Vajra Echoes is a small company with ongoing recording obligations to The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and Hartford KTC. We do, however, have the capacity to take on a limited number of additional audio/video recording engagements. If you are interested in having Vajra Echoes record your dharma teaching event, please read the following information about our recording business arrangement and contact us at [email protected].
Vajra Echoes Business Arrangement Statement
Vajra Echoes will record a teaching at no cost to the sponsoring center in return for the right to sell those recordings within restriction guidelines, if any, set by the teacher.
The copyright is assigned to the teacher. The teacher retains the right in perpetuity to limit, restrict or terminate sales of any recording.
The sponsoring center receives two free sets of whatever recordings are produced. (Usually one for their library/archives and one for group use.) The center may purchase additional copies at wholesale prices. The wholesale discount is 40% off the Vajra Echoes retail price, and applies only for orders of 5 or more sets of recordings (same title and format, such as DVDs, CDs or MP3 CDs). Note that the wholesale offer does not take effect until three weeks after the first copies become available from Vajra Echoes. Vajra Echoes thus reserves the right to take sales orders for the recordings at the time of the teachings and to have that initial three-week block of post-teachings sales. This period sometimes constitutes a significant percentage of total sales, and Vajra Echoes could not offer the recording service at no cost or risk to the center without this block of income. On the other hand, recordings of some very popular teachings sell well long after the teachings are over, and represent an opportunity for the center to make some fairly reasonable income over time from selling the Vajra Echoes recordings.
Centers are free to make transcripts or books from the recordings, and usually an additional set of audio recordings is made available at no charge to the transcriptionist.
The sponsoring center needs to let the recording person (usually but not always Patrick Lee) attend the event at no cost. In certain demanding recording situations, an assistant may be needed, and that person needs to be allowed to attend either at no cost or a reduced cost. This can be negotiated if the need arises. Vajra Echoes pays all travel costs to and from the teaching.
In most cases the center also needs to provide a table to be used for setting up the recording equipment. A 2’x 4’ table is the minimum size, with a larger one preferred, if available and if space allows. In some situations Vajra Echoes can provide its own table (e.g. when it is feasible to drive to the teaching).
In order to set up the equipment for a full, multi-camera, live-mix recording situation, Vajra Echoes requires access to the shrine room for a minimum of 3 hours prior to the event. Post-event takedown takes about two hours. Lesser setups obviously require less time.
Vajra Echoes tries it’s very best to operate on a good faith understanding with the sponsoring center and the teacher. Vajra Echoes is a business and needs to do what it can to stay afloat and even to grow and prosper. However, its primary goal is to make quality recordings of excellent dharma teachings available at affordable prices to those who want them, and to do so in a cooperative way with the sponsoring center and teacher. It is important that all involved parties feel that the arrangements are clear, equitable and agreeable. Vajra Echoes is a dharma business that tries in every way to embody the principle of Right Livelihood.
|
