Think Like A Music Supervisor
Creating a successful career in music often requires more than just talent and passion; it involves understanding the industry from different perspectives. For musicians looking to enter the world of sync licensing, a vital piece of advice that I often give, is to learn how to
think like a music supervisor. This approach is not just about making music that resonates with listeners, but also about understanding how your music fits within various contexts where it can be licensed.
In today’s post, let’s dive deeper into this concept.
Understanding the Role of a Music Supervisor
A music supervisor, as I'm sure you know by now, is responsible for selecting and licensing music for
various media, including films, TV shows, advertisements, video games, and more. Their primary goal is to find music that enhances the narrative, emotion, or branding of the project they are working on. This requires a deep understanding of how music can influence an audience’s perception and experience.
Music supervisors look for tracks that complement and elevate visual content. This can range from finding a song that perfectly encapsulates the mood of a
scene in a movie, to choosing a track that aligns with the brand identity for an advertisement. When you’re writing music specifically for sync licensing, consider how your music can be used in different settings. Is your song suitable for a dramatic movie scene, a light-hearted commercial, or a suspenseful moment in a video game? Do you have a deep understanding and solid grasp on where the kind of music you make fits in the context of sync licensing? Or whether your music works for sync
at all?
My first publisher, who was also my former songwriting teacher at Berklee, used to ask me a really simple question whenever I would send her tracks, which was simply, “Where do you see this song being used?”. At first this question would throw me off. I was thinking to myself, I don’t know, you’re the publisher, where do you see this song being used. But I eventually realized, what she was really trying to do was to get me to think more about how and where my tracks could be
potentially used, so that I would write and create tracks that had the best chance of being synced. She was encouraging me to think like a music supervisor.
Of course, you don’t always know in advance where or how your songs will be used when you write them, since it’s not possible to anticipate all the different projects your song could potentially be used in. But if you’re writing specifically for sync, it’s helpful to think in these terms. By anticipating what types
of projects your music could potentially fit in, it will help you create tracks with better odds of actually being licensed.
Crafting Versatile and Thematically Relevant Music
You should aim to create versatile music that can fit into various themes and contexts. While it’s important to maintain your unique sound and style, consider incorporating elements that make your music adaptable to different scenarios. For
instance, a song about universal themes like love, adventure, or struggle can be more easily placed than one with very niche or specific themes.
A great exercise, and one that I suggest anyone interested in writing for sync do on a regular basis, is to simply start paying attention to the music that is used in tv shows and movies that you watch. When you start to actively pay attention to what types of songs are used in different scenes and different
contexts, you’ll develop a better sense of how music supervisors select music for their projects. You'll notice the connection between the lyrics, the mood of the song, the genre and how it fits with the scene it's being used in.
Building Relationships and Networking
Understanding the music supervisor’s needs also involves building relationships within the industry. Networking with music supervisors, attending
industry events, and staying informed about current trends can provide insights into what supervisors are looking for and how to pitch your music effectively.
As I’ve often discussed in my blogs and videos over the years, my first music publisher for Sync was my songwriting teacher at Berklee. Although I didn’t actually license any music through her until about 7 years after I finished Berklee, the fact that I knew her made it much easier to get her to
check out my music and work with me. You of course don’t need to personally know everyone you work with in the business, but it helps to form personal relationships when possible. As humans, we’re simply naturally inclined to want to work with and help people we know.
Research and Customization in Pitching
When pitching your music, do your research. Tailor your pitches to the specific needs and preferences of
the music supervisor you’re contacting. Demonstrate how your music can solve a problem or enhance their project. Personalized pitches show that you’ve put thought into how your music fits their specific needs.
Staying True to Your Artistic Identity
While adapting to the needs of the industry is important, it’s equally important to stay true to your artistic identity. Your unique voice and style are what will make
your music stand out. Balancing commercial appeal with artistic integrity is key. This might sound like a difficult balance at first, but it's really not that hard to maintain. After all, tv shows and films reflect real life and real life situations and themes.
The music we create tends to also naturally reflect real life and the situations and experiences we have. It's really just a matter of being cognizant of how
the music you create aligns with different licensing opportunities. Essentially, the more universal and relatable the themes that you write about are, the more opportunity there will be in the context of sync licensing.
Strategic Approach
Thinking like a music supervisor when entering the world of sync licensing is a strategic approach for musicians. It requires understanding the role of music in various media,
creating versatile and high-quality music, effective networking and pitching, and balancing commercial needs with artistic integrity.
By adopting this mindset, you will greatly increase your odds of getting your music licensed. The music licensing business, like any other business, is ultimately about understanding and serving the needs of your clients. So be sure to take the time to really understand the business and craft music that will work in
a variety of contexts and settings.
