UK Endorses WDMV Guidelines

Commissioners from all of the biggest labels in the UK, every music video production company and independent music video reps came together for a historic meeting organised by the MVPA (at the APA, 3rd September)

For the first time, we have the whole industry on board and a consensus to tackling issues that will improve the music video business for labels, artists, directors, producers and reps.

We discussed the aims of ‘We Direct Music Videos’, an initiative started by directors in the USA, concerned at some aspects of the music video business and keen to make such changes to the way the business operated as to ensure it is viable for production companies to produce music videos and that industry is healthy, to the benefit of artists, labels, directors and producers.

Our starting point is that we can only make changes to the industry with the support of commissioners and production companies. 

From that starting point, we had many interesting contributions from the meeting, in which commissioners made clear that they were committed to limited bidding pools and the best possible process. In terms of bidding pools, commissioners want about five treatments because reviewing more than that is time consuming and directors and production companies who they want to bid will be put off bidding if the pool is too large. In terms of process, they support too an efficient process, with dialogue with potential bidders and informing bidders promptly as to whether they have done the bid or not.

The meeting decided then to endorse the WDMV Guidelines and Best Practices For Music Video Pitching Process found at https://www.wedirectmusicvideos.com/pitchingguidelines

We agreed that we should have regular meetings of commissioners and music video producers, to discuss how the industry is working and try and improve practices for the benefit of all- and to continue to discuss WDMV initiatives.