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
