Dear PCAM Member,
This is the latest in a series of Newsletters that we publish five times a year, following meetings of the PCAM Committee.
Each Newsletter contains a brief report from the recent Committee meeting, plus other current news and views and an edited version of a recent query to the PCAM Helpdesk.
We would like to receive more contributions to the Newsletter from PCAM members. If you want to write something for inclusion or send us a link to something interesting you have read or seen, please contact PCAM Administrator Bob Fromer on: bob.fromer@outlook.com.
Best regards,
The PCAM Committee
CONTENTS
— Message from the PCAM Chair
— PCAM/PRS Mental Health Seminar
— PCAM participation in PRS Education Project
— Tonic Rider Peer Support Group
— Update on PCAM Podcasts
— Virtual Assistant
— Notes from the PCAM Committee Meeting: 13 February 2024
— Committee Meeting Dates in 2024
— Case Study from the PCAM Helpdesk
— PCAM Q&As Volume 4 Coming Soon
— PCAM Social Media
MESSAGE FROM THE PCAM CHAIR
Dear PCAM Members,
A Troubling Reality for Composers
Many reputable agencies and brands have strong commitments to ethical business practices and fair treatment of suppliers. However, an inconvenient truth persists — composers are often working for less than minimum wage to craft music for their projects. This happens when fees don’t align with the actual time and skill required.
The fault lies with the entire ecosystem. Composers feel pressure to accept unfair wages. Music companies and composers provide free spec work. Commissioners seek cut-rate deals. Some agencies turn a blind eye. This is at odds with most Corporate Social Responsibility charters on equitable treatment of suppliers.
All players in the industry must recognise this as an issue. Composers must push back on unfair wages and educate clients. Commissioners should value creative work fairly and budget appropriately. Brands and agencies must audit their supply chain and enforce fair pay standards.
Practical steps:
- Composers: Demand fair compensation. The word ‘unfair’ can be powerful — use it. If you get nowhere, report it to PCAM.
- Music Companies: Institute policies against spec work. Working for free kills our industry and the value of the very work keeping us all afloat.
- Commissioners: Work with composers early and budget fairly. Understand the time and effort required.
- Brands/Agencies: Audit your supply chain and enforce standards.
Only through acknowledgement, education, and collective action can we address unfair composer pay. The time for change is now and PCAM is committed to driving this change.
PCAM fees and aims
As we head onwards into 2024, your PCAM Committee team remains dedicated to advocating for essential principles and practices so that together we can retain and advance professionalism across our industry.
At our core, PCAM espouses fair business practices that protect creators. This means insisting that professional work be properly compensated, copyrights should be honoured, and composer rights should not be unfairly exploited.
Even in challenging times, we refuse to compromise on these values. That’s why, despite rising costs, we continue to freeze membership fees, as we have done for the past nine years. We believe that asking you to help us stand up for what is right should not be limited by budget. We are here for you, our members, listening to your needs and responding creatively as we navigate ahead together.
If you have suggestions for how PCAM can better promote fair and ethical practices during this difficult period, please share your thoughts. Supporting each other now is crucial as we work to ensure composers and creators receive the protections and the recompense they deserve.
Thank you for your membership as we pursue this mission. We don’t take that commitment lightly and promise to continue serving you however we can.
Best wishes,
Paul Reynolds
PCAM Chair
PCAM/PRS Mental Health Seminar
The PCAM/PRS Seminar on wellbeing and mental health in the media music industry, “Staying Balanced & Grounded in the Game”, which was to have been held on the evening of 7 March at The Arena @ PRS, has been postponed until later in the spring.
New dates being considered for the event, a PRS for Music collaboration with PCAM and the PRS Members’ Fund, are Thursday 25 April, Thursday 2 May, and Thursday 9 May. A new date and details will be announced soon.
When the event is held, PCAM members who attend can look forward to an evening of inspiring talks and discussions featuring people from PCAM, the PRS Members Fund, PRS for Music, and leading industry experts. The evening will focus on wellbeing and mental health in a media music industry that offers immense creative rewards, yet also exacts a psychological toll through the pressure of tight budgets, inconsistent workflows, financial anxiety, technological disruption, long isolated hours, and the concentrated influence of major ad agencies, which can intimidate composers.
Speakers will highlight a toolbox of practices to help you withstand these strains, connect with a compassionate community, and renew appreciation for the many positive dimensions of your craft.
Watch the PCAM website and social media for an announcement of a new date for this important event.
PCAM participation in PRS Education Project
PCAM will be working with PRS for Music this year to help them deliver an educational outreach programme to under-represented groups active in music where there is a huge knowledge gap about how the business side of the industry works.
Some of the material to be delivered at these outreach sessions will be about media music, and this is where PCAM members will be involved in delivery. Sessions are expected to start in the late spring or summer, and participating in this project should enable PCAM to reach new audiences and hopefully attract more members.
TONIC RIDER PEER SUPPORT GROUP
Late last year, Tonic Rider delivered an online Peer Support Group, funded by Help Musicians and in partnership with the PRS Members’ Fund, exclusively for producers and composers of applied music who were both PRS and PCAM members. The group was facilitated by Adam Ficek across six weeks, running from 8 November through 13 December.
Unfortunately, take-up was lower than anticipated, and of the 12 places that were being offered on the six-week course, only four PCAM members joined the group.
However, those who attended the course found it beneficial. Feedback from the participants confirmed how honest, open, and patient the group was and how beneficial it was to relate to other people’s problems in a non-pressure, non-network environment — and they welcomed the opportunity to build genuine connections and to have genuine empathy with people that understood the problems and pressures the industry can create. For a full copy of the evaluation report, email michelle@pcam.co.uk
NEW PCAM PODCASTS
Four of the six podcasts recently recorded at SNK Studios have been edited, leaving two to go, and the consensus among the PCAM Committee is that members will find them both helpful and engaging. The next task, after the final two podcasts have been edited, will be to work out an order and schedule for release and promotion so as many people as possible can be made aware of them.
The plan is for the podcasts to go live across all podcast platforms (Apple Podcasts, Google podcasts, Spotify, and podcast apps). The podcasts are on the following topics:
- Royalties and Publishing (“Show Me the Money – Part 1”)
- Quoting and Budgeting (“Show Me the Money – Part 2”)
- Responding to a Brief (“One Bite at the Cherry”)
- Soundalikes (“The Minefield That Is…”)
- How to Get into the Industry (“Can You Hear Me Knocking?”)
- What is PCAM Today? (“There and Then to Here and Now”)
VIRTUAL Assistant
PCAM’s very own Project Coordinator, Michelle, also works as a Virtual Assistant for the music industry (her background is BASCA, BBC, Arts Council and various TV production companies).
If you would like some assistance with your administrative and daily tasks, she’d be very happy to hear from you: penpapermouse@gmail.com.
NOTES FROM THE PCAM COMMITTEE MEETING: 13 FEBRUARY 2024
The PCAM Committee held its most recent meeting on 13 February as a mixed in-person and remote meeting.
The following attended the meeting: Paul Reynolds, Jonathan Watts, Tony Satchell, Simon Elms, George Hyde, Greg Owens, Aaron Bentley, Bankey Ojo, and Bob Fromer.
Apologies were received from Chris Smith, Becky Wixon, James Bargent, Michelle Murchan, Freddie Webb, and Chris Green.
Below is a rundown of the main discussions held during the meeting:
State of the industry. The meeting began with a long “state of the industry” discussion. The starting premise, set out by Greg Owens, echoed a theme discussed at several recent PCAM Committee meetings: that the industry is moving largely to licensing known and expensive music for major campaigns or using inexpensive library tracks, while the traditional middle ground of bespoke composition is being eroded. This has been the case for a while but seems to be getting worse.
Paul Reynolds suggested that there is more work available overall – the latest Bellwether Report forecasts ad spending going up this year — which is why composers can at least survive and PCAM membership is increasing – but much of this is low-paid work: digital, cheap, and fast.
Meanwhile, a lot of library music these days is designed for long-form productions – but many productions don’t have the budget for it, major platforms are cutting back on production, and audio-first commissioning of original content has almost stopped.
Technology has allowed commissioners to go direct to suppliers, Greg said, who can often be taken advantage of, with sometimes little more than day rates offered.
The race to the bottom is happening, Paul said, and historical craft knowledge is giving way to digital technology. How can we deal with the current state of the industry apart from doing what we always do: promoting our craft and promoting ethical behaviour? Some brands are beginning to get it as they get more exposure to the industry through commissions for sonic branding etc, but music companies need to be the guardians of proper standards.
On idea is that PCAM should talk to the IPA about supply chain awareness by Agencies, and talk to major brands about dealing with music talent in line with their corporate social responsibility pledges.
It’s also about education, Tony Satchell said, which can give composers the courage to ask for proper terms. Agencies and other commissioners can only get away with exploitation because people don’t know what they’re doing. Educating people has to be our raison d’etre.
Approval of 2024 Budget. PCAM’s accounts for 2023 (we made a small loss of £350) are with our accountants, and the Committee approved the proposed budget for 2024, which projects a loss of just over £5,000. However, this will still leave reserves of around 80% of annual turnover, which is sufficient from a governance point of view.
Further seminar topics. Following the Wellbeing/Mental Health Seminar that will now be held later in the spring (see above), PCAM hopes to run further Seminars on industry topics such as How to Use Soundmouse, Digital Royalties, and perhaps a general Q&A on advertising music. Some of these topics could perhaps be offered as hybrid sessions or webinars.
Next PCAM Social Event. PCAM will run a summer Social Event this year following the Committee meeting on Tuesday 11 June. Venue and details will be forthcoming soon.
Outcome of SGAE proposal to reduce royalty rate for library and audiovisual music. The plan by SGAE, the Spanish PRO, to significantly reduce royalties paid on media music, will not be going ahead after a large number of representations were received from across Europe (including from PCAM). However, it appears that royalty fees for bespoke commercial music are now being reduced in Australia!
PCAM Committee meeting dates in 2024
Remaining PCAM Committee meetings in 2024 will be held on the following dates:
- Tuesday 16 April (Remote)
- Tuesday 11 June (In person at Massive Music, followed by Summer Social Event)
- Tuesday 17 September (Remote)
- Tuesday 26 November (In person at Massive Music)
Any PCAM member interested in attending any of these meetings should contact PCAM Administrator Bob Fromer (bob.fromer@outlook.com).
PCAM HELPDESK Q&A
Below is a question and answer exchange from the PCAM Helpdesk (the Helpdesk answer is in Italic).
Q: I’m very glad I signed up to PCAM last month — I have read so much useful information so far, so thank you.
The context in which I signed up was that I had my first big break in advertising two years ago in which I can now see that I massively under-priced myself. I’m learning! I composed the music and sound design for nine x 20-second beer adverts, each with the same two-second ident at the beginning. The contract that the Agency sent me was in fact the PCAM Contract, but they fudged the original Composition Fee and Usage into one fixed fee including global internet usage for one year, and I was so excited to have the job and too inexperienced to negotiate.
Anyway, the advert has so far gone unused; however, the Agency recently contacted me saying that the client was looking into usage on Russian TV and online and asked me if there would be a fee. This is when I signed up to PCAM and I went back to them with a still generous but much more robust quote for the TV usage, given that the online was already covered under our initial agreement.
Weeks later, after chasing them up, I was told by the Agency, “Apologies again for the slow movement on this. We’ve now been told that this one is not going ahead. Very sorry for the confusion and hopefully will be in touch again.”
I know things can change rapidly in advertising but yet I felt somewhat suspicious about the whole interaction. Then I looked on YouTube this evening and found that the advert has been played on NTV, one of the biggest Russian TV channels. They have removed all of my music and sound design, except for the initial two-second ident, which is unequivocally mine and a clear copyright infringement. Obviously, I’m pretty furious and unsure of how to respond without blowing my top and burning a bridge with the Agency. Perhaps these kinds of ‘mistakes’ happen more than I imagine. But the Agency must be getting paid for the usage, so it is quite a serious case of negligence on their part not to check the soundtrack thoroughly enough to have noticed.
I would really appreciate your advice on how I should proceed here: whether to amicably approach the Agency asking if they were aware of this ‘mistake’, or employ my solicitor to send them a threatening letter? Probably somewhere in between? I really don’t know.
Also, I have no idea what I should charge for the two-second ident. If they had used the whole 20 seconds, then my somewhat bodged quote for Russian TV for one year would have been around £6k for all nine adverts — that is £5k for the first two and a remaining £1k for the other seven ‘cutdowns’.
A: It’s not that unusual for overseas Agencies to run commercials without informing the UK commissioning agency – sometimes deliberately but quite often not.
I would approach the person who originally commissioned you, and/or the Agency’s Head of TV and/or CD and inform them of the situation and ask them (nicely) to check it out. I would also say to them that if it has been aired you’d want a fee with the contract backdated to the first air-date.
Personally, I would stick with the £6k for one year, Russia, All Media (even if they are just using the 2-second Ident – for example the breakdown would be Production £1K + Composition £2K + Licence @ 150% of Comp £3K and the seven cut-downs free).
If you don’t get a satisfactory response from the Agency, I would then get your solicitor to contact them. I hope this has helped and good luck with it!
Helpdesk P.S.: We get a lot of questions about Contracts, but unfortunately, as we are not lawyers, we cannot give legal advice. We can offer our personal opinion but if in doubt you should always contact a lawyer.
We recommend two music lawyers (without prejudice) in whom we trust: Julian Turton (Julian.Turton@swanturton.com) and Ed Weidman (Ed.Weidman@simkins.com).
Swan Turton: 020 7520 9555; Simkins LLP: 020 7874 5600.
Also, you can contact the Musicians Union, The Law Association or https://www.gov.uk/find-a-legal-adviser, all of whom should be able to point you in the right direction.
PCAM Q&As VOLUME 4 COMING SOON
In 2021 and 2022, an edited selection of questions sent to the PCAM Helpdesk in the previous year, and the answers provided by PCAM Committee member Tony Satchell, who runs the Helpdesk, have been published on the PCAM website.
In 2023, a new selection of Helpdesk Q&As from 2022 was published here: https://www.pcam.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Heldesk-Volume-3.pdf
We hope to publish a selection of Helpdesk Q&As from 2023 sometime in April 2024. Because many people often ask similar kinds of questions, perusing these questions and answers may be helpful, especially for new members.
PCAM SOCIAL MEDIA
For all the latest news on PCAM seminars and workshops, our new series of podcasts, plus industry-wide events and initiatives, be sure to follow PCAM on our socials.