After a long hiatus, I am back and very proud to return to the informative world of the music blog scene. Recently, I've been more involved with the film/movie entertainment industry and explored passions I've long held for it since I was a kid. But, I haven't forgotten the music culture and how it was the roots of any success I've seen in the past several months in my new field. So, with new contacts and knowledge gained, I'd like to present you with a new music blog with a fresh point-of-view from a student of the film world.As an artist, you're goals are simple: You want your voice to be heard and you'd like to make profit from it. Hell, every post in this blog has been aimed at that. From EPKs, to investment strategies, to Film/TV solicitations, that has been the focus of this blog. And all the while, we've maintained the spirit of the indie scene and the free expressionism that I've dreamed of for the music culture which has finally began to dominate and show the light of day, once more. The roots of what inspired the creation of
Mellow Marketing. So, today I want to return to expand, or even
make a sequel, to that Film/TV Solicit blog from a year ago to explain to you the importance of
Music Supervisors:
In the past, we've covered how placing your song on a movie, video game or ad is my most preferred route for an artist. Not only is it gaining you attention and promotion to a potential audience of millions, you're gaining profit for this. Money is sent directly to your publisher. Not a label or investor, but directly to you. This is what the future of music is
supposed to be!So, many of you still follow the blog I last posted on the subject, as you should. Even before we continue, let's make one thing clear:
I always recommend hiring a strong agent. I'm going to teach you the tricks of their trade and present to you what they've been doing for quite some time, but the experience, professionalism, accuracy and success rate is something truly worth paying for when you're in this line of work. This is no different from booking gigs, in that there are no room for mistakes or second chances when approaching these people. Presentation is key and talent is a close second, and sometimes it takes a certain type of individual to pull that off for you.
With that said, let's continue: For those who don't know, Music Supervisors exist within every entertainment media. Film, Television, video games, sports, etc. Their goal is to find music for their products that match the tone they're trying to strike for a particular audience. As said in a previous blog, many songs that can be referred to as "old classics" are often more expensive than their marketing budget allows. So, the search for an independent sound that's not only far cheaper, but can establish an individuality for itself and the product to create an original presence that the audience can relate it to.
Therefore, Music Supervisors actually
love indie artists, as they provide amazing opportunities for new consumers at a very low cost. This creates a marriage between the artist and said company so strong, that many artists have found themselves funding entire albums or personal promotion tours through the funds they've gained from these successful solicits. Music Supervisors like
Kier Liehman(HBO) and
Alexandra Patsavas(CW) specifically look for only indie music to push the strengths of the youth and originality to their shows.
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE DISTRIBUTION, A PROFESSIONAL EPK OR PUBLISHING, PLEASE READ THE BLOGS PRIOR TO THIS BEFORE CONTINUING!!!! Without distribution, you don't have a product to sell with your marketing. Without an EPK, you aren't prepared to approach a Music Supervisor at a professional level to discuss the progression of your career. Without publishing, you won't have an avenue to collect the money you've made from either of those successes. If you haven't researched those 3 extremely important things, turn back and crawl before you run.
Now, the first question is the simplest one:
"Where do I find a music supervisor?"There are three ways to find them that are actually pretty simple:
1)
Watch TV. No, I'm not being facetious. Seriously, watch TV/movies or play video games and wait for the credits. DVR the end and slow down to find out who the music supervisor is. Once you have the name, do the research(I quite often use
LinkedIn.com) and find their contact info.
2).
Online Research. To put it simply, Google. Search for companies that do film production/distribution, ad agencies or video game developers. Once there, search on their site or contact them directly regarding who their music supervisors are. Contrary to most people's beliefs, they aren't going to hide the names of those individuals.
3).
Follow Productions. This is where picking up that issue of variety or following movie sites on Twitter actually benefit your life. Finding out what movies are set for release within the next few months are currently in production or near post can be a major leg up. They WILL be looking for music to add to their soundtrack and you may have the exact sound that they're searching for.
Next Question:
"How Do I Approach Them?"This where that EPK comes in handy. Your experience, style, strengths and weaknesses are all within that package. And all of those things, even your weaknesses, can play to your advantage. You see, no Music Supervisor ever wants to hear someone say "I'm good at any genre." Nobody in the industry wants a jack-of-all-trades nearly as much as they need someone who just excels at being good at one particular thing more than anyone else.
Just like booking a gig, the best thing you can do is to be honest, be real and set the tone in your favor by giving examples of who your style is similar to and what genre you're a great fit for. When contacting a supervisor, you'll discover that each has their own way of doing business or necessary means for their attention to be gained. Some prefer a strong, visual .PDA format of your EPK to go with your digital audio samples in an e-mail. Some would even prefer if you sent them a physical version of both through "snail mail", in the form of a CD and printed folder of your EPK so they can keep the file on hand.
So, how do you know which style they are? You don't. You have to pass the hurtle of starting a conversation through an e-mail and just asking them as your present yourself in that professional manner we spoke of earlier in the blog. In one swift move, you have to gain their respect and interest to progress further, only to be optioned for the job. But, take every opportunity you can get and be patient. While your song is on file with them, you may be surprised when you find a nice, healthy wad of cash quickly enter your ASCAP one day.
As of now, I will be adding more to this particular blog post daily as I interview several close music supervisors & marketers. I'm never one to show all my cards on the table(I gotta eat!), but here are two sites that I often use & can help in your search to find productions searching for new talent. Happy hunting!:
productionweekly.com
inhollywood.com
