Three ways to be paid for the same score. The production company has a favourite, and it is not the composer's.
Consider a composer with their first proper TV brief: a six-part drama for a mid-size UK broadcaster. The production company sends over a deal memo.
There are three ways they could structure the payment. The first is a flat fee: one payment on delivery, done. The second is a buyout: a bigger upfront sum, but the composer assigns all their rights, no , ever. The third is a fee plus retained writer's share: a smaller upfront payment, but the composer keeps their every time the show airs.
The production company would prefer option one or two. The adviser's job is to understand why, and whether that preference is right for this client.