MusikPitch Launches Online Marketplace For Songs
MusikPitch has launched as an online marketplace for custom songwriting. The site offers music supervisors, corporate brands and others access to a largely untapped pool of songwriting talent and revenue opportunites for the songwriter. Clients post their needs along with a budget. Next songwriters submit tracks and clients provide feedback. At the end of the contest, the client picks their favorite song and pays the winning songwriter.
MusikPitch is free to songwriters, charging the buyers a small fee plus 10% of the prize. They also help streamline the licensing process with free contracts. Potential MusicPitch custom song clients include film, TV, video games, corporate jingles, as well as, personal songs for reunions, parties, weddings, etc.
Watch a video overview:
Get unique music created for your movie, video, product, or project from MusikPitch on Vimeo.
This video explains how MusikPitch works for songwriters:
License my song for movies, TV, products, or projects! from MusikPitch on Vimeo.
Share on:
You might want to comment on the fact that by winning a contest for a submitted song, you are granting ALL of your ownership of the copyright and use of the song to MusikPitch. You no longer own the song or have any control over it whatsoever.
I assume that is completely fine if you’re writing something specifically to win a contest (and not out of the ordinary really), but you shouldn’t be sumbitting album material or anything you want to retain ownership of in the future.
Here is the clause in question:
b. Grant of Rights. Musician hereby sells, assigns, delivers, grants and sets over to MusikPitch, its successors and assigns, all of its right, title and interest in and to the winning Music, which the Customer selects in respect of a Contest hosted by the Customer, including the title, words and Music thereof, all world-wide rights therein, all copyrights therein and thereto, all registrations with respect thereto, and the exclusive right to secure copyrights and extensions and renewals of copyrights in the same and in any arrangements and adaptations thereof, all throughout the universe, and any and all other rights, claims and demands that Musician now has or to which Musician might become entitled at any time in the future, or to which Musician might be entitled or that Musician hereafter could or might secure throughout the universe with respect thereto if these presents had not been made, and to have and to hold the same absolutely and forever unto MusikPitch, its successors and assigns, subject only to any existing agreements between MusikPitch and Musician.
Daniel,
Thanks for looking over the service. You are correct in that MusikPitch will take ownership of the song. You are also correct in that our service is directed more at songwriters creating something specific and new in order to win that contest – if the prize amount is worth it to the songwriter to compete of course.
We understand that songwriters will have existing material that will fit certain contests and love the fact that they will be able to possibly earn some revenue from a song in their catalog that may have not been used otherwise.
The songwriter gets the full prize amount if their song is chosen. They also have potential for future revenues if that song is ever sold commercially or performed in public.
That clause is plainly ridiculous. I don’t know any serious singer/songwriters, even those with limited business knowledge, who would ever want to give ALL of the rights over to a company, especially for a contest which claims to provide them opportunities. Your business is blatantly predatory, preying on emerging artists to help your business model, and you should be ashamed- it’s tantamount to stealing.
No information whatsoever about the company on their website, no address, no phone number, no nothing.
gives a very dodgy impression.
I’m not sure that clause is *so* bad – as long as songwriters actually read it beforehand. If you’re song is not the winner, it is still yours, no? And if it is, you got paid for providing a product, kind of like scoring a film. My only question would be whether you’re still entitled to any royalties whatsoever down the road — if Lady Gaga decides to cover my winning song, do I still get my 9 cents per sale?:)
That’s what I figured, but it would be helpful (and feel less disingenuous) to have it somewhere a bit more prominent. Not necessarily as a page header, but the FAQ’s section should definitely mention it.
I will definitely use the service for one off specifically created pieces directed at the competitions.
I already create and sell jingles and backing music, so this should be another great resource. Thanks!
Thanks for the feedback Daniel. We’ll start looking into ways to make things more clear for the songwriters!
I thought Musikpitch looked like an interesting idea with potential. At first, until I read the agreement. Yes, they take the publishing. They take it for a 50/50 split and they have the right to make any change to the work they wish (lyrcis, music, anything). Also I didn’t see any mention of a time period so that probably means forever.
If I’m reading it right it’s not an agreement I’d go near. It might be fine as a throwaway for jobbing writers to participate in but nothing more serious. Is someone making a feature film really going to want anything less than serious? Is anyone?
I think they’d get far more interest from writers by taking a reasonable fee from the clients and leaving the publishing alone. They’re not acting as publishers after all, only brokers.
Just got off the phone with MusikPitch and your voices have been heard!
They are reworking the agreement to something that seems much fairer. Stay tuned for an announcement.