Since 1980, Patco Resources has made its reputation as a music researcher and license broker for commercial and audio-visual projects (such as clearing "Mack The Knife" for McDonald's to use as "Mac Tonite"). The fact is, though, that we have also worn another "hat" ever since we hung out our shingle: we offer the most creative approach to licensing classical music in the entire music industry. While many of our clients have always known and taken advantage of this aspect of our resources, many others find it surprising that we offer something so different from our usual access to popular songs. It's sort of like walking into a bakery and finding out that the baker also makes fine French furniture.

It has been our privilege to introduce large numbers of clients to this rich and diverse body of music. Naturally, those unfamiliar with this type of composition have asked us many questions over the years about the music itself and how to make the most effective use of it. On this page, we have gathered together a sampling of these questions, and in providing the answers in this form, it is our hope to encourage more of our clients to explore the option of scoring their audio-visual projects with these splendid works.

Q: What is "classical music" anyway?

A: If you look up the term "classic" in the dictionary, you will find it defined as "a model, the highest point of perfection". So it is with music: the works we call "classical" are the product of skill and taste created over the last thousand years of Western history, from Gregorian Chant to the compositions of our own day. While it is true that some popular songs have indeed become "classics", a classical composer deliberately sets out to write something that will stand the test of time. George Thomson, an early 19th century English publisher, complained that the accompaniments he had commissioned for his folksong settings from a German composer named Beethoven were too difficult: "He will not condescend to the Popular Taste. He writes for the Ages". The Roman poet Horace agreed with Beethoven: "Exegi monumentum aere perennio"... "I build a monument more lasting than brass..."

Q: That's very nice, but I don't know much about classical music. I don't even know if I like it. Why should I use it in my project?

A: Well, for one thing, there's the "Bono Law", which Congress passed in October of 1998. This revision of the Copyright Act of 1978 extends protection to all works currently under copyright for an additional twenty (20) years. This means that all those great songs by Gershwin, Porter, Kern and others that producers and copywriters counted on being freely available starting in 2000 will now not start to go into the public domain until 2019! Logically, then, greater attention will have to be paid to those pieces of music which are already freely available. Classical music constitutes the largest existing body of public domain music.

Then there's the cost factor. Licensing a piece of copyrighted music involves paying a license fee to the music's publisher (synchronization license). Over the past twenty years we have seen these fees go in only one direction: up. If you also want to use an existing recording, either by the original artist or a "cover" version, you also need to pay a license fee to the record company (master license). These days, record companies have gotten into the habit of asking as much money for a master license as the publisher gets for a synchronization license (this is called "Most Favored Nation" treatment). Then there's the matter of re-use fees (residuals) which need to be paid to the artists if the recording was made in the USA.

Since so much classical music is in the public domain, the only fee you pay is for a master license, which is usually vastly cheaper than a master license for a popular composition. Since Patco usually licenses only European recordings, there are no residuals or re-use fees to be paid.

Q: That's very interesting, but we're in the business of selling products and services. Does classical music really sell?

A: You betcha! It would take a thick book to list all the excellent commercials that have successfully used classical music over the last sixty years. Television and radio spots using classical music are always on the air, running locally, regionally and nationally. As for films, that would take an even thicker book!

Q: OK, classical music sells, but what if we don't have any "luxury" accounts, such as cars or fancy wines? Could classical music work for us?

A: There is virtually no kind of account that cannot benefit from the use of classical music. We have supplied it for "price-and-item" retail accounts (such as carpet store chains), books, magazines, food, pet care products, sunglasses, personal hygiene products, state lotteries--you name it! There is simply no category of product that cannot make imaginative use of this resource.

Q: How does it work? What makes it so effective?

A: As far as we can determine, there are three factors that make classical music work in an audio-visual context

1. The "Clutterbusting" Factor - the fact is that many classical pieces are so beautiful or unusual in their melody, harmony, rhythm or instrumentation that they can actually startle the listener. In our experience, a good classical selection often grabs a listener's attention more effectively than the "heaviest" Heavy Metal.

2. The "Naturalness" Factor - it's not for nothing that so many products are labeled "No Artificial Ingredients". Since classical compositions are played on acoustical instruments that sound in air, they lack the harsh, cold sound of electrified instruments or synthesizers. You have probably noted how even television programs that rely heavily on synthesized music scores (such as "The X-Files") will frequently add a "real" (that is, acoustical) instrument to the mix so as to avoid the cold and artificial sound of a totally synthesized score. As Emerson once put it: "We love the old not because it is old, but because it is natural".

3. The "Class" Factor - this aspect is difficult to define exactly, but the best way to describe it would be to say that listeners have an instinctive "feel" for the labor, craftsmanship and artistry that go into the making of a classical composition. It is a fact that classical music brings an undeniable cachet, a sense of elegance and - for lack of a better word - "class" to any project in which it is used.

Consider this true story: when we supplied a piece of music for a national TV spot for Hershey's Skor Candy, both the company and the agency were deluged with calls asking "What is that beautiful piece they play in the Skor commercial?" Keep in mind that in order to pose this question, the individuals in question had to remember the spot and the product it advertised - how's that for recall!

Q: I see, but you say there is a thousand years' worth of this stuff available. Can music that's a thousand, five hundred, or even one hundred years old be useful to me?

A: Absolutely! Let's take a quick look

1. The Medieval Period (ca. 800-1400) - Most people associate this period with Gregorian Chant, the monodic (i.e. unaccompanied single-line) vocal music sung by monks and nuns. But did you know that this stuff is more popular than you might think? EMI's "Chant" album was a big "crossover" hit in the early '90s (check out the Billboard charts if you don't believe me). But wait (as the infomercials say), there's more. This period also saw the beginnings of secular vocal music (such as Troubadour Songs) and instrumental music (such as dance tunes), all of which can provide interesting and unusual backgrounds.

2. The Renaissance Period (ca.1400-1600) - Lotsa good stuff here, including religious and secular vocal music (this is where all those "Hey-nonny-nonny" and "Fa-la-la" madrigals come from) and sprightly instrumental music. The instrumental music is particularly interesting because of the variety of strange sounds that are available. Did you ever hear a krummhorn, a pommer, a sackbut or a rackett (yes, that is its real name)? The sounds these instruments produce are so unusual to modern ears that they are guaranteed to attract attention (see "The Clutterbusting Factor" above).

3. The Baroque Period (ca.1600-1750) - You probably know some of this music but, take our word for it, there's a lot more to this era than Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" or Handel's "Hallelujah" Chorus. Take Vivaldi, for example: did you know he wrote over four hundred (count 'em!) instrumental concerti, many of which are as good or better than those of the "Four Seasons". How about Telemann? Did you know that he wrote so much music that he himself admitted that he couldn't keep track of it all? This marvelous music is just waiting to be exploited!

4. The Classical Period (ca.1750-1830) - I know, the name is confusing. But there's a reason this period is called "Classical": it's the era that gave us Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, and it's their music that defines the very term "Classical" (see "What is 'classical music'?" above). As with the Baroque Period, there's a lot more to this era than Beethoven's Fifth. Did you ever hear the music of Stamitz, Dittersdorf, or Boccherini? This era is just sloppin' over with elegance, craftsmanship and melody.

5. The Romantic Period (ca.1830-1900) - This is the period most people have some familiarity with, since it's the source of so many famous tunes (such as Brahms' "Lullaby" and Strauss' "Blue Danube Waltz"). You'd be surprised, though, how much of this music remains unexplored.

After 1900 we start to enter the early modern period, with such composers as Debussy, Ravel, Mahler and Sibelius. Once we get into the 1920s, we start to leave the public domain. In any case, I'm sure you can see that we're not pulling your leg when we say that we have a thousand years worth of music to offer our clients.

Q: OK, so there's a lot of useful stuff. But what if I don't want a "big" sound for my project?

A: No problem! There's a lot of variety to the "classical sound". Let's consider -

1. Keyboard - There's more to this than the piano. What about the rich resources of the organ? It's not just for "religious" or "horror movie" backgrounds - it can produce all sorts of unusual sounds that can sound almost electronic or "science-fictiony". How about the harpsichord? It's good for a lot more than "period" stuff. Then there are such instruments as the clavichord, the celesta and the glass harmonica...there are so many possibilities here.



2. Solo Instrumental and Chamber - Here again, the possibilities are almost limitless. Composers have written solo sonatas for almost every instrument: violin, viola, 'cello, flute, clarinet, oboe, horn...you name it! As far as combinations are concerned, there are duets, trios, quartets (especially for strings), quintets (including famous ones by Mozart and Brahms), sextets, septets (including a famous one by Beethoven), octets (including famous ones by Schubert and Mendelssohn) there are even nonets (once you get past nine instruments, you're talking about a small orchestra rather than a chamber ensemble). Virtually any combination of instruments you could want is available.

3. Solo Vocal and Choral - This is a more useful category than you might think! We have licensed choruses from Haydn's "Creation" and Mozart's "Requiem" for use in highly successful and long-running national commercials. As far as solo songs are concerned, don't forget that such things as Brahms' "Lullaby" and Schubert's "Ave Maria" began life as songs for voice and piano.

4. Orchestral - All right, you know this one. But it's not just the "William Tell" Overture - you'd be surprised how many symphonies, symphonic poems, overtures and concerti have never been used. It's not because they're no good...it's because people don't know about them!

5. Opera - Screaming fat ladies in horned helmets? Hardly! Believe it or not, this is probably the "hottest" category of commercial music. I think it all started with the BOAC commercial that used the "Flower Duet" from Délibes' "Lakmé". Since then, we have licensed operatic arias, ensembles, choruses, preludes and interludes for all kinds of commercial projects.

Q: Now wait a second - just hold on! You say all this stuff is in the public domain, right? Doesn't that mean that anyone can use the music? What's to stop someone from using a particular piece of classical music at exactly the same time we're using it?

A: Well...nothing, really. Obviously, you won't be able to "stake a claim" on something like the "William Tell" Overture or the "Blue Danube" Waltz. However, there is a way to make even a public domain composition into something uniquely identifiable with your product or service: media penetration. A good example is provided by the BOAC campaign mentioned above (see "Opera"): by starting with a relatively little-known piece of music and giving it heavy exposure through their TV spots, Délibes' little piece has now become known as the "BOAC Music". As a result, even though the opera is in the public domain, no one else is using the "Flower Duet" for fear of being accused of "copycatting" the BOAC campaign. The fact is that an almost limitless number of similarly striking and beautiful classical compositions are waiting to be "claimed" by enterprising advertisers and producers.

Q: You got me, I'm interested. Suppose I have a project that might be suitable for a classical score, how does Patco go about providing the music?

A: It's simple. If you already have a video or audio cassette of your project, just send it to us. If you have a script or a storyboard, that will do just as well. If you have none of these things, all you need to do is describe the project to us. After careful consideration, we will seek out a group of appropriate musical selections and send them to you on an audio cassette.

Q: How much does a classical music search cost?

A: $75.00 per project - a price that has not changed in seventeen years. If you decide to license one of the pieces that we send to you, this search fee will not be charged.

Q: But what if I don't like any of the selections you've sent and I want to hear some other pieces? Will that cost me another $75.00?

A: Nope. All you need to do is give us some direction ("More like this, less like that" or whatever) and we will be happy to send you a new group of selections. We have even, on rare occasions, sent out a third group of selections - all for the same $75.00 fee. We will spare no effort to ensure that our clients get exactly the right piece for their needs.

Q: Suppose I like one of the pieces, in what format can you supply it to me?

A: In most cases on DAT cassette. Duplication fees range between $50.00 and $100.00, depending on the supplier. Shipping is by Fedex or whichever other means you might specify. Please note, though, that we are making every effort to stay abreast of all the new technologies: for instance, we can, on special order, provide a selection on CD-R (Recordable Compact Disc). We are also looking into such up-and-coming things as recordable DVD and direct "online" music delivery...stay tuned!

Q: So - now I want to license a track. How much will it cost?

A: We don't have a rate card. Unlike "stock" libraries, which only sell what they have on their shelves, we procure our music from all kinds of sources, including major record labels. A small-scale usage, such as a single track used in a radio spot to be aired in a single market for a period of, say, a week might cost as little as $200.00. On the other hand, the use of a track in a national network television commercial that includes cable usage and runs for a year might run in the neighborhood of $1,500.00. If a highly unusual or exotic piece of music were required, or the use of a recording by a "name" artist on a major label, the price could be high. In any case, it's almost a certainty that the cost will be considerably lower than for the use of a copyrighted popular song. Let's just say that we work with you: our aim is to provide the most suitable piece of music for your needs at a price you're comfortable with.

Q: Like I said upfront, I'm not that knowledgeable in classical music. What if I'm not sure I can properly edit the piece so it works the way I need it to work?

A: We are prepared to offer editing assistance or production advice for the use of our tracks. Whenever possible, we prefer to edit from the printed score, since we found that this tends to give better (i.e. more musically satisfying) results.

Q: What if I like the piece, but the scoring, tempo, or overall "sound" isn't exactly what I'm looking for?

A: Sometimes we can provide an alternative recording of the same composition, but with a different tempo or a different scoring (Brahms, for example, made versions of his "Hungarian Dances" for piano four-hands and for orchestra). If no suitable alternative is available, we can do an arrangement or re-scoring of the piece and, if necessary, procure the musicians to record it.

Q: This sounds very appealing. Can I hear or see some samples of your work?

A: Sure. Just give us a call at 914-357-5300 and we'll be delighted to send you our audio or video reels.

These are just a few of the questions we have been asked over the years. Do you have other questions? Do you want to know more about us?