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Question on Average cost of licensing

I'm in the midst of securing funding and I've been told that most songs tend to go for 3-10k, depending on popularity. How true is this? I know it varies song-to-song, but is there a median price? I don't need the Beatles, but I do need a few pop-punk songs and I think that'd be on the lower-end of the spectrum. Thoughts?
 
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I can give you some numbers from projects on which I have worked. (None were ever licensed - too expensive.)

They wanted $50,000 for "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World.

They wanted $85,000 (plus other stuff) for “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

They wanted $65,000 for "My Ding-a-Ling" by Chuck Berry.

They wanted $15,000 for "Gimme Dat Ding" by The Pipkins.


Look for unsigned, self-distributing, and/or small label bands. I used to have really good luck on MySpace until they discontinued the advanced search function. Now I use a bunch if other sites. It takes quite a while to separate the crap from the good stuff, both artistically (good songs) and technically (good sound) but can be worth the effort. Most will just be pleased that their track is in a film of any kind. Now, if you are looking for "recognizable" tracks, good luck; even the smallest "hits" will cost you!
 
I used/bought Bea Millers song YoungBlood and totally lucked out before it made it to the top 30 and she opened for Demi Lovato on tour. But what a pain that was. It was so confusing to track down all 8 writers of the song.

Follow Alcoves advice...
 
What kind of license you need can also alter the cost.

Good point.

OP, are you looking for a Synchronization License? I've licensed music through the distributor directly for $1,000, with no expiration.

But I've also heard, that most give an expiration. However, the typical Synchronization License is around $1,000 for indie Short Film. From what I understand.
 
I'm in the midst of securing funding and I've been told that most songs tend to go for 3-10k, depending on popularity. How true is this? I know it varies song-to-song, but is there a mediam price? I don't need the Beatles, but I do need a few pop-punk songs and I think that'd be on the lower-end of the spectrum. Thoughts?

Pop-punk songs sound similar in popularity to this song I synch licensed for $1K, with no expiration, for my last short film... https://youtu.be/2oqifChF500
 
Good point.

OP, are you looking for a Synchronization License? I've licensed music through the distributor directly for $1,000, with no expiration.

But I've also heard, that most give an expiration. However, the typical Synchronization License is around $1,000 for indie Short Film. From what I understand.

Thanks for all the responses guys. I've spent the last month going nearly insane trying to get funding and it's nerve wracking.

Every song would be synchronized, save three, they'd be sung which I assume is actually more. I do this because I love film and apparently hate myself.

I have a few friends who are signed musicians and I'm trying to think of the best way to go 'Hey, remember how you were on that track with The Wonder Years? Think you could get me a sit-down with Dan?' without being 'THAT GUY' and if it happens go 'Hey Dan, I love your band since the 7" EP, I know you cats want XXX but could I get it for YYY?' without further being a douchier version of 'THAT GUY'. But I guess it comes down to WHO you know most days and not necessarily WHAT.


Thanks for all your help dudes.
 
We were going to acquire a Synchronization and Master Use License for an early Iggy Pop song for $100 on a short film! Of course, our writer knew someone personally... But I would tend to agree that in most cases, and indie artist is the way to go. You're promoting their music in a way. That's obviously not true of a well established popular artist, hence the trouble getting the license fees down. On my last feature, we used a couple pieces of indie music (all registered with BMI and ASCAP). We paid about $700 for one song unlimited, and an additional $700 for the rest. (composer had some original songs and threw them in). If you can get an artist really excited about your film, then they may go easy on you...
 
I'm in the midst of securing funding and I've been told that most songs tend to go for 3-10k, depending on popularity. How true is this?

It's not true and, although popularity is often the biggest determining factor of price, it's not the only factor. The type of licence sought can be a big determining factor, for example; exclusive or non-exclusive, licence period/duration and territories covered by the licence. What a composer (music rights holder) wants to charge for a licence for a particular song/composition is entirely up to them and their decision would likely be based on what they think you can afford, how much they want their music associated with your film, their assessment of the popularity of the song or potential future popularity and how restrictive are the terms of the licence you're after. An exception to this of course, would be if they have already sold an exclusive licence to someone else, in which case they cannot legally sell you a licence at any price.

This can all get a bit complex, especially when a song has multiple rights holders. This is why filmmakers usually employ a Music Supervisor. The easiest route for most filmmakers, particularly at the lowest budget levels, is usually; library music, royalty free music or commissioning a composer to write original music.

G
 
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