Dear Villain
Senior Member
I recently saw the thread in this sub-forum about working for free, and wanted to share my own experience. The need for me to share this story ultimately boils down to a desire to vent and seek closure for what was a negative experience. The story is obviously from my perspective, but I have absolutely nothing to hide and will share details as accurately as possible, including elements of the story that paint me in a bad light, not just the "other guy." Fair warning: it will be a long read.
A few years ago, I was posting and sharing my music on a forum belonging to a V.I. library company. I had shared my music there for years, and was met with the usual mix of fans and critics that most of us are used to dealing with. There were a handful of negative/critical individuals, taking swipes at not just me, but several other very well established composers. This negative energy led to numerous arguments/ad hominem attacks, etc. that ultimately started drying up the activity on that forum. I left the forum for a long while, and upon my return, sharing my newest work, I was PM'd by the company's marketing manager. He expressed a lot of positive sentiment re. my music, and even went so far as to tell me to ignore some of the naysayers as they were simply "jealous". He then offered me an opportunity to write a demo for a new library. Well, this entire exchange was too good to be true, and I immediately accepted, on the contingency that I would receive a NFR license for the library upon completion of my work.
Fast forward a bit, and the company was thrilled with my compositions. Over the next year, I did many other demos, for other libraries they were offering, under the same agreement. Along the way, most of the communication with this individual was professional, courteous, and timely. Occasionally, it would take some time upon submitting a work to get feedback, but generally, things went smoothly. I always delivered more work than I believe was expected, and did so in such a timely manner, that the individual praised how fast I work, and how "easy to work with" I am.
At this point, I should mention: I never asked for any money, and there are two reasons for this. First, I was quite happy initially receiving licenses to libraries in exchange for my work. I saw this as a form of payment, which of course it is considering the value of the libraries. Second, I don't "need" the money. It is true that I am a full-time composer of classical music, and that I earn what one would expect to earn pursuing the type of music I do. I am financially secure for other reasons (no, not a trust fund baby! lol)
My motivation to continue working with this company was simple: I enjoyed the opportunity to showcase their libraries, of which I think highly, and I appreciated what I believed was good exposure for my own composition. Finally, I had a belief that after a certain point of delivering quality work, I'd solidify future opportunities with the company and become a more permanent fixture in the demo creation scene.
Things started taking a turn for the worse when the communication became less reliable. One particular piece was not up to their standards and I made significant changes. The marketing manager said the piece was much better, but would need approval from the company head. A period of weeks went by, with repeated requests for feedback...the usual song and dance response, with a non-comital answer. I let that one go.
Another demo, and I was told point blank: "we won't be featuring this one...we like your classical music pieces moreso than this style." Fair enough! No harm, no foul.
Next, I do some video demos, which take some time, of course. The marketing manager likes them, but wants changes made to the fonts, etc. At this point, I start to feel that I'm doing an awful lot of work and the "payoff" is not commensurate. I express in a friendly and honest way exactly what I stated above: I have happily enjoyed working for the company based on a license exchange agreement, but going forward, would welcome an opportunity for paid work. I said that even though I don't need the money, a part of me feels guilty promoting the idea of composers always willing to work in exchange for non-monetary compensation. Of course, there is value to the libraries, but after a certain point, it's fair to say that getting paid for significant hours of work might benefit composers who need to pay bills and put food on tables. I also suspected that the company paid other demo makers, some of whom are very well known. In fact, I communicated with a composer that flat out acknowledged that he used to be paid by the company, before they started only offering libraries as they had more than enough willing composers to accept this agreement. Anyway, returning to the story, the manager kindly expresses his appreciation for my work, but that the company cannot pay me. Fair enough...we part ways amicably for a period of time.
A year later, the manager emails me that he loves a new piece I created using their libraries (not as a demo, but simply as my own work to share on the forum) and offers me a free library, if I'd allow them to share the video I made. I accept this kind gesture and select one of their less-expensive libraries, simply because I hadn't done this project for them in the first place and didn't want to be greedy. In any event, such a positive interaction with the manager made me "fall in love" with them again.
I then was asked, after sharing a large-scale work on their forum again (simply for my own pleasure, once again) to create a video for it. I did so, and sent it to the manager within 3 days of the request. It never received a response, nor was the file even downloaded by the manager.
Another moment of frustration, having spent 3 days creating the video for a piece and not even getting a response. But I let this slide also...
Then, the most recent and "final straw" experience occurred, when I posted congratulations on their newest library offering, stating that it would be perfect for a piece of mine and that I was contemplating purchasing it.
Literally, within an hour of posting on their forum my message of congratulations, I received an email from the manager, suggesting that they'd be happy to provide me the library in exchange for a video demo. I was shocked because we hadn't communicated in over a year and I felt that my work with them was done for the reasons listed above...but it sure does feel good to receive such a message and to feel "wanted" as a composer. And so, against my own "stand" I had taken to insist on pay, I went to work again. Yes, totally my fault on this one.
I spent four days putting the piece together. My wife, who does a lot of my mixing/mastering, also put a day's work in. Remember, I'm "retired" from the ol' 9-5 and can start composing/working at the drop of a hat (barring family responsibilities, and the always massive quantity of in-progress projects). When the company comes knocking, I have always gone to work immediately.
I submitted the project using the usual transfer method, which documents receipt of the project when the other party downloads it. It is downloaded the next morning. No response though, even though most often in the past, the manager would reply within hours of downloading. 3 days pass, and I'm curious, so I email the manager on a Saturday morning. He replies within minutes stating he "must have missed it" and to send it again (even though it was confirmed that he downloaded it.)
I send it again and simply state in my email: "no problem. It may not be what you're looking for, as we didn't discuss any details up front. Just let me know if you can use it or not." I gave him an easy out to reject my piece, as I was afraid he simply didn't want to dismiss me overtly (as people would rather ignore things than state "no"). 4 more days pass, and no response to the follow-up.
I'm definitely angry now, and I even emailed a fellow composer and he had similar experiences with the company in the past: communication wasn't always their top priority with composers like us. As a final "act of frustration", I posted the piece to my youtube channel with a disclaimer at the beginning expressing that the piece was written for the library, but they didn't find it satisfactory, and so I was sharing it on my own channel instead, as I didn't want the piece to "go to waste."
Within an hour of posting the piece, I receive an email from the manager, stating (paraphrasing here): I just got back from the hospital as I'm having surgery soon. I've enclosed a license for the library. I'm a little confused by your post on the forum, but I guess everybody is the king of their own universe. I replied to him that I don't want a license for their library, wished him well for his surgery, and agreed that everybody is the king of their own universe
The funny thing is, he was posting every day regularly on his own company forum, responding to comments. He also responded to my negative video disclaimer within an hour, having just "returned from the hospital." But over the one week period prior, no communication...downloaded the file and then claimed to have missed it, etc. etc.
(continued in next post...yes, it's that bloody long!)
A few years ago, I was posting and sharing my music on a forum belonging to a V.I. library company. I had shared my music there for years, and was met with the usual mix of fans and critics that most of us are used to dealing with. There were a handful of negative/critical individuals, taking swipes at not just me, but several other very well established composers. This negative energy led to numerous arguments/ad hominem attacks, etc. that ultimately started drying up the activity on that forum. I left the forum for a long while, and upon my return, sharing my newest work, I was PM'd by the company's marketing manager. He expressed a lot of positive sentiment re. my music, and even went so far as to tell me to ignore some of the naysayers as they were simply "jealous". He then offered me an opportunity to write a demo for a new library. Well, this entire exchange was too good to be true, and I immediately accepted, on the contingency that I would receive a NFR license for the library upon completion of my work.
Fast forward a bit, and the company was thrilled with my compositions. Over the next year, I did many other demos, for other libraries they were offering, under the same agreement. Along the way, most of the communication with this individual was professional, courteous, and timely. Occasionally, it would take some time upon submitting a work to get feedback, but generally, things went smoothly. I always delivered more work than I believe was expected, and did so in such a timely manner, that the individual praised how fast I work, and how "easy to work with" I am.
At this point, I should mention: I never asked for any money, and there are two reasons for this. First, I was quite happy initially receiving licenses to libraries in exchange for my work. I saw this as a form of payment, which of course it is considering the value of the libraries. Second, I don't "need" the money. It is true that I am a full-time composer of classical music, and that I earn what one would expect to earn pursuing the type of music I do. I am financially secure for other reasons (no, not a trust fund baby! lol)
My motivation to continue working with this company was simple: I enjoyed the opportunity to showcase their libraries, of which I think highly, and I appreciated what I believed was good exposure for my own composition. Finally, I had a belief that after a certain point of delivering quality work, I'd solidify future opportunities with the company and become a more permanent fixture in the demo creation scene.
Things started taking a turn for the worse when the communication became less reliable. One particular piece was not up to their standards and I made significant changes. The marketing manager said the piece was much better, but would need approval from the company head. A period of weeks went by, with repeated requests for feedback...the usual song and dance response, with a non-comital answer. I let that one go.
Another demo, and I was told point blank: "we won't be featuring this one...we like your classical music pieces moreso than this style." Fair enough! No harm, no foul.
Next, I do some video demos, which take some time, of course. The marketing manager likes them, but wants changes made to the fonts, etc. At this point, I start to feel that I'm doing an awful lot of work and the "payoff" is not commensurate. I express in a friendly and honest way exactly what I stated above: I have happily enjoyed working for the company based on a license exchange agreement, but going forward, would welcome an opportunity for paid work. I said that even though I don't need the money, a part of me feels guilty promoting the idea of composers always willing to work in exchange for non-monetary compensation. Of course, there is value to the libraries, but after a certain point, it's fair to say that getting paid for significant hours of work might benefit composers who need to pay bills and put food on tables. I also suspected that the company paid other demo makers, some of whom are very well known. In fact, I communicated with a composer that flat out acknowledged that he used to be paid by the company, before they started only offering libraries as they had more than enough willing composers to accept this agreement. Anyway, returning to the story, the manager kindly expresses his appreciation for my work, but that the company cannot pay me. Fair enough...we part ways amicably for a period of time.
A year later, the manager emails me that he loves a new piece I created using their libraries (not as a demo, but simply as my own work to share on the forum) and offers me a free library, if I'd allow them to share the video I made. I accept this kind gesture and select one of their less-expensive libraries, simply because I hadn't done this project for them in the first place and didn't want to be greedy. In any event, such a positive interaction with the manager made me "fall in love" with them again.
I then was asked, after sharing a large-scale work on their forum again (simply for my own pleasure, once again) to create a video for it. I did so, and sent it to the manager within 3 days of the request. It never received a response, nor was the file even downloaded by the manager.
Another moment of frustration, having spent 3 days creating the video for a piece and not even getting a response. But I let this slide also...
Then, the most recent and "final straw" experience occurred, when I posted congratulations on their newest library offering, stating that it would be perfect for a piece of mine and that I was contemplating purchasing it.
Literally, within an hour of posting on their forum my message of congratulations, I received an email from the manager, suggesting that they'd be happy to provide me the library in exchange for a video demo. I was shocked because we hadn't communicated in over a year and I felt that my work with them was done for the reasons listed above...but it sure does feel good to receive such a message and to feel "wanted" as a composer. And so, against my own "stand" I had taken to insist on pay, I went to work again. Yes, totally my fault on this one.
I spent four days putting the piece together. My wife, who does a lot of my mixing/mastering, also put a day's work in. Remember, I'm "retired" from the ol' 9-5 and can start composing/working at the drop of a hat (barring family responsibilities, and the always massive quantity of in-progress projects). When the company comes knocking, I have always gone to work immediately.
I submitted the project using the usual transfer method, which documents receipt of the project when the other party downloads it. It is downloaded the next morning. No response though, even though most often in the past, the manager would reply within hours of downloading. 3 days pass, and I'm curious, so I email the manager on a Saturday morning. He replies within minutes stating he "must have missed it" and to send it again (even though it was confirmed that he downloaded it.)
I send it again and simply state in my email: "no problem. It may not be what you're looking for, as we didn't discuss any details up front. Just let me know if you can use it or not." I gave him an easy out to reject my piece, as I was afraid he simply didn't want to dismiss me overtly (as people would rather ignore things than state "no"). 4 more days pass, and no response to the follow-up.
I'm definitely angry now, and I even emailed a fellow composer and he had similar experiences with the company in the past: communication wasn't always their top priority with composers like us. As a final "act of frustration", I posted the piece to my youtube channel with a disclaimer at the beginning expressing that the piece was written for the library, but they didn't find it satisfactory, and so I was sharing it on my own channel instead, as I didn't want the piece to "go to waste."
Within an hour of posting the piece, I receive an email from the manager, stating (paraphrasing here): I just got back from the hospital as I'm having surgery soon. I've enclosed a license for the library. I'm a little confused by your post on the forum, but I guess everybody is the king of their own universe. I replied to him that I don't want a license for their library, wished him well for his surgery, and agreed that everybody is the king of their own universe
The funny thing is, he was posting every day regularly on his own company forum, responding to comments. He also responded to my negative video disclaimer within an hour, having just "returned from the hospital." But over the one week period prior, no communication...downloaded the file and then claimed to have missed it, etc. etc.
(continued in next post...yes, it's that bloody long!)