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Beavers used to be seen as hugely problematic, or at best, profitable. Over the years there has been occasion to kill them for their pelts or to exterminate them from an area to eliminate the side-effects of their handy-work. This nearly caused their extinction.

Lately in the US, beavers have been solving problems. Their dams create wetlands that have helped quench thirsty cattle and grow new prairie brush. This has been critical to farmers as temperatures have soared and water levels have dropped.

When we try to control and exploit our environment, it is hard to predict what effects our actions will have on the ecosystem. But if we choose to observe problems and flex to their idiosyncrasies, there’s an opportunity to create mutual benefits, and our problem might just be a great solution when we need it most.

Get lots of likes, clicks, and link-backs. And shares, shares are important for network effects.

Definitely don’t ask people what they think of the result – and if they tell you anyway, just ignore it. Feel free to ignore the tradeoffs too. Only apologize if you have to. Definitely avoid responsibility at all costs.

Forget about the person that needs it. Forget about what’s good for the team. Don’t do it because it will make the product better. And that vision you started with? Who cares.

Do it at the right time, with the right link, and the right keywords. Do it to be the top hit in search.

Make it faster. More swiping. Less thinking. Shorter. Catchier. Easier. Make sure notifications are enabled.

Do it for the algorithm.

So the algorithm can sell more ads.

Is it a meeting? An email? Is it getting your full attention? Are you doing it because you have 4 minutes before your Lyft gets here? Are you responding with your opinion, or did you do the legwork?

Are you squeezing in a vacation? A hike? A walk around the block? Does it feel like you shouldn’t be doing it? Do you feel guilty for enjoying it? Do you feel better because you squeezed in an email in the meantime?

Is it a family dinner? A date? Drinks with a friend? Are you squeezing in time with someone you care about? A FaceTime with mom?

We are constantly pulled in different directions, with activities in our lives bleeding into each other at every moment if we let them. There’s always an opportunity to put something down, set it aside, or resign ourselves to the fact that it is literally not possible to show up like we want if we take on this additional thing.

Squeezing it in is a signal that our plate is already full, and that maybe, we should squeeze it out instead.

Sometimes I get stuck in a trap. I think to myself: “Ah, once I achieve this next thing, then all will be well!” This is of course ridiculous.

Imagine pushing a boulder up a steep hill. When starting out on the journey, you can see some of the long, arduous path in front of you. You expect the other side of the hill should be much easier though you aren’t quite sure exactly what will happen between here and there. But you begin to push the boulder up the hill having a general expectation for the future.

Up and up you go, leaning into the boulder, sometimes changing positions to give muscle groups a break. Assuming no major unexpected events (which are entirely possible), at some point you get to the peak and think “It’s all downhill from here!” This too is folly – predicting a future that may never arrive. And then you can push once more, just like you did every step of the way to reach this point.

But the next thing that happens probably isn’t that you win the game of life and have everything you’ve ever wanted and feel completely fulfilled.

It may be that your journey is on a new course, that things are easier, or that you finally see something that your previous perspective blinded you to. Things could also be more difficult, or the next push may send the boulder on an unexpected turn. You may also get to that peak and decide you’d rather not push boulders anymore, and leave the boulder at the peak to pursue basket-weaving.

What’s certain is at the moment on top of the hill, ready to push the boulder down the other side, was only made possible because you already put in so much effort. In fact, the next push is only possible because you decided to begin in the first place and then kept showing up to push the boulder. The hill’s peak may seem like a significant milestone, and you may appreciate it as one, but it is no different than all the previous pushes except that you’re stopping to appreciate it.

No matter what happens, you reap at least some benefits of all the pushing (exercise, problem-solving, determination) even if you walk away from boulders altogether for the rest of your life. Even if you quit the boulder-pushing before you’re done, you at least know that boulder-pushing isn’t for you.

Most of the time, to achieve anything that is meaningful to us, it is a long, slow climb and we wind up at the end of the achievement (should we accomplish it) much the same as we were at its outset – perhaps even missing the scenery.

When evaluating the decision of choosing between a non-exclusive or exclusive deal to represent your songs for placement in advertising, I’ve had a number of folks reach out and ask for more info.

Every case is unique but the general goal should be the same: get as much information as possible.

In that interest, I’ve created a list of nine questions that help you spark intelligent conversations and aimed to drive responses that give you real metrics which can better inform your decision-making. You can also tweak the same questions to make them relevant to ANY music business deal.

Also, while you certainly could email the following questions I would instead advise that you pick up the phone or meet in person. You will learn a lot more face to face than you will by reading an email response.

What to ask your potential music licensing partner…

1) Approximately how much synch revenue did they generate last year before royalties?

They’re unlikely to disclose this information, so to follow-up to this question ask….

• Can I see a rate card or can you ballpark what you charge for the following usages of music similar to mine?

National TV promo

National TV in-program

National commercial

Film Trailer (Worldwide)

In-Film Use (Worldwide)

2) Do they have a reel or 1-sheet that I can see (what they use to pitch their catalog)?

• This will give you a good idea of what their promotional materials look like, and also let you gage how much work they’ve done (ie: their reel shouldn’t just have placements from 1 show, or from many shows that are no longer on-air).

3) Do they take the publisher’s share of the performance royalty? Is this negotiable?

• Most places will probably take the publisher’s share but some will let you negotiate how much. Always ask!

4) Can you give me a rough range of how many placements you land each month? year?

• They should be able to tell you exactly how many they get to be honest, and it should be a point of pride. If they’re new to the game they obviously won’t have that many.

5) Roughly how many ad agency music briefs do they get per month?

• Anywhere between 5 and 15 would be reasonable. You may want to follow up by asking which agencies they have the best relationships with.

6) Who are their go-to TV and Film Trailer editors or houses?

• This should get them talking about specific clients they have just to lend some credibility. If you’re talking to someone who isn’t on their sales staff, you may want to request she find out for you.

7) What are current film or TV projects for which they have been solicited for music by music supervisors?

• Do some research on Variety or IMDB before your meeting and make sure you know upcoming film or TV shows in production so you can gauge the validity of this answer. You might even have the name of the music supervisor on a given project in your back pocket so you can say something like “Oh, so you know _____ ” should they bring it up.

8) What channels of marketing do they use to outreach to their client-base:

• Generally, they should be doing email, phone calls, and in-person meetings. Some places will also do physical mailers and trade shows. You can also ask if they have a dedicated sales staff.

9) Can you send me an example of any marketing material you send out to your clients?

• This lets you see the quality of their marketing material. The impression it leaves on you is likely to be similar to the impression it leaves on their clients.

These questions will act as an excellent spring board for more in-depth conversation and help you better decide whether or not to go into business with a potential licensing partner.

If you like this article, get more info on how to get your music licensed and published by subscribing to my newsletter here.