Library Music (a.k.a. Production Music)

What is library music? Put simply, a composer will often submit pre-written music tracks to a music library publisher that they feel would work well on TV, adverts and commercials, placed in films or any production where filmmakers and production companies are looking for instant music in a specific style to be used in a commercial production.

The job of the publisher is then to (hopefully) pitch those tracks to various production companies or filmmakers with a quick and easy method of clearing the rights for use in a commercial production for a one-off fee. The library will obviously take a cut of any money earned from when the music is used in a production, the rest going to the composer and musicians involved in the track.

The filmmaker or TV production company will then have a hassle-free way of incorporating ready-written dramatic music into their production and the composer and music library will hopefully earn royalties from the use of the music. The royalties are paid by the broadcaster and reach the composer through collection agencies such as PRS/MCPS, ASCAP, SOCAN etc.

Music tracks are often required to fit a very specific timescale depending on the broadcast format. I've had to write several versions of one track in versions of 1 minute, 45/30/15/5 seconds. 1 second stings have also been required at times.

I've had a number of tracks published by music libraries, but still own the rights to much of my music. If you're interested in using any of my music in your production, it's probably best to contact me directly as I can provide you with master quality tracks and provide you the necessary details to submit for broadcast.

Prices are not as expensive as is often thought, depending on how the final product will be released. There are different rates depending on geographical use and whether the final release will be for festivals only, national or international broadcast etc.

Contact me for more information on licensing use and rates.

Also, much of my personal favourite music has come from the incredible library releases of the 60s and 70s from libraries such as KPM, DeWolfe, Bruton, Chappell etc. with composers including Alan Hawkshaw, Keith Mansfield, Alan Tew, Alan Moorhouse, Johnny Pearson, Brian Bennett, David Lindup, Syd Dale, Les Baxter, Nick Ingman and many more. The music from these incredibly talented composers is massively rich in texture, detail and heavily influenced a lot of breaks-inspired hip-hop and funk releases of today.

Links:

Transdiffusion: A history of library music