[TerlinguaMusic]

@MichaelL – thanks for the well thought out and stated response. Good stuff. Since anybody can sue anybody and juries are unpredictable, there’s always a risk, right?

(I hope this is on topic: Jimmy Webb’s book, “Tunesmith,” has a fascinating chapter about the odds of actually writing an original tune- You can’t.)

And yes, you’re right… I am trying to get a handle on “what is production music?”

I’m also trying to get a better grip on the business itself. It’s not as intuitive to a newcomer as I suspect it is to those who have been doing it a while.

For example, “music library” can describe a web page where anybody can upload music and anybody who finds it can download music for a small price.

It can also describe a boutique, carefully curated library run by serious industry insiders who know exactly what is needed, who is looking for it, and who in their stable can write it.

I did not know that 90 days ago.

There’s also the question of “what is good?” Which, in this case, is another way to ask, “what will sell?”

The soccer mom in Dallas who is looking to license a background track for a video of her kids is probably not gonna grab JunkieXLs stuff. A music supervisor in L.A. looking for an action track is not going to choose ukulele and whistles.

Apparently, there is a living to be made writing music for soccer moms, corporate videos, ads, and background music in videos and reality shows.

My plan, based on incomplete and changing data, is to continue writing for the RF libraries I’m already in, and add as many legit RF libraries as I can, hopefully establishing a base income.

As I “up my game,” by writing constantly, improving my sample library, and hanging out here trying to metabolize years of experience as fast as I can, I’ll start auditioning for libraries that are a little more exclusive- in both meanings of the word.

I do not own a ukulele.

[TerlinguaMusic]

Well, as a newbie to the music library biz- but not to the music biz- I’m looking for a roadmap. The appeal of mirroring the “best selling” tracks is the hope that by emulating them, my tracks will sell, too.

If what the world wants is another 120 bpm song in C major with 8th note ostinato and vague melody, I can crank ’em out.

Received wisdom is that the music library business is a “numbers game.” I’ve read several quotes on this site where composers explain that you can’t really predict what people will buy.

Which leaves 0 divided by infinity, when you’re looking at a new Logic file and wondering just what to input.

Oh well… I’ve been working on this for less than 90 days and have over 100 tracks (including edits) in several libraries, in a half-dozen or so styles. I’m sure a pattern will emerge.

Again, thanks to Art and this forum. I’d hate to imagine what this journey would be like without the information I’ve gathered here.

[TerlinguaMusic]

I’m curious, too…

[TerlinguaMusic]

Congratulations.

[TerlinguaMusic]

from a newbie point of view, this is a fascinating and valuable conversation.

thanks.

[TerlinguaMusic]

Another question – how do you master your tracks?

Most of us don’t have dedicated mastering rigs. Right now, I’ve got a template in Logic for mastering mixes.

My signal chain is:

1. Tape emulation compressor
2. EQ
3. Multi-Band compressor
4. Aural Exciter (used sparingly if at all, on the “add air” setting.)
5. Adaptive Limiter

I’m writing/recording 2-3 tracks a day, so I’m working way too fast for granular mastering. My goal is just to make the mix pop and sparkle.

[TerlinguaMusic]

thanks for the great replies.

My guess was that the sound libraries had virtually installed compression and aural exciter across the virtual two-mix of their playback engine. I can see how low-bit MP3s would kinda sound like that.

I’ve already fought the loudness wars in the CD world, and accepted defeat in the late 90’s. The loud track wins. I suspect that if I was doing orchestral music, I’d be slower to admit defeat.

@soundspot – having your own mastering room, with the proper playback gear and acoustic treatment is a luxury that I look forward to. Congratulations.

I’ve got some nice mid-level JBL near-fields and sprung for some honest headphones, but I’m well aware of the difference.

Someday.

[TerlinguaMusic]

another thought, re: “They are able to eek out margins from this model I have been told.”

They’ve got 50% of the aggregate. The other 50%, minus administration fees, gets split up between hundreds or thousands of composers.

[TerlinguaMusic]

Thanks for the detailed answer, especially the reminder that deals can and should be negotiated.

My initial concern is that at the end of the 3 year period the tunes revert back to me- and I can’t use them for my non-exclusive libraries because they’re entangled with Youtube under the original publisher’s account.

The other question is, “why would they bother?” My Youtube channel has 4.4 million views and I can testify there ain’t no real money there. I know Google claims to “do no harm,” but they darn sure have some odd accounting procedures.

Same deal with my CD catalog on Spotify. I’m getting streams in the markets where I used to tour- Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, England- and as you noted, 1/1000 of a cent and less per stream. That’s not a business model, that’s a hobby.

I understand the math. A song in rotation in LA in the 80’s would hit several million people in one broadcast. I’m not complaining about the model. “Wide Open Spaces” by Susan Gibson (recorded by the Dixie Chicks) sold 24 million units. Today, you can chart with 10,000 units. Record/CD stores are gone. Radio is marginalized. It is what it is.

Which is why the music library model is so attractive and so many artists from other branches of the music industry are moving here.

As a complete newbie in this market, I’m trying to sprint up the learning curve as fast as I can and initial responses to my songs makes me cautiously optimistic. But, there is a steep learning curve, and this particular contract has put me on notice to be sceptically cautious. You could lose your library in perpetuity with one wrong move.

Again, thanks to Art and the members here for your patience and help.

[TerlinguaMusic]

thanks.

[TerlinguaMusic]

it certainly helped me.

thanks.

[TerlinguaMusic]

I know some people who used to work at Taxi. They don’t recommend it.

What sort of opportunities are you looking for? Placing tunes with artists? Music library? Films and TV?

[TerlinguaMusic]

thanks!

[TerlinguaMusic]

that’s good information. thank you so much.

and, I am probably over-thinking the whole project. when I click on “most popular” at Pond5 and AS, the tracks are uniformly thin and seem to have aural exciter… sizzle highs.

if it’s not done at the library level, it must be fashionable for the composers.

[TerlinguaMusic]

thanks.

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