A licensing deal? Or theft?

As I prepare to take a couple of weeks away from everything...including blogging...here's a taste of what has happened to the music industry. 

On the one hand it is fantastic that the indie scene - brought about by the sweeping changes that digital technology has brought to both the production and distribution of music - has enabled many more artists to get their work out there. But on the other it has spawned an entire industry that feeds off those artists.

Here's an "offer" sent to me by one of the reputable online A&R services I subscribe to. I won't mention which one because it's truly not their fault. They offer some very worthwhile opportunities but occasionally (well, a little too often to tell the truth) there are things like this mixed in:

"Licensing compensation will be $500 per track. Rights cover world in perpetuity, all media now known or hereinafter devised. "

The deal is to get one of your songs - or in this case my songs - featured in a TV show.

But if the offer is for one show why do they need to own the rights to that song for the whole world forever, for all media current and yet to be invented? And for just $500!

My fellow independent artists, beware. This is not a deal. This is theft.

If your songs are good they are valuable. If your songs are wanted they are valuable. If your songs fit what a TV show or movie is looking for they are valuable.

And if they don't meet any of these criteria they are still valuable - to you. 

Leonard Cohen once said, "I never wanted to work for pay but I wanted to be paid for my work."

Remember that...and never sell the worldwide rights in perpetuity to a song for $500.