income for composers or lyricists

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 6/11/22 at 12:06am

I was wondering what the percent generally composers or lyricists take in for income from cast albums or sheet music or if they get any cut in merchandise sales (posters, t shirts). Any ideas? I think they generally take a 3% gross from the show, but do they have any other sources of income.

[trpguyy]

Posted: 6/11/22 at 9:50am

They certainly receive mechanical royalties from album sales and streaming, which is a set rate in the US. 
https://www.musicindustryhowto.com/how-much-do-songwriters-make-per-song-per-stream-in-other-situations/

Royalties from print publishing are less transparent, but they certainly get those too.

Updated On: 6/11/22 at 09:50 AM

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 6/11/22 at 10:25am

I was wondering about this the other day - although specifically licensing rights for regional, amateur, and school productions. I’m sure it varies widely, but does anyone know generally what percent goes to the authors/composers vs. what goes to the licensing company?

[darquegk]

Posted: 6/11/22 at 11:25am

And is it a certain chunk for each contribution, or for each contributor? Let’s say A B and C wrote Bartleby the Scrivener the musical. A wrote lyrics, B wrote music and C wrote book. They each get three point three percent.

Across town, D wrote Billy Budd the Sailor the musical. He wrote book, music and lyrics himself. Does he get ten percent, or does he get just that three point three for an individual contributor?

[Wick3]

Posted: 6/11/22 at 11:44am

Jonathan Larson worked as a waiter 3-4 days week to help pay his rent and spent the remainder of his time writing/composing.

[DooWahDiddy]

Posted: 6/11/22 at 6:58pm

darquegk said: "And is it a certain chunk for each contribution, or for each contributor?"

It's each contribution. A composer/lyricist would make twice as much as "just" a composer or "just" a lyricist. This article seems to answer a lot of the OP's questions.

 

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 6/12/22 at 2:41am

Wick3 said: "Jonathan Larson worked as a waiter 3-4 days week to help pay his rent and spent the remainder of his time writing/composing."


Yes, but if he were alive today, the success of Rent on Broadway, plus royalties from later productions would have made him quite wealthy, I’m assuming.


My question is, for people like, say, the guys who wrote Urinetown. Hit show, but not a mega-hit, still gets produced a lot regionally, etc. Are the licensing royalties enough for them to never have to work again?

[Wick3]

Posted: 6/12/22 at 10:56am

My reply was to the original poster's question "do they have any other sources of income."