Writing Music for Television and Radio Commercials (and more): A Manual for Composers and Students

(Ben Green) #1

228 !!Chapter 13


name of the product or the commercial (the product name), the
salary paid in dollar amount, and the specific date(s) worked.
B. Background Players Employment: Performers may join SAG
upon proof of employment as a SAG covered background
player at full SAG rates and conditions for a MINIMUM of three
workdays subsequent to March 25, 1990. Employment must be
by a company signed to a SAG Background Players Agreement,
and in a SAG film, videotape, television program or commercial.
Proof of such employment must be in the form of a signed
employment voucher (or time card), plus an original payroll
check or check stub. Such documents must provide the same
information listed in paragraph 1)A above.

AFTRA (www.aftra.com)


AFTRA is a labor union and affiliated with the AFL-CIO. AFTRA repre-
sents actors and other professional performers (singers), and broadcasters
in live and taped television, radio, sound recordings, non-broadcast/
industrial programming, and new technologies such as interactive pro-
gramming and CD-ROMs.
Performers are permitted to perform their first job without joining the
union. To be eligible to participate on subsequent jobs, they must join
AFTRA within thirty days following the first job. Members pay an initia-
tion fee plus yearly dues. The dues are calculated on the gross earnings of
individual performers. AFTRA provides a pension plan plus additional
benefits.
Residual payments (reuse payments) are based on per-use payments.
Each time a commercial is broadcast singers receive additional payments.
The reuse fees are calculated by using a formula, which is calculated using
a geographical formula and also the frequency of airplay. To forecast resid-
ual payments, the media-buy must be known. This refers to the number of
markets in which the commercial will be seen and how often it will be
broadcast.
AFTRA members working on television recorded commercials work
under agreements jointly negotiated by AFTRA and Screen Actors Guild
(SAG) and the industry, represented by the Joint Policy Committee (JPC)
on Broadcast Talent Union Relations of the Association of National Adver-
tisers (ANA) and the American Association of Advertising Agencies
(AAAA). Radio commercials are negotiated solely by AFTRA.
The current commercials contracts were negotiated and approved by
AFTRA and SAG members in September 2003 and became effective Octo-
ber 30, 2003 for three years, expiring on October 29, 2006. In the summer
of 2006, AFTRA and SAG negotiated a tentative two-year extension to the

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