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I could be wrong but I’m assuming not everyone here simply writes for libraries and placements..then again maybe I am the only one?
No, you are right Jay. There are a lot of people here who write for other reasons. That’s fine.
On the other hand, for those who compose every day, and invest thousands of hours and dollars into their profession, it is about earning a living. It’s our job.
It is really a hit and miss business. In my last SOCAN statement I got $1000.00 for ONE placement on a MTV show. How this happened I’ll never know, right next to this was another MTV placement that paid 75 cents!
As I accumulate larger catalog and get more placements the chances of this happening will increase. And its more fun than flipping burgers.
On the other hand, for those who compose every day, and invest thousands of hours and dollars into their profession, it is about earning a living. It’s our job.
It’s a big part of my living as well and I write/record daily (after working a day gig)..so much so that I wore out my standalone DAW last night, buttons shot etc. and have to buy something new.I write to hopefully create something great and to make $.I tried living off just my music $ last summer but it wasn’t enough quite yet…especially with most of the $ being made on the back end..maybe someday…and that’s what I strive for.
I think part of the “flood” in this business has been caused by the mistaken impression that there’s easy money to be made, and a lot of it. So, I’m really curious to understand what the source and/or sources of that impression may be.
IMO it’s certain companies (or a) certain company that Art would rather not have mentioned here…I think you can figure it out 🙂 from where I stand they paint a rosier picture than actually exists in the business and a lot of people are taken in by that.
It’s fueled from somewhere , and happens in other career fields also. Goes something like this: X career is going to be very in demand in the coming years , with jobs galore and gold flowing like water. Go to school , get a degree, and enter this career now. Then the market gets flooded, and wages can be crap because if you don’t want to work for the money, there are ten guys outside who will. Not complaining, and not isolated to the music industry. Just is what it is. Manipulating supply and demand. Not jaded really, more calling it like I see it.
It’s a big part of my living as well and I write/record daily (after working a day gig)..so much so that I wore out my standalone DAW last night, buttons shot etc.
I thought you said the last batch of songs you submitted was 2009/10.
That threw me off. Having been writing, but not submitting since then?The equipment/software thing never ends. I’ve got to replace my audio interface. Darn thing’s only 8 years old! 😀
I thought you said the last batch of songs you submitted was 2009/10.
That threw me off. Having been writing, but not submitting since then?The equipment/software thing never ends. I’ve got to replace my audio interface. Darn thing’s only 8 years old! 😀
I suppose that could be confusing…It seems to me that there’s an incubation period between submitting and placements..for me a year or two but occasionally I’ll have a RF site sale immediately..so I’ve been writing all along..since 93 (and a lot more since I discovered licensing in 09) but with the lag..songs I finished a year or two ago would just now be seeing hopeful placements.
My DAW was 8 years old as well but it’s been going bad for a long time now..EVERY song I work on I wonder if this is the one it dies on..last night was the one 🙂 but I have a bid in on a replacement on ebay so I should have a replacement in a week..
I think part of the “flood” in this business has been caused by the mistaken impression that there’s easy money to be made, and a lot of it. So, I’m really curious to understand what the source and/or sources of that impression may be.
I think that mistaken impression goes for both libraries and composers. So many new libraries jumped in, especially in the NE world, and are still jumping in every day.
There *IS* good money to be made (e.g. money you could live on or that would provide a substantial supplement) but not everyone understands that you have to be extremely prolific and it can take 5-10 years to build up to that income level.
There *IS* good money to be made (e.g. money you could live on or that would provide a substantial supplement) but not everyone understands that you have to be extremely prolific and it can take 5-10 years to build up to that income level.
Well said, Advice. Triple underline and bold “prolific”.
People really need to understand that in the context of NE placements on reality TV and in the RF market this is not a 100 or 200 cue game….because we are talking about relatively small payouts per placement /sale.
I provided links, in another thread about writers who use templates to create multiple cues per day, to shed a little light on how professionals (people who make a living) approach creating music for licensing.
Remember, in the realm of disposable TV, editors most often only use 10 to 20 seconds of your music. Chances are they never even got to, or listened to, the bridge in the middle of the cue that you spent days on. If reality TV / NE disposable is your game, don’t over-think it.
But, and its a BIG BUT, there are other types of library music. It’s not all disposable. There is a level at which you can’t get by with just writing a “fill-in-the-blank-like” cue. That, however, is another discussion entirely…one that I’d be happy to have.
I provided links, in another thread about writers who use templates to create multiple cues per day, to shed a little light on how professionals (people who make a living) approach creating music for licensing.
Hi Michael,
Can you provide that link again? Like to have a look at it.Thanks,
Can you provide that link again? Like to have a look at it.
Here you go. Look at how RiffWrath and Chillbot describe their templates.
http://vi-control.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=38333&sid=ee4bb02604e27d2ef51be4b370df8aa4
You can see a template in action here:
http://www.thinkspaceonline.co.uk/ever-wondered-what-a-film-composers-template-looks-like/
My set-up is very similar to this.
_Michael
Can we be clear on what prolific means, over, say, a five year period, and whether those numbers are unique titles or edits? I’d be interested in seeing what more experienced people here think? Keep in mind that those of us with day jobs can maybe put in about 20 hour weeks doing this part time.
For me I can do a 2-3 minute track a week with edits comfortably…….meaning usually at least minimally happy with the results. I recently did one for a brief in a somewhat unfamiliar area for me that was to be 4+ minutes and took me about 2 week.@Chuck…to be clear we are talking about NE libraries, like JP and SK, and then RF libraries You’ll hear different numbers. Some people say 1,000 to 1,500 cues. Some might say 500. Some might say many thousands of cues. A lot depends on what you consider earning a living.
I see no point in spending a week or two on a cue that is going into the NE or RF market. That makes sense if you are writing for a trailer company, because the license fees are very high. See this thread about that: https://musiclibraryreport.com/forums/topic/creating-trailerunderscore-music-on-low-budget-equipment/#post-16391
However, when you’re selling cues for $50 to $100, or just getting back-end from gratis licenses at pennies to a few dollars (sometime more) per placement it usually doesn’t add up until you have 100’s of cues.
In addition to trailer companies, there are other types of library music that pay well, but those opportunities are fading for most, as the industry shifts toward disposable.
Ask yourself, if you can afford to earn a few hundred dollars for 40 hours work. Then you’ve got your answer.