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PCAM NEWSLETTER – DECEMBER 2024

by | Dec 6, 2024 | Latest News | 0 comments

Dear PCAM Member,
This is the latest in a series of Newsletters that we publish five times a year, following meetings of the PCAM Committee.
Each Newsletter contains a brief report from the recent Committee meeting, plus other current news and views and edited versions of recent queries to the PCAM Helpdesk.
We would like to receive more contributions to the Newsletter from PCAM members.  If you want to write something for inclusion or send us a link to something interesting you have read or seen, please contact PCAM Administrator Bob Fromer on: bob.fromer@outlook.com.
Best regards,
The PCAM Committee

CONTENTS
— Message from the Chair
— Reports from the ECSA Conference and Camille Awards
— PCAM mentoring initiative for women joining the industry
— PCAM Chair Paul Reynolds to help judge D&AD Awards
— Article on composing and motherhood
— Plans underway for new PCAM podcast series
— Mental and physical health support for PCAM members
— PCAM Q&As Volume 4 Now Available
— Notes from the PCAM Committee Meeting: 19 November 2024
— Virtual Assistant
— PCAM Committee Meeting Dates in 2025
— Case Studies from the PCAM Helpdesk
— PCAM Social Media

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
As we approach the end of 2024, I’m pleased to report that while this year has presented significant challenges for our industry, we’re seeing encouraging signs of recovery in advertising and content production markets.  There’s growing confidence that 2025 will bring renewed opportunities and growth across our sector, with quarterly budget increases and a reduction in the soft-peddling we saw before the UK and US elections.
However, we are deeply concerned about the ongoing trend where some advertisers and creative agencies are demanding composer’s writer’s share rights as part of their contracts.  To be clear: when you create a piece of music, you automatically receive two types of rights — the writer’s share and the publisher’s share.  While the publisher’s share can be transferred to others (see our website for guidance), the writer’s share is a fundamental right that belongs to the creator and cannot be legally transferred if you’re a PRS for Music member.  PCAM is actively campaigning against these demands and is in discussions with PRS to address this issue. We’re committed to protecting our members’ rights and are developing clear guidance in collaboration with PRS to help composers navigate these challenging contract negotiations.
PCAM continues to be at the forefront of addressing crucial industry developments, particularly regarding artificial intelligence. We’re actively engaged in discussions with UK Music about AI legislation and its implications for composers and music creators.  Early in 2025, we’ll be hosting a seminar with PRS featuring key industry experts to explore these important developments further.
Our educational outreach partnership with PRS and Lewisham Music continues to thrive, with the next session, which will focus on sonic branding scheduled for February 2024.  These sessions represent our ongoing commitment to nurturing the next generation of industry professionals.
We’ve been delighted to welcome several new Committee members this year, including Becky Wixon and Karina Byrne, who bring valuable expertise in music production for advertising and sonic branding.  Becky & Karina’s involvement in the “Balance The Mix” initiative aligns perfectly with our commitment to fostering diversity in our industry.
Our partnership with the British Association of Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM) is evolving as we work to better understand and support our members’ health needs.  We’ll be continuing our joint initiative in the new year to provide enhanced access to health assessments and support services to our members.
I’m particularly excited about our new mentorship programme for women entering the applied music industry, led by Committee members Becky Wixon, Michelle Murchan, Karina Byrne, and Ilā Kamalagharan.  This six-week programme will provide valuable guidance and support to newcomers in our field.
More details about our relationship with BAPAM and the mentorship programme are below.
Looking ahead to 2025, we have an ambitious agenda planned, including a new podcast series, continued work on AI advocacy, and enhanced support services for our members.  Your engagement and support remain vital to PCAM’s success, and we look forward to working together in the coming year.
Wishing you all a peaceful holiday season and a prosperous New Year.

Paul Reynolds
PCAM Chair

REPORTS FROM THE ECSA CONFERENCE AND CAMILLE AWARDS
Two members of the PCAM Committee – longtime PCAM stalwart Chris Smith and new Committee member Becky Wixon – attended the autumn conference of the European Composer and Songwriter Alliance (ECSA) in Paris in mid-November.  The conference was held in conjunction with the annual Camille Awards, a set of European film composer awards given to composers of exceptional pieces of film and audio-visual music.  This year, the award for the Best TV Score was won by PCAM Committee member Blair Mowat.  Impressions of the Conference and the Camille Awards from Chris, Becky, and Blair are below:
Chris Smith:

The autumn conference of the European Composer and Songwriter Alliance began with a Unified Session which provided an overview of the European political landscape following the recent election of members to the European Parliament, and details of the key areas of interest and concern to the organisation itself.
As in so many other parts of the world, recent elections saw the emergence of more far-right parties, albeit that the EPP, the Christian Democratic, Liberal-Conservative coalition, remains the strongest party.
In July, the new Chairs and Vice-Chairs of the Parliamentary Committees were announced, of whom the most relevant to the work of ECSA were MEP Nela Riehl (Greens/EFA, Germany) as Chair of CULT, dealing with Culture and Education, and MEP Ilhan Kyuckyuk (Renew, Bulgaria) chairing JURI, dealing with Legal Affairs.
In September, the re-elected Chair of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the new commissioners.  Important to ECSA’s work are Henna Virkkunen (Finland) in charge of DG CNECT, overseeing AI, Media and Copyright, and Glenn Micallef (Malta) running DG EAC, with issues relating to education, youth, sport, and culture.
These two commissioners have been tasked with working closely together on “developing an AI strategy for the cultural and creative industries”.
It was encouraging to hear positive words from each of these on: “… the need to further improve the copyright framework to address new challenges raised by market and technological developments” (Virkkunen) and “… a focus on improving the working conditions of artists and cultural professionals” (Micallef).

The main issues upon which ECSA is focusing its work and attention are:

  • AI and the European AI Act.
  • Contractual practices, especially those relating to audiovisual composers.
  • Streaming, with particular focus on transparency and fair remuneration.

The European AI Act was formally adopted in May and ECSA is one of the key organisations informing and advising both the newly elected MEPs and the various working groups dealing with implementation, transparency, and copyright.
Buyouts and coercive publishing are at the centre of ECSA’s current work on audiovisual composers’ contracts.  The organisation is working with a lawyer on a new report aimed at informing policymakers, which it is hoped will be published around the end of this year.  In addition to this, the Commission is expected to publish its own study of creators’ contracts very soon, to which ECSA and its members have contributed.
Music streaming functions have been highlighted by the European Commission as one of the main challenges for copyright.  The three principal areas of concern are:

  • Transparency of algorithms, playlists and recommendations.
  • Identification of rights holders.
  • Consistent application of the Copyright Directive on fair remuneration.

Unsurprisingly, AI and unfair contracts dominated the discussions at the meeting of the FFACE committee of film and audiovisual composers that followed.  ECSA is formed of three committees: audiovisual, songwriting, and concert music, and the concerns and initiatives coming from these committees are fed through to the Board to be implemented with the help of the administrative staff in the Brussels office.
The subject of AI is, therefore, a subject that all three committees will be engaged with from their particular perspectives.
Within the FFACE meeting, the conversation ranged around the potential impact of AI on broadcast blanket licences, the need to distinguish between ‘creation’ and ‘causation’, whether a particularly creative ‘prompt’ to a generative AI algorithm might constitute an act of creation (it doesn’t: a prompt is the same as a brief and a brief is an idea, and you can’t copyright an idea), and the need to get to grips in more tangible detail with the threats and opportunities that AI presents, since so many conversations on the subject are rather vague, abstract, and paranoid in tone.
We also acknowledged that AI already plays a part in the work that we all do, whether it is in the use of mastering software or emulative sound modelling.
Anyone working in the field of audiovisual music will be all too aware of the thorny and long-running issue of unfair contracts, and the conversation focused on the subject of ‘publishers’ who don’t actually ‘publish’ and what might be done.  My own contribution on this subject focused on the need to define the role of the publisher as one who acts to maximise the commercial potential of a work on behalf of its creator and thus to distinguish the role of ‘publisher’ from the role of ‘rights manager’.  It’s a very old battle, as we all know, but we keep fighting it.  Watch this space.
Two upbeat notes upon which to conclude:
ECSA’s operating budget is heavily dependent on the contribution it gets from Creative Europe, an EU funding body.  2024 was the year that the new funding application had to be made, and I’m delighted to report that the application was successful and that the funding from 2025 to 2028 will rise from around €192k per annum to approximately €245k.  So we can be confident that battles old and new will continue to be fought.
Finally, the conference was rounded off in some style with the Camille Awards for film and TV music, held at the Bibliotheque Nationale.  Two of PCAM’s three nominations, Nainita Desai and PCAM Committee member Blair Mowat, were shortlisted in their categories, with Blair walking off with the award for Best Score for a TV Series for his score to Nolly.  Well done, Blair!
I was very pleased to be accompanied to this conference by new PCAM Committee member Becky Wixon, who made a very useful contribution to several of the conversations and made some new friends as well.
The next ECSA conference will be held in Brussels from March 25-27 2025.

Becky Wixon:
It was an honour to represent PCAM at the ECSA autumn session in Paris for the first time.   It was a hugely inspiring, thought-provoking and jam-packed session over two days, which brought together industry professionals, composers and songwriters from across Europe to connect, collaborate, and discuss key issues in the music composition industry.   It offered valuable opportunities to engage with sister organisations across Europe, and I found it particularly impactful to get involved in meaningful dialogue on the issue of diversity and inclusion in the composition space.
The event also featured intriguing discussions on emerging topics like AI and its implications for the future of composition, as well as panels and round tables on issues such as fair remuneration and sustainability in our industry.  It was a fantastic opportunity to network with professionals and fellow composers, exchange ideas, and explore the evolving landscape of music composition.
The session rounded off with a sensational event for the Camille Awards, with our very own Blair Mowat coming away with an award for the best TV score — proud!

 Blair Mowat:
The ceremony for the Camille Awards took place in Paris last month, and I was lucky enough to be nominated for Best TV Drama Score, for Nolly — an ITV show written by Russell T Davies and starring Helena Bonham Carter.  As a composer, recognition like this means a great deal, and I was thrilled to represent such a meaningful project on an international stage.
I arrived in Paris on 13 November with great excitement to join our hosts ECSA (The European Composer and Songwriter Alliance) at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France.  PCAM committee members Chris Smith and Becky Wixon were already in attendance, having represented PCAM at the preceding ECSA Creator’s Conference.  Attendees from all over Europe had gathered to discuss issues such as AI, streaming royalties, and protecting rights.
My train arrived just in time for me to catch most of the  panel ‘Women in Film Music: The State of Play’.  It was inspiring to hear industry leaders like Miriam Cutler and Maggie Rodford (a former PCAM Chair in the days when our organization was known as SPAM) share their perspectives on shifting attitudes and what more can be done to promote inclusivity in our field.
A cocktail reception followed, leading into the awards ceremony, where the wonderful Orchestra Pasdeloup performed excerpts from the nominees’ scores.  A special shout out to fellow nominees Hannah Peel and Nainita Desai, whose pieces sounded fantastic on the night!  I was thrilled to win my category and receive the stunning trophy — a towering metal sculpture of the first composer to write a score for film, Camille Saint-Saëns.  Thankfully, Eurostar security allowed me to bring it back safely on the train!
Chris, Becky, and I really enjoyed seeing some familiar faces, as well as meeting some new ones.  PCAM is very grateful to ECSA for hosting such a memorable event, and for their continued efforts to support and protect composers’ rights across Europe.

PCAM mentoring initiative for women JOINING the industry
At the PCAM Committee meeting on 19 November, Becky Wixon presented the outlines of a plan for matching mentors with mentees to help support women entering the applied music industry.
The idea is to have a six-week mentorship period which includes a 30-minute session each week, and Becky, Michelle Murchan, and new Committee members Karina Byrne and Ilā Kamalagharan have volunteered to act as mentors.
A Google form will be created soon for women to sign up to the programme and will be advertised to PCAM members, on SCOREcast, and through other women’s groups in the industry.
It was also noted at the meeting that Tonic Rider, which offers mental health support for people in the music industry, is currently running a Women in Music support group.

For more information, go to https://www.tonicmusic.co.uk/tonic-rider.

PCAM Chair Paul Reynolds to help judge D&AD Award
PCAM Chair Paul Reynolds has been invited to be a judge on the Sound Design & Use of Music Jury as part of the 2025 Design and Art Direction (D&AD) Awards.  D&AD is an educational charity representing global creative, design, and advertising communities and celebrates brilliance in commercial creativity.
Since 1962, the D&AD Awards have been regarded as one of the world’s most prestigious awards for design and advertising.
The D&AD Awards are a call to the global industry to submit their best work to be judged and awarded by over 300 industry leaders and innovators across 44 categories.
The awarded work shapes the future of the industry, as D&AD uses it to build teaching materials, trend reports, masterclasses, and insightful content for its global audience to stimulate, nurture, and reward creative excellence in design and advertising around the world and champion the power of creativity for good.
Judging across all categories for the 2025 D&AD Awards will take place from 19-20 May 2025, with a D&AD Festival and Awards Ceremony at the Southbank Centre in London on 21-22 May.

ARTICLE on composing and motherhood
We have recently come across an interesting article on composing and motherhood, and the obstacles faced by women in the music industry generally, written by Canadian composer Emily Doolittle and published in 2017 on a website called New Music USA, whose mission is “a thriving, connected, and equitable ecosystem for the music of our time, in all its forms.”
New Music USA “seeks to empower our whole community by amplifying voices that have not been sufficiently heard, identifying barriers to access, and providing resources that help all talented creators thrive.”
You can find the article, which is still incredibly relevant, here: https://newmusicusa.org/nmbx/composing-and-motherhood/.

Plans underway for new PCAM podcast series
Committee members Chris Smith, Blair Mowat, Becky Wixon, and Karina Byrne have all volunteered to be part of a Working Group, chaired by Michelle Murchan, to plan the next series of PCAM podcasts, which will be recorded in 2025.  A list of suggested topics will need to be whittled down to half a dozen or so, participants for each topic will need to be determined, and recording sessions will need to be scheduled.
The topics that will be considered are:

  • Wellness in the Applied Music Industry: Problems and Solutions – Based on previous PCAM/PRS wellbeing seminars, with input from BAPAM.
  • Increasing and Maintaining Diversity in the Industry – What are the problems encountered by women and/or members of minority groups trying to get a foothold in the industry?  What’s needed to make things better?
  • Publishing Issues — including information on using Soundmouse.
  • AI: Realities, Threats, and Opportunities – Based in part on the AI Seminar we hope to organise early next year with the PRS.
  • Teamwork Makes the Dream Work – How working in teams, and joining forces to collaborate can lead to big wins, plus different aspects of team building.
  • When (Sh) It Hits the Fan — Cautionary tales of when things have gone wrong — light-hearted reflections on disaster stories and what we can all learn from them.
  • It’s a Hard Knock Life — The rough and tumble of operating in a challenging marketplace, and how flexibility and resilience can help chart your course. 
  • Money, Money, Money — Managing project budgets and how to make things work.
  • A Day in the Life of Writing for Advertising – This would be aimed at people who are relatively new to the industry.
  • Building a Music Department — This would mainly be based on long-form projects, bringing in people with specific skills who work in support roles to a lead composer.
  • Music For Gaming – An industry overview, including pportunities and ways to get into the industry, technical aspects of gaming music, andgreements and rewards specific to gaming.
  • Music Tech Evolution — Working with current DAWs and virtual instruments.  Remote collaboration tools and techniques.  Mixing and mastering tips specific to media composers’ work.
  • Getting to know your client — Conversation with a Composer, Director, and a Producer.  How to engage with them, how decisions are made, how best to present your work, and client expectations.
  • From Brief to Delivery: Managing a Complex Project – This podcast will decode the art of complex project management for composers, exploring proven systems for handling complex projects from initial brief to final delivery for projects like sonic branding, TV broadcast branding packages, radio packages, documentaries, etc.

If there are any topics above that you would be particularly keen to have in podcast form, please let is know by emailing Michelle Murchan (michelle.murchan@btinternet.com).

Mental and physical health support for members
Our recent survey with BAPAM (the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine) highlighted some of the ways in which specialist health support can benefit PCAM members.
Respondents told us that they found their work rewarding but faced challenges relating to working full time in a home studio environment, long hours sitting, few breaks and lone working.  As freelancers in a competitive industry, some reported unpredictable work patterns and little control over their work.  There are also signs that members feel the need to continue work while ill.
Access to health assessments and advice on aches and pains, stress, mental health, and fitness were identified as priorities.
PCAM members are not alone in facing work-related health challenges, as research shows that 75% of those working in music will face a career-impacting physical or psychological health problem at some point.
BAPAM is the charity that exists to help music creators beat work-related health problems and support longer, healthier careers.  Through BAPAM, PCAM members can access support including:

  • Free, expert, clinical consultations across the UK and online.
  • Healthy creative practice training and information resources, grounded in research, evidence, and best practice.
  • The BAPAM Directory of performing arts specialist health care professionals.
  • Funded counselling and psychotherapy if eligible for support from partners including Music Minds Matter and PRS Members’ Fund.

To find out more about free health services available to you, take a look at www.bapam.org.uk or get in touch with BAPAM via info@bapam.org.uk.
In the New Year, we hope to hear from more members about their health experiences as music creators to guide development of support services and resources.

PCAM Q&As VOLUME 4 NOW AVAILABLE
Over the past few years, an edited selection of questions sent to the PCAM Helpdesk, and the answers provided by PCAM Committee member Tony Satchell, who runs the Helpdesk, have been published annually on the PCAM website.
A new selection of Helpdesk Q&As from 2023 is available here: https://www.pcam.co.uk/pcam-helpdesk-faqs.
Because people in the industry often run into similar kinds of problems and ask similar kinds of questions, perusing these questions and answers may be helpful, especially for new members.

NOTES FROM THE PCAM COMMITTEE MEETING: 19 NOVEMBER 2024
The PCAM Committee’s most recent get-together was an in-person meeting held on 19 November in Shoreditch, with some members attending remotely.
Those present in person were Paul Reynolds, Chris Smith, Blair Mowat, Becky Wixon, Simon Surtees, Karina Byrne, Bob Fromer, Michelle Murchan, while Tony Satchell and Greg Owens attended remotely.
Apologies were received from Jonathan Watts, Bankey Ojo, and, Amelia Vernede, while Claire Cordeaux, CEO of the British Association of Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM), attended as a guest.
The main discussions and decisions from the meeting are below.

Induction Session.  The PCAM Committee meeting on 19 November was preceded earlier that afternoon by an induction session for new and newish members of the Committee.  Topics covered included the history and aims of the organisation; its finances, operations, and the services provided to members; PCAM’s relationships with other industry organisations; the changing nature of the industry and the problems PCAM is attempting to mitigate or solve; and what new Committee members can bring to the Society.
This session was attended by new Committee members Becky Wixon, Karina Byrne, and Simon Surtees, along with Paul Reynolds, Chris Smith, Bob Fromer, and Michelle Murchan.  Unfortunately, new Committee members Greg Owens and Amelia Vernede, who had planned to attend, were unable to join due to illness.

New Committee member.  New Committee member Karina Byrne, who attended both the Induction Session and the Committee meeting, introduced herself to the rest of the Committee.  Karina specialises in producing music and session vocals for advertising, sonic branding and production music libraries, and has created a wide range of music for some of the world’s biggest brands, collaborating and working regularly with world class vocalists and session musicians.  In March 2024, Karina was part of a panel made up of female leaders and creatives from the music, advertising and branding industries at an event called “Balance The Mix”, designed to level the playing field for diversity in the creative industries (currently, women are vastly underrepresented in key creative roles, with less than 3% as music producers, 12.5% as songwriters, and 21.7% as artists).  We look forward to Karina playing a major role on the PCAM Committee.

BAPAM presentation by Chief Executive Claire Cordeaux.  Claire Cordeaux, Chief Executive of the British Association of Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM), attended the first part of the meeting to report on results from a recent BAPAM survey sent to PCAM members to determine their health needs in relation to work.
The survey, based on a Public Health England template, was sent to 158 PCAM members or associates, and 109 recipients opened it.  But only seven members completed the survey, and very few conclusions can be drawn from such a small sample size.
Generally speaking, the seven members who completed the survey did not seem to have too many problems with their working environment and schedule, and did not seem to suffer greatly from anxiety, though alcohol and cigarette consumption was a little higher than the national average and life satisfaction a little lower.  However, some respondents reported illness or injury associated with their work, and all expressed a desire to take advantage of the health checks and advice that BAPAM can offer.
There was general agreement at the meeting that the small number of responses to the survey did not reflect the level of need.  Tony Satchell reported that many of the members contacting the PCAM Helpdesk are seeking reassurance and support as much or more than specific information, and Becky Wixon noted that “rejection, isolation, and uncertainty about the future are common issues for young composers.”
PCAM will maintain a relationship with BAPAM, we will put out a joint message to our members – and perhaps also on SCOREcast – about the possibilities of assessment and support from BAPAM, and we will urge more people to complete the survey in the new year so we have a more realistic idea of members’ health needs.  We will also set up a slider about BAPAM on the PCAM website Home Page.

AI Seminar.  Plans are proceeding for PCAM/PRS Seminar on AI and its implications for the applied music industry, with the hope that it can take place early in the new year.  Florian Koempel from UK Music has agreed to participate, and other speakers may include ECSA Secretary General Marc du Moulin, who authored the report on AI in Europe that was published in the October PCAM Newsletter.

Meanwhile, six PCAM members have indicated that they would like to be involved in future PCAM work around the impact of AI on applied music and we will contact them to talk about how they might become engaged.

Institutional updates:

PRS.  The next session in the ongoing PRS/Lewisham Music Educational Outreach Programme is scheduled for February, will be on sonic branding, and will feature David Lowe.  PCAM participation has yet to be identified.
Meanwhile, PRS has invited PCAM to submit a series of questions on issues such as the increasing demand for writer’s share, “royalty-free” tracks through blanket licences, and reporting on music used in ads on the internet, social media, streaming, etc.  PCAM Committee member Blair Mowat is drawing up the questions and the PRS has agreed to provide formal answers that can then be discussed further.

ICE.  ICE Services, which provides worldwide music royalty administration services, has apparently concluded a new agreement with TikTok under which the platform will pay royalties on music used in commercials – if they’re reported.  But reporting remains the problem with regard to commercials on social media and streaming platforms, something we hope to discuss further with the PRS on the basis of the questions we will be submitting to them (see above).

IPA.  PCAM Committee member Tony Satchell will arrange a meeting with the IPA shortly to discuss a new PCAM paper on Good Practice in Commissioning Original Music for TV Commercials, focusing particularly on issues around demo tracks.

MUSIC ASSISTANT
Everything from project research, diary and file management, and social media to bookkeeping and much more!
Many years of invaluable experience from working in the creative industries, with BASCA/Ivors, BBC, ACE, TV production, and for many media composers.
Be good to hear from you!
Thanks,
Michelle
penpapermouse@gmail.com

PCAM Committee meeting dates in 2025
PCAM Committee meetings in 2025 will be held on the following dates:

  • Tuesday 11 February (in person – location TBC)
  • Tuesday 8 April (remote) (Note: Easter is 20 April)
  • Tuesday 1 July (in person – location TBC – plus Summer Social)
  • Tuesday 9 September (remote)
  • Tuesday 18 November (in person – location TBC)

Any PCAM member interested in attending a PCAM Committee meeting should contact PCAM Administrator Bob Fromer (bob.fromer@outlook.com).

PCAM HELPDESK Q&As
Below are three question-and-answer exchanges from the PCAM Helpdesk (the questions are in black type and the Helpdesk answers are in blue). 

Q:  I am a PRS member and sometime composer for advertising.  I have just joined PCAM.  Would anyone be able to advise me on how to approach providing a simple contract for a radio sting for an ad, plus how to deal with publishing?

A:  The PCAM website has a lot of useful articles on music production and budgeting etc and it is well worth the time spent trawling through ALL of them.
It also has downloadable Contracts for “Original Composition” as well as for “Re-Recordings” (of copyright works).
As to publishing original works, you just register them on the PRS website – the Client should also report/register your works but you cannot necessarily rely on that!
I hope this helps.

_________________

Q:  I am at the beginning of my composing career and looking to draw up a non-exclusive sync licence covering works that I am creating for an indie low-budget project, a series of short films for an online web series.  So far there is no formal, written agreement between me and my contact on the project, but we have agreed to put this in place before the project goes ahead (online, festivals etc).

I have investigated the MU and BASCA/Ivors template contracts but it appears these are not intended to be used without paying for professional advice.  Are there any agreements on the PCAM website in particular that you could recommend for my situation?  I notice the BASCA Media Model Sync Licence appears to be quite straightforward, for one.  Any help would be much appreciated.

A:  If you are a PCAM member you can download and use the standard PCAM Contract from our website, adapting it for whatever use you have in mind.
I’m extremely impressed that you intend to set off down the road correctly by getting things in writing prior to doing a job rather than the easier route of pulling a duvet over your head and blundering into jobs only to complain when you find your rights have been eroded or totally purloined.
If in doubt, a simple Letter of Agreement setting out all the terms and conditions agreed and signed by both parties can be equally effective and legally binding.
I do hope this helps and good luck with your project.

Q:  Thank you for getting back to me.  I should confess that the project is already underway but not close to going “live” yet.  I am indeed a PCAM member and have viewed the standard agreement.  I notice this appears to be aimed predominantly at music for advertising.  Is it just a case of changing certain words like “Agency” and “Commercial” to “Licensee” and “Short Film Series”?
Failing that, it’s good to know that a simple Letter of Agreement written between us would be sufficient.  This option may also be less intimidating to the creator of the project who, after all, has not coerced me into signing away any rights and from the get-go has said that I would keep ownership of the music.  Something which could perhaps be considered a rarity in this industry!

A:  Yes, that’s right, and, as you say, rare indeed!

_____________

Q:  I’m just about to start work on my first film, so I’m a little in the dark as to a few things.  I’m going to use the PCAM standard agreement for licensing as the film is small budget and I’d like to retain the copyright and sell the music on to libraries etc in the future.
The Production and Licensing of Original Musical Composition agreement looks like it allows for this, and doesn’t transfer copyright to the filmmakers (which I don’t want to happen).
Do I have that right?  Sorry for the rookie question.

A:  Yup, that’s fine.  Cross out and initial anything that specifically mentions advertising and replace it with the word “film” and then use the “Special Stipulations” box on Page 2 to add or clarify any clauses that you want and initial the box.
When your client signs, make sure they initial all the changes (as you will have done) and then the job’s a good’ un!  I wish you the best of luck with the film.

PCAM SOCIAL MEDIA
For all the latest news on PCAM seminars and workshops, our new series of podcasts, plus industry-wide events and initiatives, be sure to follow PCAM on our socials.

 

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