Subject Matter Of Songs Used In TV and Film

Published: Wed, 04/23/08



Subject Matter Of Songs Used In Television And Film

Hi ,

Songs that are placed in TV shows and Films are used to enhance plot lines. Typically the lyric of the song, if the song is a vocal song, will have a correlation with what is happening in the story and the characters in the scene. Central to almost all stories are relationships. Whether someone is falling in love, falling out of love or longing for love, just like in our real lives, relationships play a big role in both TV shows and Films. It goes without saying then that there are a lot of needs for songs about relationships. There are of course many exceptions, just as there are when it comes to the styles of music being placed, but there will always be a need for relationship songs. 


When I first started working with my current publisher she sent me a list of guidelines for writing in the TV/Film idiom.  One of her suggestions for writing songs that have a good overall chance of being used was to write relationship songs.  Songs about relationships can be used in a variety of productions since most stories are about relationships.



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Performing Rights Organizations
In order to get paid for the songs you license for use in TV and Film, you need to join what's called a "Performing Rights Organization".  These are non profit organizations that are responsible for collecting and distributing the royalties that songwriters and publishers earn through music licensing.  In the U.S. there are three main PRO's.  Here are their respective websites:

www.ascap.com
www.bmi.com
and www.sesac.com
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Until Next Time.....

Aaron Davison
How To License Your Music.com