Losing Control of Your Music

In the last summer Composer Quest episode, we got to hear from two entertainment lawyers about how to get your music into films and TV, without getting screwed by a bad contract. In this episode, we hear the story of someone who DID get screwed by the music industry, jazz musician Jimmy Norman. He had to keep gigging at age 74 just to scrape by, even though he had worked with the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley, and co-wrote the Rolling Stones hit “Time Is on My Side.” Jason DeBose, producer of the documentary The Music Never Dies, came in to tell me Jimmy’s story. Also in this episode, we get to hear a philosophical panel discussion from the Minnesota Music Coalition about giving your music away for free. When does it make sense to offer free downloads? And should you let someone else use your music in a film for free?