You have been practising in your garage for months and you have put some serious time and effort into constructing and composing your own hand crafted tracks, so-much-so, they are now polished and gleaming. Your mother dearest is your number one fan and you have accumulated quite a few likes on your Facebook page already. But is it really time to release your wicked beat baby to the world yet?
Every artist thinks their work is a music revolution - and if their mom likes it, then they think obviously a music supervisor will too. Unfortunately in the real world this just simply isn't the case. One of the most significant factors that many artists will overlook when submitting work to those who could ultimately license it, is production
Quality. The first thing Music Supervisors listen for is the sonics – if your track isn't well produced then the supervisor won't listen to the rest of the song, or any other of your songs for that matter.
An artist needs well-produced, well-crafted, compelling songs. Songs that are mixed, mastered and refined. Understanding this is paramount before looking for opportunities to license your music. The bar is high and you are competing with major label artists for placements. However in saying this, it doesn't matter if you're not charting, or pulling 200 people to a show, but what does matter is the production quality and musicianship of your songs.
So now you're asking 'well how do I know if my songs are of good quality - both sound and arrangement?'
The simple answers are Feedback and Comparison.
Who is providing feedback for your songs? Are you getting feedback from anyone who is not immediate family? Are other musicians providing you honest feedback? The best way to know if your music production is ready for the world of SYNC is to simply listen to what's already being synced. Start by researching songs used in TV shows, films, trailers and commercials so you can, firstly gain a better understanding of what music supervisors are licensing, and secondly work out whether the production is good enough for SYNC. Once you pick a track from a production or commercial find the tune online and check out the production quality – put it up against your own songs.
Another option is to get industry people such as producers and promo people to
check the tracks out. If you send your track/s to a credible promotions company they are going to tell you straight up if they think they can get the song on the radio or written about in a blog – it's their reputation on the line if they send out a track with low production qualities.
So remember, get REAL feedback on your track/s from people who are in the biz, and if they give you the thumbs up, chances are so will a music supervisor.
About the Author – Daniela D'Onofrio
Daniela has been responsible in representing hundreds of indie artists, and successfully securing placements with Virgin, Qantas, Contiki, Jeans West, Twitter, Joe Fresh, Sony PlayStation and countless Films and TV Shows with Disney, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, HBO, Showtime, The CW, FOX, Netflix, USA Network, MTV, CTV, Warner Bros, ABC (USA), and NBC Universal.
Passionate about the sync industry, Daniela has had many speaking and teaching engagements including Q Music, Music Industry Inside Out, and SYNC Master Classes at Queensland University of Technology.