1. Get to the meat of your song very quickly. No long intros before the lyric starts, sound efx, etc. When a producer or music sup is listening to potential tracks for a production at a rate of sometimes 15 tracks a minute. Do the math - you may only have 4-6 seconds to grab their attention. When I used to conduct music searches we might go through 300 tracks to find a suitable fit (and sometimes 5 or more music music search sessions looking for just one song).
The process went something like this - I would preview tracks for the producer, noting the ones that may be of interest, and continue until I may have 20 possible tracks. Then we would go back and listen to a bit more of each track and trash the rest.
Next we may repeat the process. What we were usually looking for was 5 to 10 tracks that the producer could take back to their team and offer up as contenders for the production, or scene in a film.
2. If you are writing a song with lyrics that you hope will make it through the initial review process and into a film or advertisement think about the message of your song. In almost every case a producer is looking for that special combination of a very relevant message matched with an engaging melody (hook). Every producer is looking for a “Hit”.
Think for a moment about a record company 10 years ago listening to songs submitted by a band hoping for a record deal, or by a publishing company wanting to place their songs with a high profile artist. They are looking for the same things a music sup, or broadcast producer wants today - a “Hit”. That special track that works on a soundtrack release, or make a scene stick.
Please feel free to comment, share your experience, or ask questions!
Michael Redman
Michael,
ReplyDeleteGreat blog, great topic! Thanks for sharing this with us.
Regards,
Rogerio Maudonnet
www.maudonnet.com.br
Very nice read. Takes something I think we should all know (producers want hits) and uses some personal experiences to make it interesting and drive the point home!
ReplyDeleteMy question is how do you get in the position to even submit your music for licensing?
Nice work. Can you offer an RSS feed? it's an easy gadget from blogger. thanks!
ReplyDeleteMany Thanks to Michael for starting this blog!
ReplyDeleteEven though I've been licensing music for over 20 years, there's still a lot I do not clearly understand about the business, and it has changed a lot over the years. So this is quite helpful to me!
I agree with Michael that long intros are a very bad thing, for the exact reason he mentioned...no one is going to listen to more then a few seconds of your music, before moving on to preview the next tune. Having no intro is a good idea, in my opinion. There are many differences between the regular radio/pop/CD music that we listen to in our cars and homes...and the type of music that clients need for soundtracks in their film, TV, commercials, corporate films, etc. Understanding these differences is important.
I would also just mention that even though the majority of clients ARE looking for “hit” type songs (mainstream), there is also a smaller market for more off-beat types of music, so there is hope for us all!
Gayle
www.virb.com/GayleEllett
...
Hi Blue Coast -
ReplyDeleteI am no the techy here at MyMusicSource. How do I set up an RSS feed for blogger...Do you know?
I can help you guys with the music part, can you help me with the RSS?
Thanks - Michael