The Film, TV & Media Department specialises in all aspects of mechanical synch licensing originating in the UK, from feature films and adverts to computer games and mobile phone ring tones. Our experienced and dynamic staff have a unique knowledge of the world's largest publishing catalogue and are proactive in all aspects of the licensing process, from negotiating contracts to pitching creative ideas for all types of synch.

• The EMI Edit Suite A new service, unique amongst UK publishers, the EMI Edit Suite is a facility that permits us to edit music to picture. Songs can be auditioned and adapted to fit visuals, provided in any format, and the resulting edits can be returned either on-line or as DVD packages for review.
  
  To complement this service we also have an internal database of 20,000 CD quality recordings, which can be accessed instantaneously and put to picture. This resource is continually being updated to include all the latest releases published by EMI.
  
  Clients can take full advantage of these facilities either by providing us with the visuals that they are looking to source music for or by visiting our offices and working directly with us in the suite. For further information please e-mail:
  Nick Oakes (noakes@emimusicpub.com )
  
• Advertising The Film, TV & Media department has licensed and sourced music for some of the biggest campaigns and most of the major brands in the advertising market, including Ford, BMW, Peugeot, Pepsi, Levis, Nokia and British Airways. As well as negotiating the licences for all adverts featuring our songs, the department can provide creative assistance with all campaigns by sourcing and providing songs from our various catalogues.
  
  For Advertising enquiries please contact:
  Steve Hills (shills@emimusicpub.com)
  Melanie Johnson (mjohnson@emimusicpub.com)
  Nick Oakes (noakes@emimusicpub.com)
  Chris Jones (cjones@emimusicpub.com)
  
• Film From Trainspotting and Layer Cake to Touching the Void and Bridget Jones, the department has been extremely proactive within the UK film industry. As well as supervising the music for entire productions, which involves budgeting, sourcing tracks and often clearing master rights, we represent a sizeable roster of talented composers who can provide original material for any project.
  
  For Film enquiries please contact:
  Melanie Johnson (mjohnson@emimusicpub.com)
  Amy Ashworth (aashworth@emimusicpub.com)
  
• Internet & Emerging Technologies As the market leader for media licensing in the UK publishing arena, we have been innovative in seeking out new markets in which to exploit our catalogues and have established new business models for generating royalties in areas such as the internet, mobile phone ring tones and computer games. We welcome any opportunity to discuss new initiatives that could be of mutual benefit.
  
  For New Media enquiries please contact:
  Steve Hills (shills@emimusicpub.com)
  
  For Ringtone/ mobile enquiries please contact:
  Austin Wilde (awilde@emimusicpub.com)
  
  For All Computer Game enquiries please contact:
  Nick Oakes (noakes@emimusicpub.com)
  Chris Jones (cjones@emimusicpub.com)
  
  
  
  
  

  Advice on Clearing and Licensing Music for Television

  What follows is some information on how to licence the publishing rights for commercial music from our catalogues used in programmes that are to be broadcast on Channel 5, Channel 4 and E4. Although this information relates directly to clearing songs through EMI, you will find that the processes for clearing music with the other major publishers are very similar. This information is given in the hope that it will make your job a little easier and that by making you aware of our role and requirements we will be able to deal with your requests more efficiently.

• Publishers vs. Record Companies: There is often some confusion between the role of Publishers and Record Companies and which to approach for clearing music for terrestrial television in the UK. The basic functions of each may be described as follows:
  
  Publishers:
  Represent composers and songwriters and administer their songs (regardless of who has recorded them). Responsible for collecting monies on their behalf and making sure their work is exploited with their consent.
  
  Record Companies:
  Represent bands and artists and the recordings of songs that they make (the songwriter may or may not be part of the recording act). Responsible for selling and promoting records and work directly with the band or artist.
  
  The majority of Record Companies are affiliated with the PPL (Phonographic Performance Ltd) who have 'blanket licence' agreements with Channel 4, Channel 5, E4 and most other channels in the UK. This means that permission is not required from most Record Companies to utilise their recordings for transmissions on these channels in the UK. You will need to confirm with the PPL that the recordings you use are covered under their blanket licences. You will also need to declare the recordings on your cue sheets so that the PPL can pay monies to the artist.
  
  The majority of Publishers are affiliated with the MCPS (Mechanical Copyright Protection Society) which in turn have blanket licence arrangements with the BBC, ITV and many cable and satellite stations. Publishers do not have such agreements with Channel 4, Channel 5 and E4 except with regards to programme trailers. As such the publishers must be consulted directly for the use of any song on these channels which they administer, to ensure that the writer(s) is happy with the use. The publisher will also licence and collect money directly for these uses.
  
  
• Finding the Publisher: In order to gain approval for the use of a song you need to know which publisher(s) you should be contacting. In cases where there is more than one publisher (usually when there is more than one writer and each is signed to a different publisher) you will need to gain approval from all of them before proceeding. If so much as a 1% interest is denied you will not be able to use the song.
  
  You should confirm the publishing details of a song with the MCPS, either by licensing their MOLES software which gives you access to their database or by phoning this help line, which has been set up to aid Production Companies with clearing music for television:
  
  MCPS MUSIC LICENSING HELP LINE: 020 7306 4500
  
  A further useful website is: www.allmusic.com. Typing in either writer of a song title returns full information on writers.
  
• EMI Music Publishing Catalogues: The following catalogues are amongst those administered by EMI Music Publishing in the UK and you should contact us directly for any writer who is published through them:
  
  - B. Feldman & CoBeechwood Music
  - EMI April Music
  - EMI Blackwood Music
  - EMI Casadida Music
  - EMI Catalogue Partnership
  - EMI Feist Catalogue
  - EMI Full Keel Music
  - EMI Gallico Music Corp
  - EMI Golden Horizon Music
  - EMI Golden Torch Music
  - EMI Longitude Music
  - EMI Robbins Catalogue
  - EMI United Partnership
  - EMI Virgin Music
  - Francis Day & Hunter
  - Hit & Run Music
  - Jobete Music
  - Screen Gems
  - Shapiro Berstein & Co.Williamson Music International
  
  
• Applying for Approval to Use a Song: When applying to the Publisher for clearance of a song you need to provide the following information:
  - The song title
  - The song writers
  - Who is performing the song
  - Approximate duration of the use
  - A brief synopsis of the programme
  - A description of the specific scene or context in which the song is to be featured
  - The channel on which the programme will be broadcast
  - The number of transmissions you would like to licence for (minimum of 2)
  

  It is important that you provide the names of the songwriters, as this is what our databases are based on and there are often many different songs bearing the same title. For example, EMI alone publish in excess of 100 songs with the title Angel, so we need to verify exactly which song you are applying to licence.

  The programme synopsis and scene/context description are equally important. In many cases we will need to refer your request to the songwriters themselves or their representatives, who will need to get an idea of what your programme is about. The more information you can provide, the easier and quicker they will be able to make a decision and get back to us.

  Once you have the necessary information please input the information in the attached spreadsheet by clicking here. Save the spreadsheet to a new filename (preferably the Programme title) and send to the following
  
  Amy Ashworth (aashworth@emimusicpub.com)
  Chris Jones (cjones@emimusicpub.com)
  
  Tel. 020.3059.3059
  Fax. 020.3059.2000
  
• Title Music: Any music that is to be used over opening credits or end titles will be subject to an extra 50% charge. For example, title music for 2 UK Transmissions on a programme to be broadcast on Channel 4 will be charged at £127.50 per 30".
  
  

  If you intend to use the music over credits or titles you will need to declare this when you apply for approval to use the song. Any request to use one song as the title music for a series of programmes will need some special consideration. There is an ITC ruling which prevents a song that has been used as title music for a television series from being used in advertising until 2 years after the programme has been screened. As advertising will potentially provide the songwriter with greater revenue, they will have to give extra consideration for such requests.

• World Television Licences: If there is a realistic prospect of selling your programme abroad please contact us to discuss rates for world licences. EMI Music Publishing UK will endeavour to provide a favourable quote tailored to your needs and the marketability of your programme. All fees or offers will be specific to each production and are entirely non-precedential.
  
• Response Time:

  We will endeavour to deal with your request and obtain a decision for you as soon as possible. However, you should appreciate that with a lot of songs it will take us time to gain an approval. This is often the case with high-profile songwriters and with songwriters living abroad. Due to time differences and our need to refer your requests via our foreign affiliate offices, it will take a minimum of 2-3 days to get an answer on these requests and sometimes as much as 2 or 3 weeks depending on the writer or their representative's availability. This scenario is particularly relevant to songwriters from America and France.

  If you do not have the time available in your edit to wait for a response on a certain song, then please feel free to contact us and discuss using an alternative. Certain writers we publish do not require us to refer to them when authorising the use of their music on these channels and there are other writers that we can rely on to respond within 24 hours. In such situations we will do our best to try and help you find a replacement.

  Please note if you broadcast and make use of a song without receiving approval first you run the risk of a fine and we may instruct you to remove the song from any future broadcast.

• Receiving Approval:

  When the use of a title has been approved we will notify you straight away by returning your email and marking it accordingly. We will also confirm the exact percentage that we administer for your records. This means that our interest has been approved 'in principle' and you are free to edit it into your programme in the declared context. Accordingly, if a request is declined we will notify you in the same fashion by returning your email appropriately marked.

• Applying for a Licence:

  Once you have finished your programme you will need to declare any music published by EMI that you have used and the timings involved. You may either forward us a cue sheet for the programme or summarise all the titles and timings used in the second worksheet of the request from. This is programmed to duplicate the initially requested tracks so you simply need to add the durations in the boxes provided. Please remember that music is licensed on a 'per 30 seconds' or part thereof basis and that cues cannot be aggregated.

  When we have received your declaration we will issue you with an Offer of Licence. This is a preview copy of the licence for you to look over to make sure that all the information is correct. You will receive 2 identical copies. If you are happy that the licence meets your requirements please sign and return one copy with a cheque for payment. Upon receiving your money we will then issue you with a full Licence which has been appropriately signed and validated.

• Problems With Finding the Writer / Publisher Details:

  There will be occasions when MCPS may not be able to provide you with all the information you need to clear a song. This is often the case with very new songs, songs from abroad and songs where the publishing shares are in dispute (unauthorised samples etc.).

  New Releases: A record company may begin to promote a new release before the publishing details have been finalised. As such the publishers will not yet have notified the MCPS of their interests, so the MCPS will not be able to tell you who the writers/publishers of the song are. In such cases it is best to contact the record company or the "plugger" who has provided you with the song and ask them who the publisher(s) is.

  Foreign Releases: If a songwriter or composer is registered with a publisher abroad, there is sometimes a delay between the song being released by the record company in the UK and the foreign publisher notifying its affiliate offices in the UK of its/their publishing interest. This is often the case with American releases and again it means that MCPS will not be able to provide you with the information you need until the publishers have notified them.
  
  With American songs it is often useful to check the web sites of BMI and ASCAP, two competing organisations in the States, which are the equivalent of the MCPS. They have search facilities that let you look for song titles and, provided the writer(s) is a member, they should let you know who their publisher is in America. It is more than likely that if the writer is affiliated to a major publisher in the States, such as EMI, the same major in the UK will publish them. If you manage to establish this information it is more likely that the UK publisher will be able to help you and it is reasonable for you to contact them.
  www.ascap.com
  www.bmi.com

  Labels & Publishers: It is important to realise that EMI Records and EMI Music Publishing are effectively separate entities. If an artist records their songs on EMI Records, the songs they have written or recorded are not necessarily published by EMI Music Publishing. Equally EMI Music Publishing administer songs for artists that record on all of the other major labels as well as many independent labels. Please do not forward requests to us simply on the basis that the recording is on EMI Records.

• If you still have problems in identifying the writers and publishers of a particular song then please refer to the music department of your commissioning channel for help and advice. They will have experience of the problems you are facing and will be able to advise you on the best course of action.
  
  Please do not approach us for information on the co-writers and co- publishers of songs. EMI's catalogue is vast and we only have the resources to administer the interests of our own writers. Any information that we may have regarding other shares in a song may be incorrect or out of date, so it is best that you obtain and confirm the information through the appropriate channels to save time and effort.