An education campaign created in the United States to inform creators on the growing practice of copyright buyouts is being extended globally with a new online resource, “Your Music Your Future International”
Composers and songwriters for film, television and other audiovisual media have depended for more than a century on a ‘typical deal’ which allows them to collect royalty income in exchange for granting their copyrights to broadcasters, digital streaming services and other users of their works.
Today, across the globe, that 100-year precedent is increasingly being challenged by companies who insist that composers accept buyouts of their rights (including performing rights) as a condition of being employed or commissioned for a project. In this scenario, composers are expected to create music in exchange for a one-time fee instead of receiving continuing income for their work.
The works of songwriters and composers (just as of screenwriters and directors) are an invaluable and inextricable part of the storytelling in film, TV and all other audiovisual media. Traditionally, royalty income has been the only dependable source of earnings for these creators. The growing practice of buying out their rights (including performing rights) changes the remuneration equation with important implications for creators’ careers.
To raise awareness of this global issue for creators, a new international education resource is now being made available, bringing together the US music creators’ movement Your Music Your Future and CISAC, the global confederation of authors societies with 230 members in over 120 countries and territories.
Your Music Your Future was founded by composers, for composers in the US in 2019 and is dedicated to educating fellow creators about their options for compensation and the ramifications of their choices, including accepting total buyouts of their work. The campaign is strictly educational, taking no sides in the debate, and has built a community of more than 15,000 members.
With the help of CISAC, the campaign is now being extended to help educate composers and songwriters across the world. A new website, Your Music Your Future International, covers topics including the options of royalties vs buyouts, the typical use of buyout clauses in contracts and the different laws governing buyouts internationally. The initiative is also supported by CIAM, the International Council of Music Creators.
More:
https://www.cisac.org/Newsroom/news-releases/your-music-your-future-partners-with-cisac