COMMISSIONS AND HOW THEY WORK

If you want to commission a song or music from us, we will charge you the time it takes to create the track or the music. If it's a song, the actual conception may be as little as a couple of hours' work, although most people require a recording to take away, so this will then usually be possible within a day session. If you want to commission a soundtrack, a composition or a whole musical, or if the project involves remixing, things will obviously take longer and you can negotiate a price with us for the whole project, or at least a discounted rate. Much also depends on how much production is required.

Song Arrangement

Song Arrangement is a specialism. If you write your song but then bring it to the studio for arrangement, we (Lane and Lane) may become involved in redistributing or altering the harmonies and the melody line to suit a particular genre, or instrumenting the song to create a particular effect or style.

The Completed Tracks

When the tracks are completed they can be made into MP3s, cut to CD, packaged and otherwise sold. We can also create a backing track version of your song to use when you perform. In addition, we can embed an ISRC code into your track so that it can be identified during radio play etc, and we can barcode it for sales.

Songs and having a song written for you, or joint writing

To write a song and then lay it down in the studio to a format including melody, bass line, drums, guitar/keyboard/synth accompaniment may take 6-7 hours. In this way we can create a version for release and a backing should you need it to gig with. This includes any time spent incorporating your ideas.

Longer Compositions

We are quite experienced at creating longer works and compositions, soundtracks, musicals, and more complex projects. These have to be costed on an individual basis.

ROYALTIES

When you attend the studio you pay an hourly rate for the recording of your track. You may simply arrive at the studio, play your tracks and complete your session. However, if we make alterations to the arrangement or sound of the track, this constitutes creative input. Under your instructions, we may completely re-arrange the track or develop harmonies where none exist. Or we may write a track entirely from scratch, if that is the remit. Where this happens it's important to realise that we retain some ownership in what is produced, even if you are paying for the recording session. How much ownership depends on our input. Understanding this fact is useful in your relationship with the studio, and will result in more fruitful and confident sessions.

Legal Implications

The implications of having a song written for you or arranged for you are largely common-sense.

If we arrange your song, by instrumenting it, we will ask for a royalty, should the song be released. Under such an agreement, we will be listed under the song registration with PRS as the arranger and a royalty percentage agreed. We will also be listed as a programmer in your PPL registration if tracks have been produced and parts played in by us.

Likewise, if you commission us to write a song for you, again we will ask for a royalty as songwriter, and agree a split in the PRS royalties generated. If we create a recording we will also ask for royalties as programmers with PPL. However it is generally understood that you will be able to use the finished product for your purposes, providing we retain these royalties. In this situation, the copyright to the track still belongs to the writer, even though the track has been written for the customer, and there is an understood licence to allow the customer to use the track which we agree to.

This link to IPO makes the copyright situation clear:

http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/copy/c-ownership/c-commissioned.htm

In a similar way, if the song is arranged for you, then the arrangement belongs to the arranger again, even though the song belongs to the customer.

For these reasons, when songs are commissioned or arrangements are made, songwriters at the Beehouse ask that you sign an agreement at the end of the recording, laying out the ownership of the track on a percentage basis and your right to duplicate the track and use it. This frees you to promote and sell your track without encumbrance. Registering ownership of the ideas in the track does not affect the profits you may make from the actual sales of the track you recorded, only the royalties which may be generated if your track is performed or broadcast.

Lane and Lane

Songwriting, arrangement and composition is a strength at the Beehouse, and, when composing for clients, we work under the name of Lane and Lane for royalty purposes.

In order for you to claim royalties on your tracks, either songwriting royalties (PRS) or royalties on the recording (PPL) you will need to join various collecting organisations alongside us. This will enable you to receive payment if tracks are played live or played on the radio. Clearly we do not offer advice on this matter, but we can show you where to start with it all!