Today I want to share a few thoughts on how you can present your music and yourself in a way that is supervisor and publisher friendly, so that you make a good impression on whoever you are presenting your music to and increase your chances of both getting your music heard and licensed. These ideas are based on my own experience of running my company, Renegade Music Marketing, and is also based on feedback I've received from dozens of publishers and supervisors over the last couple years.
1) Make It Easy To Be Reached
- This should be common sense, but make sure that when you're mailing packages, if you're mailing packages, that you make your contact information easy to find. Put your name, number and email on your CD. Some publishers and supervisors get hundreds of submissions a week, so help save them time by making contacting you as easy as possible. If you're using email to make contact, be sure to sign your email with your name! I get emails ALL THE TIME from artists who don't sign their name. This is a big pet peeve of mine. I like to know who I am communicating with. Let people know who you are so that when you get a response it can be addressed to you personally.
2) Presentation Of Your Music - If you're mailing physical CDs make sure they are not shrink wrapped. Again, make it easy on the recipient of your music to listen to your music. It might not seem like a big deal, but if you're in the middle of a busy, stressful day you want to be able to open up a package and listen to the music inside very quickly. With regards to emailing links to your music, email a direct link to the page where your music can be heard as opposed to emailing a link to your home page and making the recipient spend five minutes trying to find your music.
3) Research Companies Before Sending Your Music - Take the time to do a little research about the supervisor or publisher you're submitting your music to. Find out who their previous clients are. Where have they placed music? What kind of music are the placing? Is your music relevant? The more you know about the companies you're reaching out to, the better feel you'll get for whether or not you're a good potential fit. Don't just blindly submit your music to hundreds of places. Submit to places that are a good match for you and your music.
4) Following Up -
Definitely follow up on your submissions. I think it's imperative that you follow up on the places you've submitted your music to. Some companies simply won't respond because they are too busy. But usually following up will get a response. I even think some companies use this as a sort of filtering process to determine who is really motivated and who isn't. So be sure to follow up, but just don't do it too soon or too often. Wait two or three weeks and make contact if you haven't gotten a response. You want to ease your way onto the radar of your contacts so they are aware of who you are and what you do. Afterall, if they don't know you, they're not going to think of you for the next project they're working on. So make yourself known, but just do it in a way that is sensitive to the time constraints of others!
