Has anyone tried acquring music rights without a lawyer?

E

ecd

Member
I want inquire how much it could cost me to get the rights to a song from a big music publisher but I don't want to go through the extra costs of having a lawyer do it for me.

Has anyone successfully negotiated the rights with a music company without representation? I've got all the info I need (which licenses, etc..) but no idea how to go about actually doing it.
 
You need to figure out two things:

who has the rights to the master recording (unless you plan on just using a cover of the song)
who has the publishing rights to the song (usually multiple groups)

they generally all have request forms that you'll have to fill out and fax them, and they'll walk you through the process from there.
 
Ok, so I've already applied for the synchronization license but for the masters license Universal says they need a written permission from the publisher. Are they asking me to submit the sync license w/ my application for the master license or another letter from the publisher altogether?

Also, having never done this before I have no idea how much this might cost me. I'm going to try and negotiate a good price w/ the intention of only getting a festival license but would anyone have a ballpark figure of how much this will run me?
 
Depends on the song and the usage. Could be as litttle as $100 (oldies for film festival use) or as much as a million (hot song for national commercial or theatrical use). Also regarding money: Publishing and Master Recording, although controlled by different entities, often require a Favor Nations clause, meaning that whatever one gets the other gets.
 
FYI, an entertainment lawyer once told a producer friend of mine that you can use whatever music you want for film festival use without licensing. I was shocked when I heard this, but I suppose it could very well be the case. Do festivals ask for clearance or releases when you submit or get a film accepted?
 
Your friend's entertainment lawyer is an idiot. Maybe he means that he just wants some business defending your friend. And Film Festivals state right in their applications that you must have clearance. Now you might find a publisher that won't charge you anything, but you must have permission to use any copyrighted material - film festivals included.
 
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