'The Birth of a Nation' Previews and 11 More Vital Synchs Driving Music Publishing Revenue

'The Birth of  a Nation' Previews and 11 More Vital Synchs Driving Music Publishing Revenue

  

The Birth of a Nation

The song is one of the most haunting in American history. "Strange Fruit," recorded in 1939 by Billie Holiday, was written by New York poet-activist Abel Meeropol after seeing a ­photograph of a 1930 lynching -- "black body swinging in the Southern breeze," he wrote.

"Strange Fruit," which Time named as the song of the century in 1999, now is heard in the preview promoting the October release of the slave-revolt movie The Birth of a Nation, ­distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures. It is a rare example of a synchronization license for use of the song, says Miles Feinberg, executive vp at Music Sales Corp., which owns rights to the work.

"The importance of the song is certainly not lost on us," says Feinberg. "It contributed to the civil rights
movement, so we've been very ­protective of it."

Feinberg reports that licensing requests for "Strange Fruit" have increased in recent years. His theory? "The song captures an anger and feeling of injustice that's appearing in American culture right now," he says. But Music Sales Corp. turns down most requests, he adds, saying that few match the prestige of the tune.
 
One opportunity, however, that captured the song's spirit arose after director-actor Nate Parker premiered The Birth of a Nation at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Music ­supervisor Maura Duval Griffin solicited songs for its trailer, seeking music that was "dark and menacing, but with elevated lyrics about race struggles and history." She referenced Kanye West's 2013 track "Blood on the Leaves," which itself had sampled Nina Simone's 1965 version of "Strange Fruit."

In fact, West's request to license "Strange Fruit" was one of the few times that Music Sales Corp. approved sampling of the song. The ­publisher suggested use of Simone's version for the film ­preview as well, since it is "a little bit darker and more menacing" than Holiday's ­original, says Feinberg.

With few suitable licensing opportunities ­available for "Strange Fruit," the song "is not a big money earner," says Feinberg. "But it is an ­incredible one to have in your catalog."

 

Portraying Nat Turner’s 1831 slave uprising, The Birth of a Nation is promoted by a preview featuring “Strange Fruit.” The iconic song was first recorded by Holiday (inset center) and written by Meeropol (left), with a 1965 version by Simone (right) used in the trailer.
 
More often, synch deals -- the use of music in films and TV, as well as advertising and video games -- drive significant revenue. The ­licensing of "Strange Fruit" is just one of the most notable recent examples of synch ­licensing, which is now a $202.9 million ­business in the United States, according to 2015 figures from global music trade ­organization IFPI. And the United States accounts for 57 ­percent of the $355 million generated by synch deals worldwide.

Music publishers don't reveal terms of ­individual deals and synch fees can vary widely, based on factors including the popularity of the song, the medium in which the music will appear, the duration of the piece and the ­geographic scope of the deal. A copyright used in a trailer may earn $30,000 to $100,000, while an ad typically may earn $50,000 to $500,000.

 
The Birth of a Nation