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I’ve had quite the momentum building over the last few months with licensing my own tracks.  As much as possible, I try to stay active in the music business and the business of music licensing.  I do this both because, well I simply love writing, performing and licensing music.  But also, because I want to stay on top of licensing and have as much experience and information to draw from as possible so that I can share everything I learn with you all on my blog, Youtube channel and courses.

Over the last several months, I’ve licensed a total of 14 new tracks!  I’ve had multiple placements on networks like CBS and Fox.  I recently scored an ABC promo spot and have had a total of 8 tracks licensed for use in retail outlets around the world.  Several more deals are pending as we speak!

I don’t say any of this to brag, but simply to share with you the excitement that comes with seeing a lot of hard work and effort pay off.  Although I’ve been licensing music as far back as 2002, I still work hard at maintaining relationships in the business and developing as much new material as possible.  At the end of the day, I consider myself a musician first and foremost.  It’s my passion for music that led me to licensing my music in the first place, which eventually led to the idea of sharing everything I learn along the way with the community of musicians who read my newsletter and listen to my podcast.

So, in today’s post I thought I’d share a few  of my best practices for getting your music licensed and building momentum to keep getting more tracks licensed once you start.  Some of this information might seem a tad bit repetitive if you’ve been on my list for a while, but I thought it would be helpful to break down my thoughts on how to approach getting your tracks licensed into one email.  Plus, we learn through repetition and sometimes we need to hear things a few times before they really click.

So, let’s get started….

Is Your Material Ready?  First and foremost, if you want to license your music you need to have tracks that are ready to be licensed.  Back in the day, I used to tell musicians that if they had tracks that were “pretty good’ that they should just jump in and start getting their tracks out into the marketplace.  My thinking, back then, was that music is pretty subjective and there’s a wide range of material that’s accepted by libraries and ultimately licensed.  It seemed to me like a lot of musicians were getting stuck in a sort of “paralysis by analysis” and were being to gun-shy about simply pulling the trigger and getting started already.

Well, the industry has changed a lot since I first started and the advice I give is evolving alongside those changes.  I still think it’s all too easy to get stuck in a loop of uncertainty about your tracks, and at some point you do just need to get started.  But… here’s the thing, the industry has become more competitive than it used to be.  There are more musicians making music and pursuing licensing than ever before and the bar is being raised in terms of the quality of tracks that are being accepted. 

I think it’s more important than ever, that you actually take a really good hard look at your tracks and make sure they are truly “ready” in terms of production quality, songwriting and performance BEFORE you start pitching your material.  It’s hard to change a first impression after all, and you want to make sure the very fist impression someone has of you and your music is as strong as possible.  So, make sure you dot your i’s and cross your t’s, so to speak, before you start actively pitching your music.

Are you submitting your music to the “right” people?   Something I’ve heard over and over from the guests I’ve had on my podcast, is that they’re being sent music that doesn’t have anything to do with the kind of music they license.  Or they’re simply being sent random submissions from random musicians, who have no idea what the company they are pitching to is about.

When companies get submissions like this, it takes up their limited time and it clogs up their inbox.  It also sends the message that you haven’t taken the time to research the needs of the companies you’re reaching out to.  When you take a few minutes prior to pitching your music to get a feel for the kind of projects each company works on and the types of artists they work with, to see if you’re a good fit, it makes a huge difference and will set you apart from the vast majority of artists that aren’t doing this.   It’s a great way to start a dialogue with someone and shows them that you’re professional and concerned with actually helping them meet their needs, as opposed to only being concerned with your music and your needs.

Keep In touch With Your Contacts – A great way to make sure you continue to license more tracks, once you get started, is to keep in touch with your contacts on a regular basis.  I recommend every month or two sending your contacts an email to see if they have any projects you can help them with.  Music licensing is a fast-paced business and you have to make an effort to stay involved.  Any single library will likely have thousands of tracks in their catalog and hundreds of artists.  It’s hard to stay in touch with everyone, so when you actively make an effort to stay connected, it will make sure you’re on their mind and will help keep an active dialogue going about your music and their projects. 

I Skyped with one of my publishers recently about a contract issue and we ended up talking for an hour.  During the conversation I just asked her what kind of music she needed currently and if there was anything I could help with.  That simple question led to her telling me specifically the best kind of tracks to submit going forward, based on my skills and what her ongoing music needs are.  I never would have known had I not asked.

The bottom line is that this is a business, and like any business, you need to do your research, make sure you’re presenting a quality “product” and be sure to conduct yourself in a professional manner.  If you take the time to really develop a strategy for creating tracks consistently, developing a network of contacts in the industry and really figuring out where your strengths (and weaknesses) are, you’ll make a quantum leap in your career. 

As I’ve said before, it may seem like the music licensing industry is over saturated, but the reality is the vast majority of musicians are nothing more than hobbyists who are dabbling in music.  When you step up and really approach this like a profession, you’ll be competing with a much smaller pool of musicians and you'll be taken more seriously.

Best Regards,

Aaron Davison