Recording - March 2012 - 24

If you’re a songwriter focusing on licenses from behind the scenes, you will want to be much more diverse. And always make instrumental mixes of your songs. Sometimes music editors will make extended mixes of your song for dialogue and dynamics during the cue, which also extends your airtime, and thus your generated royalties. Learn the business No matter which path you choose, first learn the business as it relates to your activities. Learn about licensing fee ranges, master and synch clearance, cue sheets, how royalties apply to instrumental and vocal music, and why that varies from network to network and at different times of day, and so on. A good start is Donald Passman’s book All You Need To Know About The Music Business. [Editor’s Note: Also consult the book by Jeffrey and Todd Brabec: Music, Money, and Success, now in its 7th edition.] Look up sample contracts online, and learn the language. Lawyers are valuable, but also expensive when you’re starting out. Once you’ve learned the basics, sign up as a writer and publisher with one of the performing rights societies (ASCAP, BMI or SESAC in the USA). If you have songs already, register them with the Copyright Office and with your performing rights society. This will allow you to receive royalties every time your music is

Catatonia”, during six months of chemotherapy to keep my mind from exploding, and the next thing I knew it was being played on TV. But how did it get to TV? Someone passed it on to a music supervisor in Los Angeles. So naturally I thought to myself, “Maybe there’s a future here”, and so I began focusing on creating relationships with supervisors. Years of trial and error and expense can come from this, so I hope to spare you some pain and suffering in order to learn the basic formula. Never tell a music supervisor: “Yeah, I’ve got this cool track, it’s really awesome and it would fit perfectly with your show.” You’re not the one that’s going to tell a supervisor what they need—they are the ones with the cues and scenes that they have been asked to fill. Calling is always best so that you can get that person-toperson thing going, but some prefer emails because they can avoid you with greater ease. The correct way to approach would be: “Hello, I am so and so from Blankety Blank music... I notice that you are working on “Cool Show” and that you usually use heavy metal polka music. Are you currently taking submissions? Do you prefer digital or CD? What’s a good amount of time for a follow-up?” Short, sweet and to the point. Following up is only for the sole purpose of making sure you were heard, as supervisors get piles and piles of music. Generally speaking, if you know that you’ve been heard, don’t keep bugging

If as a behind-the-scenes songwriter you want to penetrate some more high-end commercial placements, but don’t have the image for it, you may be better off finding some cool band to record your tracks, and work out some split with them so that they become a vehicle to your writing.
aired and submitted to performing rights societies via cue sheets created by music supervisors. How to get songs on tv and film Next, read Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, and keep on top of what is going on in the industry. Take notes on who the players are and subscribe to IMDB Pro, the film and television database that will be your bible (but keep in mind that it is not always fully up to date). IMDB shows you what is in production, and aside from listing what music is needed, it lists everything you need to know about each production. Look up all active productions. Some projects are in pre-production, some in post-production, some are filming, etc. Generally speaking, post-production is when music supervisors are looking to place tracks. Click on the “in production” section in your IMDB bible. Look who’s handling the music. Make note of who it is, and what their credits are. If it’s a TV show that may not potentially fit what you have so far, that’s quite all right. Contact them anyway, to start creating the relationship, because they may work on something later that is right up your alley. Just don’t waste their time. Before you dial, you had better know what they are currently working on, as well as have an idea of what kind of music their current project(s) generally airs. Music supervisors—what I learned about them Before I learned how to approach music supervisors, I just happened to record a critically acclaimed album called “I.V.
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them unless it’s for something else. They’ll let you know if there is a use for it. Just stay in contact, and keep sending tracks that fit their requests. Now if you don’t have what they want, go find some artists that have that sound, and sign a non-exclusive 50/50 deal with them. In other words, if you get them something placed, you and the artist split the profits. Many artists who are clueless come back with, “No way man, why should I give you 50%?” Usually I just move on from that type of artist if my company Minoan Music has approached someone for a split, because that mindset suggests further problems down the line due to a lack of knowledge. Music supervisors want finished masters. Unless they ask for demos, never give them one. It will just annoy them. Sometimes supervisors in advertising might ask for a demo, or even pay for one to be done, depending on the stature of the artist, and if their schedule is a little open. But generally speaking, your masters have to be ready to go. I have found that most supervisors do not particularly like talking to artists—way too much “Hey yo, check it out, this is killer” with no salutation or anything. Present yourself as a company, with a memorable name, it’s much more credible. Make a business card, website, proper presentation, make it very easy to be contacted, and don’t waste time. There are several free tools, apps and widgets that one can use to deliver and track one’s music. Take every advantage of these, as they also show a level of professionalism.

Recording - March 2012

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