Today's post is a guest post by Pat Finnegan, one of the founders of the music library Fliktrax.
Pat and I recently created a course together called "The A To Z Of Creating A Music Library" all about how to create and launch your own music library from the ground up.
"The A To Z Of Creating A Music Library" will be released on Monday, October 22nd but if you pre-order the course between now and Sunday you'll save $25.00 off the regular price and also receive some great free bonuses, including a free consultation with me, The Music Licensing Starter Kit and The Music Licensing Newsletter Compendium.
More details and pre-order info here:
http://www.howtolicenseyourmusic.com/music-library-course.php
Take it away Pat....
The question I get most from people trying to break into the music
licensing business is: "How do I get people to hear and license my
music?". I've been there and I know a "magic bullet" answer
would be the easiest to hear. Unfortunately there is rarely a tried and true
path to the "promised land" of music buyers, its simply requires "good
old fashioned hard work". With that said, I find that identifying "First
Steps" makes any goal easier to accomplish and the music licensing
business is certainly no exception.
BE READY FIRST
No matter who you do or don't know in the media business, it will mean
very little unless you have a "product" that's ready to be sold or
promoted. If you've started a large scale music library site that boasts dozens
of genres and extensive meta tagging, it can't be 90% done when you start to
approach music buyers. Nobody wants to hear about what something can or will
be. They simply want to look at the site and see how it works for them.
Even if you are a smaller library that chooses to represent a few select
artists' or composers' works, make sure your site, or whatever medium you
choose to market your music from, is professional and easy to use. I've seen
first hand websites that are extremely sophisticated and elaborate but
they are just too involved and complex to use easily. You aren't a special
effects company so don't load your website up with clutter that has nothing to
do with delivering professional music to people who need it quickly. Make
it easy and as painless as possible for media buyers to find the music they
need.
ITS WHO YOU KNOW
Once you are satisfied with your "product", then it's time to
get the word out. Promotion and marketing are essential in any business but even more so in an industry that is so overcrowded with so
many talented people. If you have the capital to hire a PR or marketing company
that specializes in this area, then I would suggest that it's money well
spent.. If you don't have deep pockets the grassroots/DIY method is one
that has worked for many motivated entrepreneurs and it can work in the
licensing business too.
The first step here is ask yourself, "Who do I know?". Do you
have friends or relatives that work in Advertising, TV, Radio or Film? If the
answer is "yes" then pick up the phone and call them and explain what
you have to offer. They can usually direct you to the people or departments in
their companies that handle the music selection. If you don't know anyone
directly connected then start pursuing people you know that might be remotely
connected with media. People who work for print magazines often know people in
advertising or even TV, etc... Maybe your neighbor landscapes for a TV producer
or your buddy's sister-in-law makes documentaries.
It's not always comfortable to be aggressive in networking but its
vital. You have to get your music into the right hands so this isn't the
time to be timid or shy. In my
experience when you make your intentions clear, people are often more than
eager to help. But people can't help you
if you they don't know what you're trying to do. Make a list of everyone you
know and play 6 degrees of separation with each. Most people know at least
someone who can get them a little further along the way.
STAR MAPS
Their are numerous companies that will be happy to sell you "lead
sheets" of music supervisors, ad agencies, TV stations, Radio Stations,
etc.. How To License Your Music.com offers a directory that is a great starting
point for the music licensing industry .My company has bought some of these
lists, as well as joined various groups or organizations that are designed to
help you get connected with the right people.
There are also organizations, publications and sites that simply list
companies and individuals who are "in the biz". 'Ross Reports' and
'Production Hub' are such examples. Use resources like these and some "out
of the box" thinking to do everything you can to make these companies
aware of you and what you have to offer.
Conventions
If there are media or entertainment conventions in a city near you, it can be
beneficial to bring some literature and even music samples to hand out to those
who might be interested. Networking is really what it's all about and in person
networking is even more effective than networking online.
Bottom Line
The bottom line is that to launch a music library, it takes a lot of
hustle. The right attitude goes a long
way. Don't be discouraged if you don't
immediately land your first big deal.
All it takes is connecting with the one right person or company to get
started, so keep networking and keep connecting and keep spreading the
word. My company Fliktrax wasn't built
over night, but through sheer determination and a lot of hard work we've been
able to create a thriving licensing company with a growing list of credits and
placements.
