Welcome to the 30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive. From this page you can access the daily leads, lessons and tutorials.
You can access all the bonus items below.
Access The Music Licensing Reference Library
Access The Ultimate Music Licensing Guide
Access The 2023 Music Licensing Directory
Access The Music Licensing Interview Archive
Join Our Private Facebook Page Here
You can access all the bonus items below.
Access The Music Licensing Reference Library
Access The Ultimate Music Licensing Guide
Access The 2023 Music Licensing Directory
Access The Music Licensing Interview Archive
Join Our Private Facebook Page Here
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 1
Welcome to the official launch of the 30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive. I hope you're excited to get started. I've put a lot of thought and effort into this program, and my goal over the next 30 days is to give you all the information, tools and resources you need to succeed in licensing your music. Every day, for the next 30 days, I'll be posting a different lesson, assignment, video tutorial and three leads each day. On some days, the lesson and video tutorial will overlap, and on other days they won't. My goal is to present all of the information to you in a way that isn't overwhelming and will allow you to move forward, one step at a time, each day, throughout the 30 day long program. I suggest having 30 to 60 minutes each day to devote to going through all the information I present and submitting your tracks. But, you can always go back and catch up if you miss a day or two, and all of the information can be reviewed at your convenience right here, from this member's portal.
With that said, let's get started!
Today's Lesson - Study The Market:
One of the keys to licensing music successfully is to have a good grasp on the wide variety of music that actually gets licensed. You need to study the "market" as you would in any other industry to be competitive. A lot of artists are simply making the music they make, with little or no thought to licensing, and then shopping it around here and there, after the fact. After their music is already made. This isn't necessarily wrong. You could license music this way. But taking this approach leaves a lot to luck. Maybe you're writing music that works for licensing, maybe you're not. By studying and really paying attention to music that is being used on a regular basis, you'll get a much clearer idea of what the demands of the music licensing marketplace are and where your music fits in.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to start really paying attention to music that is used in tv shows, films, commercials and so on. The next movie or TV show you watch, I want you to really focus on the songs that are being used. Notice what songs are used and how they're used. Notice the relationship between the dialog and the lyrics of songs. Notice how the style connects with the period and atmosphere of the scene. Notice how the mood of the music relates to the overall story and theme of the show, movie or commercial you're watching. Get a sense for how it all fits together. Could you see your music being used in this way? Do you have music ready to go that would work in a variety of situations? The first step in succeeding in the licensing industry, is really understanding what kind of music gets licensed and why. Don't just make music and then throw it against the wall, hoping it will stick somewhere. This is a craft. Approach it this way and you'll have much more success.
Related: Also, be sure to check out the tracks we've posted in the music licensing reference library.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's video is about how to prepare your tracks for licensing opportunities and the different types of files you'll need when you start pitching your tracks.
Welcome to the official launch of the 30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive. I hope you're excited to get started. I've put a lot of thought and effort into this program, and my goal over the next 30 days is to give you all the information, tools and resources you need to succeed in licensing your music. Every day, for the next 30 days, I'll be posting a different lesson, assignment, video tutorial and three leads each day. On some days, the lesson and video tutorial will overlap, and on other days they won't. My goal is to present all of the information to you in a way that isn't overwhelming and will allow you to move forward, one step at a time, each day, throughout the 30 day long program. I suggest having 30 to 60 minutes each day to devote to going through all the information I present and submitting your tracks. But, you can always go back and catch up if you miss a day or two, and all of the information can be reviewed at your convenience right here, from this member's portal.
With that said, let's get started!
Today's Lesson - Study The Market:
One of the keys to licensing music successfully is to have a good grasp on the wide variety of music that actually gets licensed. You need to study the "market" as you would in any other industry to be competitive. A lot of artists are simply making the music they make, with little or no thought to licensing, and then shopping it around here and there, after the fact. After their music is already made. This isn't necessarily wrong. You could license music this way. But taking this approach leaves a lot to luck. Maybe you're writing music that works for licensing, maybe you're not. By studying and really paying attention to music that is being used on a regular basis, you'll get a much clearer idea of what the demands of the music licensing marketplace are and where your music fits in.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to start really paying attention to music that is used in tv shows, films, commercials and so on. The next movie or TV show you watch, I want you to really focus on the songs that are being used. Notice what songs are used and how they're used. Notice the relationship between the dialog and the lyrics of songs. Notice how the style connects with the period and atmosphere of the scene. Notice how the mood of the music relates to the overall story and theme of the show, movie or commercial you're watching. Get a sense for how it all fits together. Could you see your music being used in this way? Do you have music ready to go that would work in a variety of situations? The first step in succeeding in the licensing industry, is really understanding what kind of music gets licensed and why. Don't just make music and then throw it against the wall, hoping it will stick somewhere. This is a craft. Approach it this way and you'll have much more success.
Related: Also, be sure to check out the tracks we've posted in the music licensing reference library.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's video is about how to prepare your tracks for licensing opportunities and the different types of files you'll need when you start pitching your tracks.
Today's Leads:
1) Cleopatra
About: http://cleorecs.com/home/about/
Submit: http://cleorecs.com/home/submit-music/
Contact: http://cleorecs.com/home/contact/
2) Optic Noise
About:
With an ever-growing and carefully chosen roster, OpTic NoISe has worked with the catalogs of Nitro Records, Fat Wreck Chords, Rough Trade Publishing, the works of Alice in Chains, Jerry Cantrell, Primus, Glen Phillips, Thomas Dolby, and independent labels, publishers and artists from across the United States, England, Sweden, Scotland and Canada.
We are small. Which means you'll know the names and faces of everyone working on your project.
We are happy. Which means you'll love working with us.
Submit: http://www.optic-noise.com/about.php
Contact: http://www.optic-noise.com/about.php
3) Theta Sound
About: Theta Sound is a music library specializing in music for motion picture and advertising campaigns. Theta Sound's music is featured in numerous major advertising campaigns.
Submit: https://theta-sound.com/contact/
Contact: https://www.theta-sound.com/contact
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive Day 2
Today's Lesson - Researching Companies:
I've interviewed over 100 people working in the music licensing industry over the last several years. I've interviewed publishers, supervisors and owners and founders of music libraries. When you talk to this many people working in the same industry, certain recurring themes and patterns come up over and over. One of these themes, is that very few musicians take the time to really research and get to know the companies they're reaching out to, when trying to get their music licensed. Most musicians are just randomly contacting companies, submitting there music to anyone and everyone. I've heard from multiple publishers and supervisors that this is a real issue. Most people working in this industry are inundated with submissions and they simply don't have time to listen to everything that is sent to them. If you're not submitting music that is relevant and you're not demonstrating that you've researched the company you're sending your music to, there's a good chance your music won't be heard.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is two-fold. One is to simply spend time researching the companies you are trying to work with. Go to their website, read their bio, listen to the artists they work with, do a google search and find out as much as you can about them. Look at past projects they've worked on, search for upcoming projects when possible. In short, try to learn as much as you can about each company you want to work with prior to submitting your music. Then, when you do reach out, let them know why you think your music is a good fit. Indicate what projects you think your music would be a good match for. If this isn't possible, let them know what it is about your music stylistically that is a good match for their company. In other words, let them know you've taken the time to learn about their company and you want to help them with their needs. Remember, this is a service oriented business. You are in the business of helping people meet their musical needs.
Part two of today's assignment, is to watch today's video tutorial, about how and why to approach music like a business. This video features an excerpt from an interview I did with Joel Feinberg of DeWolfe Music. Warning: Joel uses some pretty harsh language in getting his point across!
Today's Lesson - Researching Companies:
I've interviewed over 100 people working in the music licensing industry over the last several years. I've interviewed publishers, supervisors and owners and founders of music libraries. When you talk to this many people working in the same industry, certain recurring themes and patterns come up over and over. One of these themes, is that very few musicians take the time to really research and get to know the companies they're reaching out to, when trying to get their music licensed. Most musicians are just randomly contacting companies, submitting there music to anyone and everyone. I've heard from multiple publishers and supervisors that this is a real issue. Most people working in this industry are inundated with submissions and they simply don't have time to listen to everything that is sent to them. If you're not submitting music that is relevant and you're not demonstrating that you've researched the company you're sending your music to, there's a good chance your music won't be heard.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is two-fold. One is to simply spend time researching the companies you are trying to work with. Go to their website, read their bio, listen to the artists they work with, do a google search and find out as much as you can about them. Look at past projects they've worked on, search for upcoming projects when possible. In short, try to learn as much as you can about each company you want to work with prior to submitting your music. Then, when you do reach out, let them know why you think your music is a good fit. Indicate what projects you think your music would be a good match for. If this isn't possible, let them know what it is about your music stylistically that is a good match for their company. In other words, let them know you've taken the time to learn about their company and you want to help them with their needs. Remember, this is a service oriented business. You are in the business of helping people meet their musical needs.
Part two of today's assignment, is to watch today's video tutorial, about how and why to approach music like a business. This video features an excerpt from an interview I did with Joel Feinberg of DeWolfe Music. Warning: Joel uses some pretty harsh language in getting his point across!
Today's Leads:
1) Black Toast Music
About:
Founded in 1991 by noted musician/composer/producer Bob Mair, Black Toast Music is a leading independent music publisher/production music library located in Los Angeles, CA. Since its launch, the company has placed music in hundreds of television series, including “True Blood,” “Dexter” and “The Wire,” specials and TV movies, dozens of high profile motion pictures, including “Arthur” with Russell Brand, “When In Rome” with Kristen Bell, “I Love You, Phillip Morris,” “Dead Silence,” “Jiminy Glick,” and others, along with videogames, internet advertising campaigns, and numerous, multi-media presentations.
Submit: Contact Bob Mair for submission instructions: bob@blacktoastmusic.com
Contact: bob@blacktoastmusic.com
2) Melodi Cloud
About: https://www.melodicloud.com/about-us/
Submit: https://www.melodicloud.com/license-your-music/
Contact: https://www.melodicloud.com/contact-us/
3) Pinkshark Music
About: https://www.pinksharkmusic.com/about-us
Submit: send STREAMING LINKS ONLY to submissions@pinksharkmusic.com
Contact: https://www.pinksharkmusic.com/contact
1) Black Toast Music
About:
Founded in 1991 by noted musician/composer/producer Bob Mair, Black Toast Music is a leading independent music publisher/production music library located in Los Angeles, CA. Since its launch, the company has placed music in hundreds of television series, including “True Blood,” “Dexter” and “The Wire,” specials and TV movies, dozens of high profile motion pictures, including “Arthur” with Russell Brand, “When In Rome” with Kristen Bell, “I Love You, Phillip Morris,” “Dead Silence,” “Jiminy Glick,” and others, along with videogames, internet advertising campaigns, and numerous, multi-media presentations.
Submit: Contact Bob Mair for submission instructions: bob@blacktoastmusic.com
Contact: bob@blacktoastmusic.com
2) Melodi Cloud
About: https://www.melodicloud.com/about-us/
Submit: https://www.melodicloud.com/license-your-music/
Contact: https://www.melodicloud.com/contact-us/
3) Pinkshark Music
About: https://www.pinksharkmusic.com/about-us
Submit: send STREAMING LINKS ONLY to submissions@pinksharkmusic.com
Contact: https://www.pinksharkmusic.com/contact
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 3
Today's Lesson - Professionalism:
I think it's safe to say that most artists, when they go about trying to get their music licensed, are primarily focused on themselves. They're focused on their music and trying to meet their goals. This is completely understandable and it makes total sense. You make music and you're passionate about it and you're passionate about your goal of hearing your music in TV and Films. So, of course you're going to be focused on your music and your goals. However, if you're trying to license your music through different music licensing companies (libraries, publishers, supervisors, etc) it's not just about you and your music. If you're trying to work with someone else professionally, you have to also be aware of the goals and needs of those you're trying to work with. What are their needs and how can you serve them? How can you make their lives easier? How can you help them do their job and help them achieve their goals. When you start to make this shift and keep this in mind in every email exchange, conversation and interaction you have with people in this business, you'll start to make a lot more headway. You'll also start to see more clearly why perhaps you haven't had as much success as you would have liked in the past, if you've only been focused on your music and achieving your own goals.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is an extension of yesterday's assignment. Yesterday I talked about how it's important to research companies and demonstrate you've done a little homework before blindly submitting your music to anyone who will listen. This demonstrates you're not just focused on your goals, but that you're also interested in helping others meet their goals. Along the same lines, think about other ways you can demonstrate you are professional and going to be easy to work with. Publishers and Supervisors are looking for musicians who are going to be easy to work with and efficient. One way to demonstrate this is by anticipating the different types of needs of those in the business and having different edits and versions of your tracks ready to go (See the video from Day 1 for more on this topic). Another thing you can do is make a showreel featuring some of your best tracks alongside some of your placements, if you have them, and if not just using stock video footage or other footage that works to accompany your music. Doing things like this will help you stand out from your competition and demonstrate that you're professional and take your craft seriously.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's video is a 30 minute video presentation about how to create an effective showreel, featuring producer Gary Gray.
Today's Lesson - Professionalism:
I think it's safe to say that most artists, when they go about trying to get their music licensed, are primarily focused on themselves. They're focused on their music and trying to meet their goals. This is completely understandable and it makes total sense. You make music and you're passionate about it and you're passionate about your goal of hearing your music in TV and Films. So, of course you're going to be focused on your music and your goals. However, if you're trying to license your music through different music licensing companies (libraries, publishers, supervisors, etc) it's not just about you and your music. If you're trying to work with someone else professionally, you have to also be aware of the goals and needs of those you're trying to work with. What are their needs and how can you serve them? How can you make their lives easier? How can you help them do their job and help them achieve their goals. When you start to make this shift and keep this in mind in every email exchange, conversation and interaction you have with people in this business, you'll start to make a lot more headway. You'll also start to see more clearly why perhaps you haven't had as much success as you would have liked in the past, if you've only been focused on your music and achieving your own goals.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is an extension of yesterday's assignment. Yesterday I talked about how it's important to research companies and demonstrate you've done a little homework before blindly submitting your music to anyone who will listen. This demonstrates you're not just focused on your goals, but that you're also interested in helping others meet their goals. Along the same lines, think about other ways you can demonstrate you are professional and going to be easy to work with. Publishers and Supervisors are looking for musicians who are going to be easy to work with and efficient. One way to demonstrate this is by anticipating the different types of needs of those in the business and having different edits and versions of your tracks ready to go (See the video from Day 1 for more on this topic). Another thing you can do is make a showreel featuring some of your best tracks alongside some of your placements, if you have them, and if not just using stock video footage or other footage that works to accompany your music. Doing things like this will help you stand out from your competition and demonstrate that you're professional and take your craft seriously.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's video is a 30 minute video presentation about how to create an effective showreel, featuring producer Gary Gray.
1) Cantaloupe Music Licensing
About: Cantaloupe Music is the record label created and launched in March 2001 by the three founders of New York's legendary Bang on a Can organization—composers Michael Gordon, David Lang and Julia Wolfe—with Bang on a Can managing director Kenny Savelson. Cantaloupe Music has made a massive impact in the new music community, and has been recognized by critics and fans worldwide for its edgy and adventurous sounds.
Our goal is to provide a home for contemporary classical and post-classical music that is, in the words of Michael Gordon, “too funky for the academy.” Throughout its nearly 15-year history, Cantaloupe has repeatedly received Top Ten of the Year accolades from such publications as the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, The Guardian (UK), The Wire (UK), Newsday, Mojo magazine, Gramophone, Billboard, Stereophile and Time Out New York. Cantaloupe releases have also been featured on CNN, National Public Radio, the BBC, Pitchfork.tv and numerous outlets online, in print and over the airwaves.
Cantaloupe Music has placed music in a wide variety of film, television, advertising, and performing arts productions, including HBO's Deadwood, Academy Award-winning director Steve McQueen's Hunger (2008), Paolo Sorrentino's Best Foreign Language film The Great Beauty (2013), and many more. Cantaloupe's diverse catalog of impeccably recorded instrumental music and compelling collection of vocal music positions the label as an emerging creative source for directors, music supervisors, choreographers and producers. From the definitive recordings of works by Steve Reich and Terry Riley to the progressive sounds of New York's Bang On A Can All-Stars, Cantaloupe Music offers edgy, eclectic and visionary music to fit almost any project.
Submit: https://cantaloupemusic.com/licensing
Contact: https://cantaloupemusic.com/licensing
2) Expanded Sync
About: https://www.expandedmusicsync.com/
Submit: https://www.expandedmusicsync.com/submit
Contact: https://www.expandedmusicsync.com/contact
3) Boost Music
About: https://boostmusic.com/contact
Submit: https://boostmusic.com/contact
Contact: https://boostmusic.com/contact
About: Cantaloupe Music is the record label created and launched in March 2001 by the three founders of New York's legendary Bang on a Can organization—composers Michael Gordon, David Lang and Julia Wolfe—with Bang on a Can managing director Kenny Savelson. Cantaloupe Music has made a massive impact in the new music community, and has been recognized by critics and fans worldwide for its edgy and adventurous sounds.
Our goal is to provide a home for contemporary classical and post-classical music that is, in the words of Michael Gordon, “too funky for the academy.” Throughout its nearly 15-year history, Cantaloupe has repeatedly received Top Ten of the Year accolades from such publications as the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, The Guardian (UK), The Wire (UK), Newsday, Mojo magazine, Gramophone, Billboard, Stereophile and Time Out New York. Cantaloupe releases have also been featured on CNN, National Public Radio, the BBC, Pitchfork.tv and numerous outlets online, in print and over the airwaves.
Cantaloupe Music has placed music in a wide variety of film, television, advertising, and performing arts productions, including HBO's Deadwood, Academy Award-winning director Steve McQueen's Hunger (2008), Paolo Sorrentino's Best Foreign Language film The Great Beauty (2013), and many more. Cantaloupe's diverse catalog of impeccably recorded instrumental music and compelling collection of vocal music positions the label as an emerging creative source for directors, music supervisors, choreographers and producers. From the definitive recordings of works by Steve Reich and Terry Riley to the progressive sounds of New York's Bang On A Can All-Stars, Cantaloupe Music offers edgy, eclectic and visionary music to fit almost any project.
Submit: https://cantaloupemusic.com/licensing
Contact: https://cantaloupemusic.com/licensing
2) Expanded Sync
About: https://www.expandedmusicsync.com/
Submit: https://www.expandedmusicsync.com/submit
Contact: https://www.expandedmusicsync.com/contact
3) Boost Music
About: https://boostmusic.com/contact
Submit: https://boostmusic.com/contact
Contact: https://boostmusic.com/contact
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 4
Today's lesson - Production Quality:
Music production is an important component of getting your music licensed. If you have amazing songs that work great for licensing, but they're not adequately produced for licensing, you won't be able to license them. It's that simple. Your songs need to be ready to go, as is. Knowing this, it's important that you take the time to objectively assess whether your songs are ready to go, production wise. Now music production isn't an exact science. It's somewhat subjective, even among music publishers and supervisors. Different people have different tastes and preferences. It's unlikely that you'll ever please everyone. But with that said, a lot of music that is being submitted to music licensing companies, simply isn't "good enough" production wise. Make sure you're not one of these artists. Take the time to really study the market, get a feel for the production quality of music that is being consistently licensed and make sure your music is on the same level, in terms of the quality of music production. Getting your production quality up to speed might involve improving your own production skills, if you produce your own music, or it might involve working with an outside producer. Whatever the case, make sure you know the quality you're shooting for and do whatever you have to do to get there.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to study the production quality of music that is being licensed and determine whether or not your tracks meet this standard. There are a few different ways to do this, the easiest is to probably simply check out music libraries websites and listen to the artists they work with. Many publishers and libraries will feature music they work with right on their website. Spend some time really getting to know the market and what music is being licensed where. On day one, I asked you to research and listen to music that's being licensed to get a feel for what kind of music is licensed. Today I want you to research and listen to music and specifically focus on the music production. If you listen to enough music that is being licensed, you'll see there is actually a wide variety, in terms of production quality. Some tv shows and placements have lower standards than others. Typically the more lucrative the placement, the more stringent the standards are in terms of production quality. Make sure your tracks at least meet the minimum standards necessary for music licensing, before you start shopping them around.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's video tutorial is about what I like to think of as the "Three Pillars Of Music Licensing". I think there are three main areas you need to master when it comes to successfully licensing your music. They are: songwriting/composition, production and marketing. Check out the video for more.
Today's lesson - Production Quality:
Music production is an important component of getting your music licensed. If you have amazing songs that work great for licensing, but they're not adequately produced for licensing, you won't be able to license them. It's that simple. Your songs need to be ready to go, as is. Knowing this, it's important that you take the time to objectively assess whether your songs are ready to go, production wise. Now music production isn't an exact science. It's somewhat subjective, even among music publishers and supervisors. Different people have different tastes and preferences. It's unlikely that you'll ever please everyone. But with that said, a lot of music that is being submitted to music licensing companies, simply isn't "good enough" production wise. Make sure you're not one of these artists. Take the time to really study the market, get a feel for the production quality of music that is being consistently licensed and make sure your music is on the same level, in terms of the quality of music production. Getting your production quality up to speed might involve improving your own production skills, if you produce your own music, or it might involve working with an outside producer. Whatever the case, make sure you know the quality you're shooting for and do whatever you have to do to get there.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to study the production quality of music that is being licensed and determine whether or not your tracks meet this standard. There are a few different ways to do this, the easiest is to probably simply check out music libraries websites and listen to the artists they work with. Many publishers and libraries will feature music they work with right on their website. Spend some time really getting to know the market and what music is being licensed where. On day one, I asked you to research and listen to music that's being licensed to get a feel for what kind of music is licensed. Today I want you to research and listen to music and specifically focus on the music production. If you listen to enough music that is being licensed, you'll see there is actually a wide variety, in terms of production quality. Some tv shows and placements have lower standards than others. Typically the more lucrative the placement, the more stringent the standards are in terms of production quality. Make sure your tracks at least meet the minimum standards necessary for music licensing, before you start shopping them around.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's video tutorial is about what I like to think of as the "Three Pillars Of Music Licensing". I think there are three main areas you need to master when it comes to successfully licensing your music. They are: songwriting/composition, production and marketing. Check out the video for more.
Today's Leads:
1) Crucial Music
About: https://www.crucialmusic.com/page/about_us
Submit: https://www.crucialmusic.com/user_sessions/new (select sign up)
Contact: https://www.crucialmusic.com/page/wheres_crucial
2) Triple Scoop Music
About: http://triplescoopmusic.com/
Submit: https://help.triplescoopmusic.com/hc/en-us
Contact: https://help.triplescoopmusic.com/hc/en-us
3) DeWolfe Music
About: https://www.dewolfemusic.com/
Submit: https://www.dewolfemusic.com/page/compose
Contact: https://www.dewolfemusic.com/page/contact
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 5
Today's Lesson - Music Licensing Is A Long Term Endeavor:
Music Licensing is a long term endeavor. It normally takes time to get things rolling. It's not often that an artist decides to start licensing their music and is met with success right out of the gate. Of course there are exceptions and anything is possible. But in general, in my experience of working with hundreds of songwriters, it takes time to build momentum in music licensing. It's important that you're aware of this going into things. It can take years to build up your catalog, create connections and get things going to the point where you're making substantial income. Keep this in mind as you're getting started. Be persistent, but also patient.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is really an ongoing assignment. It's a mindset and habit that you need to cultivate. You need to get in the habit of pitching your music on a daily basis. You need to get in the habit of writing and recording new music on a regular basis. You need to get in the habit of developing new contacts and connections in the industry. There are things you can do every single day, to move your career forward. This program make it easy, because I'm giving you leads and videos to watch. You have everything laid out for you. But what else can you do today, right now, that would move your career forward? What phone call could you make? What email could you send? Is there somewhere you could send your music that you've been holding off on? Get in the habit of taking action, every single day. Today's assignment is to pick one new thing, in addition to today's leads, that you can do today that will potentially move your career forward. Maybe you can submit your music to an additional lead by going through the contact info included in the bonus material. Maybe you can spend some time researching new companies you could submit your music to. Maybe you can spend some time recording new material. It's up to you, but pick one extra thing to do today and do it!
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's video tutorial is about how to stay motivated when you're first starting out in the licensing industry. It can be challenging to stay motivated in the beginning and in this video I break down my strategy for staying motivated and positive.
Today's Lesson - Music Licensing Is A Long Term Endeavor:
Music Licensing is a long term endeavor. It normally takes time to get things rolling. It's not often that an artist decides to start licensing their music and is met with success right out of the gate. Of course there are exceptions and anything is possible. But in general, in my experience of working with hundreds of songwriters, it takes time to build momentum in music licensing. It's important that you're aware of this going into things. It can take years to build up your catalog, create connections and get things going to the point where you're making substantial income. Keep this in mind as you're getting started. Be persistent, but also patient.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is really an ongoing assignment. It's a mindset and habit that you need to cultivate. You need to get in the habit of pitching your music on a daily basis. You need to get in the habit of writing and recording new music on a regular basis. You need to get in the habit of developing new contacts and connections in the industry. There are things you can do every single day, to move your career forward. This program make it easy, because I'm giving you leads and videos to watch. You have everything laid out for you. But what else can you do today, right now, that would move your career forward? What phone call could you make? What email could you send? Is there somewhere you could send your music that you've been holding off on? Get in the habit of taking action, every single day. Today's assignment is to pick one new thing, in addition to today's leads, that you can do today that will potentially move your career forward. Maybe you can submit your music to an additional lead by going through the contact info included in the bonus material. Maybe you can spend some time researching new companies you could submit your music to. Maybe you can spend some time recording new material. It's up to you, but pick one extra thing to do today and do it!
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's video tutorial is about how to stay motivated when you're first starting out in the licensing industry. It can be challenging to stay motivated in the beginning and in this video I break down my strategy for staying motivated and positive.
Today's Leads:
1) Figure And Groove
About: http://figureandgroove.com/
Submit: http://figureandgroove.com/artist-friendly/
Contact: http://figureandgroove.com/contact/
2) Seven Skies Music
About: https://sevenskiesmusic.com/
Submit: https://sevenskiesmusic.com/wanted/
Contact: https://sevenskiesmusic.com/contacts/
3) Sync Honey
About: https://www.synchoney.com/#our-story
Submit: https://www.synchoney.com/faq/
Contact: https://www.synchoney.com/#contact
1) Figure And Groove
About: http://figureandgroove.com/
Submit: http://figureandgroove.com/artist-friendly/
Contact: http://figureandgroove.com/contact/
2) Seven Skies Music
About: https://sevenskiesmusic.com/
Submit: https://sevenskiesmusic.com/wanted/
Contact: https://sevenskiesmusic.com/contacts/
3) Sync Honey
About: https://www.synchoney.com/#our-story
Submit: https://www.synchoney.com/faq/
Contact: https://www.synchoney.com/#contact
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 6
Today's Lesson - Focus On What You Can Control:
Success in music licensing is part luck and part hard work. My favorite expression about luck is that luck is "when preparation and opportunity meet". You can't really control when luck comes your way. You might get a lucky break tomorrow or you might work hard for months and seem to not be able to catch a break. There's an element of luck and timing that's outside of your control when it comes to music licensing. However, the one thing you can control is the work you put into licensing and the effort you put forth. Focus on the thing you can actually control and change. Do you need to write and record more songs to increase your odds of being successful? Do that. Do you need to cultivate more relationships and connections in the industry? Focus on that. Focus on the things you can actually control and you'll start to get more and more "lucky" breaks.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to watch a recent webinar I recorded with guitarist and composer Dario Forzato. This webinar was recorded live and made available exclusively to members of How To License Your Music Premium. The webinar is an hour long and Dario goes into detail regarding the mindset and work ethic you need to succeed in music licensing. Dario is based out of LA and has seen a huge amount of success licensing his music in tv and films over the last few years, with hundreds of credits to his resume. Check out the webinar below!
Today's Video Tutorial:
Webinar with guitarist/composer Dario Forzato.
Today's Lesson - Focus On What You Can Control:
Success in music licensing is part luck and part hard work. My favorite expression about luck is that luck is "when preparation and opportunity meet". You can't really control when luck comes your way. You might get a lucky break tomorrow or you might work hard for months and seem to not be able to catch a break. There's an element of luck and timing that's outside of your control when it comes to music licensing. However, the one thing you can control is the work you put into licensing and the effort you put forth. Focus on the thing you can actually control and change. Do you need to write and record more songs to increase your odds of being successful? Do that. Do you need to cultivate more relationships and connections in the industry? Focus on that. Focus on the things you can actually control and you'll start to get more and more "lucky" breaks.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to watch a recent webinar I recorded with guitarist and composer Dario Forzato. This webinar was recorded live and made available exclusively to members of How To License Your Music Premium. The webinar is an hour long and Dario goes into detail regarding the mindset and work ethic you need to succeed in music licensing. Dario is based out of LA and has seen a huge amount of success licensing his music in tv and films over the last few years, with hundreds of credits to his resume. Check out the webinar below!
Today's Video Tutorial:
Webinar with guitarist/composer Dario Forzato.
Today's Leads:
1) Creaminal
About: https://www.creaminal.com/en/about-2/
Submit: https://www.creaminal.io/ls/#/
Contact: https://www.creaminal.com/en/contact-2/
2) Cleopatra
About: http://cleorecs.com/home/about/
Submit: http://cleorecs.com/home/submit-music/
Contact: http://cleorecs.com/home/contact/
3) Mezzo Agency
About: https://mezzoagency.com/about/
Submit: https://mezzoagency.com/about/
Contact: https://mezzoagency.com/contact/
1) Creaminal
About: https://www.creaminal.com/en/about-2/
Submit: https://www.creaminal.io/ls/#/
Contact: https://www.creaminal.com/en/contact-2/
2) Cleopatra
About: http://cleorecs.com/home/about/
Submit: http://cleorecs.com/home/submit-music/
Contact: http://cleorecs.com/home/contact/
3) Mezzo Agency
About: https://mezzoagency.com/about/
Submit: https://mezzoagency.com/about/
Contact: https://mezzoagency.com/contact/
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 7
Today's Lesson - Subject Matter And Lyrics:
Today's lesson applies to those of you who write music with lyrics and vocals. One of the keys to success in music licensing is really understanding how music is used in the context of licensing. When it comes to songs with vocals, there is almost always a connection between the lyrics of the song being used and whatever is happening in the tv show, film or scene in which the song is placed. Songs tend to play a supporting role in the context of tv and film. Music is used to enhance the scene in which it is used. Knowing this, start to think about themes and story lines that typically come up in tv shows, films and so on. Would your music work in a broad range of situations? Do you naturally write songs that would work for tv and films? Or are your lyrics obscure and about themes that don't normally arise in typical stories, tv shows, films and so on? The more universal your lyrics the better, when it comes to licensing.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to watch a film or a series, it can be anything really, and pay close attention to the lyrics in the songs that are being used. Notice how the lyrics connect to the theme of the show or film. There is almost always a connection between the lyrics and what's happening in the scene in which a song is being used. Start to really pay attention to this connection and imagine yourself as the music supervisor. Does their song selection make sense? Would you have picked a different song? Do you have music that would have worked as well or even better? The more you can put yourself in the shoes of music supervisors and really understand how and why they pick the songs they do, the better you'll be able to anticipate their needs and write music that works in the context of licensing.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's video is about the subject matter of songs used in TV and Films.
Today's Lesson - Subject Matter And Lyrics:
Today's lesson applies to those of you who write music with lyrics and vocals. One of the keys to success in music licensing is really understanding how music is used in the context of licensing. When it comes to songs with vocals, there is almost always a connection between the lyrics of the song being used and whatever is happening in the tv show, film or scene in which the song is placed. Songs tend to play a supporting role in the context of tv and film. Music is used to enhance the scene in which it is used. Knowing this, start to think about themes and story lines that typically come up in tv shows, films and so on. Would your music work in a broad range of situations? Do you naturally write songs that would work for tv and films? Or are your lyrics obscure and about themes that don't normally arise in typical stories, tv shows, films and so on? The more universal your lyrics the better, when it comes to licensing.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to watch a film or a series, it can be anything really, and pay close attention to the lyrics in the songs that are being used. Notice how the lyrics connect to the theme of the show or film. There is almost always a connection between the lyrics and what's happening in the scene in which a song is being used. Start to really pay attention to this connection and imagine yourself as the music supervisor. Does their song selection make sense? Would you have picked a different song? Do you have music that would have worked as well or even better? The more you can put yourself in the shoes of music supervisors and really understand how and why they pick the songs they do, the better you'll be able to anticipate their needs and write music that works in the context of licensing.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's video is about the subject matter of songs used in TV and Films.
Today's Leads:
1) Lemoncake
About: Created as a forward thinking, non-traditional independent broadcast music publisher Lemoncake is the brainchild of Peter Oldroyd and Gary Scargill. Peter & Gary were founders and creative driving force behind Ded Good Music, one of the best known and most loved independent music libraries of the 90’s and 00’s.
The mission for Lemoncake is to put the love back into music publishing, to find a new way of promoting music that works for composers as well as the publisher. In short, we want to create a place where the composer matters.
Submit: https://www.lemoncake.com/submissions
Contact: https://www.lemoncake.com/contact
2) Songtub
About: https://songtub.com/submit-music
Submit: https://songtub.com/submit-music
Contact: INFO@SONGTUB.COM
3) Natural Energy Lab
About:
Natural Energy Lab is a Los Angeles based music marketing company, which specializes in film, television & commercial placement. Run by former music publishing exec Danny Benair, Natural Energy Lab offers the personal attention that is rarely found in an increasingly taxed business.
When natural energy lab was formed the idea to represent labels and artists was new. Barely anyone understood the concept. Today it seems like anyone and everyone is taking a stab at it. Which means even more than ever a trusted company like natural energy lab that has been road tested and not out to rip off the artist has a very vital place in the entertainment business.
Traditionally, artists and songwriters have created successful careers via music publishing, as publishers place their material in TV, films and commercials. While artists may never recoup the promotional costs spent on marketing their music, their publishing becomes a lucrative alternative.
However, recent history is one of acquisitions and downsizing of labels and publishing companies into corporate behemoths. While this results in the creation of voluminous catalogs, artists and songwriters no longer receive the type of attention to which they’ve grown accustomed.
This current climate has allowed Benair to create an independent music marketing company, operating outside the corporate vacuum. The team at Natural Energy Lab gives personal attention to their entire roster, representing music masters and song copyrights for placement in feature films, television shows, video games, movie trailers, advertising campaigns and television commercials.
Submit: http://www.naturalenergylab.com/ (contact page)
Contact: http://www.naturalenergylab.com/ (contact page)
1) Lemoncake
About: Created as a forward thinking, non-traditional independent broadcast music publisher Lemoncake is the brainchild of Peter Oldroyd and Gary Scargill. Peter & Gary were founders and creative driving force behind Ded Good Music, one of the best known and most loved independent music libraries of the 90’s and 00’s.
The mission for Lemoncake is to put the love back into music publishing, to find a new way of promoting music that works for composers as well as the publisher. In short, we want to create a place where the composer matters.
Submit: https://www.lemoncake.com/submissions
Contact: https://www.lemoncake.com/contact
2) Songtub
About: https://songtub.com/submit-music
Submit: https://songtub.com/submit-music
Contact: INFO@SONGTUB.COM
3) Natural Energy Lab
About:
Natural Energy Lab is a Los Angeles based music marketing company, which specializes in film, television & commercial placement. Run by former music publishing exec Danny Benair, Natural Energy Lab offers the personal attention that is rarely found in an increasingly taxed business.
When natural energy lab was formed the idea to represent labels and artists was new. Barely anyone understood the concept. Today it seems like anyone and everyone is taking a stab at it. Which means even more than ever a trusted company like natural energy lab that has been road tested and not out to rip off the artist has a very vital place in the entertainment business.
Traditionally, artists and songwriters have created successful careers via music publishing, as publishers place their material in TV, films and commercials. While artists may never recoup the promotional costs spent on marketing their music, their publishing becomes a lucrative alternative.
However, recent history is one of acquisitions and downsizing of labels and publishing companies into corporate behemoths. While this results in the creation of voluminous catalogs, artists and songwriters no longer receive the type of attention to which they’ve grown accustomed.
This current climate has allowed Benair to create an independent music marketing company, operating outside the corporate vacuum. The team at Natural Energy Lab gives personal attention to their entire roster, representing music masters and song copyrights for placement in feature films, television shows, video games, movie trailers, advertising campaigns and television commercials.
Submit: http://www.naturalenergylab.com/ (contact page)
Contact: http://www.naturalenergylab.com/ (contact page)
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 8
Today's Lesson - Instrumental Mixes:
When submitting your vocal tracks to music libraries and publishers, if accepted, you will almost invariably be asked to supply instrumental mixes of your tracks. The reason you'll be asked for the instrumental versions, is that you are effectively doubling your chances of having your track used, when you also have an instrumental version. Instead of only being able to pitch to opportunities where a vocal version with lyrics is needed, your publisher or library will also be able to pitch to projects and opportunities where instrumental music is needed. Of course simply taking out a vocal track in a song with lyrics isn't exactly the same as writing instrumental music and instrumental cues. But you'd be surprised the number of different opportunities that open up for you when you also have instrumental versions of your songs. For example, I wrote a vocal track several years ago, that due to a falling out with the vocalist I was working with, I never ended up finishing. On a whim, I submitted the instrumental version to my publisher. This track has ended up getting more placements and uses than any other single track I've ever written. It was completely unexpected, but the instrumental version has been placed hundreds of times in a variety of sports shows and sports related programs. Check out the track, Up To You, below
Today's Lesson - Instrumental Mixes:
When submitting your vocal tracks to music libraries and publishers, if accepted, you will almost invariably be asked to supply instrumental mixes of your tracks. The reason you'll be asked for the instrumental versions, is that you are effectively doubling your chances of having your track used, when you also have an instrumental version. Instead of only being able to pitch to opportunities where a vocal version with lyrics is needed, your publisher or library will also be able to pitch to projects and opportunities where instrumental music is needed. Of course simply taking out a vocal track in a song with lyrics isn't exactly the same as writing instrumental music and instrumental cues. But you'd be surprised the number of different opportunities that open up for you when you also have instrumental versions of your songs. For example, I wrote a vocal track several years ago, that due to a falling out with the vocalist I was working with, I never ended up finishing. On a whim, I submitted the instrumental version to my publisher. This track has ended up getting more placements and uses than any other single track I've ever written. It was completely unexpected, but the instrumental version has been placed hundreds of times in a variety of sports shows and sports related programs. Check out the track, Up To You, below
Today's Leads:
1) Sync Weasel
About: https://www.syncweasel.com/about/
Submit: https://www.syncweasel.com/contact/
Contact: https://www.syncweasel.com/contact/
2) Position Music
About: https://www.positionmusic.com/pages/about
Submit: submissions@positionmusic.com - Please submit streaming links only
Contact: https://www.positionmusic.com/pages/contact
3) Angry Mob
About: http://www.angrymobmusic.com/
Submit: http://www.angrymobmusic.com/contact-info/
Contact: http://www.angrymobmusic.com/contact-info/
1) Sync Weasel
About: https://www.syncweasel.com/about/
Submit: https://www.syncweasel.com/contact/
Contact: https://www.syncweasel.com/contact/
2) Position Music
About: https://www.positionmusic.com/pages/about
Submit: submissions@positionmusic.com - Please submit streaming links only
Contact: https://www.positionmusic.com/pages/contact
3) Angry Mob
About: http://www.angrymobmusic.com/
Submit: http://www.angrymobmusic.com/contact-info/
Contact: http://www.angrymobmusic.com/contact-info/
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 9
Today's Lesson - Styles Of Music:
The style of music you create, will, to a large part, dictate the types of placements your music will work for. For example, if you write music that is reminiscent of classic rock music from the 60s and 70s, your music will work best for movies or tv shows set in that time period or in movies or tv shows who have older character that listen to music from that era. This is a generalization of course, there are always exceptions, but typically the music used will stylistically represent the era the show or film is set in. For example, last night I watched the film The Hangover with my girlfriend, who had never seen the film, and I paid close attention to the music throughout the film. The movie is obviously a lighthearted comedy set in the present day (when it was released) and the main characters are fun loving, carefree, slightly older friends that are out to have a good time in Las Vegas. The soundtrack reflects this storyline and its characters, and mainly consists of Hip Hop, Urban an Dance music. It's the sort of music you would expect to hear in a movie about a group of friends that are partying in Vegas. When you're writing music that you hope to license, it's import to keep in mind how the style of music you create will affect your potential placement opportunities. If you're writing music that sounds dated and is not contemporary this will likely limit your placement opportunities. If you're writing music that sounds like it's from the 20s or 30s, then it will most likely only work in films or shows set in that time period. A question my publisher often asks me when I pitch her new music is where I would see the song or songs being used. At first the question through me off, but it's a good thought experiment when writing new material. It's important to think about where and how each song or composition you create could potentially be used.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to start paying attention to the style of music used in different shows and films. The next time you watch a movie, notice the style of music used and notice the connection between not just the lyrics, but also the style of music and the overall story-line and when and where the movie is taking place. The more you start to notice the link between the style of songs that are licensed and how and why they are used, the better you'll understand where your music could potentially fit into things.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's video tutorial is about, you guessed it, Styles of music in the context of music licensing.
Today's Lesson - Styles Of Music:
The style of music you create, will, to a large part, dictate the types of placements your music will work for. For example, if you write music that is reminiscent of classic rock music from the 60s and 70s, your music will work best for movies or tv shows set in that time period or in movies or tv shows who have older character that listen to music from that era. This is a generalization of course, there are always exceptions, but typically the music used will stylistically represent the era the show or film is set in. For example, last night I watched the film The Hangover with my girlfriend, who had never seen the film, and I paid close attention to the music throughout the film. The movie is obviously a lighthearted comedy set in the present day (when it was released) and the main characters are fun loving, carefree, slightly older friends that are out to have a good time in Las Vegas. The soundtrack reflects this storyline and its characters, and mainly consists of Hip Hop, Urban an Dance music. It's the sort of music you would expect to hear in a movie about a group of friends that are partying in Vegas. When you're writing music that you hope to license, it's import to keep in mind how the style of music you create will affect your potential placement opportunities. If you're writing music that sounds dated and is not contemporary this will likely limit your placement opportunities. If you're writing music that sounds like it's from the 20s or 30s, then it will most likely only work in films or shows set in that time period. A question my publisher often asks me when I pitch her new music is where I would see the song or songs being used. At first the question through me off, but it's a good thought experiment when writing new material. It's important to think about where and how each song or composition you create could potentially be used.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to start paying attention to the style of music used in different shows and films. The next time you watch a movie, notice the style of music used and notice the connection between not just the lyrics, but also the style of music and the overall story-line and when and where the movie is taking place. The more you start to notice the link between the style of songs that are licensed and how and why they are used, the better you'll understand where your music could potentially fit into things.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's video tutorial is about, you guessed it, Styles of music in the context of music licensing.
Today's Leads:
1) Bailer Music
About: https://www.bailermusic.co/about
Submit: https://www.bailermusic.co/contact
Contact: https://www.bailermusic.co/contact
2) Adrenalin Sounds
About: https://www.adrenalinsounds.com/#!home
Submit: https://www.adrenalinsounds.com/#!custom_page?pageId=2428
Contact: https://www.adrenalinsounds.com/#!custom_page?pageId=2410
3) Sodabox Music
About: https://sodaboxmusic.com/#contact
Submit: https://sodaboxmusic.com/submissions
Contact: https://sodaboxmusic.com/#contact
1) Bailer Music
About: https://www.bailermusic.co/about
Submit: https://www.bailermusic.co/contact
Contact: https://www.bailermusic.co/contact
2) Adrenalin Sounds
About: https://www.adrenalinsounds.com/#!home
Submit: https://www.adrenalinsounds.com/#!custom_page?pageId=2428
Contact: https://www.adrenalinsounds.com/#!custom_page?pageId=2410
3) Sodabox Music
About: https://sodaboxmusic.com/#contact
Submit: https://sodaboxmusic.com/submissions
Contact: https://sodaboxmusic.com/#contact
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 10
Today's Lesson - Metadata:
Today let’s talk about the really fun and stimulating topic of metadata. I hope you catch my sarcasm. It might not be a fun and exciting topic, but when it comes to licensing your music, it is important. So, what is “metadata”? Metadata refers to the data and information that describes your tracks. It contains information like artist name, song name, album name, genre, who your songs sound like and so on. It’s the sort of descriptive data that helps potential clients find your tracks and it also tells publishers and supervisors who you are, how to contact you and so on.
There’s basically two different types of metadata. The first kind of metadata is the information you embed into your tracks property fields so that when people play your tracks in media players like Itunes or Windows Media Player they’ll know the song name, who the artist is, how to contact you and so on. This is something everyone who is trying to license their music should do by default, for every song you start pitching.
To tag your tracks, so that the metadata is embedded into your file, simply right click on the track, open the details tab, and enter as much information as possible. You can fill out fields for artist name, album name, genre, bpm, publisher info, your website and so on. The more you can fill out the better. Make it as easy as possible for people listening to and screening your music to find you.
You might be thinking, but why do I need to do this if I’m going to email someone my tracks. Won’t they know it’s from me if they get an email from me? Well, they might. But what if someone downloads your tracks, forgets who it came from and goes back to the listen to your songs that are now on their hard drive six months later. As I’ve stated before, most publishers and supervisors are dealing with a very high volume of music. Things frequently get misplaced.
Tagging your tracks with the track’s metadata is sort of like the digital version of putting your contact information directly on your CD back when CDs were the norm. Some of you might be too young to remember this, but back when I was starting out in the music business many years ago, the norm when it came to trying to get gigs, license music and so on, was to send CDs out. It was important to have all your contact info clearly labeled on the CD. That way, if someone opened your package, took out your CD and had it lying on their car seat a few weeks later, they could easily figure out who the CD came from and how to get ahold of the artist if they liked it. It’s the same idea with tagging your tracks.
I frequently get files of music sent to me from clients for my music marketing company, Music Pitchers, with no artist name in the file. When I download files it goes into my download folder. I normally organize it right away and move the music into a corresponding folder that I have set up for each artist I work with. But, sometimes I get busy and I forget to do this. When there’s no name or no metadata in the tracks I have no idea who the music belongs to. I now make it very clear to all the artists I work with that they need to put their name in the file name of the files they send me and it’s no longer an issue. But if you’re pitching your music to someone new you want to make it as easy as possible for them to easily access as much information about your tracks as possible, so be sure to properly embed as much information as you can about your tracks into your track’s properties.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to make sure all your tracks and files have the relevant metadata embedded into your tracks. See above for details on how to do this.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's video is a video version of today's lesson and goes into a bit more detail on this topic.
Today's Lesson - Metadata:
Today let’s talk about the really fun and stimulating topic of metadata. I hope you catch my sarcasm. It might not be a fun and exciting topic, but when it comes to licensing your music, it is important. So, what is “metadata”? Metadata refers to the data and information that describes your tracks. It contains information like artist name, song name, album name, genre, who your songs sound like and so on. It’s the sort of descriptive data that helps potential clients find your tracks and it also tells publishers and supervisors who you are, how to contact you and so on.
There’s basically two different types of metadata. The first kind of metadata is the information you embed into your tracks property fields so that when people play your tracks in media players like Itunes or Windows Media Player they’ll know the song name, who the artist is, how to contact you and so on. This is something everyone who is trying to license their music should do by default, for every song you start pitching.
To tag your tracks, so that the metadata is embedded into your file, simply right click on the track, open the details tab, and enter as much information as possible. You can fill out fields for artist name, album name, genre, bpm, publisher info, your website and so on. The more you can fill out the better. Make it as easy as possible for people listening to and screening your music to find you.
You might be thinking, but why do I need to do this if I’m going to email someone my tracks. Won’t they know it’s from me if they get an email from me? Well, they might. But what if someone downloads your tracks, forgets who it came from and goes back to the listen to your songs that are now on their hard drive six months later. As I’ve stated before, most publishers and supervisors are dealing with a very high volume of music. Things frequently get misplaced.
Tagging your tracks with the track’s metadata is sort of like the digital version of putting your contact information directly on your CD back when CDs were the norm. Some of you might be too young to remember this, but back when I was starting out in the music business many years ago, the norm when it came to trying to get gigs, license music and so on, was to send CDs out. It was important to have all your contact info clearly labeled on the CD. That way, if someone opened your package, took out your CD and had it lying on their car seat a few weeks later, they could easily figure out who the CD came from and how to get ahold of the artist if they liked it. It’s the same idea with tagging your tracks.
I frequently get files of music sent to me from clients for my music marketing company, Music Pitchers, with no artist name in the file. When I download files it goes into my download folder. I normally organize it right away and move the music into a corresponding folder that I have set up for each artist I work with. But, sometimes I get busy and I forget to do this. When there’s no name or no metadata in the tracks I have no idea who the music belongs to. I now make it very clear to all the artists I work with that they need to put their name in the file name of the files they send me and it’s no longer an issue. But if you’re pitching your music to someone new you want to make it as easy as possible for them to easily access as much information about your tracks as possible, so be sure to properly embed as much information as you can about your tracks into your track’s properties.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to make sure all your tracks and files have the relevant metadata embedded into your tracks. See above for details on how to do this.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's video is a video version of today's lesson and goes into a bit more detail on this topic.
Today's Leads:
1) Anthem Music Group
About: https://www.anthementertainment.com/
Submit: https://www.anthementertainment.com/
Contact: https://www.anthementertainment.com/
2) JPM Music Library
About: https://jpmusiclibrary.com/welcome-to-jpm/
Submit: https://jpmusiclibrary.com/contact-us/
Contact: https://jpmusiclibrary.com/contact-us/
3) Bulletproof Bear
About: https://www.bulletproofbear.com/about/
Submit: https://www.bulletproofbear.com
Contact: https://www.bulletproofbear.com/contact/
1) Anthem Music Group
About: https://www.anthementertainment.com/
Submit: https://www.anthementertainment.com/
Contact: https://www.anthementertainment.com/
2) JPM Music Library
About: https://jpmusiclibrary.com/welcome-to-jpm/
Submit: https://jpmusiclibrary.com/contact-us/
Contact: https://jpmusiclibrary.com/contact-us/
3) Bulletproof Bear
About: https://www.bulletproofbear.com/about/
Submit: https://www.bulletproofbear.com
Contact: https://www.bulletproofbear.com/contact/
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 11
Today's Lesson - Growing Your Catalog:
The more tracks you have in your catalog, the more potential licensing opportunities you'll have tracks that are a good fit for. Makes sense right? Part of a long term strategy for making money via music licensing is to work towards growing a large catalog. With a few exceptions, most writers I know and work with that make substantial money in music licensing have large catalogs, of hundreds or even thousands of tracks. It takes time to get there, but part of the plan for becoming successful should involve regularly creating and recording new tracks that you can add to libraries that you work with and also pitch to new contacts. You should ideally be making new music every week. I know some writers who create a track a day. Depending on the style of music you're making, this isn't as difficult as it sounds, especially as you become more proficient at recording and producing your tracks. Regardless of the size of your catalog now, think about coming up with a recording schedule that you can stick to, in order to grow your catalog over time. Everyone is different, and how many tracks you're able to write and record will vary depending on your schedule and overall goals. I typically aim to write and record at least one new track a week. My plate is pretty full with several different projects at any given time, so this is what I find works for me. It's prolific enough that over the years I've been able to build up to hundreds of songs. But it's not so stressful that I get burnt out.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to come up with a recording and writing schedule that you can commit to. If you want music licensing to be a job, that pays you like a job, then you need to treat it like a job. You need to commit to this in the same way you would commit to any full time endeavor. Music licensing is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time to get things rolling, but a crucial part of your overall success will be dependent on the quality and the size of your catalog of music. As you work towards building relationships, also work towards creating a great catalog of music that you can pitch to a variety of opportunities. Stick to what you can do best. But within the context of the kind of music you make, work towards making a lot of it, so when different opportunities are presented to you you'll be able to pitch music that is relevant. Think about how much time you can realistically devote to this right now and come up with a plan for executing. Can you record one song a week? Two? Three? Can you only do one song every two weeks? Determine what you actually have the time and motivation to do and start following through!
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's video is about exclusive vs non exclusive contracts.
Today's Lesson - Growing Your Catalog:
The more tracks you have in your catalog, the more potential licensing opportunities you'll have tracks that are a good fit for. Makes sense right? Part of a long term strategy for making money via music licensing is to work towards growing a large catalog. With a few exceptions, most writers I know and work with that make substantial money in music licensing have large catalogs, of hundreds or even thousands of tracks. It takes time to get there, but part of the plan for becoming successful should involve regularly creating and recording new tracks that you can add to libraries that you work with and also pitch to new contacts. You should ideally be making new music every week. I know some writers who create a track a day. Depending on the style of music you're making, this isn't as difficult as it sounds, especially as you become more proficient at recording and producing your tracks. Regardless of the size of your catalog now, think about coming up with a recording schedule that you can stick to, in order to grow your catalog over time. Everyone is different, and how many tracks you're able to write and record will vary depending on your schedule and overall goals. I typically aim to write and record at least one new track a week. My plate is pretty full with several different projects at any given time, so this is what I find works for me. It's prolific enough that over the years I've been able to build up to hundreds of songs. But it's not so stressful that I get burnt out.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to come up with a recording and writing schedule that you can commit to. If you want music licensing to be a job, that pays you like a job, then you need to treat it like a job. You need to commit to this in the same way you would commit to any full time endeavor. Music licensing is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time to get things rolling, but a crucial part of your overall success will be dependent on the quality and the size of your catalog of music. As you work towards building relationships, also work towards creating a great catalog of music that you can pitch to a variety of opportunities. Stick to what you can do best. But within the context of the kind of music you make, work towards making a lot of it, so when different opportunities are presented to you you'll be able to pitch music that is relevant. Think about how much time you can realistically devote to this right now and come up with a plan for executing. Can you record one song a week? Two? Three? Can you only do one song every two weeks? Determine what you actually have the time and motivation to do and start following through!
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's video is about exclusive vs non exclusive contracts.
Today's Leads:
1) Atom Music Audio
About: https://www.atommusicaudio.com/about/
Submit: https://www.atommusicaudio.com/contact/
Contact: https://www.atommusicaudio.com/contact/
2) Terrorbird
About: https://terrorbird.com/about
Submit: https://terrorbird.com/submissions
Contact: https://terrorbird.com/
3) Manners McDade
About: Since 2001, Manners McDade Management & Agency has represented some of the finest composers working in film, television, games and advertising and we now work with a number of agencies in Europe, Asia, and the US to ensure our clients have representation in international markets.
Manners McDade Music Publishing Limited is a UK music publisher established in 2006. Our catalogue includes the work of top film and TV composers as well as a select roster of European composers, many of whom come from a classical background.
We offer a first class service from registration to international collection of royalties from our network of sub-publishers that covers all major territories and we specialise in the synchronisation and exploitation of our catalogue.
Our success is founded on providing our clients and customers with the highest standards of professionalism, honesty in all our relationships, and an unparalleled attention to detail.
Submit: http://www.mannersmcdade.co.uk/submissions/
Contact: info@mannersmcdade.co.uk
1) Atom Music Audio
About: https://www.atommusicaudio.com/about/
Submit: https://www.atommusicaudio.com/contact/
Contact: https://www.atommusicaudio.com/contact/
2) Terrorbird
About: https://terrorbird.com/about
Submit: https://terrorbird.com/submissions
Contact: https://terrorbird.com/
3) Manners McDade
About: Since 2001, Manners McDade Management & Agency has represented some of the finest composers working in film, television, games and advertising and we now work with a number of agencies in Europe, Asia, and the US to ensure our clients have representation in international markets.
Manners McDade Music Publishing Limited is a UK music publisher established in 2006. Our catalogue includes the work of top film and TV composers as well as a select roster of European composers, many of whom come from a classical background.
We offer a first class service from registration to international collection of royalties from our network of sub-publishers that covers all major territories and we specialise in the synchronisation and exploitation of our catalogue.
Our success is founded on providing our clients and customers with the highest standards of professionalism, honesty in all our relationships, and an unparalleled attention to detail.
Submit: http://www.mannersmcdade.co.uk/submissions/
Contact: info@mannersmcdade.co.uk
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 12
Today's Lesson - Getting Paid:
There are two ways you get paid when licensing music. For many projects, there is an upfront sync fee for the rights to use your music. The amount of the sync fee varies greatly from project to project. It could be as low as several hundred dollars for a TV show to tens of thousands of dollars for a major ad campaign. The amount is based on many factors, including the budget of the show or production, the track being licensed and the company and/or person negotiating the sync fee on your behalf. For uses in television, a performance royalty is generated based on how the song is used. In general, the longer the usage and the more prominent a placement is, the more you'll get paid in performance royalties. I've had placements on TV that have earned as little as 20 dollars in performance royalties on the low end, and I've other placements that have generated as much as $2,500 dollars. There is a wide range of potential, depending on the track and the placement.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to watch the video below that further breaks down how you get paid when licensing music. One of the keys to generating an income from licensing is having a firm grasp on how the business works and the different ways in which you get paid. The better you understand the ins and outs of the business, the better you'll be able to navigate your way through the music licensing maze and make well informed decisions.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Lesson - Getting Paid:
There are two ways you get paid when licensing music. For many projects, there is an upfront sync fee for the rights to use your music. The amount of the sync fee varies greatly from project to project. It could be as low as several hundred dollars for a TV show to tens of thousands of dollars for a major ad campaign. The amount is based on many factors, including the budget of the show or production, the track being licensed and the company and/or person negotiating the sync fee on your behalf. For uses in television, a performance royalty is generated based on how the song is used. In general, the longer the usage and the more prominent a placement is, the more you'll get paid in performance royalties. I've had placements on TV that have earned as little as 20 dollars in performance royalties on the low end, and I've other placements that have generated as much as $2,500 dollars. There is a wide range of potential, depending on the track and the placement.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to watch the video below that further breaks down how you get paid when licensing music. One of the keys to generating an income from licensing is having a firm grasp on how the business works and the different ways in which you get paid. The better you understand the ins and outs of the business, the better you'll be able to navigate your way through the music licensing maze and make well informed decisions.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Leads:
1) Next Gen Music
About: https://www.nexgenmusicgroup.com/about
Submit: https://www.nexgenmusicgroup.com/demos
Contact: INFO@NEXGENMUSICGROUP
2) Mute Records
About: http://mute.com/
Submit: http://mute.com/contact
Contact: http://mute.com/contact
3) Mission Limited
About: Mission Entertainment Group is the culmination of four companies Mission Artist Management, Mission Publishing, Mission Recordings and Mission Marketing and Distribution. Our primary goal is the delivery of outstanding music from the writing / recording process, marketing and label management, to actually putting the artists music in the hands and ears of their fans.
The new building houses our offices and two recording studios with the facility to record up to a 14 piece string section in our 30m2 live room. We have incorporated state of the art recording equipment in both studios based around a Protools HD setup.
The business is based in Kingston-Upon-Thames, West London, with direct transport links from Heathrow and London Waterloo. Absolutely perfect for our clients arriving by plane or Eurostar, with two very good reasonably priced hotels within walking distance. This tried and tested formula has worked for many artists including Enrique Iglesias, Katherine Jenkins, Noise Next Door, Ricky Martin, Kylie Minogue, Heather Small, Rod Stewart, Keedie, Tina Turner, Amy Studt, Atomic Kitten and Cher, who have all recorded hit singles and albums in the vicinity.
Submit: http://www.missionlimited.com/contact/
Contact: http://www.missionlimited.com/contact/
1) Next Gen Music
About: https://www.nexgenmusicgroup.com/about
Submit: https://www.nexgenmusicgroup.com/demos
Contact: INFO@NEXGENMUSICGROUP
2) Mute Records
About: http://mute.com/
Submit: http://mute.com/contact
Contact: http://mute.com/contact
3) Mission Limited
About: Mission Entertainment Group is the culmination of four companies Mission Artist Management, Mission Publishing, Mission Recordings and Mission Marketing and Distribution. Our primary goal is the delivery of outstanding music from the writing / recording process, marketing and label management, to actually putting the artists music in the hands and ears of their fans.
The new building houses our offices and two recording studios with the facility to record up to a 14 piece string section in our 30m2 live room. We have incorporated state of the art recording equipment in both studios based around a Protools HD setup.
The business is based in Kingston-Upon-Thames, West London, with direct transport links from Heathrow and London Waterloo. Absolutely perfect for our clients arriving by plane or Eurostar, with two very good reasonably priced hotels within walking distance. This tried and tested formula has worked for many artists including Enrique Iglesias, Katherine Jenkins, Noise Next Door, Ricky Martin, Kylie Minogue, Heather Small, Rod Stewart, Keedie, Tina Turner, Amy Studt, Atomic Kitten and Cher, who have all recorded hit singles and albums in the vicinity.
Submit: http://www.missionlimited.com/contact/
Contact: http://www.missionlimited.com/contact/
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 13
Today's Lesson - Using Reference Tracks:
One of the best ways to make sure you are creating tracks that work for licensing is to use reference tracks when writing and recording new tracks. A reference track is simply a track that has already been licensed somewhere. Some TV shows, for example, have a very distinct vibe and sound in terms of the tracks they tend to use. When writing for television, it's helpful to listen to reference tracks to make sure you are creating tracks that fit the vibe or mood of a particular show. Of course, if you're not writing for a specific show or project, which if often the case, this is a little harder to do. But, you can still use reference tracks to get inspiration for creating new tracks that you know will work in the context of tv in general.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to find a track that has been licensed elsewhere and write a similar track that is in the same vein. Don't just copy the track. But come up with something new and distinct that could stand on its own, but is close enough to the original track that you're confident it would work for licensing purposes.
You can listen to track in our music licensing reference library, or another great resource, is the website, Tunefind, that lists tracks that have been featured in various television shows.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's video tutorial dives further into the topic of using reference tracks to license more music.
Today's Lesson - Using Reference Tracks:
One of the best ways to make sure you are creating tracks that work for licensing is to use reference tracks when writing and recording new tracks. A reference track is simply a track that has already been licensed somewhere. Some TV shows, for example, have a very distinct vibe and sound in terms of the tracks they tend to use. When writing for television, it's helpful to listen to reference tracks to make sure you are creating tracks that fit the vibe or mood of a particular show. Of course, if you're not writing for a specific show or project, which if often the case, this is a little harder to do. But, you can still use reference tracks to get inspiration for creating new tracks that you know will work in the context of tv in general.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to find a track that has been licensed elsewhere and write a similar track that is in the same vein. Don't just copy the track. But come up with something new and distinct that could stand on its own, but is close enough to the original track that you're confident it would work for licensing purposes.
You can listen to track in our music licensing reference library, or another great resource, is the website, Tunefind, that lists tracks that have been featured in various television shows.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's video tutorial dives further into the topic of using reference tracks to license more music.
Today's Leads:
1) Big Idea Music
About: http://bigideamusic.com/
Submit: http://bigideamusic.com
Contact: http://bigideamusic.com/
2) Playup Music
About: We license and create music for the biggest brands in the World.
Merging artists with brands is what we do best.
We never sleep. Our global team means someone is always listening.
We love to get involved!
Submit: Links to info@playupmusic.com
Contact: info@playupmusic.com
3) http://www.musikvergnuegen.com/
About: http://www.musikvergnuegen.com/about.php
Submit: Contact Walter For Submission Details at walter@musikvergnuegen.com
Contact: http://www.musikvergnuegen.com/contact.php
1) Big Idea Music
About: http://bigideamusic.com/
Submit: http://bigideamusic.com
Contact: http://bigideamusic.com/
2) Playup Music
About: We license and create music for the biggest brands in the World.
Merging artists with brands is what we do best.
We never sleep. Our global team means someone is always listening.
We love to get involved!
Submit: Links to info@playupmusic.com
Contact: info@playupmusic.com
3) http://www.musikvergnuegen.com/
About: http://www.musikvergnuegen.com/about.php
Submit: Contact Walter For Submission Details at walter@musikvergnuegen.com
Contact: http://www.musikvergnuegen.com/contact.php
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 14
Today's Lesson - Registering Your Tracks And Cue Sheets:
In order to get paid performance royalties when your songs are used in television, you need to be sure that your tracks are registered with your PRO (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, etc). When tv shows license and use music, they submit something called cue sheets, that list what songs and artists are used in each episode, to the corresponding PROs. PR0s. PROs then in turn distribute performance royalties for each placement, based on how the song was used. The longer and more prominent the placement, the larger the performance royalty.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to make sure you've registered the tracks you are pitching with your Performing Rights Organization. It's important that your tracks are registered, before you start pitching signing them to different companies. You have to have your tracks registered in order to get paid for your placements. Check with your PRO's website for details on the registration process. It's pretty straightforward and only takes several minutes per track.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's video tutorial breaks down how cue sheets and performance royalties work.
Today's Lesson - Registering Your Tracks And Cue Sheets:
In order to get paid performance royalties when your songs are used in television, you need to be sure that your tracks are registered with your PRO (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, etc). When tv shows license and use music, they submit something called cue sheets, that list what songs and artists are used in each episode, to the corresponding PROs. PR0s. PROs then in turn distribute performance royalties for each placement, based on how the song was used. The longer and more prominent the placement, the larger the performance royalty.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to make sure you've registered the tracks you are pitching with your Performing Rights Organization. It's important that your tracks are registered, before you start pitching signing them to different companies. You have to have your tracks registered in order to get paid for your placements. Check with your PRO's website for details on the registration process. It's pretty straightforward and only takes several minutes per track.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's video tutorial breaks down how cue sheets and performance royalties work.
Today's Leads:
1) Shine Library
About: https://shine-library.com/about/
Submit: https://shine-library.com/new-artist-submission/
Contact: https://shine-library.com/contact-us/
2) Groove Den
About: http://www.grooveden.com/about/
Submit: https://www.grooveden.com/submit-music
Contact: http://www.grooveden.com/contact/
3) Felt Music
About: https://www.feltmusic.com/about
Submit: https://www.feltmusic.com/contact
Contact: https://www.feltmusic.com/contact
1) Shine Library
About: https://shine-library.com/about/
Submit: https://shine-library.com/new-artist-submission/
Contact: https://shine-library.com/contact-us/
2) Groove Den
About: http://www.grooveden.com/about/
Submit: https://www.grooveden.com/submit-music
Contact: http://www.grooveden.com/contact/
3) Felt Music
About: https://www.feltmusic.com/about
Submit: https://www.feltmusic.com/contact
Contact: https://www.feltmusic.com/contact
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 15
Today's Lesson - Tracking Your Submission And Following Up:
When I first started pursuing music licensing, I wrote a batch of new songs that I took to a studio in the suburbs of Chicago to record professionally. After I recorded the tracks, three to be exact, I sent them off to several publishers working in the licensing industry that I knew of. One of those publishers was a former songwriting teacher of mine at Berklee College of Music, Barbara Jordan. After sending her my tracks, I waited several weeks and I heard nothing. I sort of assumed she had received my tracks and just wasn't interested. I was sort of used to rejection at this point. It's par for course in the music business. But one morning I woke up and on a whim decided to send Barbara a follow up email, just to make sure she received my package. This was back in the day, when mailing actual CDs was the norm. Within about five minutes of emailing her, she replied back, "Aaron, I'm so sorry. I've been meaning to email you. I got your CD and I LOVE your tracks. I know of one place in particular we can pitch one of your tracks right away." Within about three weeks, my song, "All The Love", made its debut on national television, on an episode of The Young & The Restless. Who knows what would have happened had I not simply followed up. I probably would have heard from her eventually, but by following up, I was able to expedite the process and get the answer I had been waiting for. Don't assume that if you don't hear back from someone, they're not interested in your music. They might not be. But they also might be interested, but have just been too busy to get back to you. Or maybe they haven't even had a chance to hear your music yet. You never really know until you get an answer. I always make it a habit to wait three or four weeks after sending my music somewhere, and just politely follow up to see if they received my submission, and if so, to find out what they think.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to watch today's video tutorial where I further discuss my method for following up on my submissions.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Lesson - Tracking Your Submission And Following Up:
When I first started pursuing music licensing, I wrote a batch of new songs that I took to a studio in the suburbs of Chicago to record professionally. After I recorded the tracks, three to be exact, I sent them off to several publishers working in the licensing industry that I knew of. One of those publishers was a former songwriting teacher of mine at Berklee College of Music, Barbara Jordan. After sending her my tracks, I waited several weeks and I heard nothing. I sort of assumed she had received my tracks and just wasn't interested. I was sort of used to rejection at this point. It's par for course in the music business. But one morning I woke up and on a whim decided to send Barbara a follow up email, just to make sure she received my package. This was back in the day, when mailing actual CDs was the norm. Within about five minutes of emailing her, she replied back, "Aaron, I'm so sorry. I've been meaning to email you. I got your CD and I LOVE your tracks. I know of one place in particular we can pitch one of your tracks right away." Within about three weeks, my song, "All The Love", made its debut on national television, on an episode of The Young & The Restless. Who knows what would have happened had I not simply followed up. I probably would have heard from her eventually, but by following up, I was able to expedite the process and get the answer I had been waiting for. Don't assume that if you don't hear back from someone, they're not interested in your music. They might not be. But they also might be interested, but have just been too busy to get back to you. Or maybe they haven't even had a chance to hear your music yet. You never really know until you get an answer. I always make it a habit to wait three or four weeks after sending my music somewhere, and just politely follow up to see if they received my submission, and if so, to find out what they think.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to watch today's video tutorial where I further discuss my method for following up on my submissions.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Leads:
1) Leopard Music Group
About: https://leopardmusicgroup.com/
Submit: https://leopardmusicgroup.com/contact-and-submissions/
Contact: https://leopardmusicgroup.com/contact-and-submissions/
2) Melod.ie
About: https://melod.ie/
Submit: https://melod.ie/artist_submissions
Contact: https://melod.ie/contact
3) Siix Trailer Music & Sound
About: https://siixmusic.com/
Submit: https://siixmusic.com/contact/
Contact: https://siixmusic.com/contact/
1) Leopard Music Group
About: https://leopardmusicgroup.com/
Submit: https://leopardmusicgroup.com/contact-and-submissions/
Contact: https://leopardmusicgroup.com/contact-and-submissions/
2) Melod.ie
About: https://melod.ie/
Submit: https://melod.ie/artist_submissions
Contact: https://melod.ie/contact
3) Siix Trailer Music & Sound
About: https://siixmusic.com/
Submit: https://siixmusic.com/contact/
Contact: https://siixmusic.com/contact/
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 16
Today's Lesson - Develop A Long Term Game Plan You Can Stick To:
As I pointed out in a previous lesson, music licensing is a long term endeavor. It's easy to become overly focused on waiting and hoping for something to happen. This is totally understandable. Obviously if your goal is to license your music in tv and films, you're going to want to achieve goals related to licensing. I want you to achieve your goals as well. However, in my experience what actually is more effective than being overly focused on hoping and trying to get your tracks licensed, is to instead focus on the the thing you need to do on a daily, weekly and monthly basis that will get you closer to your goals and eventually allow you to achieve them. The licensing business is pretty unpredictable and it can get discouraging and frustrating if your focusing too much energy on waiting for certain thing to happen. What will actually get you there much more quickly it too instead stay focused on simply doing the work you need to do. Focus on writing and recording a great catalog of music. Focus on building and cultivating connections with people in the industry. Focus on following up and submitting more music as you make it, and so on. Instead of being too concerned about any particular goal, focus on the habits that you need to cultivate in order to reach your goals.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to think about putting together an actual game plan that you can execute on a regular basis. Instead of approaching licensing on a short term basis, come up with an actual strategy that you can stick to on an ongoing basis. Think of this as sort of like dieting vs adopting a healthy way of life. I don't want you to just take this program, submit to the companies in the leads section and then just sit back and hope something happens. Instead, develop a strategy that you can actually stick to on a regular basis, for the next several years! I talked about coming up with a plan for growing your catalog and writing and recording new music. Let's extend that to the rest of the areas you need to focus on in order to get your music licensed. How many companies can you reach out to on a daily, weekly and monthly basis? How much time can you allot to networking and marketing your music? How many industry events can you attend each month? How much time can you spend following up with existing contacts? In my experience the more you plan things out and stay organized, the more you'll actually get done. If you simply leave things to chance, or only work towards your goals when you're "feeling it", it's likely you'll move at a much slower place. Ultimately, your schedule and what you do on a daily, weekly and monthly basis are up to you, and will depend on your schedule, motivation, where you're at in your career and so on. But think about developing a plant that focuses on what I refer to as the "3 pillar of music licensing":
1) Your Songs
2) Your Production (Recording)
3) Your Marketing
Ideally, you should be devoting considerable time to each of the three pillars on a weekly basis. Set aside time to write, record and market your music. All three of these pillar are intricately linked to your success. If you're not moving forward, chances are your lacking in at least one of these areas. Come up with a plan for writing, recording and pitching and following up in your tracks each week!
Today's Video Tutorial:
In today's video tutorial I discuss the concept of focusing on habits as opposed to goals.
Today's Lesson - Develop A Long Term Game Plan You Can Stick To:
As I pointed out in a previous lesson, music licensing is a long term endeavor. It's easy to become overly focused on waiting and hoping for something to happen. This is totally understandable. Obviously if your goal is to license your music in tv and films, you're going to want to achieve goals related to licensing. I want you to achieve your goals as well. However, in my experience what actually is more effective than being overly focused on hoping and trying to get your tracks licensed, is to instead focus on the the thing you need to do on a daily, weekly and monthly basis that will get you closer to your goals and eventually allow you to achieve them. The licensing business is pretty unpredictable and it can get discouraging and frustrating if your focusing too much energy on waiting for certain thing to happen. What will actually get you there much more quickly it too instead stay focused on simply doing the work you need to do. Focus on writing and recording a great catalog of music. Focus on building and cultivating connections with people in the industry. Focus on following up and submitting more music as you make it, and so on. Instead of being too concerned about any particular goal, focus on the habits that you need to cultivate in order to reach your goals.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to think about putting together an actual game plan that you can execute on a regular basis. Instead of approaching licensing on a short term basis, come up with an actual strategy that you can stick to on an ongoing basis. Think of this as sort of like dieting vs adopting a healthy way of life. I don't want you to just take this program, submit to the companies in the leads section and then just sit back and hope something happens. Instead, develop a strategy that you can actually stick to on a regular basis, for the next several years! I talked about coming up with a plan for growing your catalog and writing and recording new music. Let's extend that to the rest of the areas you need to focus on in order to get your music licensed. How many companies can you reach out to on a daily, weekly and monthly basis? How much time can you allot to networking and marketing your music? How many industry events can you attend each month? How much time can you spend following up with existing contacts? In my experience the more you plan things out and stay organized, the more you'll actually get done. If you simply leave things to chance, or only work towards your goals when you're "feeling it", it's likely you'll move at a much slower place. Ultimately, your schedule and what you do on a daily, weekly and monthly basis are up to you, and will depend on your schedule, motivation, where you're at in your career and so on. But think about developing a plant that focuses on what I refer to as the "3 pillar of music licensing":
1) Your Songs
2) Your Production (Recording)
3) Your Marketing
Ideally, you should be devoting considerable time to each of the three pillars on a weekly basis. Set aside time to write, record and market your music. All three of these pillar are intricately linked to your success. If you're not moving forward, chances are your lacking in at least one of these areas. Come up with a plan for writing, recording and pitching and following up in your tracks each week!
Today's Video Tutorial:
In today's video tutorial I discuss the concept of focusing on habits as opposed to goals.
Today's Leads:
1) Fundamental Music
About: https://www.fundamentalmusic.com/company
Submit: https://www.fundamentalmusic.com/submissions
Contact: https://www.fundamentalmusic.com/contact
2) Bright Antenna
About: http://www.brightantenna.com/
Submit: http://www.brightantenna.com/contact
Contact: http://www.brightantenna.com/
3) Atom Music Audio
About: https://www.atommusicaudio.com/about/
Submit: https://www.atommusicaudio.com/contact/
Contact: https://www.atommusicaudio.com/contact/
1) Fundamental Music
About: https://www.fundamentalmusic.com/company
Submit: https://www.fundamentalmusic.com/submissions
Contact: https://www.fundamentalmusic.com/contact
2) Bright Antenna
About: http://www.brightantenna.com/
Submit: http://www.brightantenna.com/contact
Contact: http://www.brightantenna.com/
3) Atom Music Audio
About: https://www.atommusicaudio.com/about/
Submit: https://www.atommusicaudio.com/contact/
Contact: https://www.atommusicaudio.com/contact/
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 17
Today's Lesson - Artist Music VS Production Music:
Broadly speaking, there are essentially two categories of music that get licensed in tv shows and films; "artist" music and "production" music. Most music that is licensed falls into one of these two categories. It's important that if you're pursuing licensing, you know which category you fall into. I consider "artist" music to be artists that simply write music they are inspired to write. Maybe they are also performing and touring, releasing music regularly and so on. Then, as a sort of after thought, they pursue licensing when opportunities arise as a way to supplement their income. These types of artists aren't necessarily writing music with the specific goal of licensing it, they're simply making their music and license it when possible. On the other hand, there are composers and songwriters who deliberately set out to make music with the sole purpose of pursuing licensing opportunities. Most "production" music is approached in this manner. It's music that is crafted to work best within the context of licensing. There is a place for both kinds of music in the context of licensing, but which approach you take will alter your songwriting process and in many ways, your overall approach to your career.
If you have no interest in releasing "albums", touring, and building up a fan base for your original music, and your only interest is pursuing licensing opportunities, then it's going to be much easier to focus primarily on music licensing and creating music that works in this context. But if your goal is to be an original artist that tours, releases original albums and so on, it's probably going to be harder to find the time to focus on licensing, and only licensing, when writing and recording music. I don't think there is really a wrong approach, there are just two different approaches based on your overall career goals and interests. Which kind of artist are you? Do you aspire to tour and put out albums? Or do you see yourself more happy staying at home, locked in your studio, creating a wide variety of compositions and songs that work best in tv and films?
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to watch the video tutorial below that dives deeper into the topic of "artist" music vs "Production" music.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Lesson - Artist Music VS Production Music:
Broadly speaking, there are essentially two categories of music that get licensed in tv shows and films; "artist" music and "production" music. Most music that is licensed falls into one of these two categories. It's important that if you're pursuing licensing, you know which category you fall into. I consider "artist" music to be artists that simply write music they are inspired to write. Maybe they are also performing and touring, releasing music regularly and so on. Then, as a sort of after thought, they pursue licensing when opportunities arise as a way to supplement their income. These types of artists aren't necessarily writing music with the specific goal of licensing it, they're simply making their music and license it when possible. On the other hand, there are composers and songwriters who deliberately set out to make music with the sole purpose of pursuing licensing opportunities. Most "production" music is approached in this manner. It's music that is crafted to work best within the context of licensing. There is a place for both kinds of music in the context of licensing, but which approach you take will alter your songwriting process and in many ways, your overall approach to your career.
If you have no interest in releasing "albums", touring, and building up a fan base for your original music, and your only interest is pursuing licensing opportunities, then it's going to be much easier to focus primarily on music licensing and creating music that works in this context. But if your goal is to be an original artist that tours, releases original albums and so on, it's probably going to be harder to find the time to focus on licensing, and only licensing, when writing and recording music. I don't think there is really a wrong approach, there are just two different approaches based on your overall career goals and interests. Which kind of artist are you? Do you aspire to tour and put out albums? Or do you see yourself more happy staying at home, locked in your studio, creating a wide variety of compositions and songs that work best in tv and films?
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to watch the video tutorial below that dives deeper into the topic of "artist" music vs "Production" music.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Leads:
1) Big Sync Music
About: http://www.bigsyncmusic.com/about/
Submit: http://www.bigsyncmusic.com/contact
Contact: http://www.bigsyncmusic.com/contact
2) Love Cat Music
About: http://lovecatmusic.com/about
Submit: http://lovecatmusic.com/musicsubmissions/
Contact: http://lovecatmusic.com/contact
3) Low Profile
About: https://www.lowprofilenyc.com/about
Submit: https://www.lowprofilenyc.com/about
Contact: yo@lowprofilenyc.com
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 18
Today's Lesson - Become A Master Of Your Craft:
To succeed in licensing, at a significant level, you need to become a master at your craft. There are LOTS of musicians out there competing in the marketplace. There are far more musicians vying for licensing opportunities than there are licensing opportunities. Knowing this, you need to focus on becoming a master at your craft. Be objective about your own music, is it really as good as the majority of music that is being licensed right now? Can you honestly say your music is ready to be used in tv shows and films? Half of the battle, when it comes to licensing, is making sure the tracks you're pitching are actually ready to be pitched. No amount of networking, submitting music and so on will help if the music itself isn't great.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to check out the website, TuneFind.com. This website lists the songs used in a variety of tv shows and films. You can see which songs are used in each episode and you can even stream the songs directly from the website! Spend some time on this website and really get a good feel for the kinds of songs tv shows and films are using currently. Then, you can decide which songs of yours are the most relevant for licensing and also work on creating more music going forward, that works for licensing.
Visit https://www.tunefind.com/
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's video tutorial is called "Be A Master Of Your Craft" from composer Eddie Grey. This video is a 50 minute video that goes into how to create sessions templates when composing tracks for TV. The tutorial is part of a much longer course called "How To Be A Full Time TV Composer". Creating session templates will allow you to work more efficiently and get tracks done more quickly.
Today's Lesson - Become A Master Of Your Craft:
To succeed in licensing, at a significant level, you need to become a master at your craft. There are LOTS of musicians out there competing in the marketplace. There are far more musicians vying for licensing opportunities than there are licensing opportunities. Knowing this, you need to focus on becoming a master at your craft. Be objective about your own music, is it really as good as the majority of music that is being licensed right now? Can you honestly say your music is ready to be used in tv shows and films? Half of the battle, when it comes to licensing, is making sure the tracks you're pitching are actually ready to be pitched. No amount of networking, submitting music and so on will help if the music itself isn't great.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to check out the website, TuneFind.com. This website lists the songs used in a variety of tv shows and films. You can see which songs are used in each episode and you can even stream the songs directly from the website! Spend some time on this website and really get a good feel for the kinds of songs tv shows and films are using currently. Then, you can decide which songs of yours are the most relevant for licensing and also work on creating more music going forward, that works for licensing.
Visit https://www.tunefind.com/
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's video tutorial is called "Be A Master Of Your Craft" from composer Eddie Grey. This video is a 50 minute video that goes into how to create sessions templates when composing tracks for TV. The tutorial is part of a much longer course called "How To Be A Full Time TV Composer". Creating session templates will allow you to work more efficiently and get tracks done more quickly.
Today's Leads:
1) Warner-Chappell Production Music
About: https://www.warnerchappellpm.com/
Submit: https://www.warnerchappellpm.com/contact-us/#com
Contact: https://www.warnerchappellpm.com/contact-us/#com
2) Polastern Music
About: http://www.polarsternmusic.com/music/catalogue
Submit: http://www.polarsternmusic.com/faq
Contact: http://www.polarsternmusic.com/contact
3) Mophonics
About: https://www.mophonics.com/about
Submit: https://www.mophonics.com/contact
Contact: https://www.mophonics.com/contact
1) Warner-Chappell Production Music
About: https://www.warnerchappellpm.com/
Submit: https://www.warnerchappellpm.com/contact-us/#com
Contact: https://www.warnerchappellpm.com/contact-us/#com
2) Polastern Music
About: http://www.polarsternmusic.com/music/catalogue
Submit: http://www.polarsternmusic.com/faq
Contact: http://www.polarsternmusic.com/contact
3) Mophonics
About: https://www.mophonics.com/about
Submit: https://www.mophonics.com/contact
Contact: https://www.mophonics.com/contact
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 19
Today's Lesson - Put All Agreements In Writing:
There's an established protocol within the licensing industry for things like sync fees, performance royalties and so on. Most of the time, if you're working with established companies and you've done everything you need to do, like registering your tracks with your PRO and you've made sure to cross all your T's and dot all your I's, you'll get paid without a hitch. Albeit, it might take awhile, after-all, this is a pretty slow moving business in terms of getting compensated. But, there is an area within the context of licensing that is much more of a grey area.
What I'm referring to are working with different collaborators and setting up your own compensation agreements. For example, one area that I've collaborated a lot with different people in, is music production. I've worked with several different producers over the years, who have agreed to work for nothing or little upfront, in exchange for a percentage of any back-end money made in the future. Most of these partnerships have been fruitful and have worked without any problems or issues, in terms of splitting monies earned. Most of these agreements have simply been oral agreements, that were essentially hand shake deals.
But, I ran into an unusual situation recently that has changed my opinion on doing business this way. At this point, I put all business agreements into writing and I suggest you do the same. This way, you'll have a legally binding document to refer to, in the event that there are any disagreements or disputes. See the video below, where I discuss a recent situation that came up, where I didn't have anything in writing, and I had a dispute/misunderstanding with an old friend that ended badly.
Today's Assignment:
Check out today's video on why you should put all agreements in writing!
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Lesson - Put All Agreements In Writing:
There's an established protocol within the licensing industry for things like sync fees, performance royalties and so on. Most of the time, if you're working with established companies and you've done everything you need to do, like registering your tracks with your PRO and you've made sure to cross all your T's and dot all your I's, you'll get paid without a hitch. Albeit, it might take awhile, after-all, this is a pretty slow moving business in terms of getting compensated. But, there is an area within the context of licensing that is much more of a grey area.
What I'm referring to are working with different collaborators and setting up your own compensation agreements. For example, one area that I've collaborated a lot with different people in, is music production. I've worked with several different producers over the years, who have agreed to work for nothing or little upfront, in exchange for a percentage of any back-end money made in the future. Most of these partnerships have been fruitful and have worked without any problems or issues, in terms of splitting monies earned. Most of these agreements have simply been oral agreements, that were essentially hand shake deals.
But, I ran into an unusual situation recently that has changed my opinion on doing business this way. At this point, I put all business agreements into writing and I suggest you do the same. This way, you'll have a legally binding document to refer to, in the event that there are any disagreements or disputes. See the video below, where I discuss a recent situation that came up, where I didn't have anything in writing, and I had a dispute/misunderstanding with an old friend that ended badly.
Today's Assignment:
Check out today's video on why you should put all agreements in writing!
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Leads:
1) See Music
About: https://www.see-music.com/index.html
Submit: https://www.see-music.com/#contactseemusic
Contact: https://www.see-music.com/#contactseemusic
2) Motus Music
About: https://www.motusmusic.com/#!home
Submit: https://www.motusmusic.com/#!Contact
Contact: https://www.motusmusic.com/#!Contact
3) Bodega Sync
About: https://bodegasync.com/
Submit: https://bodegasync.com/apply/
Contact: https://bodegasync.com/contact/
1) See Music
About: https://www.see-music.com/index.html
Submit: https://www.see-music.com/#contactseemusic
Contact: https://www.see-music.com/#contactseemusic
2) Motus Music
About: https://www.motusmusic.com/#!home
Submit: https://www.motusmusic.com/#!Contact
Contact: https://www.motusmusic.com/#!Contact
3) Bodega Sync
About: https://bodegasync.com/
Submit: https://bodegasync.com/apply/
Contact: https://bodegasync.com/contact/
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 20
Today's Lesson - Buyout Deals:
Buyout deals are similar to exclusive deals, but are even more restrictive. Typically when you do an exclusive publishing deal you still retain the copyright. In other words, you still own the master and the song, but are simply giving someone the exclusive rights to represent your songs in the context of licensing. When you do a buyout deal, you are typically giving someone both the exclusive rights to pitch your music for licensing and also transferring your copyright, in other words, the actual ownership of the song. The difference, is that when you do a buyout deal you'll get some sort of money upfront for ownership of the track. You'll normally still get a writer's royalty anytime your tracks are placed, but you won't be able to do anything else with these tracks, other than wait and collect any royalties whenever the tracks are placed. How much you get per track for a buyout deal will vary, depending on the company and the type of track. A typical fee would be somewhere around 100 to several hundred dollars for a production library track. Vocal tracks tend to generate a bit more. In my opinion, these types of deals make the most sense for composers who are creating a lot of tracks. It's a good way to bring in immediate cash-flow while you're waiting for your tracks to get placed and generate royalties. A couple hundred dollars per track isn't much, but if you did just ten tracks a month at 200 dollars each, you'd have 2k in cashflow for the month, and again, you'd also get performance royalties in most cases, if and when your tracks are placed.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to watch today's videos on buyout deals and "royalty free" libraries.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Lesson - Buyout Deals:
Buyout deals are similar to exclusive deals, but are even more restrictive. Typically when you do an exclusive publishing deal you still retain the copyright. In other words, you still own the master and the song, but are simply giving someone the exclusive rights to represent your songs in the context of licensing. When you do a buyout deal, you are typically giving someone both the exclusive rights to pitch your music for licensing and also transferring your copyright, in other words, the actual ownership of the song. The difference, is that when you do a buyout deal you'll get some sort of money upfront for ownership of the track. You'll normally still get a writer's royalty anytime your tracks are placed, but you won't be able to do anything else with these tracks, other than wait and collect any royalties whenever the tracks are placed. How much you get per track for a buyout deal will vary, depending on the company and the type of track. A typical fee would be somewhere around 100 to several hundred dollars for a production library track. Vocal tracks tend to generate a bit more. In my opinion, these types of deals make the most sense for composers who are creating a lot of tracks. It's a good way to bring in immediate cash-flow while you're waiting for your tracks to get placed and generate royalties. A couple hundred dollars per track isn't much, but if you did just ten tracks a month at 200 dollars each, you'd have 2k in cashflow for the month, and again, you'd also get performance royalties in most cases, if and when your tracks are placed.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to watch today's videos on buyout deals and "royalty free" libraries.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Leads:
1) Kool Music
About: http://www.koolmusic.com/about-us.php
Submit: http://www.koolmusic.com/composer_enquiry.php
Contact: http://www.koolmusic.com/contact-us.php
2) BDi Music LTD.
About: http://www.bdimusic.com/about
Submit: http://www.bdimusic.com/contact
Contact: http://www.bdimusic.com/contact
3) Goldstein Music
About: https://goldsteinmusic.com/about/
Submit: https://goldsteinmusic.com/contact/
Contact: https://goldsteinmusic.com/contact/
1) Kool Music
About: http://www.koolmusic.com/about-us.php
Submit: http://www.koolmusic.com/composer_enquiry.php
Contact: http://www.koolmusic.com/contact-us.php
2) BDi Music LTD.
About: http://www.bdimusic.com/about
Submit: http://www.bdimusic.com/contact
Contact: http://www.bdimusic.com/contact
3) Goldstein Music
About: https://goldsteinmusic.com/about/
Submit: https://goldsteinmusic.com/contact/
Contact: https://goldsteinmusic.com/contact/
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 21
Today's Lesson - The Proper Way To End Your Tracks For Licensing:
When you're composing tracks for television and films, it's important that your tracks don't fade out at the end. The reason is that when your tracks fade out, it's harder for music editors to make the end of your tracks fit to a scene. It's easier to work with tracks that have an abrupt ending. The exception is if you're specifically asked to create a track that fades out. There are always exceptions. But generally speaking, it's best to have tracks that don't fade out.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to watch today's video tutorial from TV composer Eddie Grey. Eddie goes into more detail on this topic and breaks down how to end your tracks.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Lesson - The Proper Way To End Your Tracks For Licensing:
When you're composing tracks for television and films, it's important that your tracks don't fade out at the end. The reason is that when your tracks fade out, it's harder for music editors to make the end of your tracks fit to a scene. It's easier to work with tracks that have an abrupt ending. The exception is if you're specifically asked to create a track that fades out. There are always exceptions. But generally speaking, it's best to have tracks that don't fade out.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to watch today's video tutorial from TV composer Eddie Grey. Eddie goes into more detail on this topic and breaks down how to end your tracks.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Leads:
1) Martin Works Publishing
About: http://martinworks.net/
Submit: https://martinworks.ca/en_ca/submissions/
Contact: info@martinworks.net
2) Pinkshark Music
About: https://www.pinksharkmusic.com/about-us
Submit: send STREAMING LINKS ONLY to submissions@pinksharkmusic.com
Contact: https://www.pinksharkmusic.com
3) Century Music Group
About: http://centurymusicgroup.net/
Submit: http://centurymusicgroup.net/
Contact: http://centurymusicgroup.net/
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 22
Today's Lesson - More Thoughts On Music Production:
In today's lesson I wanted to dive a little deeper into the topic of music production. As I stated in a previous lesson, the quality of your music production when licensing your music is critical. You'll be competing with a lot of really well produced tracks when you're pitching your tracks for licensing. But just how important is music production overall? Well, keep in mind, when we're talking about music licensing, there is a very broad range of licensing opportunities for your tracks. On the low end, there are placements that pay nothing upfront and might generate as little 20 dollars per usage on the back end, or even less in some cases, and on the other end of the spectrum, there are major film and ad placements that can generate tens of thousands of dollars. There is a really wide range in terms of what projects pay. As you might expect, generally the more lucrative the placement, the more important it is that your tracks are produced to very high standards. BUT, production quality is important at every level of this business. I look at music production as a craft and art unto itself. In the same way that writing songs and composing music is an art form, so is music production. For many artists who are new to music production, there is a fairly steep learning curve, it might take a year or two to really master music production at the level needed for music licensing. Of course, many artists simply work with outside producers, but this can get costly if you're not careful. Everyone's situation, with respect to music production, and what route you take really depends on a variety of factors. Do you own a home studio? Do you like producing music? Do you have the time? And so on... What works for me is tracking as much as possible in my own home studio and then working with my producer, who mixes and masters my tracks. This approach helps me minimize my costs, but I still leave the bulk of the music production to someone who is more skilled than I am.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to watch the replay of a recent music licensing mastermind with Producer Gary Gray. Gary hosts a weekly, live 90 minute mastermind for members of HTLYM Premium. If you like this type of content, be sure to also check out all four courses Gary Gray has created on the topic of music production and mastering, available to all How To License Your Music Premium members. More info.
Today's Video Tutorial - Music Licensing Mastermind: Highlights: A Thorough Introduction To In-The-Box Orchestral Realism & Trailer Soundtrack Production!
Today's Lesson - More Thoughts On Music Production:
In today's lesson I wanted to dive a little deeper into the topic of music production. As I stated in a previous lesson, the quality of your music production when licensing your music is critical. You'll be competing with a lot of really well produced tracks when you're pitching your tracks for licensing. But just how important is music production overall? Well, keep in mind, when we're talking about music licensing, there is a very broad range of licensing opportunities for your tracks. On the low end, there are placements that pay nothing upfront and might generate as little 20 dollars per usage on the back end, or even less in some cases, and on the other end of the spectrum, there are major film and ad placements that can generate tens of thousands of dollars. There is a really wide range in terms of what projects pay. As you might expect, generally the more lucrative the placement, the more important it is that your tracks are produced to very high standards. BUT, production quality is important at every level of this business. I look at music production as a craft and art unto itself. In the same way that writing songs and composing music is an art form, so is music production. For many artists who are new to music production, there is a fairly steep learning curve, it might take a year or two to really master music production at the level needed for music licensing. Of course, many artists simply work with outside producers, but this can get costly if you're not careful. Everyone's situation, with respect to music production, and what route you take really depends on a variety of factors. Do you own a home studio? Do you like producing music? Do you have the time? And so on... What works for me is tracking as much as possible in my own home studio and then working with my producer, who mixes and masters my tracks. This approach helps me minimize my costs, but I still leave the bulk of the music production to someone who is more skilled than I am.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to watch the replay of a recent music licensing mastermind with Producer Gary Gray. Gary hosts a weekly, live 90 minute mastermind for members of HTLYM Premium. If you like this type of content, be sure to also check out all four courses Gary Gray has created on the topic of music production and mastering, available to all How To License Your Music Premium members. More info.
Today's Video Tutorial - Music Licensing Mastermind: Highlights: A Thorough Introduction To In-The-Box Orchestral Realism & Trailer Soundtrack Production!
Today's Leads:
1) Bopper Music
About: https://www.boppermusic.com/
Submit: https://www.boppermusic.com/contact.
Contact: https://www.boppermusic.com/contact
2) Mood Media
About: Mood Media is the global leader in elevating Customer Experiences. We combine sight, sound, scent, social mobile technology and systems solutions to create greater emotional connections between brands and consumers… both on premise and beyond. Our solutions reach over 150 million consumers each day through more than 500,000 subscriber locations in 100+ countries around the globe.
Submit: http://us.moodmedia.com/music-submissions/
Contact: http://us.moodmedia.com/contact-us
3) Marmoset
About: https://www.marmosetmusic.com/our-story
Submit: https://www.marmosetmusic.com/help#artists
Contact: https://www.marmosetmusic.com/contact
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 23
Today's Lesson - Staying Positive:
A big element of being successful in the music industry is being positive and having a healthy mindset. The music industry is a competitive and at times, very difficult business. It's easy to get discouraged and become cynical about the music business, if you're not careful. It's really important to stay focused on why you're pursuing a career in music, what it is you love about making music and not lose sight of this passion when things don't get your way. Almost inevitably, we also face periods where we're either not progressing as fast as we'd like, or we're not progressing at all. In my experience, this is perfectly normal in the life of a musician. During these periods it's helpful to take a step back and remain in touch with what it is that draw us to wanting to make music in the first place. Then, as you move forward, be sure to celebrate EVERY victory. No matter how small or insignificant you feel it is. You signed your music to a new library? Awesome! Take yourself out to dinner. You got a five second placement on a cable TV show? Amazing! Drinks on you. You wrote an incredible new song that you feel is perfect for licensing? Great. Have a few friends over to share the song and celebrate your creation. The point is that you should give yourself credit for every step forward you make, no matter how small you think it is. Success in this industry is comprised of a lot of very small steps forward. You might get one big lucky break, but most likely you will inch your way forward, one step at a time.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to watch the video below that goes deeper into my thoughts about why I think it's important to stay positive.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Lesson - Staying Positive:
A big element of being successful in the music industry is being positive and having a healthy mindset. The music industry is a competitive and at times, very difficult business. It's easy to get discouraged and become cynical about the music business, if you're not careful. It's really important to stay focused on why you're pursuing a career in music, what it is you love about making music and not lose sight of this passion when things don't get your way. Almost inevitably, we also face periods where we're either not progressing as fast as we'd like, or we're not progressing at all. In my experience, this is perfectly normal in the life of a musician. During these periods it's helpful to take a step back and remain in touch with what it is that draw us to wanting to make music in the first place. Then, as you move forward, be sure to celebrate EVERY victory. No matter how small or insignificant you feel it is. You signed your music to a new library? Awesome! Take yourself out to dinner. You got a five second placement on a cable TV show? Amazing! Drinks on you. You wrote an incredible new song that you feel is perfect for licensing? Great. Have a few friends over to share the song and celebrate your creation. The point is that you should give yourself credit for every step forward you make, no matter how small you think it is. Success in this industry is comprised of a lot of very small steps forward. You might get one big lucky break, but most likely you will inch your way forward, one step at a time.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to watch the video below that goes deeper into my thoughts about why I think it's important to stay positive.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Leads:
1) Liberty Music Licensing
About: Liberty Music Licensing is a digital music licensing service based in Montreal, Canada. We provide original music by independent artists from Canada and around the world exclusively to creative content producers, for use in:
Television Series
Films
New Media
Games
Advertising
Our unique service offers full length original songs (vocal and instrumental) with both Sync + Master rights pre-cleared for all production applications and media platforms. All songs are handpicked by industry professionals to allow content creators to expand their creative freedom far beyond what production libraries can offer.
The songs in the Liberty catalogue are ideal to complement composers' custom music for your production. Liberty Music Licensing is committed to ease and efficiency of use.
To browse the Liberty catalogue, click Browse Music above.
Liberty provides artists a marketplace to submit their music for approval, upon which they can be confident that Liberty™'s state of the art interface and team of industry professionals will find the absolute best placements for their work.
Submit: http://www.libertylicensing.com/artist
Contact: info@libertylicensing.com
2) Epitome Music
About: Epitome Music Library (EML) was discovered, and then meticulously extracted from the mind of Ben Kopec. After launching in the summer of 2006, EML became an instant threat to some of the biggest production music libraries in the world. Continuing to be at the vanguard of a musical revolution, EML continues to reinvent themselves to meet the needs of a continuously dynamic marketplace.
Submit: Submit Music (epitomemusic.com)
Contact: http://www.epitomemusic.com/contact.html
3) SGO Music
About: http://www.sgomusic.com/
Submit: Send links to sgomusic@sgomusic.com
Contact: sgomusic@sgomusic.com
1) Liberty Music Licensing
About: Liberty Music Licensing is a digital music licensing service based in Montreal, Canada. We provide original music by independent artists from Canada and around the world exclusively to creative content producers, for use in:
Television Series
Films
New Media
Games
Advertising
Our unique service offers full length original songs (vocal and instrumental) with both Sync + Master rights pre-cleared for all production applications and media platforms. All songs are handpicked by industry professionals to allow content creators to expand their creative freedom far beyond what production libraries can offer.
The songs in the Liberty catalogue are ideal to complement composers' custom music for your production. Liberty Music Licensing is committed to ease and efficiency of use.
To browse the Liberty catalogue, click Browse Music above.
Liberty provides artists a marketplace to submit their music for approval, upon which they can be confident that Liberty™'s state of the art interface and team of industry professionals will find the absolute best placements for their work.
Submit: http://www.libertylicensing.com/artist
Contact: info@libertylicensing.com
2) Epitome Music
About: Epitome Music Library (EML) was discovered, and then meticulously extracted from the mind of Ben Kopec. After launching in the summer of 2006, EML became an instant threat to some of the biggest production music libraries in the world. Continuing to be at the vanguard of a musical revolution, EML continues to reinvent themselves to meet the needs of a continuously dynamic marketplace.
Submit: Submit Music (epitomemusic.com)
Contact: http://www.epitomemusic.com/contact.html
3) SGO Music
About: http://www.sgomusic.com/
Submit: Send links to sgomusic@sgomusic.com
Contact: sgomusic@sgomusic.com
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 24
Today's Lesson - Pitching Your Music:
In a previous post I talked about the importance of developing a game plan for your career. If you want to make music and music licensing a career, you need to approach it like a career. In today's post I want to talk about pitching your tracks. Apart from making music, the actual pitching of your tracks is the most important thing you can focus on, when it comes to licensing your music. You'll need to set aside considerable time to researching projects and companies, sending your music to libraries and supervisors, and pitching your tracks to music supervisors. This is really where the real work comes in, in terms of getting your tracks licensed. How much time should you spending pitching and submitting material? This really varies depending on where you are in your career, but I would suggest setting aside a day a week to devote to nothing else than pitching your tracks. If you don't have that much time, start with a few hours a week. The main thing is that you are consistently getting your music to people and connecting with players in the industry. It's way too easy to get a little momentum going and then forget to make this a part of your regular schedule. The pitching and submitting never really stops. Of course it gets easier as you make connections and build a network of people you're working with. But you want to always be connecting and expanding your network of people and places you license your music through, if your goal is to make a full time living from licensing.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to check out my podcast with songwriter, Michele Vice-Maslin. This is one of the better podcasts I've done and Michele really lays out a great framework for how to work in the music licensing industry. Michele has had thousands of placements over the years on shows like Sons Of Anarchy, Pretty Little Liars, Joan Of Arcadia, Malcolm In The Middle, Guiding Light, The Hills, Laguna Beach, Ugly Betty and many more.
Today's Lesson - Pitching Your Music:
In a previous post I talked about the importance of developing a game plan for your career. If you want to make music and music licensing a career, you need to approach it like a career. In today's post I want to talk about pitching your tracks. Apart from making music, the actual pitching of your tracks is the most important thing you can focus on, when it comes to licensing your music. You'll need to set aside considerable time to researching projects and companies, sending your music to libraries and supervisors, and pitching your tracks to music supervisors. This is really where the real work comes in, in terms of getting your tracks licensed. How much time should you spending pitching and submitting material? This really varies depending on where you are in your career, but I would suggest setting aside a day a week to devote to nothing else than pitching your tracks. If you don't have that much time, start with a few hours a week. The main thing is that you are consistently getting your music to people and connecting with players in the industry. It's way too easy to get a little momentum going and then forget to make this a part of your regular schedule. The pitching and submitting never really stops. Of course it gets easier as you make connections and build a network of people you're working with. But you want to always be connecting and expanding your network of people and places you license your music through, if your goal is to make a full time living from licensing.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to check out my podcast with songwriter, Michele Vice-Maslin. This is one of the better podcasts I've done and Michele really lays out a great framework for how to work in the music licensing industry. Michele has had thousands of placements over the years on shows like Sons Of Anarchy, Pretty Little Liars, Joan Of Arcadia, Malcolm In The Middle, Guiding Light, The Hills, Laguna Beach, Ugly Betty and many more.
Today's Leads:
1) Mainstream Source
About: https://mainstreamsource.com/main.php
Submit: https://mainstreamsource.com/contact/
Contact: https://mainstreamsource.com/contact/
2) Maps
About: https://www.wearemapsmusic.com/team
Submit: https://www.wearemapsmusic.com/submit
Contact: info@wearemapsmusic.com
3) Noted Audio
About: https://www.notedaudio.com/
Submit: contact@notedaudio.com
Attn: Music Submission
Contact: contact@notedaudio.com
1) Mainstream Source
About: https://mainstreamsource.com/main.php
Submit: https://mainstreamsource.com/contact/
Contact: https://mainstreamsource.com/contact/
2) Maps
About: https://www.wearemapsmusic.com/team
Submit: https://www.wearemapsmusic.com/submit
Contact: info@wearemapsmusic.com
3) Noted Audio
About: https://www.notedaudio.com/
Submit: contact@notedaudio.com
Attn: Music Submission
Contact: contact@notedaudio.com
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 25
Today's Lesson - Pitching Directly To Music Supervisors:
In general, I recommend those that are new to music licensing, get started by working with music libraries and music publishers. In my experience it's easier to get started this way. Many supervisors are NOT open to working with unknown songwriters and tend to have people they have established relationships that they prefer to work with. Of course, there are exceptions and some supervisors may be open to working with you, if you approach them at the right time, with the right material. Music supervisors needs changed on a project to project basis, so if you do decide to pursue this route, it's important that you only pitch them music that is relevant to their needs. How do you find this information? Well, it takes a little digging on places like IMDB, Variety magazine, Google, checking out their websites and so on. It takes doing some detective work, connecting and getting to know them in order to find out their needs and so forth. This is why in most cases, it's much easier to start out working with libraries and publishers who tend to already have established relationships with music supervisors. Publishers and libraries also tend to work with a much broader range of music, stylistically, since their aim is to create a catalog that will serve the needs of their broad range of clients and projects, which makes getting your music accepted a much easier process.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to check out the below video that goes into more detail on pitching directly to music supervisors,
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Lesson - Pitching Directly To Music Supervisors:
In general, I recommend those that are new to music licensing, get started by working with music libraries and music publishers. In my experience it's easier to get started this way. Many supervisors are NOT open to working with unknown songwriters and tend to have people they have established relationships that they prefer to work with. Of course, there are exceptions and some supervisors may be open to working with you, if you approach them at the right time, with the right material. Music supervisors needs changed on a project to project basis, so if you do decide to pursue this route, it's important that you only pitch them music that is relevant to their needs. How do you find this information? Well, it takes a little digging on places like IMDB, Variety magazine, Google, checking out their websites and so on. It takes doing some detective work, connecting and getting to know them in order to find out their needs and so forth. This is why in most cases, it's much easier to start out working with libraries and publishers who tend to already have established relationships with music supervisors. Publishers and libraries also tend to work with a much broader range of music, stylistically, since their aim is to create a catalog that will serve the needs of their broad range of clients and projects, which makes getting your music accepted a much easier process.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to check out the below video that goes into more detail on pitching directly to music supervisors,
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Leads:
1) Gargantuan Music
About: https://www.gargantuanmusic.com/#!custom_page?pageId=1360
Submit: submissions@gargantuanmusic.com
Contact: music@gargantuanmusic.com
2) Machiavelli Music
About: https://www.machiavellimusic.com/
Submit: https://www.machiavellimusic.com/about-us/contacts
Contact: https://www.machiavellimusic.com/about-us/contacts
3) KP Sync Lab
About: http://www.kpsynclab.com/about/
Submit: http://www.kpsynclab.com/contact/
Contact: http://www.kpsynclab.com/contact/
1) Gargantuan Music
About: https://www.gargantuanmusic.com/#!custom_page?pageId=1360
Submit: submissions@gargantuanmusic.com
Contact: music@gargantuanmusic.com
2) Machiavelli Music
About: https://www.machiavellimusic.com/
Submit: https://www.machiavellimusic.com/about-us/contacts
Contact: https://www.machiavellimusic.com/about-us/contacts
3) KP Sync Lab
About: http://www.kpsynclab.com/about/
Submit: http://www.kpsynclab.com/contact/
Contact: http://www.kpsynclab.com/contact/
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 26
Today's Lesson - Seek And Take Advantage Of Opportunities:
When I was a student at Berklee College of music, one day I was in a songwriting class. My songwriting teacher had recently formed a publishing company and she was looking for tracks to pitch to the show ER. She told us that if we were interested, to stay after the class and talk to her and she would give us all the details on what she needed and how to submit out tracks. The class ended and all 30 or so students, except myself and two other students, left. Out of a class of 30 songwriting students, when presented with an opportunity to have our music on a nationally televised prime time show, only three students stayed and put in the effort to find out more about the opportunity. Long story short, I wrote and recorded a track that she ended up pitching to the show and it didn't get accepted. But, I kept in touch with this particular teacher and several years later started writing songs for her publishing company and since then have had hundreds of placements as a result of our relationship. Even though I didn't license music successfully right away, I learned a valuable lesson, which is to always take advantage of opportunities that present themselves. You never know how things will work out, but if you don't even try, then you definitely won't succeed. Once you start developing relationships with people in the industry, there's a good chance opportunities will start presenting themselves to you. They might be small opportunities at first. Maybe it's a chance to write a track for a specific show or project. Maybe someone you send your music to will indicate interest in having you make more of a specific style of track for their library. In the beginning, try to say yes to as many of these opportunities as possible. You never know which opportunity could lead to your big break.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to read a related blog post I wrote called "Say Yes To Every Opportunity":
http://www.aarondavison.net/blog/say-yes-to-every-opportunity
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Lesson - Seek And Take Advantage Of Opportunities:
When I was a student at Berklee College of music, one day I was in a songwriting class. My songwriting teacher had recently formed a publishing company and she was looking for tracks to pitch to the show ER. She told us that if we were interested, to stay after the class and talk to her and she would give us all the details on what she needed and how to submit out tracks. The class ended and all 30 or so students, except myself and two other students, left. Out of a class of 30 songwriting students, when presented with an opportunity to have our music on a nationally televised prime time show, only three students stayed and put in the effort to find out more about the opportunity. Long story short, I wrote and recorded a track that she ended up pitching to the show and it didn't get accepted. But, I kept in touch with this particular teacher and several years later started writing songs for her publishing company and since then have had hundreds of placements as a result of our relationship. Even though I didn't license music successfully right away, I learned a valuable lesson, which is to always take advantage of opportunities that present themselves. You never know how things will work out, but if you don't even try, then you definitely won't succeed. Once you start developing relationships with people in the industry, there's a good chance opportunities will start presenting themselves to you. They might be small opportunities at first. Maybe it's a chance to write a track for a specific show or project. Maybe someone you send your music to will indicate interest in having you make more of a specific style of track for their library. In the beginning, try to say yes to as many of these opportunities as possible. You never know which opportunity could lead to your big break.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to read a related blog post I wrote called "Say Yes To Every Opportunity":
http://www.aarondavison.net/blog/say-yes-to-every-opportunity
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Leads:
1) Big Sync Music
About: http://www.bigsyncmusic.com/about/
Submit: http://www.bigsyncmusic.com/contact
Contact: http://www.bigsyncmusic.com/contact
2) Sonic Entertainment
About: http://www.sonicentertainmentgroup.com/publishing/
Submit: http://www.sonicentertainmentgroup.com/publishing/.
Contact: publishing@sonicentertainmentgroup.com
3) Synchronic
About: https://www.synchronicsound.com/#about
Submit: https://www.synchronicsound.com/#contact
Contact: https://www.synchronicsound.com/#contact
1) Big Sync Music
About: http://www.bigsyncmusic.com/about/
Submit: http://www.bigsyncmusic.com/contact
Contact: http://www.bigsyncmusic.com/contact
2) Sonic Entertainment
About: http://www.sonicentertainmentgroup.com/publishing/
Submit: http://www.sonicentertainmentgroup.com/publishing/.
Contact: publishing@sonicentertainmentgroup.com
3) Synchronic
About: https://www.synchronicsound.com/#about
Submit: https://www.synchronicsound.com/#contact
Contact: https://www.synchronicsound.com/#contact
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 27
Today's Lesson - Put In The Work, Even When The Return On Investment Isn't Clear:
There are many paralells between being an entrepreneur and being a musician. As an indie musician, you are, for all intents and purposes, an entrepreneur. As someone who has made a living as both a musician and an entrepreneur in business for the last ten years, I've learned a few things about the mindset needed to succeed as both a musician and entrepreneur. One of the key differences in the mindset of an entreprenuer vs the mindset of an employee, is that when you're an entrepreneur you need to put in time and effort into actions and activities in which you won't know exactly what the return on your investment will be until you've taken action. This is probably the hardest shift you need to make to be successful in either business or music. You need to put in work, lots of work, and at first the return on your investment won't be obvious, and will be hard to quantify. But if you persist, you'll start to reap the rewards. For example, you'll need to write and record tracks and spend time pitching them. It will take awhile, most likely, to build momentum. But in general, the more action you take and the more persists, the greater your reward and results will eventually be. In other words, there will be a payoff, but you probably won't know exactly when it will come or how big the payoff will be until you put in the work. This might actually be the single biggest obstacle musician new to licensing will face. It's such a different mindset than going to work to collect a check and essentially trading your time for x number of dollars. In the beginning, you need to think long term and stay focused on the big picture, what your goals are in the long term and not be overly worried about how quickly you're going to get there. Stay focused on the work in front of you that's required and take one step at a time!
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to watch the video tutorial below that breaks down the "Three Elements Of Writing Music For Licensing".
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Lesson - Put In The Work, Even When The Return On Investment Isn't Clear:
There are many paralells between being an entrepreneur and being a musician. As an indie musician, you are, for all intents and purposes, an entrepreneur. As someone who has made a living as both a musician and an entrepreneur in business for the last ten years, I've learned a few things about the mindset needed to succeed as both a musician and entrepreneur. One of the key differences in the mindset of an entreprenuer vs the mindset of an employee, is that when you're an entrepreneur you need to put in time and effort into actions and activities in which you won't know exactly what the return on your investment will be until you've taken action. This is probably the hardest shift you need to make to be successful in either business or music. You need to put in work, lots of work, and at first the return on your investment won't be obvious, and will be hard to quantify. But if you persist, you'll start to reap the rewards. For example, you'll need to write and record tracks and spend time pitching them. It will take awhile, most likely, to build momentum. But in general, the more action you take and the more persists, the greater your reward and results will eventually be. In other words, there will be a payoff, but you probably won't know exactly when it will come or how big the payoff will be until you put in the work. This might actually be the single biggest obstacle musician new to licensing will face. It's such a different mindset than going to work to collect a check and essentially trading your time for x number of dollars. In the beginning, you need to think long term and stay focused on the big picture, what your goals are in the long term and not be overly worried about how quickly you're going to get there. Stay focused on the work in front of you that's required and take one step at a time!
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to watch the video tutorial below that breaks down the "Three Elements Of Writing Music For Licensing".
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Leads:
1) Wolf House Songs
About: Wolf House Songs was founded by music publishing veteran Adam Wolf as a boutique music publishing and licensing company specializing in film, TV, and advertising synchronization of independent song catalogs, from legacy gems to unique and interesting music from around the globe. We work with music we like, placing authenticity and artistry first.
Wolf has placed music in thousands of projects from block-buster feature films, television shows, trailers, and commercials, and has nurtured close relationships with the decision makers in the industry who come to him knowing they will find music that is carefully chosen and curated to meet the creative needs and time constraints that are the nature of the business.
Submit: Streaming links to adam@wolfhousesongs.com
Contact: adam@wolfhousesongs.com
2) Vanacore Music
About: https://vanacoremusic.com/what-we-do/
Submit: Links to Lee lee@vanacoremusic.com
Contact: lee@vanacoremusic.com
3) Willow Songs
About: http://willowsongs.com/
Submit: Links to Kevin White - info@willowsongs.com
Contact: info@willowsongs.com
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 28
Today's Lesson - Take Massive Action:
As we wind down the 30 Day Deep Dive, I want to start to sum up what in my opinion getting your music licensed is all about. As you have probably realized over the last 28 days, there's a lot that goes into getting your music licensed. There is music to listen to, companies to research, music to make and networking that needs to happen. There are different kinds of files you need to have and there are different kinds of deals and contracts you need to be familiar with. There isn't really a secret formula for getting your music licensed, that I know of. But at the end of the day, if I had to sum up what you need to do to get your music licensed, it would be three words: Take Massive Action! The truth is, although there is a lot to be learned when it comes to licensing your music, the most important thing is that you take action towards your goals every day. Most of the details of music licensing can be learned as you go. Some of it can be learned through programs like this one and other things you can learn as you go, through trial and error. But the main thing you need to do, is get in the habit of working towards your goals every single day. What you need to do on a daily basis, will depend on your situation and where you are in your career. But, the steps you need to take, especially after having gone through this "Deep Dive", should be fairly obvious. Remember, there are three main pillars of music licensing: 1) Your Music 2) Your Production and 3) Marketing. What area do you need to focus on the most? What can you do today, right now, that will help move your career forward. There's always work to do. Maybe you have an unfinished track that you need to mix and master. Maybe you haven't written any new music in awhile. Maybe you have tracks ready to go, but you haven't found anyone to represent your tracks for licensing. Think about what you can do today, this week and this month, to move your career forward, and get to work!
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to pick one thing you know you need to focus on and get started right away. It's so much easier to stop procrastinating when you develop the muscle of taking action. Remember, you don't have get it all done today, but what can you accomplish today that you've been putting off? Can you research and send your music to an extra licensing company today? Can you finish that track you've been putting off? Pick something, right now, and get to work as soon as possible.
Related blog post: http://www.aarondavison.net/blog/the-1-resource-for-succeeding-in-the-music-business-that-you-already-have
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Lesson - Take Massive Action:
As we wind down the 30 Day Deep Dive, I want to start to sum up what in my opinion getting your music licensed is all about. As you have probably realized over the last 28 days, there's a lot that goes into getting your music licensed. There is music to listen to, companies to research, music to make and networking that needs to happen. There are different kinds of files you need to have and there are different kinds of deals and contracts you need to be familiar with. There isn't really a secret formula for getting your music licensed, that I know of. But at the end of the day, if I had to sum up what you need to do to get your music licensed, it would be three words: Take Massive Action! The truth is, although there is a lot to be learned when it comes to licensing your music, the most important thing is that you take action towards your goals every day. Most of the details of music licensing can be learned as you go. Some of it can be learned through programs like this one and other things you can learn as you go, through trial and error. But the main thing you need to do, is get in the habit of working towards your goals every single day. What you need to do on a daily basis, will depend on your situation and where you are in your career. But, the steps you need to take, especially after having gone through this "Deep Dive", should be fairly obvious. Remember, there are three main pillars of music licensing: 1) Your Music 2) Your Production and 3) Marketing. What area do you need to focus on the most? What can you do today, right now, that will help move your career forward. There's always work to do. Maybe you have an unfinished track that you need to mix and master. Maybe you haven't written any new music in awhile. Maybe you have tracks ready to go, but you haven't found anyone to represent your tracks for licensing. Think about what you can do today, this week and this month, to move your career forward, and get to work!
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to pick one thing you know you need to focus on and get started right away. It's so much easier to stop procrastinating when you develop the muscle of taking action. Remember, you don't have get it all done today, but what can you accomplish today that you've been putting off? Can you research and send your music to an extra licensing company today? Can you finish that track you've been putting off? Pick something, right now, and get to work as soon as possible.
Related blog post: http://www.aarondavison.net/blog/the-1-resource-for-succeeding-in-the-music-business-that-you-already-have
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Leads:
1) Squirky Music
About: https://www.squirkymusic.com/about-sqm
Submit: https://www.squirkymusic.com/contact
Contact: https://www.squirkymusic.com/contact
2) Bam Music
About: https://www.bammusic.com/en-us/music
Submit: https://bammusic.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360014756339-How-can-I-submit-music-
Contact: https://www.bammusic.com/en-us/contact
3) Clean Cuts Music Library
About: http://www.cleancutsmusiclibrary.com/about
Submit: http://www.cleancutsmusiclibrary.com/contact
Contact: http://www.cleancutsmusiclibrary.com/contact
1) Squirky Music
About: https://www.squirkymusic.com/about-sqm
Submit: https://www.squirkymusic.com/contact
Contact: https://www.squirkymusic.com/contact
2) Bam Music
About: https://www.bammusic.com/en-us/music
Submit: https://bammusic.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360014756339-How-can-I-submit-music-
Contact: https://www.bammusic.com/en-us/contact
3) Clean Cuts Music Library
About: http://www.cleancutsmusiclibrary.com/about
Submit: http://www.cleancutsmusiclibrary.com/contact
Contact: http://www.cleancutsmusiclibrary.com/contact
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 29
Today's Lesson - What's Your Niche?
I talk a lot about growing your catalog and having as many tracks as possible. In general, the more tracks you have, the greater your chances of having tracks that will fit with different licensing opportunities. If you have just a handful of tracks, the chances of your tracks working in a lot of different scenarios is slim. This is why, generally speaking, your goal should be able to create a large catalog, with songs and compositions that work in a broad range of situations. In a sense, music licensing is a numbers game and the more tickets you buy to the music licensing lottery, the greater your chance of success. However, the one caveat to this is that you still need to focus on music that you enjoy making and are good it. A great example of a musician who has taken this approach is Rockabilly artist Chuck Hughes. Chuck is a client of mine, who has taken most of the courses I've offered over the years and has gone on to great success in the music licensing space, having accumulate thousands of placements. The interesting thing about Chuck's success is that his catalog is relatively small, just several dozen tracks in all. His success, I believe, can be attributed to the fact that although his catalog is not huge, he does what he does (Rockabilly) extremely well. He also makes music that isn't extremely mainstream and there is less competition for. His music has been used in TV shows, ad campaigns, films and more. There's a good chance you've probably already heard Chuck's music without even realizing it! So, today's lesson is just a reminder that although you should aim to create a large, diverse catalog, you should also make sure you're creating music that you're actually exceptional at, as opposed to simply trying to create a little bit of everything. Sometimes less actually is more.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to watch today's video which is an interview with Chuck Hughes about how he's been able to land thousands of placements, and also generate millions of Spotify streams with just a few dozen tracks.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Lesson - What's Your Niche?
I talk a lot about growing your catalog and having as many tracks as possible. In general, the more tracks you have, the greater your chances of having tracks that will fit with different licensing opportunities. If you have just a handful of tracks, the chances of your tracks working in a lot of different scenarios is slim. This is why, generally speaking, your goal should be able to create a large catalog, with songs and compositions that work in a broad range of situations. In a sense, music licensing is a numbers game and the more tickets you buy to the music licensing lottery, the greater your chance of success. However, the one caveat to this is that you still need to focus on music that you enjoy making and are good it. A great example of a musician who has taken this approach is Rockabilly artist Chuck Hughes. Chuck is a client of mine, who has taken most of the courses I've offered over the years and has gone on to great success in the music licensing space, having accumulate thousands of placements. The interesting thing about Chuck's success is that his catalog is relatively small, just several dozen tracks in all. His success, I believe, can be attributed to the fact that although his catalog is not huge, he does what he does (Rockabilly) extremely well. He also makes music that isn't extremely mainstream and there is less competition for. His music has been used in TV shows, ad campaigns, films and more. There's a good chance you've probably already heard Chuck's music without even realizing it! So, today's lesson is just a reminder that although you should aim to create a large, diverse catalog, you should also make sure you're creating music that you're actually exceptional at, as opposed to simply trying to create a little bit of everything. Sometimes less actually is more.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to watch today's video which is an interview with Chuck Hughes about how he's been able to land thousands of placements, and also generate millions of Spotify streams with just a few dozen tracks.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Leads:
1) Avant Music Port
About: http://avantmusicport.ie/about-2/
Submit: http://avantmusicport.ie/contact-2/
Contact: http://avantmusicport.ie/contact-2/
2) The Cellar Music
About: http://www.thecellarmusic.com/
Submit: http://www.thecellarmusic.com/contact
Contact: http://www.thecellarmusic.com/contact
3) Bensound
About: https://www.bensound.com/
Submit: https://www.bensound.com/help
Contact: https://www.bensound.com/contact-me
30 Day Music Licensing Deep Dive - Day 30
Today's Lesson - Don't Give Up!
I gave a lot of thought to what I wanted to say today; how I wanted to end this course. First of all, a huge thanks to everyone who went through the 30 day "Deep Dive". This was the first time I've offered this particular program. I hope you all got a lot of value out of it and that the information has been beneficial. There isn't a lot of education when it comes to music licensing and I know from experience how confusing certain aspects of this business can be. The message I want to leave you with today is a little cliche, but nonetheless true and powerful and that is simply, the idea of not giving up. If music is something you know in your heart and soul you have to do and it's so much a part of you that you have to get your music out into the world, there's only one way to make that happen and that is through sheer willpower and tenacity. The music business is hard. I've never been one to sugarcoat that or make this business seem easier than it is in reality. There are a lot of obstacles and in part simply due to the nature of the way the business is structured, it takes time to get things going. But, if you want to make a career in the music business a reality, you have to push through and keep going. At the end of the day, you'll be able to learn everything you need to learn as you go, but you'll never reach your goals and get where you want to be if you don't get in the habit of taking action, every single day. There will probably be periods where you don't feel like moving forward, and you don't feel like your making enough progress. This is normal and I think pretty much inevitable in the life of a musician. We all feel that way sometime. But, the only way to win is to play. You have to be in it to win it. Don't forget that when things aren't going exactly the way you 'd like them to go. Success is possible for all of us, be we have to take the required action and put in the world.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to watch my video, How To Make Full Time Living Licensing Music. This video sums up my thoughts on what it takes to make full time living in music licensing and the music licensing business.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Lesson - Don't Give Up!
I gave a lot of thought to what I wanted to say today; how I wanted to end this course. First of all, a huge thanks to everyone who went through the 30 day "Deep Dive". This was the first time I've offered this particular program. I hope you all got a lot of value out of it and that the information has been beneficial. There isn't a lot of education when it comes to music licensing and I know from experience how confusing certain aspects of this business can be. The message I want to leave you with today is a little cliche, but nonetheless true and powerful and that is simply, the idea of not giving up. If music is something you know in your heart and soul you have to do and it's so much a part of you that you have to get your music out into the world, there's only one way to make that happen and that is through sheer willpower and tenacity. The music business is hard. I've never been one to sugarcoat that or make this business seem easier than it is in reality. There are a lot of obstacles and in part simply due to the nature of the way the business is structured, it takes time to get things going. But, if you want to make a career in the music business a reality, you have to push through and keep going. At the end of the day, you'll be able to learn everything you need to learn as you go, but you'll never reach your goals and get where you want to be if you don't get in the habit of taking action, every single day. There will probably be periods where you don't feel like moving forward, and you don't feel like your making enough progress. This is normal and I think pretty much inevitable in the life of a musician. We all feel that way sometime. But, the only way to win is to play. You have to be in it to win it. Don't forget that when things aren't going exactly the way you 'd like them to go. Success is possible for all of us, be we have to take the required action and put in the world.
Today's Assignment:
Today's assignment is to watch my video, How To Make Full Time Living Licensing Music. This video sums up my thoughts on what it takes to make full time living in music licensing and the music licensing business.
Today's Video Tutorial:
Today's Leads:
1) Assemble Sound
About: https://www.assemblesound.com/work
Submit: https://www.assemblesound.com/contact
Contact: https://www.assemblesound.com/contact
2) Dearth Productions
About: http://dearthproductions.com/#about
Submit: Send links to tommydearth@dearthproductions.com
Contact: tommydearth@dearthproductions.com
3) Six Shooter Records
About: http://sixshooterrecords.com/think-sync/
Submit: http://sixshooterrecords.com/contact/
Contact: http://sixshooterrecords.com/contact/
1) Assemble Sound
About: https://www.assemblesound.com/work
Submit: https://www.assemblesound.com/contact
Contact: https://www.assemblesound.com/contact
2) Dearth Productions
About: http://dearthproductions.com/#about
Submit: Send links to tommydearth@dearthproductions.com
Contact: tommydearth@dearthproductions.com
3) Six Shooter Records
About: http://sixshooterrecords.com/think-sync/
Submit: http://sixshooterrecords.com/contact/
Contact: http://sixshooterrecords.com/contact/