Is your music ready to be placed? A lot of people email me asking whether or not I think their music has what it takes to get placed in TV and Films. Although it's true that in the context of music licensing, the production doesn't typically need to be as good as a major label artist, it does need to meet certain standards in terms of both production and songwriting. Your music needs to be what is often described as "broadcast quality". What this essentially means is that your music needs to meet the production standards of people working in the industry.
If you're not sure whether or not your music is up to par in terms of production and writing, a great exercise is to simply listen to other artists that are getting used in TV and Films and then, as objectively as possible, compare your music to see where it stands. If you have a hard time being objective about your own music, maybe get some friends to assist you. Just listen and be as honest with yourself as possible.
Research the websites of publishers and supervisors working in the business and listen to the music on their sites. Many companies will feature artists that they've licensed and include samples to the tracks they've licensed. This is a great way to both get an idea of what the production standards in the industry are and also will provide examples of what kinds of songs are being licensed and where.
If you're using the How To License Your Music.com directory, just go to the URL provided for each listing. The directory provides links to websites if there is a website available. Most companies have websites these days so make this the first place you visit when researching new companies.
A lot of people make the mistake of assuming that they're not making progress in the music business because of a lack of connections, and sometimes that may be true. But be honest with yourself about your music and whether or not it's where it needs to be. I always recommend working with someone else who is skilled in production and engineering if this isn't your forte.
