Location Recordings

A record label may capture and release albums of audio content from a live, public performance under the SRLA’s conditions for Location Recordings and visual content for home market distribution under the conditions for Concert DVDs.

At the time of capture, a single Basic Regular Session rate is paid to the musicians on the recording. When the live album is released, the musicians are paid an additional amount to cover the number of minutes of music on the final product, with a credit for what was paid at the time of capture.

The payment made at the time of capture locks in the session rate for the project, even if SRLA scale wages increase by the time the album is released. However, if no payment is made at the time of capture, the full SRLA wages in effect at the time of release will be required.

For example: If a live concert was captured in 2005 and a session payment was filed for that session upon capture, the 2005 rates would be paid for the full project, even if it were released today. However, if that same project were released today, but no session report had been filed at the time of capture, today’s full rates would be required for the entire released product.

In the event a Concert DVD is released, musicians will receive an additional payment (effectively an image fee,) per 15 minutes of released product, up to a maximum of five such payments.

When live concerts are captured and posted to social media as individual songs, new provisions bargained in 2023 cover payments for such audiovisual release on a per-track basis.

Release of long-form content (i.e., full concert captures) in the absence of a commercial audio release should be covered under the Television Videotape Agreement or a streaming agreement, depending on the manner of exhibition.

All work for Location Recordings and Concert DVDs is filed on an AFM B-4 Report Form, however, the new per-track audiovisual provisions are filed on a B-7 Report Form.

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