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Here’s a question. Some of my libraries will already by with Soundmouse, whereas some won’t be. Is there any harm in me uploading all my cues to Soundmouse anyway? I’m thinking in terms of the potential danger for duplicates, etc.
I used to be a member of Sync Academy and found it a really positive, supportive learning environment and resource for getting into Production Music. It helped me understand what was required for particular genres of music, and gave me some nice targets to work towards. The Critiques Corner was handy for getting feedback on new tracks, and there’s a lot of resources on there. Of course, you can probably find out all the stuff by yourself, but it doesn’t hurt to have a headstart, and save time by avoiding common pitfalls. I would recommend it.
Thanks fish. Hope you get it sorted.
Forgive my ignorance. Would a PRO Statement not do the trick, or is this money you have somehow received directly from libraries?
I was always advised this too. About a year ago I dropped this approach because it was taking too long to get albums into libraries. I can’t put my career at the mercy of a Library’s inbox, and giving a library I have no connections with 2 weeks refusal in the off chance of a response wasn’t working for me.
Instead, I now shortlist 5-10 libraries who I think might be a good fit for my music, and offer it to them all on a first come first served basis.
If more than one comes back to me and the album has been taken, I offer to make another one for them in a similar style. So far, they have all taken me up on the offer, and I’ve got into some nice new libraries this way.
Yes, there’s a risk that you might annoy a library by not having the album you’d initially offered, but it’s a risk I’m happy to take, and one that so far has paid dividends. Plus, it doesn’t do any harm for a Library to know that other libraries want your work too.
I make full use of imdb, listing as additional music: composer. It’s a good way of charting your progress, and new libraries can see that you have a track record of placements.
I couldn’t justify paying for the Pro version though.So, do PRO’s like BMI and PRS actually chase for ‘Logs’ as well as Cue Sheets?
Wow, nobody knows? That’s fine – as an industry, we are known for holding our cards close to our chests. I wasn’t after specifics. Just in general terms, I would be fascinated to learn whether indeed the Production Music route is a path at all to getting the opportunity to submit a potential Theme Tune to a show/series, or whether perhaps it’s about have a reputation as a Composer outside the realm of Library/Production/Sync Music, and being asked. I’m thinking here in the UK about people like Nigel Hess, Debbie Wiseman, Colin Towns who have done TV themes but compose in a much wider sphere too.
Libraries seem to vary wildly. My current biggest paying tracks come from a library request for 5 Hip Hop Tracks. I’m currently finishing up a collection of 8 tracks for another library. For most libraries I submit 10, occasionally 12 track albums. Regarding edits, again, no two libraries I work with have the same policy.
I would dispute the ‘those who can, do, those who can’t, teach’ argument, simply because there are loads of examples to the contrary, such as Mozart and Oscar Peterson – both great teachers, but were also compositional and performance geniuses and legends.
I used Sync Academy to get started and found it useful and supportive.
One final point; it’s a pity Art has taken away the dates on the forum, because you’ll see dissenting voices from 10-12 years ago and further back also saying theres not as much money as there used to be, or there’s too many people in the game.
Nobody says ‘I’m not going to be lawyer, because there’s too many lawyers’. They might say ‘this is a competitive field, I’d better be at the top of my game’, but that’s a positive aspirational stance to take for any endeavour in life. Stick at it, and remember Art’s words; 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!