Recycled some music : would like some experienced heads to give me some advice

[Krisemm]

Long story short – Im in the process of recycling hundreds of older tracks before I sit down and create library music from scratch. I might as well use what I have already made, and try to repurpose it.

All i’d like to know is, would this sell in a music library context ?
I’ve sold albums on bandcamp, but I know this is a whole different ballgame with a whole different set of rules.

This is a few of the tracks i’ve uploaded so far

https://www.pond5.com/artist/pontiacta#1/2064

[BEATSLINGER]

Hello there my friend. I went and took a listen. I would say that “if you have grown from a composition stand-point, and have a better feel for what you want musically and sonically. Look at those pieces as lessons learned, and move forward”. More, and more people are coming to this side of the business; so it is extremely important to have the best possible music and productions out there to get the placement. “Repurposing might not be your answer. Keep moving forward, and go for a sound that really represents you”.

Also, be careful about following trends too closely. It will put you right in the center of the pack; when you really need to stand out.

[Krisemm]

my biggest concern is that I’ve always viewed music as storytelling, as one of my biggest musical influences was vangelis, so later when I started making electronica, I always strived to stand out by trying to make something that was as experimental as I could be, but also had strong melodies so there was always this 50/50 balance.
I’ve always joked that melody is generally an afterthought in most electronic music.
Im now thinking that any melodic work could be counter=productive as it would be distracting to a music supervisor who needs something a narrator would be talking over, so I find it difficult to make music that doesnt draw attention to a melody cos my head is like a jukebox all the time.

[Krisemm]

another thing i’m concerned about is track names.
Do tracks do better if they’re named things like “30 second action sequence”, or, as a genuine name like, eg, “blueberry fields forever”, or does it not matter if there are enough tags.

Also, why, specifically, is there a better benefit to having 2 or 300 tracks on an RF site ? Would a music supervisor be more inclined to stick around on your track page if he/she sees there is a mountain of material if they are only there looking for one very specific track ?
Im just wondering if there is a definite practical advantage to having hundreds of tracks on a library.

[MichaelL]

Also, why, specifically, is there a better benefit to having 2 or 300 tracks on an RF site ?

Because you’d have 288 more chances to sell something. Two tracks will hardly get you noticed.

“Repurposing might not be your answer…

Repurposing old tracks that weren’t originally written to be used in productions could be a lot of work for little return because they need to function properly, not just be shorter.

Also, be careful about following trends too closely.

Spot on. Tomorrow, today’s trends are yesterday’s news.

[Krisemm]

The tracks I’m working on were great ideas musically, and I knew they had potential at the time, but my knowledge of EQ, compression and limiting were pretty bad, although they still sold.
I’ve basically gone through all my tracks and made a spreadsheet of “potentials”. I wouldn’t use them just as they are, so Im chopping unnecessary sections out, swapping instruments, sidechaining properly, revamping, sweetening, rolling off headroom cluttering EQ, and shortening them to no longer than 3 minutes, with the interesting parts isolated as 30s and 15s cues.
They are pretty different to how they sounded originally, and its a lotta work, but also a lotta fun.

Would the music i’ve uploaded to that link work in a library context ?

[Michael Nickolas]

Would the music i’ve uploaded to that link work in a library context ?

I’ve given up trying to predict what sells, you just never know. I know that’s not helpful, I’m posting to tell you some of your tracks have a lot of blank space upfront. Victorious has seven seconds of silence before the track plays. High Wire has three. So a customer hovers the mouse over the track and nothing happens. They probably move on before the track even starts.

For full length tracks I put 0.25 of a second (250 milliseconds) silence upfront. This is a throwback from the CD days. It insured the start of a track wouldn’t be cutoff by the CD player. For timing edits I do not add silence.

[Krisemm]

Cheers Michael. I usually do this and top ‘n’ tail everything in Ozone when I master them. This couple slipped through the net somehow.

[BEATSLINGER]

Good morning to All! I would simply say this. Don’t be in a rush to get to a certain number of tracks. Take your time and go for quality! You can have 1000 Cues/Tracks, but if they are not as hot or hotter than your musical Piers/Competitors. You will just have a lot of tracks..

[MichaelL]

I’ve given up trying to predict what sells, you just never know.

Spot on.

Krisemm…you been lighting up the forum. I’ve been on both sides of this business for a long time.

1. No one can predict what will sell or get placed.
2. No one can predict a) if you will make any money, b) how long it will take to make any money, and c) how much money you will make.
3. Competiton is fierce.
a) Music schools like Berklee and online trainers like Thinkspace are creating hundreds of new composers every year.
b) Many composers devalue the market and sell at rock-bottom prices.
c) Subscription services are eroding sync fees…the list goes on.
4. The vast majority of people engaged in this business DO NOT earn a living from it, no matter how many tracks they have, so they have other jobs in the music busines or not.

The upshot is that there are no short-cuts, no quick answers, no guarantees. Building a career as a composer is a long and arduous path for which you need a long-term plan, no matter how many hundreds of tracks you already have.

Hockey legend Wayne Gretsky said “I skate where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.”

[MichaelL]

You can have 1000 Cues/Tracks, but if they are not as hot or hotter than your musical Piers/Competitors. You will just have a lot of tracks..

Quote of the Day!!!

[Krisemm]

While these are all valid points, this is info I’m already aware of.
I thought this subsection was called “critiques” because I could get those with some experience of this game to listen to the tracks…..

Nevermind……

[Krisemm]

Art can you please delete this. Thanks.

[MichaelL]

While these are all valid points, this is info I’m already aware of. I thought this subsection was called “critiques” because I could get those with some experience of this game to listen to the tracks…..

This is generally a very polite group. Lack of a direct response is a response in and of itself.

It is quite possible that someone will find your tracks useful but you need to guide them with your metadata. You could add a lot more with respect to possible uses for your music.

One of your 30-second edits doesn’t work because it doesn’t have a natural ending. It just chops off. Maybe you intended it to be a loop.

More than twenty-five or thirty similar tracks and you will just be competing with yourself. Branch out into other styles, even if you remain in the electronic music genre.

Your prices are high compared to similar tracks.

If you want advice on creating competitive tracks go to Pond5, AudioSparx, MusicLoops, Premium Beat, AudioJungle, etc and search by genre then filter by best selling or most popular. That will give you an overview of metadata, pricing, and edits.

And, most importantly, listen to the top-selling tracks to see how yours compare.

[BEATSLINGER]

This is generally a very polite group. Lack of a direct response is a response in and of itself.

I actually think THIS is The Quote of The Day!

[Author]

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