So You Want To Buy A House...

...You knock on the door and say to the owner, "Good day, I'd like to buy this house!" The person at the door says, "Oh, wonderful. You can have the first floor for $200,000, but you'll need to talk to the person who owns the second floor about buying their half." You think to yourself, "Okaaaaay, that's weird." But you really like the house. So you say, "Where can I find the person who owns the second floor?" And the person at the door says, "I have no idea."

Eventually you manage to locate the person who owns the second floor of the house. You say to them, "Hi. The person that owns the first floor of the house says I can buy it for $200,000. So here's your $200,000 for the second floor." "Oh, no," says the owner of the second floor. "I'll need at least $400,000 for my half of the house." And what's worse, now the guy who owns the first floor is saying, "Well, if he's getting $400,000, then I want $400,000!" By this time, you're really PO'd. All you want is a freaking house, and there are lots of other houses, many of which are just as nice but much cheaper and easier to buy. So you go to the equally nice house next door. This time, the entire house is owned by one guy, and he's very excited about selling it to you for $100,000 total. In fact, he really appreciates that fact that you want to buy it, and goes out of his way to accommodate your request for new fixtures in the bathroom and a fresh coat of paint.

Some "houses" are really easy to buy, and some are a nightmare. Rightsholders: are you doing everything you can to make it easy for people to license your music (like, for instance, knowing who the other rightsholders are for the tracks you rep, and quoting fees that are line with going rates)? If not, you're shooting yourself in the foot. It's a buyer's market out there; make sure your houses are in order. We thank you for it. ~ Tim