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we might be from the same school.
HA! Sounds like it, but 30 years apart! I had my main run. Time to let the “young lions” have fun.
LOL!!! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard tracks where somebody is using loops and adding parts in the wrong key or playing out of time!!!
This starting to sound more like a Roasting; than constructive criticism. Be nice You BIG Bullies!
(I’m chuckling MY ASS OFF over here)
Sorry Guys. A Double Dip.lol
HA! Sounds like it, but 30 years apart! I had my main run. Time to let the “young lions” have fun.
Once again, we DO sound like the same school!!
Let me repharse what I said earlier: Guys with no quality filter were coming and joining the car company, and MLR amd getting the message you have to have a bunh of quality tracks in several different libraries. And as noted, maybe more then 1 or 2 had a quality filter that was , er, questionable. I don’t think anyone’s intention was to throw up garbage tracks,and hope for the best, is what I meant.
The present glut / deluge of music is OK if you’re able to get high quality, polished music out to good libraries, but here’s the perhaps obvious down side:
it’s getting a lot harder for part time composers and those straight out of music school to get a decent residual income stream going. Particularly for those that have a ways to go consistently delivering top notch, polished sounding music (like I did after college). Sadly that means a lot of talented musicians will let go of pursuing their goal of becoming a full time composer, maybe dropping music altogether.
We had a golden era – approx 2000 to 2012, where decent music software and equipment had become affordable to a lot of people, and the supply of music barely met demand (so standards were much lower for library music). For a few different reasons, including, I think, the spread of high speed internet across the world, it’s now a very different scene with exponentially more competition.
Who knows? Maybe we’re still in the golden age, the one before AI took all the library work (yikes!)
Aiva is the first AI to Officially be Recognized as a Composer
As Han Solo says: ‘Never tell me the odds!’
in my opinion all tracks should tell a story to the listener. no matter how simple or short that story is. music is a language and a form of communicating directly with peoples emotions. if you can do that with your music then i think you are on the right path.
Yes. If you’re working the “old school” paradigm of back end royalties, the number of tracks needed is getting larger. And that makes keeping the quality control up harder.
Until PRO’s sort out streaming, that paradigm is on it’s death bed IMO. It will continue to get smaller and smaller.
At this point, I’m pushing towards 2000 pieces of music. I’m still earning a living full time, but the numbers are becoming more difficult.
I think every 5 years, the numbers it takes doubles. 500, then 1000, now 2000. Will it be 4000 in 2022? I have no idea, but there’s no doubt it’s an uphill battle.
-=LAWriter=-
Great thread! I’ve been doing this for about 4 years but had my hands in too many cookie jars at first and didn’t know what I was doing half the time. I wish I could be the next Yanni with elaborate, emotional keyboard-based music that people download by the millions, but have realized that background cues is the name of the game for TV placements and passive backend income. So I re-focused about 2 years ago.
The dream of getting consistent big dollar placements is also unrealistic. Most I have made from a single license is $500. So now I focus mostly on simple cues for TV placements and the libraries that consistently supply them to prod companies.
My first PRO royalty check 3 years ago was $14. My last few have been $600+ so I guess I’m doing something right. Overall, including downloads, streams, etc I make about $300-$400/month from music. My goal is $1000/month. We’ll see how soon I hit that.
nice story Davey. how many tracks have you got in circulation now bringing in that amount each month?
Maybe 300-400…?
Overall, including downloads, streams, etc I make about $300-$400/month from music. My goal is $1000/month. We’ll see how soon I hit that.
Thanks David. There are two very important takeaways here that anyone thinking about “quitting their day job” and doing this for a living should consider.
1. After 4 years and 300 to 400 tracks, David is making $300 – $400 per month, which is great supplemental income, but it is not earning a living.
2. David’s goal is $1,000 per month which is great supplement income, but it is not earning a living.In the past 15-20 years, for most composers, production music has evolved from something you could earn a living at to being just a part of the income puzzle.
Yes, there will always be exceptions. But, for the vast majority of composers writing production music will fall into the extra income category.
Exactly, I don’t expect to make a living 100% with music. I don’t need to. I would like to at least pay my mortgage with the income!
In the past 15-20 years, for most composers, production music has evolved from something you could earn a living at to being just a part of the income puzzle.
I agree, Michael. Also, I feel it’s not always how much you make but how well you manage it. Combine that with what sacrifices you are willing to make and the income can go further.
i dont expect to make a living either and didnt grow up in the world where you actually could. my target would be to make $25k per year one day. that would mean i could live off my day job wages mortagage free. i’d be happy with that 🙂