# Crucial Music Contract!



## HarmonyCore (Apr 20, 2021)

Hey Awesome People,

CM has contacted me a week ago to inform me that they'd like one of my tracks to be listed in their catalog. I registered the track with BMI and it's publicly viewable in their repertoire now. CM is going to send me a contract within the next week.

So, to people who got contracts and deals with CM, please share what was your experience with them and what to expect in the contract.

Thanks guys


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## doctoremmet (Apr 20, 2021)

Cool. Congratulations!


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## HarmonyCore (Apr 20, 2021)

doctoremmet said:


> Cool. Congratulations!


Heyyyyy Doc! Thanks a lot


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## HarmonyCore (Apr 20, 2021)

UPDATE: I just received a new email from CM with both Contract and CM terms of agreement text files attached. They need me to print the contract, sign it and physically send it to their mailing address. I really don't want to ask them too many questions and I am trying to make it as smooth as possible. However, do you guys know if they can accept email for communicating these signed documents?!


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## GtrString (Apr 20, 2021)

Crucial is a decent mid tier library. Non-ex, retitle, no blankets. Pretty good, if you get some action. Nothing to worry about.


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## HarmonyCore (Apr 20, 2021)

Thanks @GtrString. Sounds pretty encouraging!


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## jcrosby (Apr 20, 2021)

They've gotten me a few prime time placements... Power, Castle, Do No Harm and a show called Deception that NBC projected to be a premium crime drama back in 2013. (Pulled the plug after one season). Anyway placements aren't frequent, but they're really solid...

They also have a high rejection rate if you submit music so give yourself a big old pat on the back for creating some very high quality music


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## HarmonyCore (Apr 20, 2021)

jcrosby said:


> They also have a high rejection rate if you submit music so give yourself a big old pat on the back for creating some very high quality music


Actually, I've been rejected by them for 7 months now until finally I got accepted. I wonder if I can clean the track, re-mix it and tweak it more before uploading the final WAV to them. OR do you suggest to keep the track as it is since they liked how it sounded that way?

EDIT: Did you sign the contract and sent it back to them by a courier? or Do they accept emails for signed contracts?


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## jcrosby (Apr 20, 2021)

HarmonyCore said:


> Actually, I've been rejected by them for 7 months now until finally I got accepted. I wonder if I can clean the track, re-mix it and tweak it more before uploading the final WAV to them. OR do you suggest to keep the track as it is since they liked how it sounded that way?
> 
> EDIT: Did you sign the contract and sent it back to them by a courier? or Do they accept emails for signed contracts?


Congrats then! Many of my tracks have been rejected too. That doesn't mean anything either, they're just super picky about what they take, and it's a good thing AFAIC. It means they're only interested in presenting high quality music which helps them stay competitive with exclusive libraries that have equally high standards... 

I've always signed digitally. A couple of my initial contracts may have been paper though, but it's been so long I honestly forget... You'll also get requests to renew every few years (which I always do. I just login, confirm the renewal and I'm good...)


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## HarmonyCore (Apr 20, 2021)

jcrosby said:


> Congrats then! Many of my tracks have been rejected too. That doesn't mean anything either, they're just super picky about what they take, and it's a good thing AFAIC. It means they're only interested in presenting high quality music which helps them stay competitive with exclusive libraries that have equally high standards...
> 
> I've always signed digitally. A couple of my initial contracts may have been paper though, but it's been so long I honestly forget... You'll also get requests to renew every few years (which I always do. I just login, confirm the renewal and I'm good...)


Great man! I am very glad that my track made it through the final review, Phew!! I never took it personally when rejected because of the reason you just said. I kept writing tracks, submitting and repeat. I sent them an email an hour ago asking them if I can digitally sign it using Docusign and send the signed contract to their email. Still waiting for their reply. I mean come on CM! we are in 2021 lol and courier services take time to deliver a mail. In the same time, I don't want to piss them off and do what they need


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## jcrosby (Apr 20, 2021)

HarmonyCore said:


> Actually, I've been rejected by them for 7 months now until finally I got accepted. I wonder if I can clean the track, re-mix it and tweak it more before uploading the final WAV to them. OR do you suggest to keep the track as it is since they liked how it sounded that way?
> 
> EDIT: Did you sign the contract and sent it back to them by a courier? or Do they accept emails for signed contracts?


I wouldn't remix it unless you really felt it was necessary. They like it as is so the mix is most likely fine. If there's something that seems really glaring, at least keep the old session intact and give yourself at least a day before comparing the two mixes... If you're still getting your feet wet with library music (?) mixing's an easy spiral to get caught up in.


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## HarmonyCore (Apr 20, 2021)

Cool! they replied and informed me that I can send them a scanned PDF by tomorrow


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## jcrosby (Apr 20, 2021)

HarmonyCore said:


> Great man! I am very glad that my track made it through the final review, Phew!! I never took it personally when rejected because of the reason you just said. I kept writing tracks, submitting and repeat. I sent them an email an hour ago asking them if I can digitally sign it using Docusign and send the signed contract to their email. Still waiting for their reply. I mean come on CM! we are in 2021 lol and courier services take time to deliver a mail. In the same time, I don't want to piss them off and do what they need


They may still require a hard copy for your 1st initial contract. I honestly don't remember, it's been quite a while since I've submitted to them. Either way just sit back and enjoy it! instead of letting it get you revved up 

EDIT: We posted at the same time


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## HarmonyCore (Apr 20, 2021)

jcrosby said:


> I wouldn't remix it unless you really felt it was necessary. They like it as is so the mix is most likely fine. If there's something that seems really glaring, at least keep the old session intact and give yourself at least a day before comparing the two mixes... If you're still getting your feet wet with library music (?) mixing's an easy spiral to get caught up in.


Superb!   Thanks my friend for your detailed answers. I am so happy now


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## HarmonyCore (Apr 20, 2021)

jcrosby said:


> EDIT: We posted at the same time


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## HarmonyCore (Apr 21, 2021)

DONE! I made it through the final stage of WAV file upload and waiting for the track to be listed in the catalog


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## HarmonyCore (Apr 21, 2021)

Guys, do you know if all the sample libraries in the market are royalty-free and are allowed 100% to be used in film and TV? I read couple of license agreements from couple of libraries I have but never read all of them. But I think all the sample libraries I bought allow to use their samples in media. The only thing they prohibit is to sell those samples directly.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Apr 23, 2021)

HarmonyCore said:


> Guys, do you know if all the sample libraries in the market are royalty-free and are allowed 100% to be used in film and TV? I read couple of license agreements from couple of libraries I have but never read all of them. But I think all the sample libraries I bought allow to use their samples in media. The only thing they prohibit is to sell those samples directly.


Do you mean for ANY library on the market? No, it all depends on their policies.


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## HarmonyCore (Apr 23, 2021)

Jeremy Spencer said:


> Do you mean for ANY library on the market? No, it all depends on their policies.


The reason I asked this because CM asked me if my track is made of royalty-free sample buyouts. I spent 2 hours yesterday checking every single library I own one by one to see if all are allowed to be used in film and TV. And all they are allowed!


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## JohnG (Apr 23, 2021)

HarmonyCore said:


> I spent 2 hours yesterday checking every single library I own one by one to see if all are allowed to be used in film and TV


Long ago there were a few that required special permission to be used in a music library. There were loops in Storm Drum 2, if I remember correctly. It doesn't mean you can't use them, but that's what I'd look for -- any constraint on using in a music library, not whether it can be used in film and TV.

I doubt there are more than a handful that have meaningful restrictions for the use you described here.

Of course, many / most proscribe use "naked," so you can't just use a loop all by itself as library music. I'm not talking about that restriction.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Apr 23, 2021)

And with some developers, if you bought a library as a student, they have special clauses that don't allow commercial use.


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## ashX (Apr 23, 2021)

I'm pretty sure you, OP, dont need to be scared about using sample libraries. You made all the melodies and that's enough.

I'm also here wondering if two people use the same splice loop and for some reason content ID detects it as a music loop used in another song would you be screwed if you uploaded it as the second guy ? I mean obviously they are royalty-free but what if the system doesnt know it and thinks it is someone else's song stolen/copied.


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## Daryl (Apr 23, 2021)

ashX said:


> I'm pretty sure you, OP, dont need to be scared about using sample libraries. You made all the melodies and that's enough.
> 
> I'm also here wondering if two people use the same splice loop and for some reason content ID detects it as a music loop used in another song would you be screwed if you uploaded it as the second guy ? I mean obviously they are royalty-free but what if the system doesnt know it and thinks it is someone else's song stolen/copied.


Short answer, yes. Therefore you should write your own music.


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## jcrosby (Apr 23, 2021)

HarmonyCore said:


> Guys, do you know if all the sample libraries in the market are royalty-free and are allowed 100% to be used in film and TV? I read couple of license agreements from couple of libraries I have but never read all of them. But I think all the sample libraries I bought allow to use their samples in media. The only thing they prohibit is to sell those samples directly.


Not an issue. Even though the wording may be different in different agreements, they all more or less say the same thing... You can write music for libraries, albums of any kind, etc... Basically any writing scenario and you're good.

The only thing most sample libraries forbid against is creating a 'sample library' with thir samples... (This Include layering samples together...)


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## HarmonyCore (Apr 28, 2021)

jcrosby said:


> Not an issue. Even though the wording may be different in different agreements, they all more or less say the same thing... You can write music for libraries, albums of any kind, etc... Basically any writing scenario and you're good.
> 
> The only thing most sample libraries forbid against is creating a 'sample library' with thir samples... (This Include layering samples together...)


Exactlyyyy! that's what I read in their license agreements. I can't sell or trade or do any commercial activity on the samples alone but sure I can create whatever music using them and license it for commercial use.

Straight to the point and clear!


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