Innovating and operating through growth
The C-levels at a music publisher I used to work at would drop by my cube once every few days. All nice people, they did their best to be friendly when asking “working on anything big?”
They’d ask that question because I was the person who had developed a system and brought in deals (licenses worth anywhere from $15K-$400K per side). My answer was typically “yes, I’m always working on something big.”
[Read more…] about Here’s Why Your Label Isn’t Getting More Syncs
It’s a really special time in United States culture this weekend, Thanksgiving. While most of the folks reading this will be preparing for a turkey dinner with family and friends, a lot of my readers across the globe will be carrying on with their lives as normal.
Either way I hope you’ll find today’s thought interesting and useful.
Many times when talking to artists I hear “I really want to get my music on TV.”
It’s awesome and I love it. It means they’ve done some homework and have discovered music licensing. They’re starting the arduous but rewarding path it presents.
It’s a long journey, equally frustrating and inspiring – this is true whether its your own music, someone else’s catalog, or your new role working in the music industry.
Today it’s important to remember how incredible it is to be able to focus on something like music licensing, no matter how challenging it gets, instead of having to worry about basic needs like food and shelter.
It’s very easy to tell ourselves a story about how difficult things are, but this really just boils down to an excuse we use to pardon ourselves from doing the work.
Today, give thanks – among all the other great things in our lives – for challenges, inspiration, success, and learning experiences (sometimes called failures).
The more we treat obstacles as opportunities, the more likely we are to accomplish real goals.
If you’ve been reading for a while, you know that I’m very engaged with connecting music to advertising. Today, I want to get your wheels turning and get you thinking outside the box.
What is the fastest way to get your music in a commercial?
This answer may make you laugh: start a company.
Originally I thought the answer was “start an advertising agency†but that isn’t really correct though could still be effective.
Ad agencies still answer to clients (most of the time – sometimes they’re given artistic freedom by the brand). So even ad agencies can’t guarantee their final creative decision will be the approved one (even though plenty of times it is).
Music is tremendous at creating engagement and targeting specific demographics that brands can’t help but put it into everything they do.
Let’s look at 10 specific ways brands can use music:
Now, what would be the fastest way to get your music in a film? On a TV show? Let me know in the comments!
Illiterate.
That’s exactly how most people come across when they communicate.
Not because they can’t read and write.
This is much worse.
Most people can read and write. They even know a lot of words. But despite all this fluency, they do the worst thing possible.
They write first, and read second.
The internet contains a host of information. Tons. Yet you wouldn’t believe the outreach I get where people still don’t know what they’re doing when they send an email.
Questions like “How can you help me?” or outreach like “Please listen to my music.”
Be mindful of the person you’re contacting and respect their time enough to READ FIRST.
Then draft a thoughtful, succinct, and relevant message.
Putting things…off.
No matter how productive you are everyone is guilty of dragging their feet now and then.
The crazy part is if you look around for advice on avoiding procrastination, you get a bunch of productivity tips. Stuff like ‘make a list’ or ‘give yourself a time limit.’ Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying those things don’t work.
But how many of them can you consistently rely on or remember?
For me, being more productive and improving has a lot to do with personal work-flow. Lists work for me sometimes, but not always. Time limits don’t apply for me as I tend to work focused and fast once I start on a task.
So is there a method that is common to everyone across the board to help us not only choose to do what’s next, but do it in a timely way?
For the past few years I’ve been really trying to improve my productivity by simply listening to myself. I do this as often as I get a feeling that starts with
I should really…
Whether the end of that statement is ‘take out the trash,’ ‘tell that person I like their shoes’ or ‘reach out to John about any new projects he may need music for,’ it’s been extremely useful.
Case in point, yesterday I was plugging away working on a license when suddenly I thought “Gee, I haven’t heard from Arnold for a while, I should check in” immediately followed by “and you know what, there’s another creative director in North Carolina who hasn’t touched base lately.”
I wrote them down, finished what I was doing, and then sent two really brief emails.
The next thing I know I had a music search from Arnold and a really nice note from the creative director saying he’d check out one of our indie bands.
Not too shabby!
This happens to me all the time now, and every time I listen to my ‘shoulds,’ I end up not only getting more done, but feeling REALLY good about it.
What about you? Do you ever use your instincts as a good indicator of what to do next? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
Way back when copyright was first getting started in the United States, there was only one way to make your music go viral – through a music publisher selling sheet music.
The daily operations of music publishing have evolved, but their end goal is still the same – tell the story of the songs and get them performed.
Today, they’re responsible for collecting and distributing performance royalties, issuing grand rights, and getting songs used by commercial artists who don’t write their own music.
But music publishers also play a huge part in the music licensing process.
Music publishers represent or own catalogs of songs.
A song can be represented in any number of ways from recordings and sheet music, to live performances.
When it comes to music sync licensing, it’s technically considered a performance and anyone wanting to use a particular song needs to get a license from the music publisher for use of that song (they also need to seek out the master recording owner, typically a record label, for permission to use the sound recording).
Traditional music publishers were fairly reactive when it came to licensing music in media.
Mostly they would have a number of people (or just one person depending on the size of the company) answering phones and negotiating rates when someone called to request the use of a song.
Once music licensing started to become big business, most music publishers changed their ways (though, not as many as you’d think)!
Now you’ll find most major music publishers have people who’s job is to maintain a network of clients. They regularly contact music supervisors about new releases, old favorites, or live events that showcase their music in some way. At some companies the music placement staff also have a hand in new catalog signings.
Like record labels, music publishers will also try setting up showcases at ad agencies or conferences where music supervisors may be in attendance. All in the hopes that they will leave enough impression on the right person involved in music placement.
Since publishers typically have a stable of artists and writers, it’s important to do your research before signing a music publishing deal. Be sure to ask the right questions about their music licensing processes, and make sure they’re constantly testing unique ways to get your music licensed.
Getting your song on TV can result in both a financial windfall and greater sales of your songs.
Songs that are used once, also often get re-licensed as well. In other words, if someone uses your song for an ad campaign, they will license it for a certain amount of time. Once that time expires, the original licensee then needs to pay again (usually at an increased rate) in order to continue airing the commercial without violating copyright law.
In the end, music publishing is a vital part of the music economy and a fantastic way to get exposure, and properly compensated for the use of your songs. Just remember, if you’re considering signing a music publishing deal, remember to consider all the pros and cons and find the right situation for you.
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