EP2 - Biggest Mistakes in Music Licensing
Here is what I think is the biggest mistake musicians make when trying to license their music. I call it the biggest because it is the simplest to avoid and why it can be such a missed opportunity…
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- If you want more tips and ideas on how to get your music into tv and film:
https://syncsongwriter.com - For my free cheatsheet that shows you how to connect with the right people in licensing:
https://syncsongwriter.com/guide - To join the Art Of The Song Pitch - a proven step-by-step process that shows you exactly how to license your music to TV & film successfully in precise detail, where we personally introduce you to top music supervisors:
https://artofthesongpitch.com
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Hey, it's Chris, and today I wanted to talk to you about the first thing that you need to do before you get your music out into TV and film.
Tons of musicians make this basic, basic mistake, which is a huge mistake.
So the biggest mistake musicians make before they get the music into TV and film is not getting their music out there before it happens.
It's happened too many times in the Sync Songwriter community. Sync placements happen and then they forgot to put their music up anywhere. So the fans are watching the show, the movie or the ad, they're shazaming, or they're typing the lyrics into Google. And they can't find you. That's your first 15 minutes of fame when you get a sync placement, because people hear it. They want to know right now.
I do that all the time. When I'm in a bar or a restaurant or watching a show or something, and I'm like, "Who is that?" And I'm trying to figure out what song that is so I can throw it into my playlist. That's where you want to grab those new fans. Now we're talking about thousands, often millions of eyeballs and ears that are checking this out. So you don't want to waste this amazing opportunity.
So make sure that you have your music out there where they can find you. Any streaming platforms or whatever, get on your website, somewhere they can download it, stream it, buy it, whatever.
The other big advantage of that is labels are going to take notice of that bump in listenership. Maybe you want a publishing deal, a licensing agent or a high-end library. Those people are going to notice that kind of thing. You can also be proactive, and you can say, "Hey, look what just happened with this song? I got it in here and this is what happened." Then a licensing agent or library might say, "Wow, look, we can monetize this. We should sign this person so that we can get more syncs with the same song." That's where you want to start capitalizing on this stuff. So make sure you get your music out there.
Now I do get the question, is it better to have an unreleased song as opposed to one that's out there and released? So this does apply only if you are generally famous or semi-famous, somewhere in there. In that case, people might want to get the scoop on you. They might want you to write a song or submit a song that's brand new that you just did so that they feel like they can introduce it.
So a great example of that is Billy Eilish's song that she did for the James Bond film. The directors and the producers used it almost as its own trailer for the movie, and that is because they asked her, you know, "Look, write this piece of music. We're not gonna... no one's gonna release it ahead of time. It's gonna be really associated with the production. And then once the production comes out, then the song gets released and then you can download it and whatever. So unless you're in that strata, don't even worry about it. Just get it out there.
Music supervisors do not care if your song's been out there unless maybe it's been associated with something in a bigger way that they don't want to be a part of. Could be as innocuous and as harmless as like you were in an ad and the movie director is interested in the song. They say, you know, "I don't want people thinking about this particular product from the ad that your song was in." But that's super rare. So just get your music out there ahead of time.
The turnaround time for sync placements happens quickly. You want to make sure that you've got your presence online for all the reasons I just talked about.
So leave me a comment below. Let me know whether you've been in a situation like that, where you've missed the boat. Whether you are trying to get your music out there. I read every single one, I respond to them all. Leave your comment right here and I'll see you right there in the chat.
All right, see you later. Bye-bye.