Writing and Submitting Music for Film and TV Placements

A great way to get more exposure for your music is by getting film and TV placements for your songs. It can be difficult to know where to start for getting these placements which is why this newsletter issue is from a Q&A I conducted with Casey Hurowitz. My questions are below in bold, followed by Casey’s answers.

Casey is a non-performing songwriter who writes for film/TV. His music has been heard on NBC, MTV, Bravo, E!, The History Channel, The Travel Channel, TLC, The Food Network, and others. You can learn more about him and check out his music here: http://www.caseysongs.com/

Enjoy!
Anthony

Writing Music For Film and TV Placements

When writing for film/TV, what should you write about? Does it matter? Are some topics better than others?

In general, unless you are writing to a spec (e.g. a specific request for songs about sports, cities, etc.), you should write about the most common emotions/experiences that people have. Most of the time that’s love or relationship related, but can also be things like happiness, sadness, confusion, etc.

The best topics are the ones that would fit the widest variety of scenes in popular TV shows. For example, a song that laments how sad you are because you miss someone might work well. You need to stay away from things that are too specific—names, places, scenarios that would conflict with what’s going on in a scene. That’s what is known as “universal lyrics”. When I’m not sure, I try to imagine a montage at the end of a show like Grey’s Anatomy. The same song plays while the scene changes from character(s) to character(s) but fits each situation.

How do you know if you should be writing music with lyrics or writing instrumentals? Or do you always have to submit two versions — one of each?

Pure instrumental cues are much easier to get placed on TV than vocal songs. The ratio of instrumentals to vocals on TV is huge, especially when you consider all the cable reality TV shows. I would guess that most composers who make serious money in Film/TV music are heavily weighted to the instrumental side, creating many instrumental cues per week or month. For a vocal song to get placed, SO many things have to line up like the stars—the style, emotion of the singer, lyrics, etc. And with so many great artists pitching songs, the competition is fierce.

Not that we shouldn’t be doing vocal songs. First, you have to do what you love and if you love songs with lyrics and hate writing instrumental cues, you won’t be good at it and it won’t work for you. And second, vocal songs do earn larger sync fees and often better backend royalties since they are more likely to get on a more major network.

I’m vocal songs oriented. I love expressing feelings with lyrics. I do some instrumentals, usually when a vocal song isn’t really working as far as the lyrics, and it feels right as an instrumental. And often, the no-vocal backing tracks to these (sometimes edited and/or shortened) can be used as cues on reality TV shows. In fact, almost all my placements to date have been with backing tracks.

Whenever you place a vocal song in a library, they always ask for the no-vocal mix as well. Sometimes a supervisor will mix/match depending on how things fit under dialogue.

Do you have to write a song specifically for a scene, or can your current music be used?

Your current music absolutely can be used! There are two types of writing: (1) Writing specifically for a listing brief such as through Taxi, (2) Writing to build up what’s in your own catalog for the future. On #2, that’s why when you write, you stick to universal lyrics.

What type of genre should you be writing? Are some better than others for getting placed?

What you are good at, as long as there is demand for it. Yes, some genres are better for getting placed. Music that is similar to what’s currently on the charts is usually good. Also, as you build relationships with music libraries that send out music requests, you can learn more about what is hot. It’s probably not great to try to be a jack of all trades. Instead, work from what you are good at and gradually expand.

A plus would be to find a niche — something that not many others are doing but is needed out there. For example, everyone does rock, pop, country, and singer-songwriter. But not many might do Asian Hip-Hop… Or crooner songs.

How good does the quality of your recording have to be? Can you record at home?

You definitely need “broadcast quality,” which basically means it would hold up reasonably well on a radio play list. Most successful Film/TV composers do all their recording at home.

Where do you record your music?

I only do rough recordings and work with others for the final broadcast quality productions. I do have a little setup with a DAW at home but all I use it for is rough guitar and vocal records. Sometimes I use the DAW for edits such as shortening a no-vocal backing track.

Should songs written for film/TV be “dumbed down” or less catchy, since they’re not the main focus?

No! Not dumbed down or less catchy. More universal on the lyrics, but I wouldn’t call that “dumbed down”.

Is a hook still important?

Yes, always. It is true that the hook might not need to be as killer strong as if you were pitching a song to a country music artist, but it’s still important.

Should songs to be placed fade out at the end of the song, or have a definitive ending? Does it matter?

Button endings (a ring out note) should always be used for Film/TV unless someone specifically requested otherwise. Music editors often like to align that final note with the end of a scene. BTW, tracks should also end in the same key they began in so the music editor can paste that ending note elsewhere to make a shortened edit.

Should songs to be placed have a long intro?

Never. Get to the meat quickly.

How much of a song is usually used?

This varies all over the board. I’ve had placements from as little as 2 seconds to as much as 1:30.

Do you have any other tips for writing songs with the goal of having them placed in a TV show or a film?

Just remember universal lyrics, focus on emotion, production, performance, etc. If you can readily identify what known act your work sounds like, it’s a big plus as music supervisors often ask for tracks that sound like a given artist.

Submitting Your Music For Film and TV Placements

Can you talk about what “licensing” your music means?

Licensing means authorizing someone else the right to use your music in their production such as a TV show or film. When you work with a music library, you give them permission to issue licenses on your behalf.

How would a songwriter go about getting their music placed in TV shows and films? Who do you contact?

Music libraries are usually the best conduits. They are publishers who focus on Film/TV. I would research production music libraries on the internet and use resources such as Taxi, filmmusic.net, and Music Library Report. Taxi has helped many composers get their start making money with Film/TV music.

How effective is it as a strategy for getting your music out there and actually building a fan base?

It depends on what you do and what your area of focus is. You can make a living at production music with TV instrumentals but no one will really know who you are since those are generally un-credited. But if you are an up and coming artist selling CDs and songs on iTunes and land a credited song on a major network TV show, it can be huge. This isn’t my area of expertise, though.

What do music publishers and music supervisors do, and who should songwriters be contacting?

Music publishers (usually music libraries with Film/TV music) pitch your songs to the end users (usually music supervisors) and do the required administrative work such as registrations, issuing licenses, etc. Music supervisors work with the Film/TV production companies to actually choose the music used.

What do you say to them when you get in touch with them?

If I contact a music library cold, I’ll usually introduce myself, mention some credits, and ask if they are accepting submissions. I’ll also ask what styles they are most looking for and what their submission guidelines are. Every library has a different submission procedure and it’s important to follow their directions to a “T”.

With a music supervisor, I’d introduce myself the same way but ask what projects they are working on, what needs they have, if any, and if I could send them something. It’s a lot tougher with a supervisor because they aren’t in the business of maintaining a catalog in the way a library is. And they get bombarded by composers all the time. I’ve also found that music supervisors are often only interested in music for their current projects and general, non-targeted submission probably will collect dust and get tossed.

How do you submit your music? CDs? mp3s? etc…

Depends on the submission guidelines. CDs are becoming less common. And some music libraries have one process for screening (a few mp3s or links to mp3s) followed by FTP or other upload of high resolution .wav or .aiff files if tracks are accepted. If you get permission to submit to someone, always ask for guidelines as to how they prefer to receive submissions.

Do your songs have to be copyrighted before you submit them?

They don’t HAVE to be but if you want the only protection that would ever hold up in court, you should register your songs with the US Copyright office.

Is having a big fan base or online presence important if you want your music placed?

I haven’t found that to be true for most Film/TV songwriters and composers. I know folks who make a full time six figure living writing music for Film/TV and have almost no internet presence. Again, the exception would be an up and coming artist already selling their music, having a fan base getting a chance to have a song featured on a major network TV show.

Are there any drawbacks to having your music on a TV show or in a film?

Not many. Maybe if an up and coming artist had their song used in a way that changed how people identified with them it could hurt their artist career.

Can a songwriter earn a living just by having his music placed?

Many people make a full time living doing Film/TV music. It takes at least 5-8 years of incredibly hard work. Just for full disclosure, I am not looking to make a living at this and don’t at all make that kind of money. I recommend watching Matt Hirt’s videos on youtube on “The 5 Year Plan”.

Who pays you? Is it a Performing Rights Organization or the company who places your song?

There are “front end” and “back end” payments. The front end are upfront master and sync fees for licensing your track. That is paid to you by the music library or, if the placement was direct, the party who licensed the track. The “back end” comes from your PRO. When your music is actually broadcast, it is tracked by PROs who pay royalties on the usages.

If a songwriter’s song is placed, should they feel like they are they “in” the industry, or do they have to keep working at it?

One placement rarely puts you “in”. You always would have to keep working at it. It’s important not to focus on the “big” deal that you’ll get wealthy on. More important are the bread and butter placements. You want A LOT of smaller ones and to keep feeding the pipeline with more tracks in libraries working out there for you.

If your song is selected, can it be used any way the music supervisor sees fit? Does the songwriter have any say?

When working through a library, you have very little or no say. If the library had to go back and get permission every time a music supervisor wanted to license a song, they would never succeed. It’s got to be one stop. Quick with no hassle. Sometimes libraries will have opt outs for things like graphic violence or porn. Also, sometimes you can ask for those exceptions in your music library contract.

If you are negotiating directly with a music supervisor, you have more flexibility. In that situation, the music supervisor usually already knows what the usage is. That being said, if you are a pain in the butt, the music supervisor will just go elsewhere.