If you want to greatly increase your chances of licensing your music, make sure you are researching the needs of those you are submitting music to. Keep in mind that the projects that are going on at any given moment are constantly changing, and as a result the needs for specific styles and types of songs are also constantly changing.
I used to work as a sales representative for a major guitar manufacturer selling guitars to instrument dealers throughout the midwest and east coast. It didn't take me long to realize that although everyone who was in the business of selling guitars needed guitars to sell, the types of guitars each individual dealer needed was very different based on their current inventory, location, taste in guitars, what sold the most and other variables. The more aware I was of each dealer's needs the more succesful I was in terms of matching specific types of guitars with dealers who wanted and needed them. This of course resulted in more sales, and since I was paid based on commission, it resulted in making more money.
The exact same principle applies in the music licensing industry. Although publishers, libraries and supervisors all need songs to work with, the types of songs they need are different. The more perceptive you can become of the needs of each company you are submitting to the greater your chances will be of successfully placing your music. Think about building long term relationships with people in the industry as opposed to just throwing your music out randomly to a bunch of different places.
How do you go about finding out what people need? A great way is just to ask. What I typically do when contacting companies for the first time is first make an introduction and find out if they are currently accepting new music. If they are I follow up to find out specifically what kind of music they are in need of the most at that point in time. Some companies will offer this information upfront, but I have found that more often than not that you need to dig a little to get a really clear picture of what they're in need of. Take the extra time to do this and you'll go a long way in setting yourself apart from the masses!
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