SUBMISSION 36
Memorandum submitted by the Musicians
Union
THE RIGHT TRACK: THE IMPORTANCE OF FILM TO
UK MUSIC CREATORS
RESPONSE TO
THE CULTURE
MEDIA AND
SPORT SELECT
COMMITTEE INQUIRY
INTO THE
BRITISH FILM
INDUSTRY
This short briefing outlines the importance
of film music for British musicians, refers to the success on
the international scene of British composers commissioned to write
soundtracks for films and mentions the importance of London as
a location for recordings.
A GLOBAL STAGE
FOR UK MUSIC
CREATORS
Film represents an important creative and commercial
opportunity for UK songwriters, composers, artists and music publishers.
Moreover, film provides an international showcase for British
music. The talent of our composers and songwriters in film has
been repeatedly recognised on the international stage with several
prestigious awards over the past decade.
(For further details, see Annex A—examples
of some awards which have been presented)
Composers and songwriters who compose music
specially commissioned for a film are generally paid an upfront
commissioning fee. In the case of pre-existing music, they are
paid a synchronisation fee—a fee for permitting the music
to be used with the picture. Composers and songwriters also earn
royalties whenever that music is used, whether for film showings
in the cinema or broadcasts on television. These royalties are
collected on their behalf by collecting societies in the country
of use and paid through to them under reciprocal agreements with
similar bodies worldwide. The Performing Right Society collects
public performance royalties when the music is performed, for
example, in cinema or on radio or TV in the UK. The Mechanical-Copyright
Protection Society collects royalties which are earned when soundtracks
are sold on CD or the film is released on video or DVD. Further
significant income may also be generated if the music is also
used in a commercial. As a result of the international success
of films, royalties are earned by British composers and songwriters,
contributing to Britain's position as a net exporter of music.
For music publishers, British films and US blockbusters
provide an important opportunity for promoting the music creators
they represent and for generating income for composers and songwriters
from their works.
FILM SCORE
RECORDING
More films scores are recorded in London than
in any other city in the world apart from Los Angeles. More than
30% of Hollywood scores come to London for recording and synchronizing
with picture. All the major and independent studios return repeatedly,
knowing that the musical artistry and technical expertise here
is virtually unrivalled anywhere in the world. For instance, all
the music for the Star Wars films was recorded in London over
many years and Lucas Film and composer, John Williams, are due
to return again.
So, why record in London? Well, producers, particularly
Americans, come here for three main reasons.
1. The UK is competitive on price.
2. The studio infrastructure is comparable
only to Los Angeles in terms of quality.
3. The sheer number and quality of musicians,
again, is unequalled, apart from in LA.
Annex B lists just some of the 152 Hollywood
films that came to London to record scores over the past three
years.
As a result of the rapid technological advances
in digital sound recording, it is now possible to achieve chart
success through a sound recording made in the bedroom of a small
dwelling. However, the large orchestral forces required for major
film projects require large studios and cutting edge technology.
Again London is rivalled only by Hollywood in this area with the
same number of large scoring stages. The main "state of the
art" studios are:
Music is recorded in the UK under the terms
and conditions of the agreement between the Producers Alliance
for Cinema and Television (PACT) and the Musicians Union (MU).
Under the Combined Use clauses of this agreement, which is used
for theatrical and television film, the producer acquires the
right to incorporate the musicians performance into the film and
to use or license others to use the film in all media throughout
the world in perpetuity and to release the music on commercial
audio recordings.
In 1998 musicians' basic fees alone amounted
to £3.45 million. The figure for 2001 is almost £4.2
million. These figures are net of studio costs (which can average
£3,000 to £6,000 per day), music preparation, international
transportation, hotels and other considerable ancillary costs
that further add to inward investment.
PROMOTING BRITISH
MUSIC IN
THE US
Despite the current concerns about the reduced
opportunities for British artists and producers in the US market,
British bands producing genres of music where there are currently
perceived gaps in the US market, eg Electronica, are tending to
do well in US films. British composers are also extremely sought
after by US studios. And yet, studies into the British film industry
and the structure for film in the UK, such as the Film Council,
do not always involve considerations of the value and importance
of music to film.
We suggest:
— The Film Council considers in what
way they could provide help for composers and musicians working
with film producers or guidance to producers about commissioning
music or recording.
— DCMS, which has responsibility for
sponsorship of both the film and music industries, examine how
those sponsorship teams could work more closely together than
they currently do.
— The UK's trade promotion bodies,
whether through Trade Partners UK or the proposed UK music office
in New York, could play an important role in identifying opportunities
and pro-actively marketing British music creators to the US film
industry. The potential for increased US and international exposure,
and the resulting economic returns, could prove a useful boost
to the UK music industry at this critical time in its development.
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