TV shows bring in the money for the music industry

"The Hills" are alive with the sound of music. So are programs like "Grey's Anatomy," "Weeds," "One Tree Hill," "Ugly Betty" and many more. And that's music to publishers' ears -- and their pocketbooks.

In days past, the pot of gold at the end of the music-publishing rainbow was filled with platinum CDs. Now, as album sales continue to free fall, that pot is lined with TV licensing deals.

In fact, while many music labels are cutting staff, some publishers have doubled the size of their film/TV licensing departments during the past two years. The percentage of total revenues earned by sync income has jumped radically for many publishers, with one citing a three-fold increase in the past six years. Publishing companies are aggressively pushing their copyrights through new media -- EMI Music Publishing has its own channel on YouTube, for instance -- as music supervisors turn to outlets like YouTube and MySpace to find music.

"Nineteen of our catalogs are up year over year," says Larry Mestel of New York-based newcomer Primary Wave, which bought 20 catalogs in the company's first 22 months of existence, including artists like Nirvana's Kurt Cobain; Aerosmith's Steven Tyler; Hall & Oates; Earth, Wind & Fire; and Steve Earle.

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