About This Project

About this project

MCA negotiated the music rights for this big bed retailer, and it made all the difference.

The consultant’s strong relationship with the rights owners was an important factor in the successful renegotiation of the usage fee.  Her knowledge of the work involved in editing/mixing music and appropriate costs also saved the client on costs in comparison to fees quoted by their agency.

Approach

The client requested support from MCA’s specialist music rights consultant given the cost quoted by the agency was significantly over budget.

MCA’s consultant knew the record label well and was able to speak directly with the person responsible for the original pitch to raise awareness of the artist in the UK.   However, as the music publisher had quoted a higher fee, and the label’s agreement with the artist was to charge the same as the music publisher; the total fee exceeded the client’s budget.  Our MCA consultant explain to the music publisher that this potential use was entirely down to the efforts of the record label, and if the fee was not within the brand’s budget, the use wouldn’t happen at all.

The song had been composed by the artist and an unpublished co-writer.  The consultant saved the client both time and money by adapting the main publisher’s licence for the unpublished writer to sign.   The benefit of having someone available who could understand/draft a straightforward music licence where necessary led to our successful outcome.

Outcome

The music publisher agreed to reduce their fee, the co-writer agreed, and the total fee came within the client’s original music budget (a reduction of 36% from the original quote).  The consultant was also able to get the mixes/edits done at a proper music studio, conveniently located for the client, at a fraction of the cost quoted by the agency, saving a considerable 89%.  She also took care of the license paperwork for the unpublished co-writer.