There are a lot of music libraries these days that have built up massive collections of music that is accesible online for anyone who needs music for their projects.  I'm thinking of sites like Pump Audio and other lesser known sites that function similiarly.  The way these sites work is that music supervisors who need specific types of songs will log on and search their catalog based on keywords related to the type of track they're interested in licensing.  So if they're looking for a song about a break up in the vein of Lady Gaga, they'll search using these terms and a selection of songs and artists will come up who match this search criteria.  

 

There's nothing wrong with music that is licensed this way and in fact many supervisors prefer it.  They like the efficiency of being able to log onto a secure area of a website and in many cases very quickly and easily find what they're looking for with all of paperwork ready to go.  It often makes their jobs much easier.

 

The only problem with passive music licensing is that it doesn't give you much power as a songwriter.  What I mean is that once your music is added to a library like this, there usually isn't much you can do to increase your chances of your music being licensed.  If someone happens to come across your music this way you very well could license your music as a result.  

 

The problem though is that in many cases supervisors are searching catalogs that have thousands, if not tens of thousands of tracks.  Maybe they'll find you and maybe they won't.  But really there's not much more you can do once your music is added to a catalog like this than just sit back and wait and hope somebody discovers your music.  Not exactly an empowering feeling.

 

On the other hand, the other way music is licensed is by publishers, licensing agents and is some cases music libraries that actively pitch music to their contacts.  Many supervisors still prefer to receive music this way as well.  The benefit of this approach to you as a songwriter is that if you are actively developing relationships with people who are pitching music actively, you have a greater chance of your music being pitched more frequently and ultimately licensed.

 

In my opinion you're better off having two or three very well connected people who will actively go to bat and support you and your music than a dozen music libraries who just passively store their music on their site where someone may or may not find your music.  How do you know who is willing to actively pitch your music and who is not?  It's sometimes hard to know in advance. But make it a habit to get to know the people representing your music to the best of your ability.  Ask lots of questions about what projects they're working on, where your music is being pitched, etc.  You can pretty quickly figure out who is willing to work with you more actively and who is not.  Always let people know you're willing to do music on spec, if you are.  Sometimes projects won't be presented right away, but if you're diligent in building up solid relationships you're going to go a lot further a lot faster than by just sitting back and hoping someone finds your music.

Want to comment on this article? Now you can read and leave comments on all my articles here: 

 

Happy Songwriting!

Aaron Davison