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Any recommandations? I can imagine there must be some market – perhaps short films, product ads, etc.
Genres in focus would be a broad spectrum, from lo-fi cinematic pieces, like Boards of Canada, to more future-sounding tracks (Amon Tobin, Trent Reznor).
Thanks in advance for any tips!
RichGreat question, I’d be interested in this info as well.
I’m disappointed a bit. Information here is not organized in a very thoughtful way.
Sorry you are disappointed. Any suggestions on organization?
MLR has been around since 2009. With over 50,000 posts, comments, topics and replies there is a lot to digest. After only being on here a few days it would be impossible for anyone to get a handle on all of the information. There are certainly older posts and the business has changed dramatically in the last couple of years. Still, there is a lot of useful info here.
As for the niche libraries that you are looking for: You would need need to do your due diligence with the many libraries listed here but, keep in mind, MLR is more about production music not micro niches.
As we have said many times: It’s a marathon not a sprint!
I use MLR to cross reference libraries, and ask daft questions. You’re not going to get constant up to the minute updates on here, but what you do get is a mine of useful information, and shared experiences. I’d been having a less than ideal experience with one library, and by sharing on the group, was able to ascertain that it wasn’t just me, but others had the same experience with that library.
As for finding out which libraries cover a particular genre – you will find that people in Production/Sync Music are sometimes not disposed to sharing specific library names, usually because cultivating library contacts takes a lot of time and research, and many are not willing to freely hand over the fruits of their efforts.
It’s a friendly forum though, and there seems to be everyone from relative newbies like me, to those who are writing at the very highest level. Treat it as an exclusive club!Please take no offense, but take offense. I have noticed that the word “experimental” gets thrown around SO much. BUT, it’s ALL talk and no “Gas”.
You’re dealing with a “SLOUGH” of industry professionals here, that used the MLR as practically a Bible. Were you expecting to do VERY little research, and get 1000% return?! Ready to go from 0-to-60 in One Second? Drop some links, and Let’s hear Your “Experimental”.@Beatslinger. Sorry! No offense taken 😉
I apprechiate you engaging with my first MLR forum post and taking time to share your thoughts.Seems like you only read the title of the post.
Let me quote what I wrote in the comment itself:
“Genres in focus would be a broad spectrum, from lo-fi cinematic pieces, like Boards of Canada, to more future-sounding tracks (Amon Tobin, Trent Reznor).”So, if these artists are not experimental in one way or another, feel free to use some “EDM”, or another meaningless genre label. I had to describe the sound somehow and – lo and behold! – the word experimental jump out in front of everything else. For some reason, it made you very upset. Hmmm….
And, I don’t know where you got the whole “Were you expecting to do VERY little research, and get 1000% return?! Ready to go from 0-to-60 in One Second” from.
While I was DOING my research on MLR, I though I would post a question. That’s what forums are for, no?
My bad!
I do see now, that we dealing here with “a “SLOUGH” of industry professionals here, that used the MLR as practically a Bible”.I wonder now… Why am I feeling like some kind of a pagen who accidentally stepped into a Bible-reading circle?
Hey Richlisa, hoping I can be of some help here. One piece of advice I can give you for finding an appropriate library for your music is to browse some labels on major publishers’ websites (APM, Universal, BMG, etc). The labels on those sites are often broken up into niche styles and types of usage. Some specialize in sports placements, pop music, ads, tension, etc. Listen to their music and see if your music might fit.
As far as doing research on MLR, it does take a lot of time and most likely can’t be done with a trial version. There are still a decent amount of composers active on here that will chime in, especially when something big changes in the business. After you get started in this business and learn the ropes you will find that you don’t need to come on here as often (a lot of the experienced and busy composers are in that boat).
Lastly you will probably find that a small percentage of members on here like to spread negativity. My guess is that a lot of them are angry that this business is more saturated than it was in the “good old days”. Don’t let it get to you, plenty of composers are making a living, even today. You didn’t do anything wrong by asking this question and I encourage you to ask away on here. Good luck with everything!
RM90 – thanks for your kind words and the positive vibes!
Yes, I’ve gone through some of the big players specialized sub-sections, etc. I’ve selected the ones that seem to fit the bill and doing a lot of listening these days to narrow down my choices. I’ve created some spreadsheets with details and so on (being organized is the key, right?) Once I’m ready, I’ll start submitting. For now, I have about 20 finished “sample” tracks of my work. None of those have been released / published so, good for exclusive deals. I suppose this is often the primary goal. I’ll still go through all the small print since these exclusive deals are not all created equal.
I also have extensive collection (over 10 years-worth) of album releases. Labels, self-released, V.A. tracks. These I’m already submitting to non-exclusive libraries. So far, I found that Pond5 is very quick with approval and any customer support, but they are so big that your exposure is very limited. And obviously their main focus is visual media, not music.Thanks again for reaching out!
dont let it get to you bro, i’ve been there. everyone here plays close to the vest, nature of the biz…expect snarky remarks and hostile replies if you do something unorthodox or ignorant.
nonetheless this is the best resource for sync licensing bar none. Art really created a great website here and I dont regret paying the yearly fee 5yrs in a row now….
RM90 gave great advise, come back with more specific questions after checking out labels and im sure a lot more will chime in, good luck
Hey guys,
OPs ‘experimental’ refs are actually fairly standard categories for music libraries. Extreme Music, APM, BMG etc. all have those, plus actual experimental libraries, e.g. BMG has a catalog from the amazing Diego Stocco. We (Videohelper) has our Modules series, which we think can get pretty out-there.
Like the others said – do some research, ask specific questions and people are generally helpful.
GL!
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