Hello,

I'm interested in advice on shopping my music for films and TV. Of course knowing the right people helps, but that aside, what's next? Cold calling music supervisors? Sending packages out? Are there any great resources I should refer to?
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Dani

Dani,

Cold calling is generally a waste of time. I would suggest shopping for a manager or lawyer first who believes in your music.. They will then shop your music for you. The shopping game is tedious.,., Believe in yourself, be pleasant and persist, persist, persist!!

Here's a good ent law firm in NYC that I use. Contact them for permission to submit.

www.musicesq.com

Best of luck.

russ
www.russonline.com

I'm still working this angle myself so have no guaranteed words of wisdom to offer you.

TAXI generally has a few Music Supervisor leads in their regular tipsheet. Their extra cost TAXI Dispatch offers a lot in that area, also. There are also other tipsheets which offer a few Music Supervisor leads here and there.

Of course, your music should be as close to major label quality as possible - hardly any want the hassle of re-recording your song(s)...and they sure don't want to have to get clearance on any samples you may have used - that will be instant death to your song in a small or medium-sized film budget.

If you do instrumental music, Music Libraries might also be able to help get placements. Then you'll have a "foot in the door".

The difficulty is that ALL styles of music are needed and it's hard to know who is looking for what and when. Timing is a big part of it.

One of my co-writers has gotten several film placements, but generally connects through contacts she's made from the Dramatists Guild or other "who she knows" people. She also usually writes specifically for that film.

Sometimes there are ads in the "drama" papers in NYC or LA (such as Dramalogue) looking for songs or composers.

Hopefully, I've at least given you some food for thought...

------------------
Larry
www.audibleresponse.com

[This message has been edited by Lwilliam (edited 08-03-2002).]

Yep, timing is the thing. You have to hit the supervisers and directors when they actually need music. It's a tough one, but then everything is in music.

Michael
http://michael-leahy.indiegroup.com

Thanks for the advice so far. What's the best way to find good lawyers and managers? I know, so many questions...

Thanks,
Dani

checkout Soniclicensing.com
and Realia music .

Dani,
I hate to be a downer, but the reality of the situation is that this is an extremely tough area to get into for an independent artist.

Unless you have damn near master quality recordings, (this refers to both sound quality and production value, it better be super-current and sound like what's on radio or MTV) and a master quality vocal performance, I'm afraid to say that it's a complete waste of your time.

I would also say that your generic music biz lawyer or manager would not be effective in this area, because it is a full time job, and to be successful, you must have a network of extensive contacts.

I like the fact the JPF folks really support one another, but I think that politeness, blind optimism, and political correctness are way over the top here, and I'd like to inject a little reality (however harsh) into the equation.

Ted,,,,,for the most part, what you say is so, BUT, a waste of time for not having your above qualifications is just not so.

Case of point: BUDDY, RON and ME!
We put a not so good recorded and mixed song on one of sites, only because we dug the Lennon/Beatles sounding song it was. A Music Supervisor from Fashion Television played it by chance of him surfing his way there, liked it, and "asked us" for the licence. It has now been aired for three different shows and in 48 countries each time, including being on the E Channel. So, a waste of time, it was not!

The old saying goes: "You just never know" applies to the music business especially. I don't recommend to on-purpose record a song real fast without proper techniques, but as pointed out, sometimes a "certain song" or the novelty of it, or just something sounding different, can speak louder than what is heard all the time, even if not a great master cut.

We also had the same response for a film score we did, from ASCAP. We recorded the music in my small office room, (not a studio at all), and even done with cassette, (8 track Tascam), but was told we had one of the 13 best film scores for the year. Thousands of others sent in their CD's done in studio, some with real orchestration, while ours was modest keyboard sounds sent on cassette after just me mixing it all. (I'm no tech). So, again,,,,,,No waste of time!

I encourage all to do whatever they can do, as long as it's from the heart. The heart can also speak louder than levels. Levels can be tweeked by others, if they love what they hear, and want it on their shows, or in their films. We're proof of that!

Good general points you made though, just isn't the whole story.

The Best to you!

John

[This message has been edited by dhsongs (edited 09-23-2002).]

You go John!

Harsh reality is always very good and should be welcomed by all who are serious in their search for success. I couldn't agree more with the points raised here. However, we must always remember that everyone starts out somewhere at the bottom of the ladder. Belief in yourself and your music is 90% of the hurdle. Bust your ass, do your best and find the success you are looking for..

I had 2 songs placed on a CBS soundtrack for the winter Olympics in 1998 and enjoyed international airplay from a CD I produced, recorded, mixed, and engineered in my basement studio.

John - you never sent me your snail-mail address.. Please do so via my website "contact" page and we'll send you my new cd free of charge

www.russonline.com

Best to all,
russ

Thanks for the free offer Russ! But keep that one, as you might be able to sell it!

Or, if you really want to send it, (and I'll be glad to listen to your music anytime), I'll return mail one of our CD's. Don't want to take something for nothing.

Congrats on that placement on that CD! Yep,,,,,one should not back away from submitting a decent demo, when thinking it has to be a world class piece of engineering art in order to submit.

We all should just do the best we can for what we have, and see where it gets,,with of course, trying to improve as we go. But in the middle stages of learning, or stages of engineering quality, it is clear that those demos get picked up as well! Never assume anything,,,,,right? Diamonds in the ruff!

Best to you in all you do!

John

[This message has been edited by dhsongs (edited 09-24-2002).]

Usually people seeking songs for films want finished product that will be used as is in a film. One thing that has not been mentioned here is exactly what rights are being negotiated for and what is not being licensed. If you grant all rights to your music for the film for one set fee and a soundtrack is released you could lose future royalities. So examine any contracts carefully if someone wants to use some of your music in a film. Other rights can be negotiated at a future time.

John,
It sounds like you guys are truly the exception and not the rule, but seeing as you make a living as musicians / writers.... well, you ARE exceptions to the rules. In terms of the ASCAP accolades, that is truly exceptional, a real honor... I'm curious, was it judged on the merit of the music alone, or how it played and aided the story of the film? However they praised you, they praised you and acknowledged your collective talents, and for that, you should be damned proud, because just THINK of the competition there!
By the way, I wasn't trying to say that only someone with my background can get music in film and TV, even I have problems. I'm just saying it's tough.
Indie artists may want to check out sites like Songcatalog.com and UltimateMusic Archive, LicenseMusic (when they re-launch, and IF they still deal with indie artists) and perhaps that MP3 program if it's still running.... You never know, I agree with you there.



[This message has been edited by Ted Lowe (edited 09-29-2002).]

Thanks Ted, for the nice thoughts about ascap and us. Yes, it was an honor.

They only heard the music, on cassette. They didn't want to see any video. It was just to hear how dramatic, or funny, or whatever music one could do, and how it was arranged and performed. Then, if accepted, a month long workshop with Sony and others would be held in LA to score to scenes picked by them, and composed/conducted by us, and performed by a 40 piece orchestra of top musicians from the LA area.

BUT,,,,we failed to raise the funds needed in time to fly across the country and stay a month in even cheap hotels for that area, plus to cover all lost wages at our day jobs here for one month, so our wives and kids could eat and all that family stuff,,,,,mortage and the rest of the homelife bills! It amounts to one month with no pay, then having a one month long holiday/vacation, with 6000 plus miles transportation, all at the same time. Not enough cars to wash to raise that loot!

NO regrets though,,,,,,We both have the best families in the world! Would not make "them" scarifice for "our" pipe dream. WE did somewhat earlier in a couple of smaller trips, (NYC, Nashville,).

If single,,,,,sure! Take a tent and leave whatever place here. If we got scurvy,,or lost an apartment and some job here, who would care?! Could go anywhere, do anything, and love it. But not with lots of others involved who we also care about.

Yes, I guess we were the exception. That part of it we are proud of, knowing in spite of how our demo sounded, that we were chosen for our abilty to compose. Wonder who took our place? Probably someone with a steady scoring job now, for film or TV!
Hope so,,,,,,,as that would be a cool thing to have happened. One of those "Meant to be" events, for all concerned. Whoever attended, they deserve all the good that can come out if that workshop.

John

[This message has been edited by dhsongs (edited 09-29-2002).]

Cool discussion. My basic ignorance: when film/tv guys are checking out or even better, want your music - how does the music usually get applied?

Do they show you a film clip and say, "Play to this." Or do they take from ready selections, i.e. off a full-length cd that you have in the stores.

I play instrumental fingerstyle guitar and have been approached several times re using my music. There's one serious contender pending right now, a pilot. I think if the pilot goes through, the music will too, but I also doubt it will end up being big-time.

Bruce,

One of the most frustrating things is the briefing that runs: "Low budget action film looking for rock/Rap/pop".

I'm afraid that's often the way it goes. I often wonder what drivel they must get. The ideal briefing would tell you which scene, what the emotion is, how long it is and give an idea of what the director wants (you'd be surprised occasionally).

If you can get a face-to-face briefing - jump at it, if only to build up the network!

Michael
http://michael-leahy.indiegroup.com

Thanks, Michael. I want the "Unlimited budget film looking for Bruce."

Here's a list of film industry contacts via the web. Just check them out and use your own judgment. Best wishes

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You just gotta keep making songs and put them out there.

Instrumental music gets used more than stuff with vocals. So just record, record, record, and pitch to the music libraries.

Yes there's power in numbers as long as the quality is there as well. Must be broadcast quality no matter where you submit. Spread your music around if you have a couple hundred tracks. Most music libraries use search engines. So description of your music is very important. The power of numbers... if you have a thousand tracks in one library, there's a much better chance you'll pop-up in a search than if you only have a dozen tracks.

John

I know it seems crazy, but people don't put in enough work when it comes to music libraries.

Quality is a starting point, not the ending point. You start making good music. You keep working and creating and sending out music and throwing away the bad stuff. All of a sudden, you have hundreds or even thousands of cues out there working for you. You become great by experimenting, failing, correcting, and marching forward.

You cannot quit or give up or wait for something great to happen. You have to relentlessly work and work and work and work. I know it is tiring and draining and sometimes depressing. But you cannot let depression or desperation or any negativity stop you. Negative people should be eliminated as well. I learned the hard way that taking breaks and trying to be "balanced".

There is endless opportunity.