Gretchen Snyder is a music production major interested in a career in video game music or sound design. She has taken music production classes and is learning audio engineering software like Pro Tools and Logic Pro. She wants to understand music publishing and licensing to help her career goals in areas like music supervision. Through her class, she has learned about different types of licenses, royalty collection by PROs, and the importance of legal and financial aspects of the music industry.

1. GRETCHEN SNYDER

2. My current role in the music industry:
• Developing the skills to produce and edit through music production
classes
• AES (audio engineering society) member

3. Current knowledge of audio and music
• basic understanding of Pro Tools
• basics of studio recording
• learning how to use Logic Pro
• field recording

4. Current knowledge of producing:
- Produced one acoustic track that was released through
soundcloud
- Used compression, EQ, reverb, and routing

5. Desired future role in the industry:
• aspiring video game music supervisor or sound designer
• interested in the way music can bring a game to life
• also interested in music producing

6. Sound Design
• Even though I’m a music production major, I think field recording
sound effects for video games would be a great job
• This could even be foley

7. Dream Job:
• Blizzard Entertainment sound design
• Based in Irvine, California
• Subsidiary of Activision
• Founded in 1991

8. Understand of music publishing so far:
• the business side of the music industry can be tricky, but is very
important to generating revenue and avoiding legal issues
• there are many types of licenses one can acquire depending on
what the intention of use is
• licenses include: synch licensing, blanket, mechanical, public
performance, digital performance

9. Music Publishing at a Glance
• Exclusive right- 6 total
• 1. reproduction
• 2. adaptation: modification right or derivative works right
• 3. distribution
• 4. public performance I: the right to perform material
• 5. Public display
• 6. Public Performance II: digital audio transmission

10. Copyright and Fair Use
• Fair use includes:
• 1. critical review
• 2. scholarly (educational)
• 3. parody
• Copyright
• Works protected for 70 years plus the life of the creator
• Once this time is up, work is then included in the public domain
• It can then be used by anyone without gaining permission

11. Public Performance Royalties
• Income
• the writers stream for public outlet
• pays out directly to writers
• the most basic form of payment, via PRO
• occurs whenever a public performance (transmission of material)
occurs

12. Public Performance Royalties
• Types of Uses: two main categories
• 1. broadcast
• radio, tv, closed circuit (Muzak), internet radio, satellite radio
• over 15,00 radio stations in the U.S.
• 2. Live Performances:
• nightclubs/concert halls/ arenas
• I. Complexity= blanket license
• The right to play anything and everything from that pro’s repertoire
for a period of time
• II. Clout= enforcement and negotiation based on usage of artists’
material from a pro

13. Importance of Music Publishing
• Before taking this class, I was unaware how important music
publishing and the legalities are to the industry
• Knowing these types of deals and licenses could be very helpful to
me in the future if I decide to become a music supervisor
• These legalities help to make sure artists are paid for the work they
have done

14. Terms/Concepts learned this semester
• 1. Sundry licenses
• category of other licenses used to administer rights for music
• Include
• advertising
• video games
• karaoke
• retail products
• arcade games
• in-flight music
• and on…
• This is relevant to my life because I want to work with video games

15. #2
• A mechanical license covers many types of devices that can be used
to reproduce music. Mechanicals are used for audio-only
reproductions of music
• these formats are lumped together under the name phonorecords
• This relevant to my life because I may work with an artist who
wishes to sample a song from another artist and I would have to
get a mechanical license

16. #3
• Blanket License
• typically done with a large, multinational publisher
• usually done with PROs (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC) for radio stations and
venues
• allows these kind of places to have access to a large amount of
music

17. Interest in Music Publishing
• The most interesting part of music publishing to me is
synchronization licensing
• Music can become so attached to a commercial, game, product, etc.

18. Synchronization Licensing
• I think synch licensing would be so much fun because finding the
perfect songs for a commercial, game, etc. would be so satisfying
• It’s like finally finding the right puzzle pieces after trying dozens
and failing
• *GTA had to get rights to many
• Different songs

19. The Legal Side
• Synch licensing requires careful consideration before making a
contract
• One must consider how much of the song will be used and not go
over by even a second
• Other consideration include lyric changes and if you want the song
to be exclusive to a film, game, etc.

20. How does the license work?
• most ask for a broad rights license: flat fee basis
• worldwide license for a duration of the copyright plus renewals and
extensions, covering usage within the linear film and in-context
ads, promos, and trailers
• Defined terms of use, limited in scope
• In-context= use of a song as it appears in a film
• Out-of-context= song used out of scene it was in
• Contract Points
• Nature of the use
• Title theme, closing theme, visual performance, background
performance, incidental
• Duration
• Star Power

21. Three areas of publishing revenue:
• 1. The first area of publishing revenue I could take advantage of
after I graduate is co-publishing
• Co-publishing splits the revenue between the writer and the
publisher
• This is generally a 50/50 split

22. Co-publishing Considerations
• Once the work is finished and is recorded “fixed” in some format, it
becomes a joint work
• Your intention is that your contributions be merged into
inseparable or interdependent parts of unitary whole
• If a different revenue split is desired, it must be agreed upon when
content is fixed

23. #2 Public Performance Royalties
• I would love to write songs or publish songs someday
• Royalties are due whenever a song is played in a venue, in shopping
center, on the radio, at a nightclub, etc.
• PROs offer blanket licenses to venues to make this easier

24. #3 Self-Publishing
• This one can be tricky if you don’t know what you’re doing
• The advantage to self-publishing is that you can keep 100% of the
revenue!
• I may, someday, want to self-publish a few songs that I’ll write
• I could sign up as a publisher with a PRO

25. My View on the Music Industry
• My view has changed since taking this class because I now realize
how much work goes into obtaining a license to use a song
• It’s not as easy as saying, “Hey, can I pay you to use this song in my
movie?”

26. After Taking this Class
• I had little knowledge of PROs before this class
• I now have a better understanding of their role and how they help
artists get recognition and payment for use of their works
• This is extremely important for my future in the music production
industry

27. Overview:
• Knowledge of music publishing is essential to my career and is also
a great thing for musicians to know
• Some deals and licenses can be hard to understand, but they are
very important to the industry
• Piracy is huge these days and it’s easy to download music and
sample without getting permission
• The legalities of music publishing are just a way to give credit to an
artist
• No one likes their belongings being stolen!