Music Licensing - Get Your Songs In TV And Films

Is Your Music Good Enough To Be Licensed?

urbrock — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:10:08 +0000

I listen to music from a lot of different artists on a regular basis. Lots of artists submit a lot of music to me in a lot of different styles. I listen to it all. Some of it is great, a lot if it is ok, and some of it is just plain bad.

I think one of the hardest things musicians can do is be objective about their own music. It’s normal to become attached and sensitive about art that you’re creating. However it’s really important to develop objectivity about the music you’re creating in order to assess whether or not it’s good enough to be presented to music industry professionals.

One of the easiest ways to gauge whether or not your music is where it needs to be in the context of the music licensing business is to simply seek out and listen to other songs that are being licensed. Listen to other music that is being licensed and compare your music to music that has a track record in Film and Television. Many publishers and music libraries feature music that they’ve licensed on their websites. Listen to how your music compares in terms of production, performance, arrangement, etc.. Does your music sound as well produced as the majority of other tracks you hear? Are the vocals as solid and in tune? Do your arrangements work in the context of TV shows and Films? Have friends who are less attached to your music and more objective help you. Music clearly has elements that are subjective, but things like production and performance can be objectively critiqued. By familarizing yourself with other music that is already being licensed you’ll learn about areas you need to improve on and you’ll gain confidence in the music that you are creating and pitching.

For more information on how to license your music in TV and Films check out my free newsletter by going to: www.howtolicenseyourmusic.com

New Music Licensing Video Blog

urbrock — Tue, 25 May 2010 13:23:24 +0000

I just posted a new video blog on my site, where I’ll be posting several new videos this week about the music licensing industry and how you can license your music in TV and Films. The first video is a video called “An Overview Of The Music Licensing Industry”. In this video I go over the basics of how the music licensing business works and why music licensing is such a great opportunity for musicians.

I’ll be posting a couple other new videos in the next few days. I’ve also posted a bunch of free articles about music licensing that I’ve written as well. Go check out the video blog here.

Talk Soon,
Aaron Davison

Balancing Art And Commerce

urbrock — Tue, 18 May 2010 17:31:41 +0000

When you start pursuing music as a profession, sooner or later you are confronted with reconciling the need to maintain a sense of artistic integrity with the need to pay your bills and make money. This can be tricky, because on one hand I think most musicians are drawn to writing songs and playing music because of the sense of inspiration and purity that comes with writing music. There’s something very pure and genuine about tapping into that part of yourself where music comes from. It feels great and I think most people who write songs want to share that feeling with as many people as possible. I think it’s safe to say that this is a big part of what motivates us as musicians, regardless of what style of music we create or where we are in our careers.

But on the other hand, anyone who has been a part of the music business for more than like 60 seconds, knows that the music business is about much more than… well… music. For better or worse, everyone involved in the music business side of the music industry needs to make money in order to make the whole thing sustainable. This reality doesn’t really make me cynical anymore (it used to) because I understand it for what it is. When you book a show at a club, the club owner needs to make money to stay in business. No matter how great your band or act is, if no one shows up, it’s hard to stay in business. The same principle is true for every aspect of the music business. If you get signed to a record label, they need to make a profit from your music in order to pay their rent, staff, electricity and all the other expenses that go along with running a business.

The music licensing industry is certainly no exception to this rule. Your music needs to be “marketable” in order to be licensed. If you already write music that fits into that sometimes elusive category, great. But sometimes the rest of us have to be flexible and make short term compromises in order to achieve our long term goals. On my path I’ve made some compromises here and there with my music and my vision. I’ve written songs that sound like bands I didn’t really like that were used on TV shows (soap operas!) I didn’t really like. BUT… I don’t have an ounce of regret and I’m EXTREMELY grateful for the placements I’ve had – all of them! Why? Well besides the obvious fact that it’s helped me financially, I also think any endeavor in life is a process. By writing music for money and having my songs aired on TV shows, it’s both kept me connected to the music industry and has kept me connected to my love for songwriting. And believe it or not by exploring styles that I’m not normally drawn to, it’s also really improved my overall songwriting chops and has really helped me solidify and appreciate my own sound.

The other upside of succesfully licensing your music is that it creates a very positive feedback loop. It feels great to know that your music is appreciated and it inspires you to keep going! It sure has for me at least. I love writing music so much I would probably keep doing it whether I made any money from it or not, but when you start generating income from your music it really inspires you to keep going and keep honing your craft. It’s a great impetuous for moving forward and continually improving. And of course the more money you’re making from your music the more time you’ll have to write music and stay true to your overall vision!

So… there’s my two cents on this issue. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. I think it’s important that we as musicians and songwriters not lose sight of what really inspired us to write music in the first place. We also have to eat though:)

For more information on how to license your music in TV and Films, visit http://www.howtolicenseyourmusic.com for a free ebook and video about how to get your music in TV and Films.

Success In Music And Your Mindset

urbrock — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:16:12 +0000

Success In Music And Your Mindset

Today I want to address a topic that is a little more esoteric than the technical aspects of the music business that I often discuss, but nonetheless is just as important. The topic is how to cultivate the right mindset for acheiving success in the music industry.

I really think to be successful in the music industry you need to have both talent and very thick skin. You need to be extremely determined, ambitious and motivated. I know I’m not telling you something you don’t already know, but let’s think about what this really means. Let’s break it down, step by step.

The music industry is an industry a lot of people are drawn to because, let’s face it, writing and playing music is just freaking fun! And of course it also has a perception of being cool and if you’re a guy playing music can help you meet girls, and if you’re a girl I guess it can’t hurt with meeting guys. Music is awesome and if you have a knack for it why wouldn’t you want to share it with others.

Because of this coolness and fun factor a lot of people pursue music, both as a hobby and as a profession. This creates a lot of competition, on all levels. Everything from getting a good slot at a nightclub, or getting your song onto a TV show or Film, or landing a record deal, involve in one way or another, you competing with somebody else.

Now I don’t think competition in its modern day form is insidious or bad. For the most part, here in the western world, we are not beating each other with clubs to get what we want. Competition has a tendency to make us work harder, and if embraced in a healthy way can make us better musicians and better people. When we know something isn’t easy we tend to work harder for it and are forced to expand and grow.

It’s when the inevitable rejections and setbacks we face get the best of us that the competitive nature of the music industry turns into an ugly and insidious thing. But if we cultivate the right mindset we can take these events in stride and move forward un-phased.

How??

A couple of years ago I ended what was nearly a six year relationship with my girlfriend at the time. After about six months or so of being single and not dating very much at all I asked a girl out who was drop dead gorgeous and to my surprise she said yes. We went out and I was a complete nervous wreck. I placed so much pressure on myself and on her to make this night a success that I came across as stilted and weird and I never heard from her again.

I was disappointed the next few days but I immediately realized what had happened. I then decided to cast a much wider net, so to speak. I started meeting girls online, in clubs, on the street, in trains. When I really opened my eyes there were opportunities to meet girls literally everywhere. Over the next few months I started actively dating many different women and what happened was really amazing. I was meeting so many different women that I stopped looking at each date and interaction as such a big deal. This allowed me to be myself and just meet women being very present and in the moment. I’ve now been happily involved with one woman for close to a year now.

Why am I telling you this story? I think this same sort of strategy can be applied to anything and works particularly well when applied to your music career. When you’re pursuing one or two opportunities it’s easy to get discouraged when they don’t work out. But if you’re pursuing many different opportunities, not only are you exponentially increasing your odds that one of them will come through for you, but you will relax when you realize that there are many different ways to achieve success with your music. If you don’t get your music on one show, pursue another. If you don’t get booked into club x, pursue club z. This is the mindset you need. Don’t worry about any one particular goal, pursue them all with equal fervor and enthusiasm and success will become a matter of when and not if.

For more information on how to get your music in TV and Films be sure to check out my free newsletter by visiting http://www.howtolicenseyourmusic.com

Quick Tip Of The Week

urbrock — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:47:31 +0000

Keep in mind that when you’re submitting music to publishers and supervisors that they all have different policies and preferences for how you submit music. Some will prefer that you submit music digitally and others will prefer that you mail hard copy CDs.

With respect to submitting your music digitally, some companies prefer different formats. Some are fine with low quality mp3s and others will only accept wav or aif files. It’s a good idea to have several different versions of all your tracks available so that you are prepared to meet the different needs of people you’re working with.

I did a submission recently to a supervisor who only accepts 320 kbps mp3s, anything other than this format this particular supervisor won’t listen to. So be prepared and make sure you have a few different versions of all your tracks on hand, ready to go.

Video Tutorial: An Overview Of The Music Licensing Industry

I made a new video presentation recently called “An Overview Of The Music Licensing Industry”. This 9 minute video presentation covers the basics of the music licensing business and how it works. If you’ve been a subscriber of mine for a while some of the information in the video might seem a little basic, but if you want to see a good overview of how the business works and how you can get involved in the business visit http://www.howtolicenseyourmusic.com/overview

A Songwriter’s Guide To Music Licensing Ebook

Just a few more days to get my new ebook, A Songwriter’s Guide To Music Licensing, and the 2009 music licensing directory for just $11.00. Visit http://www.howtolicenseyourmusic.com/ebook for more.

Music Licensing And The Future Of The Music Business

urbrock — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:25:19 +0000

In case you haven´t noticed, the music business is changing. CD sales have been declining for years now and the whole industry has been scrambling to figure out what to do in order to succesfully adapt to the way the music industry is changing. Seth Godin, one of the most knowledgable authors on business and marketing , recently wrote a great blog about the music industry in which he really hit the nail on the head regarding the future of the music business. I´m paraphrasing, but he basically indicated that the music business as we know it is over. The record labels have had a great run but the party is over, so to speak, at least in terms of traditional CD sales being the main source of revenue for artists and labels. Here´s a quote from the article, “Hey, guys, I’m not in the music business and even I’ve been writing about this for years. I even started a record label five years ago to make the point. Industries don’t die by surprise. It’s not like you didn’t know it was coming.”

It´s pretty obvious things are changing and both labels and artists need to stay abreast of where current opportunities are and where the industry is headed in order to succeed. In the wake of the death of traditional record labels there are many opportunities for musicians to succeed and now, perhaps more than ever before, the power really does lie with you, the musician. It´s clear to me that the goal of getting a record deal really has become a false idol. There are a myriad of ways to make money and keep moving forward with your music career that it really makes no sense to not pursue other avenues for both getting exposure and making money from your music. The great news is that you don´t have to rely on other people or companies to move your career forward. If you have the drive and will you can take steps every day that will improve your career. And for me at least, I´m happy as long as I´m progressing a little bit every day. Conversely, I start to feel pretty crummy if I´m not moving toward my goals.

Here are the three main sources of revenue and exposure ALL musicians can pursue, regardless of where you live or what stage of your career your in.

1) Revenue from CD sales,digital downloads and merchandise
2) Revenue from performing live
3) Revenue from music licensing deals

If you want to make a full time living from your music you should be pursuing all three of these avenues and taking steps every day to grow each area of your career. The third category, music licensing, is a form of revenue that is growing and becoming a much bigger piece of the revenue pie for both artists and labels. There are many more opportunities, in terms of places to license music, than ever before. And it´s a great industry because there are absolutely no barriers to entry in terms of age, location, image, etc… If you write and record good music, you can find a place that needs it.

For more information on how to license your music in TV and Films check out my free newsletter by going to http://www.howtolicenseyourmusic.com

Quick Tip Of The Week

urbrock — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:30:03 +0000

Video Tutorial: An Overview Of The Music Licensing Industry

A Songwriter’s Guide To Music Licensing Ebook

For a complete list of all my products and services related to the music licensing industry visit my product page.

Until Next Time….

Aaron Davison

What Kind Of Music Gets Used In TV Shows

urbrock — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:30:16 +0000

There is a WIDE variety of music used in television broadcasts.Instrumental music and vocal music from multiple genres are used on a regular basis. There is a good chance that you’re already making music that could be used in Television broadcasts.

Here’s an excersize I suggest to anyone looking to get into licensing their music for use in Television: The next time you have a couple hours do some channel surfing while actively listening for music used in the background. I think you’ll be surprised at just how many different styles of music you’ll hear. Keep in mind while you’re listening that every single piece of music you hear was licensed from someone! Why not you?

For more free information on how to license your music for use in TV and Films visit www.aarondavison.com today for more free tips and resources.

Creating A Game Plan That WILL Lead To Success

urbrock — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:11:01 +0000

When working towards a goal I like to create steps that I can systematically follow that I know will eventually lead to my desired outcome, or at the very least get me much closer to my intended goal. I think this approach is particularly valuable in the context of music licensing, and the music business in general, where a certain amount of rejection is inevitable. Last week I discussed the concept of how success tends to build on itself. Today let’s take a look at how you can start to achieve initial success that will lead to greater and greater degrees of success as your move forward.

I don’t talk a lot about the subjective nature of music and songwriting, because, well, it’s subjective and sort of hard to write about. But let’s assume for the sake of this discussion that your songwriting skills are fairly developed and your writing and producing material that’s on par with what is considered mainstream and marketable. And between you and me, this shouldn’t be that hard, but that’s a whole other discussion!

Anyway, so you’ve written some songs that you feel really good about and you’re continuing to evolve as an artist. Now what? Well this is where developing a solid game plan comes in. It’s incredibly easy to get sidetracked in this business for a couple reasons: Number one, you need to be really self motivated to pursue music as a profession. A lot of musicians I know seem to lack this trait, which is ironic considering how challenging the profession can be. Number two, because of the nature of the business you will most likely face some rejection along the way. This can be hard for a lot of musicians who tend to be a little overly sensitive to begin with. Again it’s easy to let a couple rejections slow you down or even cause you to throw in the towel entirely. Don’t be one of those artists! I know the business can be challenging but overcoming the obstacles that present themselves is very rewarding and can actually be sort of fun, depending on how you look at things.

But let’s get back to coming up with a solid game plan. I like developing strategies that are big picture oriented and that compensate for my own emotional reactivity. What do I mean by that? Well for example in the past I would sometimes get very discouraged by every little perceived rejection that would occur. I would send some of my music to one person for example, and if they didn’t immediately like it I would get discouraged and really question whether or not I was “good enough” to pursue music professionally. Now I feel sort of silly even typing that last sentence because it’s so clear now that that attitude was probably my biggest obstacle at that point in my career.

I often times have people who write me wanting me to give them feedback on whether or not their music is good enough to pursue music licensing before they buy my materials. I understand their logic but I think it’s flawed. Here’s why: if you want someone else to validate your decision to pursue writing songs professionally you’re probably in the wrong business. Why? Because YOU have to decide that your on the right path. Not me! I understand wanting feedback but I tend to not respond to these inquiries. I hate the idea of someone not pursuing their dream just because I didn’t happen to like their music!

Ok, let’s get back to that game plan I was talking about. So YOU have decided that music licensing or some other related goal is something you’re going to pursue and you’re also able to keep your emotions in check as you move forward. Next you need to develop a strategy that you can implement and take actions toward each and every day. One of the ideas I talk about in my program, The A-Z Of Music Licensing, is something I call the 90 day challenge. The idea is simple, you submit your music to one new company in the music licensing industry every day for 90 days. It’s so easy to put off moving forward, but when you start approaching things systematically like this you will begin to achieve small successes that will inspire you to keep going forward. Then you will start to see the kind of momentum building that I wrote about last week.

For more information on how to license your music for use in TV and Films visit www.howtolicenseyourmusic.com today.

Music Production Libraries

urbrock — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 18:29:32 +0000

In a previous newsletter I discussed the role of the music publisher in the context of music licensing. Today let’s take a look at music production libraries. Production libraries work a little bit differently than music publishers do although ultimately their goal is the same; to provide quality independent compositions and songs to television and film productions. They do this by screening music from independent writers, selecting music that meets their standards and then securing the rights to pitch the music in their library to various productions.

They then create library CD’s that are indexed by genre, mood, tempo, subject matter, etc… and present those CD’s to different production companies in the TV, Film and even Advertising markets. If a song ends up getting used there is a “cue sheet” that gets filled out that is submitted to whatever Performing Rights Organization the writer belongs to. This assures that the writer gets paid royalties for the song’s use.

For more information on how to license your music visit www.howtolicenseyourmusic.com today!