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BAsed on some recent comments under Ss library, but decided to put this maybe not so tongue in cheek comments here for thoughts or feedback. Are my views accurate? The comment: Despite being a newcomer, I am starting to see libraries that had lots of positive comments on here suddenly going exclusive, at least in part, and , I suspect, raising their bar and being harder to get into . Probably more then one is unfortunately coming to the same opinion as this library owner , or some variation of it, due to the hordes of composers wanting to submit and have music accepted. Maybe this comment is out of line, or perhaps more appropriate being posted somewhere else, but I do believe it is the elephant in the room these days and warrants discussion, perhaps in it’s own thread. That or I am completely wrong ….Maybe a new book titled “How to Survive As A Composer In A World Where Any Musician who has Decent Gear and An Internet Connection Can Submit Music”. Perhaps besides always making sure the quality is as good as is should be (kind of goes without saying) perhaps enlisting in some new libraries that show promise? Any general comments on survival skills for composers in today’s world? FOr those who think they may have the skills or are at least willing to work at developing the skills and want to try to make a long term commitment at this business?
Chuck…I know of very few writers who earn a living from library music alone. Even for top writers it’s often another revenue stream that allows them to earn a living as a musician.
Many library writers do custom scoring, session work, live gigs and teach.
Quite true. For most a full time income comes from adding up different sources. If it weren’t for the custom songwriting I do in the educational market things would be much tougher…
I came to the conclusion that making a living from creating music for music libraries is a little more than a dream for most people. The way to make a lot of money from music licensing is to either be a cowriter of thousands and thousands of songs or to be the owner of thousands and thousands of songs.
Volume is how most of the people with long term success have been able to make a living from music licensing. One great song could be enough to earn a lot of money, but most people earn a little from a lot of songs. I do not think any book out there will give anyone a competitive advantage. It just takes an ability to get on as many songs as possible or to an the rights to as many songs as possible that makes the difference.
Let’s face it; having that one in a million song does not even sustain a career for artists with songs on the radio. The music library game is much smaller than the broadcast/record label industry.
You can make alot from writing for music libraries but it has to be the right library. I.e. one of the UK mcps ones. You don’t need thousands of trax. I make 40-50k each year from one album alone. I know people who make more from albums. But we’re talking properly crafted and composed good music here with real instruments and fine players as opposed to stylus and a sample cd on a repeating loop.
I don’t think anyone is gonna get rich pumping thousands of mediocre tracks into the RF void tbh. If anyone is making megabux from RF music then you most certainly have my utmost respect cos most of what I’ve heard has been a bit crap. If I was starting out I think I’d be aiming a little higher.
It’s not volume, it’s quality that counts.
Oh, and I find as a general rule if it’s easy to submit stuff to libraries then it’s probably gonna earn diddly squat.
Humpalumpa, you are correct. It is possible. But I do not think it is likely for most composers. I think that getting into the top libraries is the best scenario for all looking for a long term career licensing music.
You can make alot from writing for music libraries but it has to be the right library. I.e. one of the UK mcps ones. You don’t need thousands of trax. I make 40-50k each year from one album alone.
That’s all well and good Humpy. But, the rest of the world outside the UK isn’t all high tea and Downton Abbey. The fact is that production music is nearly a religion in the UK, and the mcps system, not to mention UK government are far more supportive of production music and production music composers than their foreign counterparts.
Your average composer, which these days can be anyone from a “vintage” pro in the US, such as myself, to a kid using Garage Band in Lithuania, doesn’t have nearly a snowball’s chance in hell of getting into such a prized UK library. I have two “albums” in RSM, but I don’t think it’s at the level to which you are referring.
So, with that said, those of us outside the insular world of high end UK production music, must follow some other path…unless of course you are offering us all an opportunity to submit samples to your best contacts.
I’ll await your invitation…silver platter not necessary. 😉
_Michael
Please read the following thread:
http://vi-control.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3788529&sid=b3dad38f50b52c5d91561bb777722fc1&no=1#3788529Daryl, IMHO, is one of the best library composers, anywhere. He writes for one of those high-end UK libraries that “Humpy” extols.
He is, IMHO, brilliant. When he’s not using “real” instruments, Daryl is quite comfortable with VSL, Sample Modeling and others.Unlike Humpy, Daryl has a very pragmatic, realistic and unpretentious understanding of library music.
I especially like his use of the term “disposable music.” While that may sound derogatory, it isn’t. It’s a realistic understanding that what gets pumped into library “mills” will not last forever, as editors will always be looking for something new. That, among other reasons, is why going that route does require quantity, and is more forgiving when it comes to quality.
Get out your salt shaker when you read opinions like Humpy’s. There are appropriate libraries and clients for every skill-set.
NOTE: pay special attention to Daryl’s statement…
I don’t think it’s a question of quality. There is nothing to say that your tracks aren’t perfect for the purpose they are designed for, which in my book means that they are quality tracks. I just think that the stuff you are writing probably falls into the disposable category, where the end user will want new tracks all the time. I do know other people who write these sort of tracks, and they tell me that the life of a track is pretty much 3-4 years, or less. Or never gets used at all.
This is important because it describes most of the “trend-based” cues that go into many of the “libraries” e.g. JP discussed here. You need to understand this if you are looking at the long game.
Anecdotal evidence of the occasional cue with a longer shelf-life doesn’t count.So, to answer you original question Chuck, many writers may have to feed the machine…constantly and indefinitely to keep it going.
God, not this again. Please don’t take humpalumpa’s opinion to be representative of UK composers.
As I posted in another thread, I am also a UK composer with a bunch of tracks in top MCPS libraries. I did not use a single live instrument. The tracks are being used on BBC primetime programs.
Maybe humpalumpa is trolling as their writing seems familiar from some other post, I can’t quite remember which one.
It’s not all Downton Abbey here Michael. It just seems like it when there’s a post like the above.
Also, anyone can submit to the labels which the top MCPS libs run – anyone – and if you’re good enough and lucky enough (i.e. they need your genre right now) you will probably get in.
Yeah Tbone, I know that most of my Brit mates are cool. Then, there’s the Humpalumpa “type” which is more or less a caricature. Perhaps he was just parodying the type.
That’s why I posted the VI thread, and mentioned Daryl…as an example of a UK composer who is nothing like the precious Humpy, probably because he’s the real deal.
No offense meant.
I’d share a pint with you any day..Tbone.Cheers,
Michael
Are you talking dollars humpy or sterling?
Just checking in guys, thanks for the comments. I do read them all and listen and take what I can from each of them. No not planning on quitting the day job soon. Would like this to supplement my income, but also gig, something I have been doing of going on thirty years now. Aspirations as I get older is that the traveling social worker thing be a part time job and the music making up a larger part of my income. If that happens at all, I’ve never deluded myself that it would take less then a decade down the road. Themes I’ve read that seem consistent: the production music world is about quantity as well as quality. That when you can do it, real instruments generally do the trick better then VST’s and I use them or buy and learn them where I can and where practical. I swear I have never said to myself “Let me write a crappy track, post it and see if it sells”. I put a lot of time into what I do, and keep it to a track a week. That seems to be the balance I have struck that generally makes me happy with the quality of stuff I am putting out there. Again that is all relative to where I am at. Most of us on here it seems do a mix of NE and royalty free, and perhaps some exclusive. Thanks again for the detailed responses.
Hi Chuck. I don’t post links like that to tell writers this is what you must do. I try to give the part-time guys a glimpse of what they’re competing against in terms of how pros work.
One of those writers has a 620 track virtual template, so that he can do several cues per day. I don’t necessarily think that’s the best way to write, or that it results in great music. But, I am increasingly convinced that it’s the most effective way to make money from the what I’ll call the library “mills” …especially if they are shifting toward exclusive no money upfront. That model really thrives on “disposable” music to feed the insatiable needs of cable TV (and network).
I know writers who only send these libraries 25 cues per year. Their royalties are in the hundreds, not the thousands, of dollars.
I don’t want to discourage anyone, but when I sense that they may be pinning a lot of hopes on this business, you have to make sure that they have realistic expectations.
Best of luck.
_Michael
I don’t want to discourage anyone, but when I sense that they may be pinning a lot of hopes on this business, you have to make sure that they have realistic expectations.
This is not discouraging at all, it’s very true. It took me a while to realize it though. My thinking has changed drastically over the last year or so.
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