What’s Your Plan?
Do you have a game plan for getting your music licensed and making money from your music? A lot of success in music licensing boils down to simply having a game plan and sticking to it. I recently wrote a 17 page post about how to get your music licensed called “The Music Licensing Manifesto” that outlines the different steps you need to take in order to get your music licensed. Be sure to check that out if you haven’t already.The Music Licensing Manifesto provides a big picture overview of what success in music licensing entails.
Today, I want to zoom in a little bit and help you figure out how to determine where you are in the grand scheme of things, and how to come up with a game plan for the next one to two years that you can stick to.
I’m convinced the reason most musicians don’t really succeed at the music licensing game is they simply give up too soon, before they’ve put in the work required to see real, tangible success. Succeeding in music licensing isn’t easy, I’m not going to lie. But it’s also not at all impossible. In other words, you
can succeed, but like most things worth doing, it’s going to require some effort and persistence on your part.
I think a lot of musicians that are interested in licensing sort of dabble for a year or two, don’t see spectacular results immediately, and then move on to other things. In other words, most musicians quit too soon, before they’re really had a chance to see how far they can go.
The Nature Of Music Licensing
The nature of the music licensing business is such that it takes time to build up to something that is sustainable, career wise. This is a result of both that it takes time to get established and build connections in the industry and also because of how slow money moves between all the entities involved in the
licensing industry. It takes time to first build relationships, land deals and placements and then wait to get paid on the back end. You could, potentially, have a song on TV tomorrow and not know about it or get paid for up to six months. I’ve had periods where I had no idea my music was even being used and then six months later, I’ve had thousands of dollars deposited into my account, for placements that happened the previous year. It’s a strange
business!
It can, realistically, take several years to turn licensing into something that is sustainable. This reality of the business turns a lot of musicians off right out of the gate. A lot of musicians, and people in general, aren’t willing to wait several years to see results. A lot of people want
success and results now! It’s understandable, but it’s too bad really, because licensing is one area of the music business where success is actually attainable, if you’re willing to put in the work and time. In my opinion, success in licensing is much less of a crap shoot than probably any other facet of the music industry. If you’re willing to put in the work and invest in your career, you can create a career out of music licensing that will sustain you.
But first…. You need a plan.
It’s great to be positive and see the music licensing business through a “glass half full” lens. But you still need to see the business realistically, assess what steps you need to take, and develop a game plan for getting the work done. Again, go read “The Music Licensing Manifesto” to get a good overview of all the steps involved in getting your music licensed and turning licensing into a full-time gig.
I won’t rehash the details of all the steps here, but as a reminder, here are the basic steps and things you need to focus on during your music licensing journey:
- Attitude & Mindset
- Investing In Your Success
- Education
- Create A Catalog Of Music
- Networking & Marketing
- Rinse. Repeat.
In the Music Licensing Manifesto I break down each step in detail and discuss what you should be doing each step of the way. Based on where you are with your career and music, you should come up with a game plan for the next year or so,
focusing on the areas that need the most work.
For example, let’s say you’re a fairly new artist that has just one EP under your belt, no industry connections and you’re not really sure where to start. In that case, you should probably focus on creating more music, beefing up your catalog and what you have to offer the licensing space, and if you’re music is on
point, starting to make some connections with libraries, publishers and so on. It’s hard to make much of an impact if you only have a handful of songs, but it could be enough to start with, if the songs are solid.
Here’s another scenario: Let’s say you already have a few placements under you belt, you have a couple albums out and you’re signed to a few different libraries. In this case, you should focus on creating even more music and increasing the size of your catalog. Focus
and hone in on the libraries that are getting you placements and continue to seek new relationships and connections. Once you see something that is working, double down and focus on what works.
Here’s one more example: Maybe you’re totally new to this and you have a handful of songs and you only have demo recordings of each, that aren’t high enough quality to license. In this case your focus should be writing more songs and coming up with a plan to have them
recorded professionally, either on your own by investing in recording gear and improving your production skills, or by coming up with a plan for getting them recorded professionally.
Be Deliberate
Here’s the bottom line: Success in music licensing is completely possible and attainable, but it’s not going to happen by accident. You need to be deliberate in your approach to licensing. You need to have a plan that you can execute and stick to. You need
to know where you are in relation to where you want to be and develop a plan for moving forward.
If you want even more tools and resources for getting your music licensed and turning licensing into a full time career, be sure to join our premium site. How To License Your Music Premium has a wealth of resources to help you on your music licensing journey.
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Until Next time…
Aaron Davison
