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Soundcheque: Empowering Musicians' Success

Soundcheque is an organization that pairs up-and-coming musicians with producers seeking music for films, TV, video games and commercials. It has over 1,000 musicians on its books providing music to clients like BBC and Sky. Soundcheque takes 20% of a musician's fee for connecting them with work but allows them to retain all publishing rights, unlike some other online music libraries. The organization has been endorsed by celebrities like Chris Martin and actively introduces composers to emerging filmmakers and producers in need of music. Its goal is to help musicians make it in the industry while shaping up the music publishing system.

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13 views2 pages

Soundcheque: Empowering Musicians' Success

Soundcheque is an organization that pairs up-and-coming musicians with producers seeking music for films, TV, video games and commercials. It has over 1,000 musicians on its books providing music to clients like BBC and Sky. Soundcheque takes 20% of a musician's fee for connecting them with work but allows them to retain all publishing rights, unlike some other online music libraries. The organization has been endorsed by celebrities like Chris Martin and actively introduces composers to emerging filmmakers and producers in need of music. Its goal is to help musicians make it in the industry while shaping up the music publishing system.

Uploaded by

api-173451071
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Soundcheque: helping aspiring music-makers find success

Chris Martin of Coldplay Ed Potton, The Times Last updated at 12:01AM, Novem er 2! 201" Nosedivin# re$ord sales, insultin#ly tiny royalties, the ear%pit of a saturated mar&et ' it(s not the rosiest time to e an up%and%$omin# musi$ian) *ma#ine, thou#h, if there +as an or#anisation that paired son#+riters and $omposers +ith produ$ers of film, T,, video #ames and $ommer$ials and didn(t trouser most of the pro$eedsEnter .ound$he/ue ' motto 0helpin# musi$ ma&ers ma&e it1) 2nly nine months after laun$hin#, it has more than 1,000 musi$ians on its oo&s ' in$ludin# +riters for Adele and Mi$hael Nyman ' providin# musi$ for $lients in$ludin# 33C and .&y, plus "4,000 li&es on 5a$e oo&, 16,000 follo+ers on T+itter and rin#in# endorsements from Chris Martin of Coldplay 70a #enuinely rilliant idea18, the film%

ma&er 9i$hard Curtis, the presenter Lauren Laverne and the film dire$tor Ed#ar :ri#ht) .ound$he/ue CE2, Laura :est$ott, a sin#er +ith the London Philharmoni$ $hoir and a former P9 mana#er at The Times, $ame up +ith the idea after hearin# horror stories a out her friends( pu lishin# deals) Many of them, she dis$overed, had si#ned a+ay up to 60 per $ent of their ri#hts and royalties) 0* thou#ht that +as very unfair,1 :est$ott says) 0They +ere ein# shafted)1 At a out the same time, in her ;o as a $ontent editor at Ne+s Corp in Ne+ <or&, :est$ott had to use li rary musi$, and dis$overed that its 0reputation for ein# dire1 +as +ell deserved: the ma;ority +as insipid, Mu=a&%style #uff) The #ame +as afoot) :est$ott, no+ a$& in London, de$ided to try and 0$reate a platform +here real musi$ $ould e used and musi$ians $ould #et paid1) .ound$he/ue is a $ross et+een a re$ruitment $onsultant for musi$ians and an online musi$ li rary, offerin# more than >,000 tra$&s, from or$hestral musi$ to hip% hop, 0eerie1 to 0mani$1 and $aterin# to ud#ets from mi$ro to me#a) There are other su$$essful online li raries out there, su$h as ?iller Tra$&s, and Audio Net+or&, +hi$h pays a small fee to $omposers +hen they su mit musi$ ut also ta&e a share of their pu lishin# ri#hts) .ound$he/ue ta&es 20 per $ent of a musi$ian(s fee +hen they #et a ;o ut lets them retain all of their pu lishin# ri#hts) :here it stands alone, ho+ever, is the proa$tive role it plays in introdu$in# $omposers to emer#in# film%ma&ers and other produ$ers in sear$h of musi$) :est$ott has for#ed lin&s +ith the 3ritish 5ilm *nstitute, the 9aindan$e 5ilm 5estival and $harities in$ludin# the Prin$e(s Trust, and found +or& for musi$ians +ith everyone from Nissan to refu#ee filmma&ers in ?enya) .ound$he/ue +ill also host a sta#e at the Latitude festival ne@t summer, providin# a pu li$ platform for its artists) 0* $an(t e totally sure ut * thin& +e(re uni/ue,1 :est$ott says) The idea +as $ertainly a hit +ith her former $ollea#ues at the Ne+ <or& Choral .o$iety, +ho helped #ive the pro;e$t some early momentum) 0*f you thin&: 200 people in a $hoir, all sharin# +ith their friends ' it ;ust sno+ alled,1 :est$ott says) Anli&e Audio Net+or&, .ound$he/ue lets its artists remain anonymous) 0Musi$ians are mostly e@trovert ut $omposers and son#+riters are mostly introverts, *(ve found, so they really li&e the anonymity,1 she says) They $an, of $ourse, have a named $redit on their +or& if they +ant one) .o +hat ne@t- :est$ott is ullish) Ber ultimate aim, she says, is 0to sha&e up the musi$ pu lishin# industry) .ome ody needs to do somethin# a out it) *(m not sayin# *(m the ri#ht person ut *(m #oin# to #ive it a #oC1 sound$he/ue)$om

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