<![CDATA[Making Money With Your Music: Learn how you license your music for TV and films - Home]]>Sat, 14 Apr 2012 13:09:53 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Finding Music Placements On Your Own]]>Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:19:01 -0800http://www.makingmoneywithyourmusic.com/2/post/2012/04/finding-music-placements-on-your-own.htmlSo you don't want to rely on music publishers or other song pitchers in the industry and you're ready to dive right in and be a mover and a shaker in and of your own right?  No problem, get ready for some serious work. 

The idea then is to find out about films and TV shows that are currently in production and who is responsible for the music for these projects.  Here are some great places to start: 

Variety Magazine: From their website, www.variety.com: “Recognized and respected throughout the world of show business, Variety is the premier source of entertainment news.”  Variety’s website has lists of production companies and the projects they currently have in production.  They sometimes offer a free trial for a time, which should give you a fairly extensive list to start with.  The subscription fee is around $300/year for the online version.

Hollywood Reporter is Variety’s main competitor.  Its website is www.hollywoodreporter.com and it has print and online versions.  Check the website for subscription fees.  They are typically a little less expensive than Variety.

Internet Movie Dababase – www.imdb.com.  Signing up for IMDbPro gives you access to lists of movies and TV shows in pre-production, filming, post-production, etc.  The fee is less than Variety or Hollywood Reporter and it is monthly, which makes it easy to try out for awhile.

Some other places to look:
Film Music JobWire – www.filmmusic.net.  Great source for all things film music.  Job listings, etc.
Hear it – Clear it Music Supervision - http://www.hearitclearit.com/: browse music needs and sign up for email list.
Goodnight Kiss Music Publishing: http://www.goodnightkiss.com/howto.html

Performance Rights Organizations:

BMI – www.bmi.com
ASCAP – www.ascap.com
SESAC – www.sesac.com

Each PRO has a department dedicated to helping get their artists music into film and TV.  You may want to investigate those areas and ask for their assistance.

“Who Else Wants An In-Depth, Comprehensive, Fast-Track Education In Music Licensing? ... Learn The Nuts And Bolts, From A - Z, Of The Music Licensing Business...Learn How To Get Your Songs In TV And Films And Start Generating Income From Your Music...”

If You're Ready To Start Making Money By Licensing Your Music And Get Your Music Heard By Millions Of People, click to the right.

"How An Out Of Work Musician Managed To Rebuild A Thriving Music Career Using Nothing But The Internet To Generate Thousands Of Dollars In Revenue each Year!"

Learn How To Create Your Own Success In The Music Business. Anyone Can Do It. You Just need To Know How...

]]><![CDATA[All About Publishers]]>Wed, 11 Apr 2012 11:43:32 -0800http://www.makingmoneywithyourmusic.com/2/post/2012/04/all-about-publishers.htmlWhen first starting out, there are a few ways to go about finding opportunities for licensing your music.  If you have the time, you can do all the legwork yourself by hunting down places that need music, find out who the music supervisors are, get their contact information somehow, build a relationship with them and see if your music might be a fit. 

Or you can submit your music to publishers who will try to license your music for you.  A publisher has lots of contacts and therefore should be able to place your music easier.  It’s what they do.  Once you have some credits under your belt, you’ll have more credibility as an independent artist and music supervisors will give you more attention than someone who has never had their music used for anything whatsoever. 

If you do it yourself, however, you can end up making twice as much money because you don’t have to split the royalties with a publisher.  It also takes a lot of time and effort and it may take a while to see some success.  So let’s take a look at music publishers.
Music Publishers

Submitting to a music publisher is a good way to get music placed into films and on TV and saves you a lot of legwork.  Music publishers are companies who primarily represent songwriters to try to find uses for their songs in various ways.  They work directly with music supervisors and production companies, so they have the inside scoop on a lot of projects.  Search the web for music publishers that specialize in your style of music.  If you’re a hip hop artist, don’t submit to a publisher that specializes in pop/rock or country.  My band for example is more of a roots rock, rockabilly, country punk hybrid.  So it may be difficult to find a publisher that matches exactly.  Therefore, I’d look for publishers that deal in music for Alternative Rock, Rock, Roots Rock, etc. to see what I could find. 

If you can spend the money, one of the fastest and easiest methods of finding publishers and their contact information is to purchase an industry directory such as the Film & Television Music Guide by Ritch Esra and Stephen Trumbull, which runs about a hundred bucks, but can definitely be worth the time it will save you.  A cheaper, but maybe less thorough alternative, is Songwriter’s Market, which has a section for music publishers and you can find it at your local bookstore or library.

If a publisher decides to license your song(s), they will sign you to a deal, which gives them ownership of the copyright.  If they place your music in a film or on tv, they will get 50% of the royalties.  This is how they make their money.  Not a bad deal if they can place your music someplace that you can’t (50% of something is better than 100% of nothing).  If you can contact music supervisors directly, ask them which publishers they like working with or work with the most.  This may provide you with a lead on a publishing company you know has success placing lots of songs.

Publishers will typically sign you to an exclusive deal.  This means that if they give you a publishing deal on a song, you cannot have any other publishing deals with any other publishing companies for that song.  This publisher will get their share of the royalties for any placement of this song.  Many publishers will try to have the deal for perpetuity (forever), which may not be a bad idea when you’re first starting out.   Once you have a few songs placed you might be pickier and only sign publishing deals that are limited to a year or two.  Publishers are becoming more open to contracts that are not for perpetuity.  So it doesn’t hurt to try and arrange for a deal that gives them 1 to 2 years and is non-exclusive.  That way, if they don’t place your song in that period, you can shop it around again.

When contacting a music publisher that deals in your genre of music, the easiest and best thing to say when calling them up is, “Hello, what is the best way to submit music to your company?”  Be simple and get right to the point.  Once you submit music, you can follow up later.

One drawback to a publisher is that they may have so many artists and songs they represent that you get lost in the shuffle.  It’s always a good idea to follow up with them every 6 – 8 weeks and see if they have anything for you.  Stay in front of them (without being pesky) and you greatly increase your chances of them thinking of you when opportunities come along.

So now it’s time to start your search.  Go find some publishers, contact them and start submitting your music.  Best of luck.

“Who Else Wants An In-Depth, Comprehensive, Fast-Track Education In Music Licensing? ... Learn The Nuts And Bolts, From A - Z, Of The Music Licensing Business...Learn How To Get Your Songs In TV And Films And Start Generating Income From Your Music...”

If You're Ready To Start Making Money By Licensing Your Music And Get Your Music Heard By Millions Of People, click to the right.

"How An Out Of Work Musician Managed To Rebuild A Thriving Music Career Using Nothing But The Internet To Generate Thousands Of Dollars In Revenue each Year!"

Learn How To Create Your Own Success In The Music Business. Anyone Can Do It. You Just need To Know How...

]]><![CDATA[4 Ways To License Your Music Locally]]>Sun, 08 Apr 2012 16:55:56 -0800http://www.makingmoneywithyourmusic.com/2/post/2012/04/4-ways-to-license-your-music-locally.htmlWhile it’s nice to get on national TV or in a major film, there may be other places to place your music that are much closer to home (if you don’t live in Los Angeles that is, which most of us don’t).  It may be easier to get your music used in something local because you can meet people face to face locally and there is less competition.  Local sources are a good place to start making money and getting credits under your belt.


1. Search the internet for local movie studios.  Find out what projects they are working on, who is in charge of the music and see if you can meet them.  Face to face meetings are best and will give you the best chance of having them use your music.  Do internet searches using your city’s name and keywords such as “film production”, “indie moves”, “production companies”, “music wanted”, etc.  You’ll be surprised at how many film associations are close by, both in your nearest major city and also within your state.

2. Find out what film festivals are playing in your area.  Go to them and introduce yourself to the filmmakers.  Find out if they have any projects they are working on currently that they need music for.  If not, get their contact information and call them up in a few months to see if anything has developed.

3. Call up your local ad agencies and see if they need any music for local commercials.  TV and radio stations also might be a good source as they often make their own commercials.  Who knows, you may even be asked to write a jingle for a local business for a few hundred bucks.  I met a guy who did this who told me he got $700 for writing a jingle for a local auto shop.  Not bad! 

4. Listen to locally produced commercials.  If they use similar music to yours contact the company, ask them who produces their commercials, then contact whoever produces their commercials and ask to be kept in mind in the future.  Tell them that you heard their commercial for X and noticed the background music was similar to yours and you thought it might be a good fit for future commercials.  Then see if they’d be willing to take a listen.


“Who Else Wants An In-Depth, Comprehensive, Fast-Track Education In Music Licensing? ... Learn The Nuts And Bolts, From A - Z, Of The Music Licensing Business...Learn How To Get Your Songs In TV And Films And Start Generating Income From Your Music...”

If You're Ready To Start Making Money By Licensing Your Music And Get Your Music Heard By Millions Of People, click to the right.


"How An Out Of Work Musician Managed To Rebuild A Thriving Music Career Using Nothing But The Internet To Generate Thousands Of Dollars In Revenue each Year!"

Learn How To Create Your Own Success In The Music Business. Anyone Can Do It. You Just need To Know How...

]]><![CDATA[How Music Is Used In TV Shows & Movies]]>Fri, 06 Apr 2012 19:00:24 -0800http://www.makingmoneywithyourmusic.com/2/post/2012/04/how-music-is-used-in-tv-shows-movies.htmlIn television, music can be used as a theme song, the underscore, a song written for a specific scene, a pre-existing song, production company logo, promotional music, or as a commercial jingle. 

In film, music can be used in three basic ways: 1. the underscore, 2. the song written for the film and 3. the pre-existing song.  This website focuses mainly on how to get the music you already have recorded into film and TV, or the “pre-existing” song.  The pre-existing song can be used multiple ways in films:


1. Background music with vocals: A song played in the background, as support for a scene.  Vocals are included.

2. Background music without vocals: A song played in the background, as support for a scene.  This is an instrumental.

3. Visual vocals: One of the characters is singing the song on screen.

4. Visual instrumental:  An orchestra or band is playing a song on screen.

5. Opening or closing theme: A song used during the opening or closing credits of the film.

Each of these types of music uses generates different fees and royalty payments.    For example, background music with vocals pays five times as much in royalties than background music without vocals! 

Find out what the scene is. Is it important thematically for the movie?  Oftentimes, the music supervisor will explain the scene and how it will be used.  Sometimes they will send you a few pages of the actual script where they want your music used.
“Who Else Wants An In-Depth, Comprehensive, Fast-Track Education In Music Licensing? ... Learn The Nuts And Bolts, From A - Z, Of The Music Licensing Business...Learn How To Get Your Songs In TV And Films And Start Generating Income From Your Music...”

If You're Ready To Start Making Money By Licensing Your Music And Get Your Music Heard By Millions Of People, click to the right.

"How An Out Of Work Musician Managed To Rebuild A Thriving Music Career Using Nothing But The Internet To Generate Thousands Of Dollars In Revenue each Year!"

Learn How To Create Your Own Success In The Music Business. Anyone Can Do It. You Just need To Know How...

]]><![CDATA[How Much Money Can Be Made Licensing Music?]]>Fri, 06 Apr 2012 18:59:18 -0800http://www.makingmoneywithyourmusic.com/2/post/2012/04/how-much-money-can-be-made-licensing-music.htmlA lot of talk goes around about the importance of music licensing as a revenue stream for your music career and also as a means of increased exposure.  And you hear people talk about either the mountain of money that can be made and you also hear people talk about how the money isn’t really that great.  So what is the truth, especially for the independent artist?

The truth is that it depends. 

Okay, we won’t stop there as it’s a cop out.  But it does depend on a few things, like how the music is used, what it is used for, how long it is used for and what “rights” the production company is willing to pay for.

So first off, permission to use music is needed from the music publisher and copyright owner.  And a “right” just means what media they have the right to play your music on.  For the small, independent artist with little clout, this will probably be “all media excluding theatrical.”  As it suggests, this includes the right to play the music on everything and anything a television show could be broadcast over.  Typically the fees are larger than those paid for “all television and home video” described below.

So now the big answer for the independent, non-stature artist: fees are typically from $350 to a little over $1,000 for television.  For films, the fee could be a couple thousand dollars.  That’s the sync and master use fee.  Performance royalties are another subject.

But now for a little fun, let’s see what the big dogs make.  Here are some other negotiable rights and their associated fees:

 - Free television: the major networks, independent local stations and syndication.  For a well known song, typical synchronization fees are $1,750 to $3,500 for five to six years.  Life of copyright license fees for use in hit series could be from $6,000 to $12,000 depending on the music budget, how important the song is for the scene, how long it’s used for and how many times it’s used.
 
 - Pay or subscription television: channels like HBO, Showtime, and the Disney Channel.  Typical fees would be from $2,500 to $3,500 for well-known songs for five years to six years. 

 - Basic cable television: all the other non-pay channels offered as part of cable television.  Typical fees are similar to free television.

 - All television media: includes all of the above.  Fees can range from $7,500 to $12,000 because it is so all-encompassing.  Usually done for successful television series.

 - All television and home video: all of the above plus home video.  Fees can range from $10,500 to over $20,000.  This is typically done for a successful series that will probably be released on DVD.  

 - Educational and Public Broadcasting Television (PBS).  These fees are set at lower rates because these networks are listener-supported and non-commercial. 

What this means is that separate fees can be charged for each of those uses.  A production company will usually want to negotiate as many rights as possible (all media excluding theatrical) for the least amount of money.  The licensor will want them to pay for each right separately and get as much money as possible.  For the small, independent artist, you don’t have much negotiating power to do this unless your sound is very unique and they really want you.  In most cases, they’ll just deal with someone that’s easier to work with if you prove difficult. 

A production company quite often will get quotes on each of these rights as separate “options.” 

So there you have it, a quick rundown of some typical payments for music licensing.  From the unknown, independent artist to the established artists with well-known songs.  And then there’s always a band like Led Zeppelin, who can get a few hundred thousand dollars for the use of one of their songs in a commercial.  If that days comes for you…go ahead and let your high-paid lawyers negotiate that baby.

“Who Else Wants An In-Depth, Comprehensive, Fast-Track Education In Music Licensing? ... Learn The Nuts And Bolts, From A - Z, Of The Music Licensing Business...Learn How To Get Your Songs In TV And Films And Start Generating Income From Your Music...”

If You're Ready To Start Making Money By Licensing Your Music And Get Your Music Heard By Millions Of People, click to the right.

"How An Out Of Work Musician Managed To Rebuild A Thriving Music Career Using Nothing But The Internet To Generate Thousands Of Dollars In Revenue each Year!"

Learn How To Create Your Own Success In The Music Business. Anyone Can Do It. You Just need To Know How...

]]><![CDATA[How You Get Paid In Music Licensing]]>Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:18:44 -0800http://www.makingmoneywithyourmusic.com/2/post/2012/04/how-you-get-paid-in-music-licensing.htmlYou get paid three ways when your music is licensed for use: The synchronization license fee, the master use license fee and through royalties of public performances.  If you own the copyright and master recording, the sync and master licenses can be, and usually are, combined into one license.  This is where you have an advantage as an independent artist.  Music supervisors like dealing with this type of arrangement because it makes things easier and faster.  However, let’s go through an explanation of each type separately so you understand the difference.


Synchronization License Fee
The synchronization fee is what the production company pays to have the right to use the “composition.”  This is not the specific recording of the song, but the song itself.  Permission needs to be granted from the songwriter and music publisher.  Most likely if you are an independent artist, you are both. 

Master Use License Fee
The master use fee is what the production company pays for the right to use the “master recording.” The master recording is your recording of the song, whether it is on CD, audio tape, DAT or an mp3 file.  If you have a cover song, it is your unique recording or version of the song.  (If that’s the case, the film maker will still need to get the synchronization right from the publisher of the song).  Always make sure you have complete ownership of the master recording.  If you have a publishing deal or have other business deals with a record label, manager, recording studio, or have co-written the song, there’s a good chance you don’t have complete control over your recordings.  A music supervisor has to figure out who owns the master and deal with that person or party only. 

Like I said earlier, if you wrote the song and own the recording, many times the master and sync fees are combined into one fee.  Again, you have an advantage in this as an independent, because it makes things easier and faster for the Music Supervisor. 

Synchronization fees are typically low for television, even for hit songs, because there is so much money to be made on the “back-end” in royalties.  A lot of TV shows are even starting to not pay anything for this.  The master fees can be quite high if a song is owned by a record label. The reason is that the owner of the master recording does not receive any royalties or back-end payments (only the publisher and copyright owners receive royalties).  Therefore, the master fee is the only payment a record label will get.  Also, master and synchronization fees are usually much higher for feature films because films don’t generate any royalties when played in the United States. 

Royalties
The real money is made on the “back-end”.  This is the Public Performance royalty.  Royalties are awesome.  You can end up getting royalty checks for years depending on the situation.  This is why it is so important to be registered with a performance rights organization such as BMI, ASCAP or SESAC.  It is also why it is so important to make sure the information is filled out correctly on the music cue sheets (explained later in this chapter) that the production companies fill out. 

Royalties are paid for public performances of your music.  This includes when it is aired over television or in foreign movie theaters.  You do not get royalties for your music that is played in a film in movie theaters in the good old US of A.  Why not?  Because of a court ruling in 1948 when the movie studios also owned most or all of the movie theaters.  However, if that film is played internationally, performance royalties are generated (the performance rights organizations in each country collect the royalties and transfer them directly to BMI or ASCAP in the United States and it eventually gets to you).  If the film is eventually broadcast on television, then performance royalties will be generated there also.  A movie can end up being broadcast for years on cable, local television stations and websites, which means royalty checks for years to come. 
Another way royalties can be generated in the use of films is if the song is included on the soundtrack album (if one is released).  If you can, always try to negotiate the use of your song on the sound track album if one will be released and have it put into the contract.  If that soundtrack also includes songs from mega-super rock stars, you’ll be in royalty heaven.  The exposure alone could be phenomenal.
“Who Else Wants An In-Depth, Comprehensive, Fast-Track Education In Music Licensing? ... Learn The Nuts And Bolts, From A - Z, Of The Music Licensing Business...Learn How To Get Your Songs In TV And Films And Start Generating Income From Your Music...”

If You're Ready To Start Making Money By Licensing Your Music And Get Your Music Heard By Millions Of People, click to the right.

"How An Out Of Work Musician Managed To Rebuild A Thriving Music Career Using Nothing But The Internet To Generate Thousands Of Dollars In Revenue each Year!"

Learn How To Create Your Own Success In The Music Business. Anyone Can Do It. You Just need To Know How...

]]><![CDATA[The Two Key Advantages Of Being An Independent Artist In Music Licensing]]>Mon, 02 Apr 2012 07:57:51 -0800http://www.makingmoneywithyourmusic.com/2/post/2012/04/the-two-key-advantages-of-being-an-independent-artist-in-music-licensing.htmlIn the world of music licensing, a lot of music supervisors are looking for the “up and coming” artists or the next big thing.  And in many cases music supervisors are like the new A&R people traditionally at record labels.  They can discover and make a relatively unknown artist famous overnight by using their song at the end of a popular TV show.  There is also a huge market for using super popular songs in TV shows and movies because the audience is instantly familiar with those songs and they lend authenticity to a scene.  But what about those of us who don’t have a buzz around our music or aren’t the next big thing coming out of SXSW?  Well, there are some distinct advantages to being a smaller, independent musician in the world of music licensing.


First, you are cheap.  A music supervisor will be able to use your song for a fraction of the cost of securing the rights to a well known hit song by a famous artist.  Quite often, television music budgets are limited and the final decision to use a song will come down to budgetary considerations rather than creative. 

Second, you are fast.  Most television producers don’t have the resources to find out who owns the rights to the myriad compositions they want to license for their shows, so they quite often use outside music clearinghouses or have internal music clearinghouse staffs whose job it is to “clear” the music and negotiate the licenses and terms.  This can be time consuming and expensive.  With you it is one stop shopping.  That’s why it is important to be able to respond quickly to questions, agree to a deal, get the paperwork signed and have instant access to your songs on your website.  That is also why it is so important to have good working relationships with the people you contact.     
“Who Else Wants An In-Depth, Comprehensive, Fast-Track Education In Music Licensing? ... Learn The Nuts And Bolts, From A - Z, Of The Music Licensing Business...Learn How To Get Your Songs In TV And Films And Start Generating Income From Your Music...”

If You're Ready To Start Making Money By Licensing Your Music And Get Your Music Heard By Millions Of People, click to the right.

"How An Out Of Work Musician Managed To Rebuild A Thriving Music Career Using Nothing But The Internet To Generate Thousands Of Dollars In Revenue each Year!"

Learn How To Create Your Own Success In The Music Business. Anyone Can Do It. You Just need To Know How...

]]><![CDATA[5 Useful Tips To Getting Your Music Into Film & TV]]>Sun, 01 Apr 2012 18:29:17 -0800http://www.makingmoneywithyourmusic.com/2/post/2012/04/5-useful-tips-to-getting-your-music-into-film-tv.html1. Get your music mastered: Some people will say that songs used on TV don’t need to sound as good as a professionally released album.  However, you want your music to sound as good as possible because you are competing directly with major record labels.  A typical approach is to record your music at home using a multiple track digital recorder to keep costs low, but make sure to have a professional mix and master it.
2. Create an instrumental mix:  According to Art Ford, Music Supervisor turned Publisher, having a
n instrumental version of your song available will increase your chances by 50% of it being used in a film or TV show.  It is super easy to have done too when you’re mixing and mastering the music originally. 

3. Watch TV:  This one should be pretty easy!  To take it a couple of steps further though, follow the advice of artist development expert Tim Sweeney (www.timsweeney.com): While watching your favorite shows, pay attention to the characters and the situations they typically find themselves in and what music is playing during those times.  If you have a song that would work well when a certain character is in a certain type of situation, contact the music supervisor for the show saying you have a song that would work perfectly when so-and-so is in such-and-such situation.  You are basically doing their job for them and it increases your odds greatly of having them at least ask to hear the song.  Also see Find Shows That Need Your Music Fast.

4. Contact the Music Supervisor: The objective when contacting a music supervisor is to get permission to send them your music for review as “requested material.”  Spend your time with them by asking questions and listening.  Don’t start out by telling them how great your music is and all the reasons that they should use it.  You want to be positive about how you can fulfill their needs.  Get as much information as possible about what kinds of music are needed, so that you can tailor your music CD and cover letter to that (discussed in more detail in Making Money with your Music).

5. The Package: When sending in a CD for a music supervisor to review, remove the shrink wrap, use a bubble wrap envelope to protect the CD and if you are sending your complete album, it’s a good idea to use a marker to highlight key tracks and write a brief description.   You could also include a “post-it” note of stand-out tracks on your cover letter.  Since you kind of know what they are looking for, you should point them in the right direction.  They won’t have time to listen to your entire CD to find what they’re looking for.  Make it as easy for them as possible.
“Who Else Wants An In-Depth, Comprehensive, Fast-Track Education In Music Licensing? ... Learn The Nuts And Bolts, From A - Z, Of The Music Licensing Business...Learn How To Get Your Songs In TV And Films And Start Generating Income From Your Music...”

If You're Ready To Start Making Money By Licensing Your Music And Get Your Music Heard By Millions Of People, click to the right.


"How An Out Of Work Musician Managed To Rebuild A Thriving Music Career Using Nothing But The Internet To Generate Thousands Of Dollars In Revenue each Year!"

Learn How To Create Your Own Success In The Music Business. Anyone Can Do It. You Just need To Know How...

]]><![CDATA[3 Places You Can Go Right Now to Find Music Licensing Opportunities]]>Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:46:25 -0800http://www.makingmoneywithyourmusic.com/2/post/2012/03/3-places-you-can-go-right-now-to-find-music-licensing-opportunities.htmlYou've got music.  You've heard there is money to be made from licensing that music on TV shows (or movies or video games or commericials).  So how do you go about finding places that could use your music?  There are many places on the web to go to find places that need your music.  But today I will share with you three quick and easy websites to check out:
You've got music.  You've heard there is money to be made from licensing that music on TV shows (or movies or video games or commericials).  So how do you go about finding places that could use your music?  There are many places on the web to go to find places that need your music.  But today I will share with you three quick and easy websites to check out:
  • http://filmmusic.net – This is a great resource for all things related to music in film and TV.  Sign up for the free email list and check out what licensing opportunities they have by clicking on the View Current Film and TV Music Job Listings.  It costs a little bit to submit to jobs, but it costs less if you're a member.  If there are a bunch of jobs you want to submit to, do the math and if it makes sense sign up for the membership. 
  • http://hearitclearit.com –This is a music supervisor’s website where he posts what projects he is currently working on and what types of music he’s looking for. Sign up for his email list and check out the opportunities there as well.  It's nice that this one doesn't cost any money to check out.  But he doesn't always have current projects.
  • http://www.goodnightkiss.com/subsc.html - There is a small yearly subscription fee to sign up for this list, but there are lots of informative articles on music licensing here too that you may find helpful.  You'll get an email once every couple weeks where they are looking for music for this or that.

If you just go to each website and sign up for the email list, it shouldn’t take you very long.  However, there is a lot of useful information on these sites as well, so you’ll probably want to spend some time reading articles or checking out the music needs by listening to clips and trying to see if you have music similar enough to submit.  If you do find something you think you have a song for, read the submission guidelines carefully and follow them exactly for the best chance of being seriously considered.

These three websites will give you some immediate places to look for music licensing opportunities and submitting your music for consideration.  Are there other places that you go to find music licensing opportunities?  If so, please share them in the comments section below.
“Who Else Wants An In-Depth, Comprehensive, Fast-Track Education In Music Licensing? ... Learn The Nuts And Bolts, From A - Z, Of The Music Licensing Business...Learn How To Get Your Songs In TV And Films And Start Generating Income From Your Music...”

If You're Ready To Start Making Money By Licensing Your Music And Get Your Music Heard By Millions Of People, keep reading...

"How An Out Of Work Musician Managed To Rebuild A Thriving Music Career Using Nothing But The Internet To Generate Thousands Of Dollars In Revenue each Year!"

Learn How To Create Your Own Success In The Music Business. Anyone Can Do It. You Just need To Know How...

]]><![CDATA[Find Shows That Need Your Music Fast (By Using One Website)]]>Sat, 24 Mar 2012 19:35:15 -0800http://www.makingmoneywithyourmusic.com/2/post/2012/03/find-shows-that-need-your-music-fast-by-using-one-website.htmlI came across a website yesterday thanks to Greg Kocis that holds some very interesting and exciting ways for an artist to find music licensing opportunities for TV shows on a national scale.  One of the ways that an artist can find opportunities is by looking for TV shows that use music that is similar to their own style of music.  But how do you find those shows?  You can watch a lot of TV, listen for the music that is similar to yours and hopefully interest the Music Supervisor.  I did a quick check and CBS currently has 32 shows listed. 

In prime time alone.  

Multiply that by the number of channels out there (I'll let you count them up) and there are hundreds and hundreds of shows out there.  Who has time to listen and watch that much TV?  No one, that's who. 

In comes Tunefind.com, a website dedicated to finding music from TV and movies.  I think the main point of it is to help people find that song they just heard on CSI: Miami or whatever.  Cool idea actually.  However, when I saw it, a whole other way of using the website occurred to me.
What you do is search for well-known (and sometimes not so well-known) artists/bands in the same genre as you or your band.  You now have an instant list of TV shows that have used music similar to yours, some of which you hadn't thought of before.  Let's look at an example.

Let's say you play bluesy, garage rock similar to The Black Keys (I'll go easy on myself since I know they are licensed a lot).  At tunefind.com, find The Black Keys by clicking the Artists link at the top of the page and selecting "T" (tricky!).  Click on The Black Keys and you find a number of shows and movies that have used their songs.  I'm looking for TV shows that have used their music multiple times (my thought is that the show has use for that type of music frequently and it wasn't a one-time situation that probably won't be repeated).  So glancing through the list I notice that Sons Of Anarchy keeps popping up as well as One Tree Hill, CSI: Miami and CSI: NY.  Cool.

Also cool is that these shows are still on the air, which means they still need music. 

So I click on the Sons of Anarchy link and start listening to all the other music they've been using to get a stronger sense of the type of music they use. The nice thing about the site is that you can listen to sound clips of the songs right there too, and there's usually a short description of the scene it was used in.  This is important. 

Then what I do is go to the shows page on IMDB.com, click on the full cast and crew and scroll down until I find out who the Music Supervisors are for the show.  If I can find out their contact information or start following them on Twitter, I can contact them saying you have a song that you think would work very well for a scene where Character A is in such and such situation (remember the importance of the scene description earlier?).  Don't doubt that you will at least be listened to and considered.
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