30 Day Challenge Registration Closing
Just a heads up that the last day to register for The 30 Day Music Licensing Challenge is tomorrow, Sunday July 16th. If you want an in depth education on how to license your music in tv, films and ads, be sure to register today to reserve your
spot:
http://www.howtolicenseyourmusic.com/30day-challenge.php
How To Research The Market
When is the last time you really paid attention to music that’s being used in tv shows and films? When
you’re watching a movie do you notice the correlation between the lyrics of songs that are playing in the background and the plot of the movie? What styles of songs do you hear being used most frequently? Do you notice places where your own music would work perfectly?
If you’re trying to license your own music and break into the world of music licensing, it’s really important that you study and understand the market you’re trying
to break into, the same way that you would need to understand any market in any other business.
The best way to understand the types of songs that get licensed the most and where, is to simply watch tv shows, films and ads and pay attention to the music that’s being used.
Are there certain tv shows or types of movies that use music similar to what you make? Is your
music more aligned with tv shows and films, or is it more aligned with ads and commercials?
A great exercise is to simply start really paying attention to music that is already being licensed. You’ll start to get an idea of how music supervisors think. You’ll notice that usually there is a very obvious connection to the song that is being synced and the plot, setting and characters that the song is being synced to.
You’ll start to think about how and where your songs could be used when you’re writing.
One of the things I go into in detail in the 30 Day Music Licensing Challenge are the "three elements" of your songs that affect how and where they can potentially be licensed.
The subject matter, style and mood of the song all weigh heavily in determining where a song will work. When you're listening to music in tv and films, notice how these three elements are connected to the scene you're watching. If the scene is set in the 1970's, then most likely the music used will be from this period, stylistically. If the mood of the scene is dark and ominous, nine out of ten times the music will be as well. If the scene is about a breakup, then
again, the lyrics of the music being used will reflect this.
Start thinking about what types of scenes your songs could work in based on the three elements; style, subject and mood. This is a very illuminating process that will help you figure out what types of projects your music could work in. The better an idea you have of where your songs will work in the context of licensing, the more targeted your pitches will
be.
Researching Publisher And Library Websites
Another great exercise is to research the websites of music publishers and music libraries. Often times these websites will have samples of songs they license. You can usually check out what artists they’re working with and listen to the music that they’re licensing. You’ll get a good idea of both the types of
songs companies are licensing as well as the production quality of the music that’s being licensed.
So many writers I work with via my website, How To License Your Music (.) com seem to be completely unaware of what kind of music is making money in the licensing world. There’s really no excuse for going into this industry with your eyes closed. It’s very easy to figure out and by knowing what there is an actual demand for
you’ll have a huge leg up compared to all the writers who jump into this blindly.
Starting any business requires a certain amount of market research and the music licensing business is no exception. I think a lot of musicians and songwriters have the mindset that because they’re making music, which is a creative endeavor, they don’t need to worry about the business side of things. That somehow the creativity gods will work
everything out if they just follow their muse, and while making music is certainly a very creative endeavor, making money from music is a business. Like any business, things don’t usually just happen without careful planning, research and execution.
Look To Other Artists
And finally, a third way to research and really get to know the market is to look for other
artists that are successfully licensing their music. One of my favorite things about running my website and hosting my podcast, Music, Money And Life, is that I get to connect with so many other great writers.
By interviewing and getting to know other writers that are succeeding at the music
licensing game, I learn a great deal about ways I can improve my own approach to music licensing. I’m not suggesting that you blatantly copy anyone. But there’s always more to learn and when you find others that are further ahead than you are, it’s a great way to discover areas that you need to focus on.
Maybe someone else is doing a better job at social media and you see what they’re doing and discover ways to improve your
own social media marketing. Maybe another writer you discover has done a better job at focusing on certain styles and production techniques that are very conducive to licensing and you can take what you learn and apply that to your own music.
In any industry, there’s always people that are more successful than others. Instead of being intimidated and discouraged by those people, look to them for guidance in terms of
how you can further your own career. You don’t even necessarily need to connect with them personally. Often times it’s enough to just look at what they’re doing and study them from a far.
I had a real revelation recently where I connected with a writer who is super successful in terms licensing music in ads, an area that I’ve been interested in breaking into but up until recently had been unsuccessful. I went
through a period where I was trying, unsuccessfully to break into this space. I was starting to get real discouraged until one night I really sat down and listened very intently to this particular artist and in a moment of very objective clarity it struck me that this particular artist’s music was simply better for advertising than mine was. I could see why, in a detached, unemotional way. It wasn’t necessarily that their songs were better than mine. But they were better
produced and worked better for the medium of advertising than mine did. It was so clear to me, when I really listened, what myself and my producer needed to improve on to get my songs right for advertising. Since then I’ve secured several new tv spots, and just signed with a large sync agency that focuses on very high end ad campaigns. The type of agency that had eluded me for months.
So in just a few months I’ve
turned things around and now am well on my way to securing the types of placements that have alluded me for the last couple years. I’m 100% confident I never would have had this breakthrough had I not simply sat down and listened to what works.
I’m all for being as creative and unique and original as possible when it comes to the music I write. In fact, I’m working on a CD of all original songs that I could frankly
care less whether or not any of the songs get licensed. But, when it comes to writing music for licensing, you have to pay attention to what works and what’s successful. You don’t necessarily have to completely reinvent yourself. I happen to write songs that tend to be pretty positive and uplifting anyway, so it’s not a real stretch for me to write music that works for things like advertising. But had I never stopped and really analyzed why the tracks I were submitting
weren’t working, I never would have moved forward.
To sum up, the bottom line is that the music licensing business is a business and like in any business, the better you understand the market and the needs of those you’re serving, the better you’ll do. Research music that is already being licensed, research the companies that are licensing music and research the artists that are doing well. When you do this, diligently,
you’ll be miles ahead of the majority of writers who are simply throwing random music against the wall, hoping something will stick.
