How Long Does It Take To License Music?
I question I get a lot, is “how long will it take me to make a full-time income from licensing my music”?” I completely understand why musicians ask me this, but it’s almost impossible to answer. All I can do is give anecdotal stories of
how long it’s taken me, or other people I know, to start generating income from licensing.
The problem is, we’re all different and all our stories our different. My situation is different than yours. You write different music than I do. My knowledge of production is probably different than yours. We most likely live in different locations. Our financial situations are different. Our networks are different and
on and on.
There are so many variables that go into how long it takes to be successful in licensing, that it’s not really a question that I can answer for you, or anyone else definitively.
What I can do, is tell you what you need to do in order to start licensing your music. I can you tell what the steps are. What you should focus on. How well your music needs to be produced.
What kind of songs you need to write. Who you should contact… and so on.
I can tell you what you need to do and how to do it. How long it takes though, is really ultimately up to you. You determine how aggressively you go after opportunities. You decide what kind of music you write. You decide when to keep going to improve your production, when you know it’s not
quite ready. You decide when to give up or when to forge ahead, despite setbacks and rejection.
These things are all in your control.
If you really want to succeed in licensing, and the music business in general, you have to decide that it’s going to
happen and stick to that conviction. Although I can’t really tell you how long it will take to be successful, what I can tell you, with 100 percent certainty, is that the harder you work, the more successful you’ll become. If you want success to come faster, work harder, more often. It really is that simple.
None of us can control the exact timing of something like being successful in the music
business, because it’s an ongoing, dynamic business. There are too many variables outside your control to predict the exact timing of your success. Don’t worry about that.
Instead, just focus on taking the steps you need to take, and eventually success will come to you. I don’t know anyone who became less successful by working hard.
As I’ve said before, the formula for success really boils down to:
Hard work + time = success
I know. It's not sexy. But it's true and it works.
So if hard work and time equal success, in the context of music licensing, what should you be working on?
When it comes to getting your music licensed, there are really just three main areas you need to master to succeed. Pretty much every action step you take towards getting your music licensed, will fall under one of these three
categories.
I call these three areas the “Three Pillars Of Music Licensing”:
The three pillars of Music Licensing are:
- Songwriting / Composition
- Production
- Marketing
Songwriting / Composition
First, you need the “right” songs. You need to write songs that work in the context of licensing. The songs you write need to have lyrics that work for licensing, they need to be arranged for licensing opportunities, and they need have the right vibe and sound. This isn’t an exact science.
Ultimately,
music is a subjective art form and different supervisors hear the same music differently. BUT…. there are certain things that all music supervisors look for, in terms of the types of songs that work best to support the scenes there syncing to. There’s a way to write songs that have a much better chance of getting licensed than other songs and if you know how to approach writing songs for licensing, you can greatly increase your success.
Production & Marketing
Once you know HOW to write songs for licensing, you can move on to the other two pillars, production and marketing. Once you have great songs, they need to be produced great and ultimately brought to the market. After all, you can have the most amazing songs in the world, but if no one hears them, nothing is going to happen to your
music or your career.
My upcoming program, The Sync Tank, focuses on all three pillars of music licensing, you'll learn both how to write and produce music for Sync Licensing. You'll also learn how to successfully market your music and I'll provide you with customized leads specifically tailored to the kind of music you make.
So, here’s the skinny on The Sync Tank:
The program is 90 days long and is starting Monday, August 19. That’s right. Three months long! A quarter of a year.
Here’s the thing. Although I can’t tell you, or
anyone else, exactly how long it takes to start licensing your music. I do know for sure, that the more swings you take, the more likely you’ll hit a home run, sooner.
I also know, that it’s probably going to take you more than a few tries to be successful. Music licensing is a dynamic, ever-changing business. It’s not something you can really just dabble in here and there and be successful. You might have luck right
away. Anything is possible. But the writers I know that are doing the best, including myself, are working at this on a regular basis. Every day.
So, I’ve created a program that includes 90 daily customized sync licensing
leads, tailored specifically to your music. Every day throughout the program you’ll be submitting your music to a new, customized lead. Every day for 90 consecutive days! This might seem over the top, but it’s really not. You really should be taking this much action if you want to succeed in music licensing. I have writers that I have taken my training programs multiple times and have gotten different placements each
time! Why? Because things change. Music needs change. Clients change. The type of music you’re making changes and so on.
You should really be pitching your music ALL THE TIME, if you want to be successful.
So, during the whole program you’ll be pitching your music to
specific places. At the same time, you’ll be learning HOW the business works. Through one-on-one calls with me, in depth video training, bi-weekly lessons and assignments related to music licensing, in depth interviews with music licensing professionals, and more, you’ll get a comprehensive education about how the business works. You'll also get LIFETIME access to HTLYM Premium ($997.00 Value) which includes dozens of in-depth music business courses related to music licensing,
music production, and much more.
When you finish The Sync Tank, you’ll know what to look for in contracts, how to self-publish your music, how co-writing deals works, what kind of mixes you need, how to create stem files, how to contact publishers and supervisors and much, much more.
You’ll learn everything you need to know about the music licensing business…. And then
some!
So, if you're ready to finally start making your sync licensing dreams a reality, be sure to sign up today to reserve your spot in the upcoming "Sync Tank" mentorship program. The Sync Tank starts
Monday, August 19.
I'll see you inside the member's area!
-Aaron Davison
