EP10 - Top Thing That Gets Songs Into TV & Film
Do you know the songs that work best in the music licensing world?
You might think they are the ones that are specifically written for sync, but you’ll be surprised to find out it can be something else.
There is something you might already be doing that makes your music ready to go...
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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:
http://artofthesongpitch.com
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Hey, it's Chris. I'm in one of my favorite places, Cambria, California. It's a gray day. The ocean's slate gray out there. And, I've been talking to you a lot about writing the last couple of weeks. And thank you so much for all the comments. They've been absolutely amazing. It's been great seeing a window into what you do as songwriters.
And as I was walking along the shore here, I was thinking about this week's episode and I thought, the gray clouds and ocean work perfectly to ask the question, “If this is the sync world, what kind of music works best in it?” What is going to basically color the sync world in such a way that's gonna work for the shows, movies, and ads you're trying to get your music into?
Now, the truth is a lot of people think that you're supposed to go and write for sync. You're supposed to learn how to write songs and write music and maybe sell out on your art for a little bit and just sort of write something that the directors and producers are gonna want. And how do you go about doing that?
Here's the deal. Really, what music supervisors - who are the people who put music into TV and film - what they're looking for is authenticity. They're looking for music that's going to help tell the story of the drama on the screen. Something that's real, something that really touches people and makes them really feel for the characters on the screen in terms of the plot and everything that's happening.
So, the best way as an artist to get your music into TV and film is literally to write for yourself. Write authentically, write for the people, your fans, the people that really admire your music, and write from your heart and your soul and make something great. And then instead of writing for an opportunity, saying, “Well, I want to get into this movie or a show and I need to write the right thing,” write your song, then find the opportunity for that song. That is the very best way to go about that.
And a lot of artists think, “No, I gotta become a composer. I gotta write for other people.” You do not have to. And that's the most beautiful thing about it.
So, think about it as a complete blank slate. Think of this and just say, “How is my music going to make its mark? What sort of sunset is it going to be? What kind of weather is it going to be? And what sort of day are you looking for in terms of fitting your music into, if it was a film?”
Is it a sunny day? A gray day? Whatever it is, “How can I write the music for that?”
So, if you were standing here right now, beside me, looking out at this, and this was the movie show or ad, what music will go with this? How would that work?
It's certainly not me sitting here talking. There's a road here. You can hear cars going by. The surf's nice…
What about the music? How is that going to work? So that's something to think about.
And always remember that sync is such an amazing thing because you can be true to yourself and find the opportunities that are going to work for your music. And that's called targeting - and that's a whole other story. Maybe we'll talk about that next week.
Alright, have a good one. And we'll talk to you soon. Bye-bye.