three of the categories and $100,000 in four others?
How about a million in one and $10,000 in the others?
Etc. Etc.
At what point are they “under valued” or “over valued”?
TO MAKE IT EVEN LESS BLACK AND WHITE…
Are all composers the same? Are all projects the same? Are all situations the same?
Where is the “proper” compensation that composers “should” receive?
