Today's post is part one in a three part
series of guest posts all about how to pitch your music directly to supervisors
from Joseph Miller. Joseph is a music coordinator for CBS sports and an
independent music supervisor and licensing agent. Joseph and I recently created
a course together all about how to pitch your music directly to
supervisors. I've touched on this topic
over the years in my newsletter and products but this is the first product I've
created where I did really deep specifically into this topic. I'll have more details about our course next
week. In the meantime let's start
looking at how to launch a successful sync campaign by pitching your music
directly to the people who ultimately make decisions about how and where music
is licensed, music supervisors.
Take
it away Joseph....
"Hi everyone, and thank you Aaron for
allowing me to write. I'm a music
supervisor, music coordinator for CBS Sports and act as a licensing agent to
music placement companies. The contents of
this blog are simply personal opinions having worked on the pitching end and
deciding end. From all the submissions I have received and sent on top of
countless discussions with industry folk, I can confidently say what works and what
doesn't (for now at least) but remember, it is all subjective and differs from every
music supervisor and project. Success is whatever you want it to be - go
out there, learn from your experiences and make it happen.
Over the short time I've been working
professionally in the music for media business I have taken notice of a lot of approaches
and strategies which foster placements - as well as ruin chances and
reputations within the music licensing industry.
Let's be realistic... the market today is
competitive and filled with a lot of sub-par musicians. The prominent
issue to me is that too many think their music is presentable and
marketable and then wonder why their music isn't getting placed or why they
aren't getting e-mails back from a music supervisor. Truth is, a lot of
the "talented" artists are often represented by either an agent or a music
library / synch company while up-and-coming synch'ers are starting from square
one with nothing but the hope that the music will sell itself and a
template-based cold pitch strategy.
These artists are faced with a dilemma
because they know they need to have
direct connections with music supervisors or advertising music producers... but
can't get their synch campaign off the ground when they have no previous
placements or a team pitching on their behalf.
This is strictly a people business. People will work with people they trust and
know will not waste their time. If
you're looking to get into this field, you need to be aware of some critical
things... before sending out an e-mail to every music supervisor you find on
LinkedIn or Google...
This post does NOT give you a formula to
guaranteed placements but instead the tools needed to share your music with supervisors,
develop a relationship and practice a long-term, goal-oriented synch placement
campaign.
---
Allow me to ask you an important
question and you MUST be honest with yourself...
Would you license your own music?
"But
of course, Joseph... my music is magical and a gift from the Gods!"
If you're thinking this then, well,
you're suffering from an entitlement disorder.
You're forgetting this is a business and your music is a product. Just like art, industry folk put a price tag
with it and in many cases the music pitched to many music supervisors these
days are nothing better than a child's finger paint drawing.
Consider this: the next infomercial you
see on TV... is it a radical product or yet another spin-off food processor. We all know the product and what it does to
make our lives easier but what makes this new one different besides the
upgrades - a faster speed, bigger work bowl... fewer "easy payments of $29.95?"
The same applies to your music. If you are duplicating a sound already out
there (with proven commercial success) are we getting something innovative or
just an upgrade with a better sounding recording or finer replicated virtual
instruments? Is it the same formula but
just adapted to sound like what you currently hear on the charts?
This concept is especially important in
the cover song realm. If you're
recording a cover - do it different.
Vary the style, instrumentation, feeling and mood. There's a huge market for this... heavy-hitters
only apply.
The
Point: Focus on original, niche material --- and master
it. Try to be the one source for that
sound because music supervisors prefer to go as few sources as possible. Market your originality and brand yourself as
unique."
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http://www.howtolicenseyourmusic.com/blog/how-to-launch-a-successful-sync-campaign
