In today's post I want to discuss a topic that I've touched on in my newsletters and dig a little deeper into the topic.  The topic is how you can develop and cultivate professional relationships in the music business that will lead to more success. But before I begin discussing this topic in the context of the music business and the music licensing business, I want you to think about how important networking and friendships are in all areas of life.  I've consistently read that 75 to 80 percent of ALL jobs are found through either a friends, colleagues or recommendations. 

This percentage definitely has been true in my experience.  I've landed a few odd jobs over the years by just walking in off the street or answering an ad in the paper, but the vast majority of really good jobs I've landed have been through people I've already known. It´s human nature, people are simply more comfortable working with or relating with people they have a level of trust and comfort with and people that are referred to us through people we already know we generally feel better about.

In the context of the music licensing business, it's crucial that you develop and form relationships with people working in the business.  This may seem rather obvious, but it can´t be overlooked if you´re aspiring to license your music as a career.  If you´re making good music it´s fairly easy to get your music placed in a couple different libraries and then sit back and hope that something happens.  Maybe it will and maybe it won´t.  But if you want to increase your chances of learning about new projects and getting work on a regular basis you need to take a more active approach.

To understand why this is true, imagine yourself in the shoes of a busy music supervisor or music publisher.  It's not uncommon for many publishers to receive hundreds of submissions on a weekly basis.  There simply aren't enough hours in the day to listen to this much music.  This is why some companies don´t accept any submissions from artists that aren't referred by someone they know.  Fortunately though, many companies in the licensing industry do accept unsolicited submissions, but you still need to rise above the barrage of submissions that are being received.

How? Well admittedly, in the beginning it requires walking a fine line between patience and persistence. You need to be persistently pursuing making new connections while simultaneously being patient enough to not rub people the wrong way. Allow a few weeks to pass before contacting someone again, for example, if you don´t get a response right away. But always follow up and be persistent enough to demonstrate that you´re serious about your music and your career. And while you're waiting to hear back from one lead, start pursuing another! This kind of approach will go a very long way, and if you're approaching your life and career this way, success will come and will simply be a question of when and not if.