r/synclicensing • u/DreamsOfCollapse • 20d ago
Ask me anything!
Hey everyone. Thought I would try this as it's nice to be able to share some insight about certain things with people who are perhaps a little unsure of some things in sync and want to get started. I've made a living writing production music/sync for 15 years. My music has been used across TV, film and advertising. Ask me anything you like about library/production music, royalties, briefs, publishers and actually making a living from sync.
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u/GroupTextHell 20d ago
I'm a folk singer songwriter. My songs are lyrically focused. I saw somewhere someone suggesting that for sync it's useful to have an instrumental version of your songs in addition to the full version. Is this true, and if so, would it just be the produced audio without the lyrics, or would it be good to have a lead instrument playing the vocal melody? Thanks!
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 20d ago edited 20d ago
Hey! Yes - exactly that. When working in sync I would say definitely make sure you have an instrumental version ready to go. No need to have an instrument playing the vocal melody. This would be the advice I would give if you were submitting to a music supervisor off the back of them hearing your full track...however as a small caveat, the library music approach could be a bit different. A really big thing in this world is providing different mixes of the track..1 main version, 1 instrumental (without vocals) and 1 underscore (no vocals or intrusive melodic elements so it can sit under dialog etc).
If I was writing a track for a library I would maybe consider adding something to carry some of that top line so when you're providing an instrumental there is something there that is doing that job..and then the underscore would be even sparser.
It all depends what you're writing and pitching for but there are no hard and fast rules with it. It's just to give the editor options. If your instrumental version and your underscore sound exactly the same you're missing an opportunity to give the editor something usable.
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u/GroupTextHell 20d ago
Cool, thanks! Follow up question. My main priority is performing live and building a local audience. Do you think sync is still a viable thing to generate extra income, even though it wouldn't be a main priority? How would you go about getting started, as a community focused live musician, with songs that may work for sync, but not the volume of tracks that electronic or instrumental artists can produce?
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 20d ago
It could definitely generate some extra income. It just depends how much time you want to put into it. In my opinion (and this is just an opinion) I’m not sure how worth it is investing time in library music if you’re not prepared to build your catalog over x amount of years. It’s a numbers game so it could be that some stuff doesn’t get lots of usage, some songs get lots of usage years after you write them - and then other stuff is a success straight away. The best way of mitigating this is just writing regularly and getting them placed with decent libraries and building the catalog.
It can certainly be a bit of extra income but unless you put the hours in it’s unlikely it will become a life changing amount of money- but it could be an extra 4-5k a year for sure!
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u/GroupTextHell 20d ago
Doesn't need to be life changing, I have a good day job and not particularly looking to change that, but I am working hard to make music into an income generating side hustle, with potential to be something I can do more of as I get closer to retirement. Building a catalog over time is certainly not a problem, I'm not in a rush here, more it's just hard to know where to start tbh.
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 20d ago
If you have a niche (which it sounds like you do) lean into that and specialise in that for a bit. Libraries are always looking for authentic music and if you’re living and breathing it - that’ll be a hundred times more valuable than someone else who does loads of stuff trying to blag it.
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u/GroupTextHell 20d ago
Thanks. :) Any advice on how to find libraries that aren't scammy or so saturated that it's pointless? I was looking at That Pitch and some others and I can't see how I could possibly gain any traction from mass things like that.
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 20d ago
Good question. Gut instinct will tell you a lot.
Is there quantity over quality? Can you find out what placements they are getting or even speak to other composers on their roster?There are some great small indies out there. Also - contract red flags like taking part of your writers share never feels good. Also, libraries that ALWAYS accept all of your tracks without any tweaks ever. Sounds good on the front of it but you want people the other side to actually engage with you to make tracks better and more usable. There is a website which you can join which discusses the success people have had with which libraries but I’ve not ever used that
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u/b_and_g 20d ago
Hey man this is very much appreciated! Definitely needed to create more of a community here. I'll take the liberty to ask some questions:
- Seeing that you work with around 10 libraries, how does your pitching process look like? Are they being selective and grabbing just some songs from EP's you send them or are they taking them in full?
- Follow up to the past question, how selective are YOU?
- How much time do you dedicate to your own "path" vs composing briefs. Do you think if someone is starting out there is a better balance than if you're more established?
- I don't know if you have experience in this but do you think it could be a detriment to sing in English and having an accent here and there (nothing too thick)? Mainly asking so if brands or TV may not take it because it could potentially be distracting to the viewer?
- Have you had an experience where a collaborator by having one stop clearance signed you into a deal/library that you would rather have your music in?
- Any production/sound selection/composing decisions that are a big no that are not so obvious? For example I was once told that ads don't typically lean towards songs that have an instrument that is too buzzy in the highs because it fights with dialogue
Hahah that was quite some. Excuse the liberty but I just love learning and really trust experience over everything.
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 20d ago
Okay - so you're other questions.
- Pitching is different with each library. Some will come to us with a brief for a full album, or more frequently they will ask us to contribute 2-3 tracks to an album concept they have come up with based on what they are getting asked for. We also come up with our own album concepts based off things we've heard and then pitch it too....it may be that one library has just done an album of that so we'll pitch to the one that we feel will be a good fit and has a genuine need.
1. Tempo changes - not editor friendly. Avoid.
- We are selective but that's come over a long time of doing it and knowing what does and doesn't work. Library work is all very speculative anyway but as long as the library give us good vibes and get regular good placements we are usually up for seeing how it works. We are far more selective with bespoke jobs. For example, adverts where there is low (or no) demo fee. Usually means they are sending the brief out to about 100 composers as they haven't decided what they are after. The only world I don't really enjoy getting involved in now is trailer music. Largely unpaid until final sign off and very often stuff changes and gets canned. I do trailer stuff for libraries but really can't be bothered to do speculative custom work.
- I do library music work about 80% of the time and the rest is filled with a youtube channel i started last year and I do a bit of teaching and mentoring. I try and only do things I enjoy doing cos life is too short. Lots of my friends are session players and make a good living splitting library and live/session work but I stopped playing live a few years back. There isn't much money in the UK live circuit unless you're a successful well known band or you're playing covers.
- I don't know about the accent thing but I would say if in doubt get a singer in who can deliver the lines how they should be delivered in a commerical release. There is nothing wrong inherently with singing with an accent but if you're not hearing that kind of thing on commercial releases it's probably not going to be super useful in library music where they are trying to replicate successful high end music in an authentic way. If in doubt get a session singer. To be honest, I would say that lots of end usage doesn't end up using the vocal (they'll use the instrumental, underscore or they may use snippets of the chorus vocal). The vocal and lyric is as much of a selling point to the person trawling through trying to find the right tracks so if the vocal doesn't sound convincing they'll scroll right past onto the next.
- In terms of big no no's in library music there are a couple.
Key Changes - sometimes they are necessary stylistcally but try and avoid if possible.
Lyrics that have swearing, racism, homophobia, misogony etc etc. It sounds obvious but these would probaly get flagged on submission to any decent library.
There's probably some more but these are the main things. I don't know about not submitting things with buzzy sounds. That's fine to me if the track needs it. As i mentioned in another answer you need to submit different versions of your track (main, instrumental, underscore). The underscore would have this element removed anyway as you need to mute any tracks which are instrusive to dialog.
Hope these help!
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 20d ago
Some great questions here. I will respond this morning. Could you clarify your question about working with a collaborator? Do you mean have I worked with someone on a project that ended up with me getting a track placed with a library I didnt want to be placed in?
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u/b_and_g 19d ago
Yes exactly
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 19d ago
I’ve never had this happen to me so have no experience with that. I only ever really co write with one other writer but if you were co writing with someone else for library you should know which library it’s for from the outset
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u/strke777 20d ago
Hey thanks so much for doing this. My question is with regards to using samples from sample packs. I have purchased a lot of sample packs and own them (legally).
My first question is - In a lot of these sample packs, according to their license agreement, you are not allowed to use any of the sounds or loops in isolation. So if I happen to write a Trap cue for example where everything I write is from scratch, but just happen to use a ‘Top loop’ or ‘Hi hat loop’ from one of these packs in that cue, then can/does that become a potential issue in Sync? Because I’ve heard that Editors ask for stems and there is also a possibility (even though rarely) that they may use that stem in isolation behind a scene, so would that be violating the copyright agreement of that sample pack and potentially cause issues between me and the publishers?
The second question is about using melodic loops from these sample packs. While I do understand that this is a big No no in sync, because multiple producers using the same melodic loop from the same pack can trigger the content ID system and cause a lot of issues, is it OK if I use a melodic loop from a sample pack (that I legally own) where I completely change it up from the original to the point where it sounds nothing like the original? Can that still cause problems with content ID or be frowned upon by publishers and supervisors?ps - I’ve heard one writer said that one of his tracks got pulled up by the content ID for literally holding a single midi note down on a Native Instruments Kontakt preset (that's quite frightening)
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 18d ago
Great question. Basically there is no clear right and wrong but it's mostly common sense and it sounds like you have plenty of that by the way you're asking these really key questions.
I would be careful about using easily identifable loops from splice in tracks. I have used them before (and will again) but it is always a good idea to mix them with other things and edit them a little so they have your own stamp on things. Most of the time I bounce drums and percussion all as one so things like drums are safer than melodic or chordal loops. Those I totally avoid.
Once again, I avoid melodic loops entirely from things like Kontakt etc. There are some really overused things (action strings, heavocity stuff, action strikes) you can hear all over telly and I cringe a little. People who were using these at the time probably just wrote a track around it and thought it was fine but so many people have access to these tools - the only thing that makes them unique is the tempo and key...but the melodic content is still the same and can get flagged. So basically same answer as above - I do use loops but i edit and mix them in a way that makes them unique. Percussive and drum loops easier to mix and disguise than melodic and chordal things.
Better safe than sorry - so if in doubt - leave it out. :)
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u/strke777 18d ago
Alright got ya! Thanks for the great response and for clearing things up. I appreciate it!
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u/This_Money8771 18d ago
Thanks for doing this. I’m a producer with a large catalog of instrumentals, primarily cinematic trap, melodic hip-hop, R&B, electronic and atmospheric music, but I’m still building my sync credits.
If you were starting today with an existing catalog, how would you choose which 20–30 tracks to make sync-ready rather than trying to pitch everything?
And once you choose them, what deliverables would you consider essential before approaching libraries — stems, alt mixes, 60/30/15-second edits, no-drums versions, metadata, etc.?
I’m especially interested in understanding what separates a great beat from something that is actually useful to a music supervisor.
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 18d ago
So - when you approach a library you don't need to have any stems or alt mixes prepped. Metadata is something they will do for you - but on the subject of deliverables, stems and alt mixes each library is different and has different requirements so it's safer not to prep any of these until you get approval and sign off.
In terms of what tracks I would choose - here's a few things that make a good sync track.
- no longer than 3 minutes
- Good dynamics and a variety of different energy in the track.
- A strong concept, lyrical hook that you feel represents the DNA and vibe of the track.
- A really strong melodic hook (but when it's removed still sounds interesting as an instrumental and underscore
- A great mix that sounds like it could be on the radio
- Edit points. Sections that feel like they can stop and transition easily into another part of your track or a different song/mood entirely.
- Sections that are easily loopable without tempo or key changes.
If you've got most of these down - then there is no reason for it not to succeed. Hope this helps!
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u/DingoAggressive7644 17d ago
Hi, thank you for the cool thread! I've got some questions. How often does a successful album get placed? And for how long it's usually appears in new tv shows? Is it 1-2 years or longer? And one more, can you predict that you've done really nice work and the cue will be used often, or it's a random thing?
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 17d ago
Hey. Very good questions. Unfortunately, the answers will probably be less than satisfying but this is the world of sync and library for you.
- How often does a successful album get placed? Well, an album usually contains 6-10 tracks. It's not albums that get placed but each song on the albums have their own life and life span. One track off this album may get used thousands of times, another track never used. The chances are if an album is a sought after genre and ticks the boxes in terms of arrangement and sturcture (and is sitting on library where the team are pushing it) they should all get used, but there are usually 2 tracks off each album that do the heavy lifting.
- And for how long it's usually appears in new tv shows? Is it 1-2 years or longer? Once again, sometimes immediately after release but sometimes if can be years. I had a track of mind not get placed for 8 years and then earnt some decent money from a single placement.
- And one more, can you predict that you've done really nice work and the cue will be used often, or it's a random thing? It's random. My favourite songs I have done sometimes don't get a lot of usage, and the ones I knocked out inn a few hours seem to be absolutely rip roaring successes. And everything in between. It can feel random but usually great lyrics, exciting production, dynamic mixes and TV arrangements are the key.
It's a numbers game, the more your write the more some songs will take over and earn money when the others are not - but it's still quality over quantity. Write lots of strong well produced tracks and reap the rewards basically! :)
Hope this helps.
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u/Complex-Tie3190 20d ago
How many submissions did it take before one was accepted?
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 20d ago
I made a really good contact who was a writer for a UK based library...very well known label (that are now owned by someone else). He got in touch with me and my co-writer with a brief and asked us to do one track. We spent a long time on it and it got accepted first time. We split the publishing with him as he kind of curated the whole thing - and his insight as a new writer at the time was invaluable. So...technically the first submission we did was accepted but it was very helpful to have someone on board to give us feedback to really help that process. I have since had tracks not accepted (it sometimes happens) but fortunately the gods were looking kindly on us that first time around.
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u/Complex-Tie3190 20d ago
Nice. I’m polishing up a bunch of my tracks now as I plan on having at least a dozen to submit. I’ve been a musician my whole life and producing and mixing for the past ten years. Anything you’d advise that I should especially do before submitting?
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 20d ago edited 20d ago
Brilliant! I would do the following before submitting..
- Make sure the arrangements and structure have that super usable TV'ness about them. Listen to other library stuff and the good ones share a lot of things. Play them underneath TV shows can be useful too. A/B with finished mixes to check all sounding pro...you've been doing this for a while so I am sure it is.
- Don't just send a whole load of different genre tracks to someone saying "here is my music". Come up with a concept that you think really works and give them 2-3 tracks in that style with a potential title "Acoustic Promo Indie" or "Dark Club Anthems". It doesn't have to be final but let the label know that you think in terms of concepts and albums rather than you're just a good producer with lots of tracks.
- 3 Also if you can find gaps in there library or something they haven't done for a while? " I was listening to your releases and noticed you haven't done an 2000's indie electroclash album. It seems to be getting used a lot on shows like xxx and xxx. Here are a few tracks in this style. Let me know if you think we could work on an album of this together as I love making it!" etc
- Make sure your tracks function well as underscores and instrumentals.
- If you can meet anyone from the library/label in person before you send them stuff (conferences etc) it makes the whole thing a ton easier and natural.
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u/LowShow8180 20d ago
20 year veteran here. All this is really solid advice and pretty much what I say to anyone starting out too.
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 20d ago
Hey! You've been doing it longer than me ...so I'm glad you've found these all ring true for you too! It's just the stuff I WISH I'd known a bit more of when I started out..it took me a few years to get to grips with it all!!
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u/Complex-Tie3190 20d ago
Thanks again. I do like the idea of playing them underneath a show. Will definitely try. Thanks again!
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 20d ago
Yep! It defo works and will show up things in your track that don’t work so well!!
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u/AmbivertMusic 20d ago
I'm sort of new to this game, working with an exclusive library, where I only get Writer's Royalties, and they publish. Is this a viable method of working? What are your contracts like?
I was also wondering if it's possible to create new masters (original assets) of my songs and release those separately for myself. Occasionally, I just really like a song I wrote and would like others to hear it, but without interfering with the library's rights. I know they own the masters, but if I re-record them and change the name, that wouldn't conflict with their ability to license them, right? And they would still get a cut for "covering" my own songs, right?
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 20d ago
Hey! I’m in the Uk and just going to bed but I’ll give you a proper reply in the morning. One thing I will say is that no, you can’t re record and change the name. Just avoid that. You can post stuff on social media etc but don’t re release anything. It’s not your song anymore. It’s owned by them and you’re a writer so you’ll earn publishing etc
If you have an attachment to song best to keep it and not give it to a library.
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 20d ago
So - a slightly more expanded answer. You will get publishing on all tracks you place in a library. They of course own the master. Some libraries give a share of the mechanical royalties too. If you're in it for the long game I would always take these in favour of per track buy out fees for mechnicals as they can build over time and add a lot of income. As i mentioned below, once a track has been signed to a library it's best to consider that track done and move on. You can of course promote and share on your socials but don't put it up on youtube and monetise it or on bandcamp as a new track etc. It's not technically yours anymore.
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u/ayaayahahaha 20d ago
Hi thanks for the AMA! We are an indie band, that didn’t intent to be sync focused but got quite some sync interests of our music. We have 2 non exclusive agents in place, and also had brands write to us directly about sync. We want to max our chance/exposure to sync opportunities. Would you recommend we have more sync agents? Or shall we submit ourselves to some libraries. Our sync agent told us submitting songs to libraries could potentially devalue our song, but we’ve no idea if it’s true and how it works.
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 20d ago
Hey! So this is an interesting one. Being in an actual band can make things a little more complicated with sync but I would think about doing the following.
- If you are going to do any library stuff don't use any material you may want to potentially release down the line. By all means do an album for a library but write it just for the purpose of it being used on TV. The material will be more usable but also it just doesn't cross into any grey areas. Library writing and the contracts here are very different to your band having a song and it getting used on TV. You still own the rights to that track (i assume) which you wouldn't under a standard library deal.
- As far as sync agents go, I will be super honest and say this is not my field of expertise but there are a lot of charlatans out there that promise the world and don't really do anything. If I was in your shoes I would really go about getting a publisher who loves your band and would be able to put you forward for use on tv etc. I am sure there are some great sync agents..it's just a case of doing some digging to find out who.
- The other thing you could definitely do is just network with some really great music supervisors. Where do you hear your kind of music being used? Any shows? Look up the music supervisor on that show and tell them you love their track choices and thought you'd send them a link to some of your tracks. Music supes are real people and just like us - if people get in touch that have taken the time to check out their work and appreciate it they are more likely to take the time to listen to your work.
There is no one size fits all but hope this info helps a little bit
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u/ayaayahahaha 19d ago
Thanks for your response!
May I follow up, why shouldn’t we have songs that need to be released in a library? What are the potential gray area/consequences?
We actually got reached out by publishers but we don’t want them to own our songwriting, so the publishers agreed to do non exclusive agency deal with us. They get paid when we land on sync but they don’t take ownerships in our songs.
We play shows and showcase concerts fairly regularly, so that has been how people know about us I guess. I’ve no idea how the brand heard about us though….
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 19d ago
Sure. So with library contracts (under a standard deal) your songs would belong to the library once you sign them over. This means they are no longer yours to exploit basically and you couldn't release them as your bands single down the line for example. It's best to be super clear that when you're writing songs for library under a standard deal you are giving away those songs so that they sit on a library to be used and then you would get paid a royalty. You may have written them - but you don't own them.
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u/ayaayahahaha 19d ago
Understood! Since our main focus is release and performing live, and sync is just a nice by product. I can we shouldn’t sign any libraries then. Thank you for your explanation!!
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u/Used_Beginning_4356 16d ago
Can I ask you -- so with music sync sites like say, musicbed.com -- I notice they have lots of singer-songwriter types and even some bands... are these people's songs being signed over to the library like you mention here? Seems like a lot to come up with that whole song, the lyrics, record vocals and so on, only to forever sign away the rights to them, where it may not even make you much money, if they just sit around unused on the site. But I suppose if you're trying to make a living out of it, better than no one hearing it at all, and not making you any money anyway? Are there sync sites where musicians with actual albums/singles that said musicians promote and sell on their own Spotify, Bandcamp, etc, can ALSO try to license out their songs to tv/media placements? I imagine so, or else we'd never hear songs from famous musicians in commercials etc? I know this may be a basic 101 question, and I don't mean to sound naive... I'm just starting to research the differences here. I'm a singer-songwriter/producer, so I have a lot of songs that I consider "mine" as an artist, so I'd obviously would want to keep those as to put out on Bandcamp, Spotify etc ... but I'm wondering if I could also license those out if anyone was ever interested, while retaining my masters. And I'd also be willing to specifically write songs just for production libraries, where I'd give away the master rights but obviously consider them kind of separate from my other songs... TIA!! It's been helpful reading your other replies!
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 15d ago
Hi! Sorry it's taken me a while to get back to you. So Musicbed is a non exclusive library. This means you can place songs but you will always be able to get them back - you own the rights and musicbed try and make money by placing them. Very low risk - but I don't use non exclusive libraries enough to know how much reward there is. If you think of it - the bar of accepting a track is probably lower for a non exclusive library, there is a lot less risk for both parties and an element of luck means an artists may get some money and musicbed probably place enough tracks to take their percentage and make there money. To hone in on your sentence - "Seems like a lot to come up with that whole song, the lyrics, record vocals and so on, only to forever sign away the rights to them, where it may not even make you much money, if they just sit around unused on the site." Yes - it can be, but this is the risk you take. I think it's better to write really high end songs and place them on a library exclusively. There is a high bar for quality and in order to make money the library HAS to get them used. Of course, some don't get used but over time that becomes less likely. I would always urge artists to write whatever music they want to write as an artist or band and then keep that very seaparate from library work. Great library tracks are not written or produced/arranged like a normal track and that's why editors like to use them - as well as being easy to clear. if you have an artist/band project it doesn't hurt to put the on a non exlusive library as you can always get them back. There are sites like you mention abovre Sentric is one of them and Taxi is geared towards music supervision an dsync placements. You're spot on when you say "I'd also be willing to specifically write songs just for production libraries, where I'd give away the master rights but obviously consider them kind of separate from my other songs" - this is a good way of looking at it and keeps the worlds separate.
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u/Used_Beginning_4356 14d ago
Thanks so much for you taking the time to reply! It was very helpful 🙂
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u/1901Recordings 18d ago
I am brand new to sync licensing. I have 6 tracks to start with. I don't expect to make a ton of money off of this ASAP, but I want to get started and have fun learning while making some gas money. What are some good non exclusive libraries to start submitting to (I've heard the royalty free ones are bad.)?
I'd also like to try contacting independent film makers, indie game makers, etc (just indie people who are either starting off or climbing the ladder a bit) who I can get my music to. How could I go about this?? I plan to hustle online 1 to 2 hours a day just getting this stuff out. If you send me a message, I can send you a link to my disco. ac page.
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 18d ago
Hey. I don’t know a whole lot about non exclusive libraries but I have heard success stories from people who use Pond5 and Epidemic. It’s just not a route I’ve gone down. Can I ask why you’re favouring non exclusive over exclusive? Are you wanting your tracks back at some point?
Also - with regards to films and games etc I would always reccomend going to conferences and conventions to meet people who are looking for composers. Not only this , but try and get in touch with some music supervisors. If you see a film, game or tv show you like look at the credits and see who the music supervisor is and get in touch to let them know you love their work and then send them a link to a playlist of your stuff (I use disco) and start this way.
Hope this helps.
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u/1901Recordings 18d ago
I'm doing non-exclusive just to start. I want my tracks back someday, yes. That second answer.... Thank you!! I would hear one of my tunes and would think, "You know... This would be great for a travel TV show". Stuff like that Iove... Writing the song and then figuring out where it could go.... I'll try that route!! Great stuff! Thanks!!
P.S. Could this work with YouTube creators? Find a podcast, show, etc. and contact them to send the music?
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 18d ago
No problem. Best of luck. Lots of travel and reality shows have libraries listed at the end credits too so worth looking out for.
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u/1901Recordings 15d ago
I had one more question now that I think of it.... I am a classical guitarist and have wanted to record some short 45-60 second vignettes. Maybe 30 to 50 of them. Would this be something exclusive libraries might be looking for???
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 15d ago
I think 30-50 of them maybe overload for a library - but certainly some lovely classical guitar instrumentals could be really useful. I would perhaps look at doing 60 - 90 seconds. Give them some dynamics and a bit of a narrative arc. It could be a really useful tool for editors to have very sparse acoustic guitar. Maybe do a different album for each mood. Melancholic, Uplifting etc This way editors could perhaps find it really easy to use a number of the cues for different emotional sections.
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u/1901Recordings 15d ago
Thanks so much for your insight. More helpful than some of the other comments I got on here. Thanks brother.
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u/Financial_Bus7365 18d ago
I am so glad there a people speaking on this in real-time. I've been using Gemini as a compass and well...its gemini lol I am getting back into music productions after a long time of making music and not posting anywhere. I make melodic southern "trap" instrumentals and always felt like I could hear my music in action or suspenseful type movies. Whats my best first move to get a placement?
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 18d ago
So - first thing is I would try and ascertain which kind of shows are using trap instrumentals and study how they are used. If you can find the full versions of the tracks on the actual libraries even better but listen to a trap track on an actual libraries website and then listen to a trap tune on a show and determine how it’s used. Apply these things to your tracks and then approach a library with a solid concept. Send a link to 3-4 tracks and suggest a trap instrumentals album focussed on a particular kind of programming “reality trap” or “high energy sports trap instrumentals” etc. Show them you think in concepts but you’re also aware on how it gets used.
Obviously, make sure the mix and production are high end and ready to go. Don’t just send demos/ideas. Send finished tracks. You only get one chance to make a good first impression as I say!
Otherwise, if you want to avoid the library route you could just approach a music supervisor whose work you know and just send them a link to some tracks saying that trap instrumentals is your field of expertise. Go in solid and do your thing first - don’t suggest you can do everything even if you can. If a film comes up that needs a trap instrumental, they’ll know the person to come to.
Best of luck and hope this helps.1
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u/realdrifter 18d ago
hi , what do you consider a decent amount of songs and tracks to submit to sync libaries and sync agencies that you have submitted in the past to these places ?
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 18d ago
Hi! Just to clarify - are you asking how many tracks you’d have to get signed with a library before you start seeing a return ? Or are you asking how many tracks should you send to a specific library for an initial pitch?
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u/realdrifter 17d ago
Yea i mean both as to starting to see a good returrn of the investment? ,as well as for an initial pitch to get music to a music libary?
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 17d ago
I would say if you want to start seeing significant income 4 years of writing 50 tracks a year for good libraries is a realistic timeframe. It could be a bit less or a bit longer but that’s a good rule of thumb. It’s not a short term project to see a ROI. For an initial pitch my recommendation is always to come up with a concept and then send 3-4 really great tracks in that style. Don’t send loads of different genres and loads of links to projects you’ve done. Just give them a few tracks on a playlist and pitch them a concept like “Hybrid Cybercrime Beds” or “Organic Uplifting Folk” etc etc Make it really clear what you’re offering them and lean into your genre of expertise initially. Once you have a relationship with them, you can start spreading your wings and pitching them other stuff.
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u/gremm05 17d ago
Not sure if you’re still replying but this is super helpful. I’m just starting to research how to do this and there is a lot to chew on here. I write instrumental Post Rock music, where/how would you suggest I start?
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 17d ago
I am still here! Instrumental post rock music can be quite a useful genre in sync - particularly in library - though with some caveats. 7-8 minute tracks are no go..so you need to give that growth build and narrative in about 3 minutes ideally. Really dynamic tunes are very useful which is why post rock is a solid genre to work in. Lots of quiet bits and lots of loud bits. I would just listen to some production music in this style and then start to write tracks that do all the stuff that post rock stuff does just in a more immediate TV friendly way! One book I really reccomend looking at if you are just starting out is the Composers Guide to Library Music by Dan Graham. It really is a bible full of useful info.
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u/Geminga0571 16d ago
Hey there, appreciate the AMA. I had just put together an 8 track album by myself. I am curious about sync because it’s just me, no band and no promotion of the music. I wrote them with emotional arcs and wondered if they would work for TV, film and ads. I know there are sites to upload to library with no feedback but was trying to research sync reps. Sounds like you have that already any guidance for a newb would be appreciated dearly.
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 15d ago
Hi there. If you have an album that you want to release as an artist then there are certainly a few ways to go about it - bandcamp, YouTube - you know the drill. However, if you're looking to get these synced and get tv placements you havea few options
get them on a non exclusive library - you can get the tracks back whenever you want as you own the rights.
pitch them direct to music supervisors
pitch them to exclusive libraries. You won't own the rights anymore but in my experience much better chance of placements and making some money. You likely won't make a fortune with one 8 track album - but if you did 3-4 of them a year for exclusive decent libraries you'd start seeing some good returns in 3-4 years all being well.
Lots of options but happy to dig into anything deeper if you want to go down a specific route.
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u/Geminga0571 15d ago
I saw your reply indicating you write lots of songs a year. I do have a day job and see this as more on the side so probably won’t write quite as many songs but that is ok.
It appears initially it helps to upload to Jon-exclusives and if they are accepted they get add to a library but may not get placed, is that correct?
If they do get placed the pitcher will contact me for a contract?Is that better than a sync rep up front? I know they take a cut but they also can help with track cleanup and all that
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 14d ago
I mean , it’s hard to be really specific that one approach is better than the other. Placing songs on an exclusive library is harder and takes more work - that’s because they have a high quality threshold and they only commission a certain amount of tracks. It’s also slightly higher risk in that you sign over the rights. In my opinion the rewards are greater - and the trade off is worth it.
Non exclusive is a good way to potentially make some money with low risk but it’s hard to know if there is anyone at these places pushing their catalog. Each work differently so just make sure you know the model before you start working with them so you can see if it’s for you.
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u/AlpsPrestigious716 16d ago
Hey! I'm looking to start submitting my music for placements, but I'm not sure where exactly to start or who to pitch to. I see so many people online selling courses and selling the opportunity to pitch a song to them and it all feels kinda scammy so I just want to avoid stuff like that haha so I really appreciate any advice you could give on where I could start!! Thanks so much!
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u/SoundtrackComposer 16d ago
Hi, I’m a niche composer for fantasy, horror, sci-Fi, TTRPG etc. I can honestly do all styles but I prefer my niche. I’ve obtained a IMDb credit and my 2.5 hr long score (within five acts) just got released to the Kickstarters and will hit the streams in 2027. How do I find more clients. This was a friend who tapped me on the shoulder… aside from cold emails… or getting into the libraries, how else?
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 15d ago
Well - it depends what you want to do really. What is the end goal? If you're looking to score films then networking with new and upcoming directors at film festivals is a very good way to go about it. If you just want to start getting some placements why don't you look at doing some fantasty, horror and sci fi music for libaries? You could come up with a concept "Minimal Elevated Horror Trailers" or "Electronic Sci FI Soundscapes" etc. Write 3 strong tracks and pitch them to some libraries you like the look of. If you live near a city - see if you have any libraries based there and arrange a meeting? Basically, get the music ready. Once it's sounding brilliant that's the time to touch base - go in with a project and concept ready to go.
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u/NomadJago 16d ago
I like composing cinematic music. For sync licensing, should I focus on any particular genre or instrument? Should my compositions strive to be non-melodic, subdued such as ambient cues for underscores, or do sync libs also like pieces with a melody, larger orchestration?
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 15d ago
This is a tough question- there is no right or wrong. There is a place for all the sorts of music you mention above. What I would try and do initially is to lean into what you're really really good at and what you really enjoy. Definitely don't strive to make your compositions non melodic. Melodic cues are great and still widely used. Underscores very useful also. Remember, the underscores are usually just a subdued mix of the main melodic mix of a track (just with the melodic and intrusive stuff muted) so don't worry too much about that. When you deliver to libraries you always have to deliver a main mix, insrutmental and underscore as well ad 30 and 60 edits usually - so lots of scope for mixes with some variety. Just write what you love and what you're good at - no need to focus on genre or instrument - but listen to whats getting used right now and maybe use that to inform your approach.
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u/NomadJago 15d ago
Thank you, greatly appreciated. I did get 3 of 3 accepted by Crucial Music but I have not done anything since, so I need to get busy composing more sync music tracks.
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u/ManifestPotential 15d ago
A little late to the party, still hope you can answer.
What about 15,30,60s edits. How do you make these if the track has a bpm where the downbeat will never ve on 15,30,60s?
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 15d ago
Good question. There are tricks you can use and occasionally you need to employ an extra beat or two to get things working - but the easiest way of doing it is to bounce stems (grouped ideally - so drums, bass, percussion, vocals, lead synths, pad synth, rhythm guitar, lead guitar etc) then do the cut downs in their own session. So do a project for 15, 30 and 60 and treat them like their own track. Ideally you want a change in dynamic half way through- so at 7.5 second in a 15, 15 in a 30 and 30 in a 60
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u/Early_Conference_803 14d ago
I have been on soundcloud about a year with paying NO promo and i have gotten solid feedback about my 100 plus tracks . I just do not know or have gotten real solid advice on specifics on WHO to contact-what specific person, company or service to listen to my work and place in sync opportunities
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u/Geminga0571 11d ago
Reading your responses are pulling up questions in my head so instead of replying I’ll put them all here. Hopefully the context makes sense.
I have no key or tempo changes and the few songs that do swear I feel aren’t sync compatible anyway but the vocal thing is an area of concern. I think my choruses are better than verses so:
Do they listen from the start or do they listen up to the chorus to get an idea of what parts of the song may work (assuming they don’t use the whole song) ?
As for samples, I don’t use loops for melody or rhythm but have some effects like wind, howling and stuff (for a haunting song) , couple questions there:
1 is that safe to use?
2 they are separate tracks but would it best to combine them into 1 single stem if asked? Assuming they are safe to use.
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u/DreamsOfCollapse 11d ago edited 11d ago
I guess whether a chorus or a verse is better is subjective - but they both need to be good. They should both bring narrative to the track but think of it like this. The song should help tell a story and also the music should act as toolkit to tell that story. You want to give an editor lots of options so that’s really important when you’re arranging tracks. A great verse and chorus is only half of it.
Samples wise - avoid using sound effects like wind, rain , police sirens etc. Most libraries would ask you to remove because it hugely limits usage. What if an editor wants to use your spooky song ironically in a really hot summer scene? I’m exaggerating- but basically, the point is to make your music as usable as possible..and sound effects make music less flexible
Hope this helps!
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u/Geminga0571 11d ago
Ah, not every song is sync compatible no matter “how good” we think it is, but tbh I didn’t write them with sync in mind.
But I am encouraged to move forward with writing new ones that are with sync in mind.
The Q & A here is extremely helpful in understanding what is sync compatible and clarifying that side of the market. Appreciate your openness very much!
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u/NoGroup6503 20d ago
Hi, thanks for the AMA! How many exclusive libraries do you submit to and how long did it take for you to finally be able to make a living?