Sometimes you just get lucky (OT)

[58Mike]

I've been very busy the last few weeks writing music for a new show called "Unexplained Mysteries." The show is junk, but that's what I get paid to do, so for the next few months I'm employed.

The production company producing the show also did a show called "Maximum Exposure" which I also did the music for. We did two seasons worth of episodes. Amazingly, the syndicators are now airing a third season which is comprised of nothing but reruns from the first two seasons. This means I now get paid royalties for this third season, even though I'm doing no additional work.

Anyway, a producer from "Unexplained Mysteries" calls me this morning to tell me what new music cues they need. Somehow the conversation drifts to MaxEx and he mentions that MaxEx has been picked up for a fourth season, again all reruns! Another year's worth of royalties for sitting on my butt!:crazy

Now, you may be wondering how much royalties are in a show like this and why it would excite me so. If you think it's tacky for me to talk money, stop reading. I realize this may be in poor taste. But I have to say, I'm so giddy I can't help myself and I have to share (I already called my wife)! Royalties for this show are a little over a hundred grand a year. Sick isn't it? I actually did a little dance after the phone call! :Twist

- Mike Greene

 

[a63vette]

Congrats Mike! After getting calls everyday about friends who have been wacked, its great to hear some good news! SO now you should have the time/cash to finish that pretty baby of yours!

 

[Mikey1]

Cool...time AND money for restoration projects.... ;-))

 

[DkBG]

Wow . I would have never guessed that . Cliff

 

[67HEAVEN]

Royalties for this show are a little over a hundred grand a year. Sick isn't it? I actually did a little dance after the phone call! :Twist

- Mike Greene

That's great Mike.

Now you can afford to move the big black post so you can marry the two pieces up again. :t

 

[youwish2bme]

I wish that I would have such good fortune. Congratulations that's great now only if you can get you building permit passed life would be good.
The only luck that I have is bad luck. I guess you have one of those golden horseshoes:L

 

[58Mike]

Building permit? You had to bring that up! Plans are downtown and I'm told it will be another two weeks before I find out if I'm allowed to build the garage! Now I'm depressed again! :cry

- Mike Greene

 

[IH2LOSE]

I can think of 100,000.00 reasons not to be depressed.This is what we call a homerun KNOCKED OUT OF THE PARK and in my line of work we are happy just to get on base and if we make it to secoundbase we are estatic.

I could not imagine the excitment of what it feels like to hit a home run as yours,enjoy it

 

[MidShark]

Mike
Let me get this straight- this will be your third year of royalties like this and your car is still in TWO pieces?
As for the building permit, now you can afford to bribe them for it!

:bang
Seriously, though, congratulations on your good fortune. You must be very talented at what you do. Payoffs can be sweet, enjoy your time in the sun!

Dick

 

[00fxd]

Hey Mike;
Ya gotta have the the good luck sometimes to offset the bad luck!
I agree with midshark, you didn't just get there overnite! Big Corvette party at Mikes!

 

[Mikes64]

Great news!!! I wouldn't be so lucky. However, it is great
to know that you can get such great royalties, now where
is my tuba.

Mike

 

[Muttley]

Mike:

I think that's great! Good fortune is something to be celebrated.

Even though I just got "whacked" (effective 31 March), I'm celebrating too in a way. I'm heading to the beach--and back to my yet unfinished '62--with 4 1/2 months severance to contemplate my future. Helping things out is the fact that I got one or two unexpected "windfalls" like yours in years past.

Now I have a goal and a purpose--finish my car before you!

Congrats again.

-David

 

[58Mike]

Now I have a goal and a purpose--finish my car before you!

Congrats again.

-David

In that contest, the smart money will be on you! After seven years, I've only gotten to the stage you see in my sigpic.:eyerole

The way the royalties work is you get paid paid quartely (by ASCAP or BMI) about 9 months after a show airs. So even though the show is now airing in it's third season, my next check (mid April) will still be for season 2, 4th quarter (shows that aired July-Sept 2002). So I've got about two more years of security. Even more if the new show (Unexplained Mysteries) does well, but that'll take a little luck.

It scares me to think how close I came to not getting this gig. At the time, I was trying hard to get "Dr Laura" which I thought would be a big hit (it bombed.) I was really upset when they hired someone else, so I focused on pitching to the MaxEx people. Nobody thought anything would happen with Max Ex, but work is work, and being a beggar, I can't be a chooser. Any of you who have actually seen the show will agree that no one would have thought they'd get three, let alone four seasons out of it! :crazy

So I do realize how lucky I am! People everywhere are falling on hard times. For guys like Muttley, they may be good times in disguise!

But a friend of mine (also a composer) is now selling vitamins to make ends meet. Another friend is working part time in a clothing store because her business is so slow. So I don't mean to flaunt my good fortune. But dang! A total of about seven months of work resulting in a payday like this? I'm still smiling! And get this: my wife still hates the show! She doesn't hate the money, though!

- Mike Greene

 

[Mac]

And get this: my wife still hates the show! She doesn't hate the money, though!

- Mike Greene

Funny how that works, eh? :L

Good for you, Mike. Would you collect royalties if the show goes into syndication? Just curious.

For the kind of coin you're talking about, I kinda wish I'd kept playing my guitar but for every guy like you, Mike, there's a hundred thousand starving artists and I like eating on a regular basis.

 

[58Mike]

Would you collect royalties if the show goes into syndication? Just curious.

This show went straight to syndication. Nearly all shows I work on are either syndicated or cable. I've never done a network prime time show, not for lack of trying! It would be nice to have a show on my resume that someone had actually heard of! :eyerole

Oddly enough, I would probably make a little less on this show if it was network, because of the quirky ways they calculate syndication royalties. This show pays well because it has wall to wall music (royalties are per minute), it's prime time, and in many markets, it airs twice per week (because Paramount sells it to the stations so cheap.)

The ratings are pretty low, but strangely (and happily in this case), they don't take that into account when calculating royalties. Just time of day, size of TV station, and number of minutes.

The royalties are not paid by Paramount, incidently. All individual stations, networks, cable channels and radio stations pay a fixed yearly fee to ASCAP or BMI (SOCAN in Canada). Then ASCAP (in my case) takes the total amount and gives it to individual writers based on the above criteria. It's all calculated as a percentage of the total pie ASCAP collected.

So it's no skin off Paramount's nose that I'm getting royalties. In fact, they also collect an equal additional amount as "publisher." Many shows will have more music than necessary because the producers want to make additional money in publishing royalties. Of course, we composers never complain about this!

- Mike Greene

 

[67HEAVEN]

All individual stations, networks, cable channels and radio stations pay a fixed yearly fee to ASCAP or BMI (SOCAN in Canada). - Mike Greene

Mike,

Just an interesting aside.

I happen to know that all symphony orchestras in Canada (both full-time and small-community part-time) pay fees to SOCAN for every concert. The crazy thing is that much, if not most, of the pieces being played are the "classics"......by Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, etc. Yes, these are the same orchestras that are struggling with financial realities and declining audiences.

I wonder who's getting the fees in place of these long-dead composers? :eyerole

 

[youwish2bme]

Mike you get depress over your garage. Never I was thinking but didn't type what someone else suggested. Bribe,bribe,bribe. Green lubricates the gears of the local government. Just look at all the speed traps they have the local police set up.
And I thought that my bonus this year was nice I have nothing on you though. I need a beer..

 

[58Mike]

Even without my little windfall, a bribe would be tempting. But I'm too much of a wuss! :eyerole

Mike,

Just an interesting aside.

I happen to know that all symphony orchestras in Canada (both full-time and small-community part-time) pay fees to SOCAN for every concert. The crazy thing is that much, if not most, of the pieces being played are the "classics"......by Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, etc. Yes, these are the same orchestras that are struggling with financial realities and declining audiences.

I wonder who's getting the fees in place of these long-dead composers? :eyerole

Same thing here in the U.S. It's criminal IMO. The money just goes into the pot. There's often not a lot of correlation between where the money comes from and who it winds up getting paid to.

A few years ago, ASCAP had a public relations disaster. Campgrounds are also expected to pay annual fees to ASCAP and BMI (I'm totally against this, incidently). Many don't, so ASCAP sent nasty threatening letters to them, including Boy and Girl Scout camps! :eek Some mighty fast backpedaling ensued!

They also collect from bars and restaurants and encourage membership (ASCAP and BMI are non-profits) to letter writing campaigns whenever a legislator thinks it's a little silly. Once at a meeting, I said I thought we were being a little greedy. Boy did I get some nasty looks!

- Mike Greene

 

[PTighe]

Another year's worth of royalties for sitting on my butt!:crazy

"That ain't workin, that's the way you do it,
get your money for nothing and your checks for free"!

Mark Knoppfler

 

[SPANISHVETTS]

Hey 58Mike,
Tell us how many hours you worked without pay?
How many songs did you pour your guts into without reward?
How many times have you been told, ¨thanks but no.¨

It the answer to all of the above is Zero (0) you are a luck man. Otherwise you are the same as the rest of us, a working man getting payed for what he does.

Now stop making excuses, get off your butt and put that car back together!

PS I got lucky too, back in ´85, been playing ever since.