It appears to be inevitable that all sound libraries will soon be uploading broadcast quality music and effects. But in many quarters, there's a distinct lack of enthusiasm about this prospect. Cost, security and practicality are all at issue.

Discussing the security aspect, Gene Michael Ort, owner/producer at Gene Michael Productions (www.gmpmusic.com) in Buchanan, Mich., asserts, "With the declining respect for intellectual property [brought about by the Internet], it's like giving a 12-year-old the keys to a Corvette."

"Performance rights on the Internet is the biggest issue we are facing," adds Ron Goldberg, VP of sales and marketing at Manhattan Production Music in NYC (see sidebar on this page). "Web sites need to be treated just like television. A lot of Web people don't understand the legalities of their use of music."

The solution to sound theft by any party, according to Joe Saba, co-president of VideoHelper (www.videohelper.com) in Manhattan, is digital watermarking, which would allow a monitoring system that, as in other media, would result in consistent pickup throughout the industry for royalty purposes. He observes, "There's still no industry standard for it. We're still waiting for ASCAP and BMI to make up their minds."

CDS ARE STILL STRONG

Many sound libraries are not certain that many of their clients are ready to audition via streaming audio and then download broadcast quality. For example, Mitch Coodley, president of Metro Music Productions (www.metromusicinc.com) in NYC, holds, "Most of our clients still want CDs in their hands. As much as people are interested in working on the Web, it's still more time consuming than using a CD player and a listing.

"A producer who's only looking for one song will most likely use the Web, especially if they're working with tight criteria. It's easier for them to look at a database than searching through a disc. This is also true of commercial producers who are only looking for one song. Of course, many of our most popular pieces are borderline in category. And then, databases are cumbersome when you're looking through large quantities of music."