The Association of Music Producers (AMP) has an ambitious agenda, with a couple of the prime entries involving two other industry entities: the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). In fact, the music producers’ trade association is hoping that the alphabet soup mix of AMP, ANA and ASCAP will make progress in addressing what it views as a longstanding sticking point, royalties for commercials.
AMP is looking to form what its national president Jan Horowitz describes as “a coalition of common interests” with the ANA since in many cases advertisers are publishers of their own music. The intent is to have AMP and ANA reach out to ASCAP to come up with a more equitable approach to royalty payments for commercials–as well as music commissioned by advertisers/marketers that winds up playing in emerging media forms beyond the traditional broadcast/cable :30.
A key AMP goal would be to get ASCAP’s electronic tracking, crediting and payment system embodied in its Media Guide technology applied to commercial music as it is to other featured performances. The sophisticated technology was paid for by ASCAP members. And since the commercial community constitutes part of that rank and file, the feeling is that it too should benefit from the tracking system.
AMP would also like to see commercials fetch what it would regard as a more equitable slice of the royalties pie. “In the rest of the world, music is music, with tracking and payment based on duration by performing rights organizations,” relates Horowitz who is VP/business manager of David Horowitz Music Associates, New York. In France, for example, a movie score is paid four times the rate of a standard commercial. But in the U.S., she says, the ad industry rate differential is just three percent of what long-form play commands. She notes that a mere bar and a half of the Happy Birthday song on primetime TV merits a payment in excess of $700. For a primetime commercial showing, the rate is $19–and if the same spot appears again in the same hour, there is no payment for that additional exposure.
Horowitz adds that advertising music is also facing significant cutbacks in royalties. The most recently issued quarterly payments from ASCAP represented, she says, a 40 percent decrease in rates. Still, she’s hopeful that a cooperative effort can be reached.
“We view this as the perfect time for AMP to step in not as an adversary to ASCAP, but to help ASCAP go forward the best way possible in the field of advertising music,” states Horowitz. “We need to address the changing landscape together. With the proliferation of new media, for example, how do you best compensate performance?”
SURVEYING THE FIELD AMP also has a membership survey at the ready. Plans call for it to be distributed soon.
The growth in AMP rank and file has been substantial. Two years ago, the organization had some 60 members. Today that has increased to 110 member houses, representing approximately 1,000 composers, estimates Horowitz.
The survey will help determine the affiliations of these composers (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC), but more importantly it will document the creative depth and reach of this talent. Almost every AMP member house, says Horowitz, is involved in more than commercials, diversifying into such areas as TV programs, documentaries and theatrical features.
“As a music trade association, it’s important that agencies and clients know the creative talent and resources of the AMP community,” she relates in explaining a key purpose of the survey. “As agencies themselves move into other areas such as long-form branded content for different media, they need to realize that the AMP talent they tap into for commercials can also be deployed on these new emerging forms. Our community’s skill set encompasses music and sound, music and images, which applies to all kinds of projects across the board.”
INSURANCE In terms of providing further tangible benefits to its rank and file, AMP is in the process of securing health insurance coverage for employees of its member houses. The trade association companies collectively can earn a group rate that’s generally more affordable than individual policies for each business.
AMP was able to garner this coverage through its relationship with Chicago-based insurance agency JMB. As chronicled by SHOOT in Sept. 2004, JMB helped to develop and then offered an errors and omissions (E&O) insurance policy tailored specifically for the commercial music and sound design biz.
That more affordable E&O coverage has been well received by the industry. It addresses concerns related to music copyright infringement, indemnification and potential litigation issues. The insurance not only offers protection, but also helps to promote business practices that could reduce the chances of copyright infringement.
SESSIONS AMP also plans to continue its seminar program, which in the past has addressed such areas as music publishing and E&O risk management. Upcoming sessions are scheduled with top music supervisors and agency music producers.
The former will take place in New York and serve as a counterpart to a similar discussion with major Hollywood music supervisors held last year on the West Coast, as covered in SHOOT (12/16/05). The New York panel discussion is slated for next month.
Also in May, AMP will hold its annual get-together with ad agency music producers. Comparing notes with ad shop artisans on trends, issues, and on assessments of the creative and business ends of the music/sound industry has proven to be a valuable dialogue for AMP members.
AWARDS
After its first four years in Los Angeles, the annual AMP Awards ceremony will shift to New York in ’06. The gala evening will also shift from the spring to the fall as AMP looks to broaden the scope of the awards while maintaining its core honors. The move to New York is to in part underscore the national reach of the competition, which is already well established on the West Coast.
The AMP Decibelle trophy for Mixer of the Year will continue to be bestowed, as will certificates for the two other finalists vying for the honor. Also returning is the Spotted Excellence Award, which enables the industry at large to log onto www.ampnow.com, watch and listen to three finalist commercials, and then decide which sounds the best. And ’06 will also see the continuation of the annual Special Merit Award in recognition of the best newcomer to the audio mixing discipline.
AMP is considering the launch of other awards competition honors, including the best marriage of an artist or licensed piece of music with a brand.
