I'm just about a week away from making the biggest announcement regarding the future of How To License Your Music dot com and the future of my website that I've ever made. I'm so excited for what I'm about to launch that I almost can't wait to tell you about it. It's that good! But, we're
not quite there yet.
So today, instead I have another blog for you. This one was based on a recent email I got from someone wanting to know what the "secret" to success in licensing is.
What’s The “Secret” To Licensing Music?
I just got my most recent Ascap statement and was pretty pumped to see over a dozen
new placements and enough money to buy a new guitar and amp that I’ve been eyeing for a couple months now, and plenty of accessories to boot. It feels awesome to get money for something that, truth be told, I would probably do for free. Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather get paid for the music I make, but between you and me, I’d still write songs even if I didn’t get paid for them.
I got an interesting email the other day from
someone who has been trying to get his music licensed, unsuccessfully, for some time now. He emailed me and basically said he has amazing music, and that he’s been trying to get it licensed unsuccessfully for over a year now. He wanted to know “what is the secret” to licensing his music. He feels like he’s tried everything and that nothing is working.
I could really relate to this email, because as someone who has
both licensed a pretty fair amount of music, and also someone who at times has struggled to go further and get to the “next level” with my music, I can relate to the frustration. It can definitely seem at times, that when you’re not getting the results you want, it’s because there’s some secret formula to success that you don’t know about. It can feel like there’s some sort of secret that others that are having more success are in the know on.
And, truth be told, there are some things related to licensing that will help you get ahead if you’re in the know about. But these aren’t really “secrets” per se. There is no grand conspiracy holding you back. There is no secret music licensing club, at least that I’m aware of, that your membership in will guarantee your success.
There is no secret, but
of course there are many things to learn. Like in any industry, it takes a fair amount of dedication and persistence to get ahead. The music licensing business is different than other industries in the sense that we’re shooting for something that is more or less a moving target. The ongoing needs of music supervisors and music libraries is constantly influx. This makes getting started in the first place tricky. How do you know what to write if you don’t know what people
are looking for?
Although there aren’t really any secrets, there is a sort of checklist you should adhere to when you’re getting started in licensing.
Here are things you should be focusing on:
Write lots of music. The more the better. It’s true that the needs of supervisors
is changing, based on what project they’re working on. But let’s face it, there are only so many different themes and so many different styles of music out there. Write as much as you can. I wouldn’t necessarily try to do styles that you’re not good at it or don’t enjoy. But write a wide variety of songs that cover a wide variety of themes. The more bases your catalog covers, the greater the chances one or more of your songs will be what someone is looking
for.
Produce it well. I’ve covered this ad nauseum over the years. Your music has to be produced well for it to work in tv, films ad ands. Either learn how to do this yourself, or work with a producer who has the necessary chops.
Market your music regularly - Once you have a diverse, well produced catalog, next comes the fun
part. The most critical part. Getting your music to the right people and getting placements. There are different types of placements and some pay much more than others.
In my recent podcast with composer Eddie Grey, he broke
down three different levels of music licensing placements. This is a great way of thinking about the different types of placements and their associating pay rates. The three levels are:
Entry Level – These are the easiest types of placements to get in the beginning and it’s probably best to accumulate a few of these in the beginning to build your resume. Think instrumental cues in the background of cable TV show. These don’t pay that
much usually, but if you generate enough of them they start to add up. For example, on my most recent ascap statement I had one track used ten times that only paid about 50 dollars. But when you do a lot of these and get multiple placements they can collectively generate decent revenue. It takes a lot though
Mid-Level – These types of placements tend to pay in the range of a couple hundred
dollars, to a couple thousand or more, depending on how they’re used, how much of the track is used and so on. I’ve had a lot of these over the years, and they’ve ranged from as little as 150 dollars for a single placement of about a minute on a soap opera to as much as $2,500.00 for a song used in its entirety and featured several times.
High End - These are the most lucrative and sought after and
these types of placements can generate substantial revenue, anywhere from 10k to 30k or more. Think major ad campaigns, film trailers and so on. These types of placements are pretty hard to secure and they tend to go acts with amazing production, that are fairly established and making waves. Not always, but generally speaking there's more of an emphasis on how "established" you are.
So, to sum up, there isn’t
really a “secret” to licensing music, but there is a natural sort of pecking order and things that need to be in place before you succeed. If you’re new to licensing, go after the easier types of placements to build up your resume and get your name out there. It’s easier to get placements one you’ve had a few to start with. It’s a catch 22, as in many industries, you need experience to get experience. The solution is to start by going after the types of placements that are
relatively easy to get, then build from there.
