RP Media Limited exists to provide an easy, reliable and
cost effective service to enable artistes to showcase
their songs and master recordings throughout the world.
MANUFACTURING
As a catalyst between artistes, their managers smaller record labels and the manufacturing plant, we can arrange a complete service for your product including artwork and designing booklets, and jewel case inserts, 'on body' printing, etc, arrange your glass master and manufacture of the master recordings to CD for either private sale or sales through our distribution contract. We charge a flat fee for this service, there are no hidden extras.
The minimum CD run is 1000, though if extensive promotion is required, this amount will not generally be sufficient.
Whenever a product is manufactured on CD, the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society have to be advised and an application for a license to manufacture completed. This ensures that revenue is collected by the MCPS from the label manufacturing the recordings and passed on to the copyright owner of the song generally the music publisher and thereafter passed to the composer. We will complete this paperwork on your behalf.
To enable us to manufacture, we require the recorded work either on a PQ master 16/10, 16/30, exabyte or CDR. We can also work from a normalised DAT master recording. Artwork should carry the information relating to the artiste/s, musical copyright references, publisher engineer and studio credits, name and logo of your label (we can arrange the logo if required), a catalogue number and a bar code number, Both of which we will supply as part of our manufacturing process.
It is obviously important that all this information is checked thoroughly since, once we have transferred this to film, all the paper parts are then printed. Any errors would involve new films and fresh printing. To enable us to be competitive on pricing for all the processing involved, we pay all our suppliers on order This gives us preferential rates and almost instant access to manufacturing plants.
OVERSEAS LICENSING
As with our publishing side, it is always important to have as many people working on your product as possible, and we can send copies of your material to our contacts in record companies outside the UK to see if they are interested in acquiring the rights in your master recordings for their territory.
Most overseas companies watch our charts and airplay guides and with medium success in the UK, This gives us the opportunity to arrange for overseas representatives to release your music. When they do, more often than not, they will offer an advance payment against a royalty, based on a percentage of their local record sales. Naturally a contract is exchanged, and we are happy to negotiate, draw up or vet any legal agreement on your behalf, though it is not compulsory for us to do so.
You may wish your own solicitor to take care of any arrangements of this nature, and for us to merely investigate any interest from third parties. We are happy to fall in line with any arrangements you may wish to make.
PROMOTION
We cannot emphasise too highly the importance and necessity of promotion when considering National release of your product. Without the general public hearing your music, it will be difficult to sell. Most artistes find that they can offer their product for sale at their live venues, but the retailers will not stock the material unless it is receiving some form of airplay either on television, film or radio.
We work closely with a promotion company who will be responsible for ensuing that your material is given to all the London radio and TV stations and all the local BBC and Independent radio stations. The stations will then be contacted for their reaction and a decision on whether they intend to play the recording This information can then be used to encourage retailers to stock your music.
DISTRIBUTION.
We have a distribution deal with the UK's leading independant distributors
"Pinnacle UK" who distribute to all major outlets such as WOOLWORTHS-VIRGIN MEGASTORES and HMV, plus many other smaller outlets around the UK.
PUBLISHING
Every time a song is played or a CD is sold or manufactured, a royalty is payable to the musical composer Unless these musical copyrights are properly protected and registered royalties can go astray. Our roots are in music publishing and we are able to offer a better than average arrangement, to enable the musical composition to be assigned to our company. In some cases, a reduction in manufacturing, promotion costs, etc, can be obtained as an incentive to the composer.
We look after all the copyright, registration and royalties both here in the UK and throughout the rest of the world. Our overseas representatives are active in promoting the copyrights in their teritories and obtain local cover recordings to ensure that as much income as possible is generated. That is why we chose them as our publishing partners. If we can assist you on that side of the industry, we will be happy to advise you.
