Even helping friends for free can turn ugly. They might continue to see you as free. At some point you’re going to have to raise it and it could get weird
These types of rando’s always pop up though. Your stuff will make their product look good and no one will even know who you are or care or wonder who did the stuff except maybe some stoner art school kid that saw it.
I only see a mutual benefit in this type of thing through collaboration, but if you’re being solicited to work on something, you should be paid.
I think this kind’ve thing happens mainly to people without much of a profile, though. If you were already well known I don’t they’d come to you and you’d also have leverage.
It’s worth bearing in mind that often, those asking for stuff for free aren’t doing so out of malice but they might lack experience in commissioning creative work.
Give them the benefit of the doubt. Be polite, professional and patient. Explain the terms under which you are prepared to grant them a licence to use your music. Eg. you might want to offer a non-exclusive licence for a limited period of time. Give them an idea of cost so that they can factor that into their ad budget for next time.
Be reasonable but firm. Your music has value. If a potential client thinks they can get good quality music for free elsewhere, let them do so. The chances are they’ll come back to you with a music budget when the free music doesn’t have the desired impact.
(Haven’t read the whole thread but) I personally think you did the right thing, lowering your rate for a special occasion with sweet opportunities/reach is fine but giving away music for commercial projects is lowering the value of original music in general and hurts the whole community in my opinion. If it’s for a good friend obviously you can do whatever you want, bros before $$$<3
Also exposure - while helpful as a starting point - is not necessarily enough to make “big things” happen anyway. I have like 90k subscribers on Youtube and money is not really flowing in, aha. Would probably be enough for some more talented people tho.
on a sidenote, it‘s still super cool that you got so much attention for „just“ putting out performance videos instead of talking and doing things influencer do.
I think that’s really cool and well deserved btw
At least they didn´t ask you to pay money for using your song !
Sounds like a joke ?
It isn´t. Happened to my former band.
We got the good news we can play on a big(ish) festival.
Then we´ve been asked to pay 300 bucks to pay the technics
and engineers. I couldn´t believe it first but learned that
this is quite common and lots of unknown bands accept such deals…
the amazing illustrator Jessica Hische made a (much copied) flow chart back in 2011 which I still think is an excellent way to answer this question - http://shouldiworkforfree.com/
Interestingly she was also one of those super generous internet people who would just make free tutorials etc and guides like this online, and not in a ‘please subscribe to my ad filled youtube channel way’ - ( i mean no disrespect intended to those who do!)
I think it definitely brought more attention to her work though… so i do believe there’s something to be said for having control over what you give away…
being generous can bring rewards , being exploited rarely does
So my main reason to decline the request was to not support that company’s business practice.
Very very good and respectable reason. You didn’t make the decision regarding your own case, but according to the way you think the world should go. If everybody used to act the same, the world would be much, much more pleasant.
Thing is, they have budget for everything else. That vid is a commercial product, if it was some indie endeavor I’d have no issue giving them my tracks.
I’d have done it, but on the understanding that you retain all rights to your music.
Yeah it sucks that music is almost seen as valueless these days, but when you have lots of other people willing to give their music away this is what happens.
They’re the main importer for many famous brands into China. Their own products are more or less irrelevant. But then in China it doesn’t take much to have a multiple million audience.
No, it’s exploitation. Even if you become famous you will be famous without compensation. They can be nice people who will go to heaven, but unless you are passionate about their brand or are hot for the music director they are giving you less than nothing in return.
“Hello prospective employer, I have a low estimate of my self worth and don’t mind working for free.”
Yeah, I’m not sure that will land you a job that makes you happy.
If you want exposure without being paid, start a youtube channel.
Thanks for the controversial point here. U’re reflecting a lot of what I’m thinking. The money is entirely irrelevant for my daily life while the exposure could make a difference.
I am surprised that after all the arguments that were thrown at you, you seem to keep the ones that say you should give your own work for free.
It seems that you made up your mind: you will give your music to people that think it should be free, even if the consensus seem to be that you would rather shoot yourself in the foot (as well as any other fellow musician’s).
Take it the other way: let’s assume you say no. As any other musician.
The management will ask for free music to be picked up.
You watch said advertisement: would you try to get the source for the music? What this “ton of exposure” would be worth?
Even if you’re not in it for the money, I think it is crystal clear that your work would benefit to people that don’t value music, and you’d be getting absolutely nothing in return.
Listen to the voice in you that made you upset a little bit: she’s probably right.
and well deserved btw