The first thing you need to wrap your head around is…
You’re ALREADY writing music for film and TV.
Yes, even if you’re writing in an incredibly weird and niche sub-genre, there is room for your music in films and/or TV and/or video games and/or advertising.
Don’t believe me?
Read on!
Music On TV Shows
Here’s a playlist with 7 tracks from current TV shows (writing this in January 2018).
Have you listened to all 7 tracks, even for just 30 short seconds? Did you notice anything?
Yep. They’re all different!
And before you accuse me of picking and choosing to prove my point, I really didn’t…. and I can prove it 😉
Here’s EXACTLY what I did to come up with these 7 examples of music in TV shows:
1- I typed “top tv shows in 2017” in Google.
2- I picked the first 5 shows that showed up in the search results. Then, when I realized screenshots of my process would be nice and went back to Google to do that exact same search a few days later, “The Good Place” had made the top 5, pushing “Stranger Things” to #6 so I just went and added a video from “The Good Place” in the playlist!
3- I went on YouTube, typed the name of the show and picked the first video that seemed relevant.
4- For the last show I went through, I went and picked another random track. Why did I do that? I wanted to demonstrate that one TV show can feature different genres of music.
Luckily (or exactly to my point! 😉 ), my assumption proved correct and I ended up with 7 widely different tunes.
Now let’s have a look at music in advertising which we often think is completely stereotyped and must fit a very specific genre.
Music For Advertising
Here are 6 examples of music in advertising for you:
For this playlist of music in adverts, I went through this exact process:
1- I typed “superbowl advertisements 2017” (so all the ads aired around the same time and there wouldn’t be any question of music “trends”)
2- I went on YouTube and watched 9 videos.
3- I picked 5 spots that had music (1 didn’t have any music, 1 barely had any and 2 were crap, including one with Justin Bieber for T-Mobile :p)
4- the Kia advert with Melissa McCarthy was so funny I watched another Kia advert which used a completely different type of music. I found that interesting and added the spot to the playlist.
Music In Films
Here are 18 examples for you (taken from 11 different full feature films):
Here’s how I came up with this playlist of music in films:
1- I typed “best movies of 2017” in Google (again, to avoid any issues with “trends”)
2- I went on YouTube, typed “movie name soundtrack” and picked 1 or 2 music videos per film in the top 10 of the Google search results (except Star Wars, I couldn’t be bothered to figure out what music related to the latest release and assumed pretty much everybody has an idea of what the music sounds like)
3- I extended my research to the top 12 in the Google search results when I realized #11 and #12 were comedies (i.e. a welcome change from the top 10 horror action drama!)
4- Steps 1 to 3 got me 21 videos on the playlist. I deleted 3 that seemed redundant. For example, all the tracks on the “Dunkirk” and “Wonder Woman” sound pretty similar so I didn’t see any value in showcasing 2 tracks from each movie. When I say the music sounds pretty similar, I don’t mean that it’s bad or unoriginal but you get the point pretty quickly. Like Star Wars, you already know what action movie scores sound like.
Quick side note…. the “Lady Bird” video (#3 in the playlist) is worth a full listen since it’s the record company previewing the full soundtrack in under 5 minutes. It’s a great way to notice the range of music that can be used in a feature film.
Music In Video Games
Here are 10 examples of music in video games for you:
This is the exact process I went through to come up with that playlist:
1- I typed “video games 2017” in Google.
2- I went on YouTube and typed in “video game name soundtrack”.
3- I picked 9 videos with the complete soundtracks and 1 video with the game’s main menu theme (the exception is “Playerunknown’s Battleground” for which the top results didn’t have any videos with the complete soundtrack)
Quick side note: Initially, I was going to choose 1 or 2 random tracks per game but quickly realized it’s common to get the full soundtracks online for video games. With that new found knowledge, I decided to share with you the full soundtracks and let you explore these scores yourselves.
The first first few tracks of a score are sometimes similar, don’t be afraid to skip around each video to discover the full range of music being used!
Next Steps?
Ok so hopefully by now you’re a bit less of a sceptic and a bit more confident that, no matter what genre you write in, you can place your music in films and TV shows and video games and advertising and any other media you’re interested in.
If you still have doubts, keep in mind that we stayed super mainstream here!!
We looked at box office movies, Superbowl adverts and hit video games. That already showed that commercial mainstream TV shows, films and games include a wide variety of music.
Now imagine if you were to dig a little bit deeper into the worlds of indie films, app designers and YouTubers…. do you get it now? Can you start seeing how you could find opportunities for the music you enjoy making?
There’s really no need to change your style. There’s a place for the music you enjoy making.
So what are your next steps?
1- Pay Attention!
Be Mindful of the Music You Hear On TV and Other Media Platforms
2- Dig Deeper!
Be Proactive, Research the Space You’d Like to Work In
Not Convinced?
Post a streaming link (e.g. Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Box, Google Drive) to one of your tracks in the comments section below.
I’ll check it out and give you a few pointers 😉
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Hey Joyce, another good blog/article, your points are well made. We spoke around Oct time last year, I’ve been busy making a few more tracks – still haven’t totally sussed Logic but getting there. Link to song(s) is here: https://soundcloud.com/roydie
Hey Marcus, reality TV has a lot of time for hip-hop tunes. Check this one out: https://youtu.be/DxQBl1yiRoU
Hi Joyce! Thanks so much for this valuable information. I feel more confident about pitching my music in the coming months. Please take a listen to one of my early career tracks just to give me an idea of what I need to work on as I develop my first album. Thanks again! https://soundcloud.com/chieremefortune/ill-be-alright
That’s great! You definitely need that confidence to get started 🙂
Check this out: https://youtu.be/wEJd2RyGm8Q
Good article, Joyce. Very interesting.
Frankly, I’m tired to submit to Songtradr’s to no avail. Nothing!. Maybe my style is definitely out of the loop.
I’m posting some pieces of my repertoire, if you would like to hear any of them. Do you think ano of them are of enough quality to qualify for a library?
https://alvarojosefernandezlago.bandcamp.com/album/the-gate
https://alvarojosefernandezlago.bandcamp.com/track/rebirth
https://alvarojosefernandezlago.bandcamp.com/album/night
https://alvarojosefernandezlago.bandcamp.com/album/the-fight
https://alvarojosefernandezlago.bandcamp.com/album/the-office-parlor
https://alvarojosefernandezlago.bandcamp.com/album/the-dream
https://alvarojosefernandezlago.bandcamp.com/album/scherzino
Hey Alvaro, don’t be afraid to move on from Songtradr if it’s not working for you. Different places work for different people.
Genre analysis: no problem, there’s definitely a place for your style of music 🙂
https://youtu.be/fNjoVHmJqzE?t=3h11m4s
Production quality: just listening to “Rebirth”, you might want to work on the production quality a bit. It’s good but in some places the MIDI really stands out and sounds too rigid. When using MIDI, make sure you keep the instruments “alive” and “breathing”. Try to pretend you’re playing the instrument: is the violinist getting to the end of the bow? Does the brass player need a breather?
Tthanks Joyce, for the advice. Right, too much mechanical / artificial.
It’s a great start though! It sounds good in most places, just sometimes it sounds a bit “off”. That can easily happen when we spend a lot of time in the studio! What helps me is A/B-ing regularly as I go along and again at the end of each studio session.
Tthanks again. Food for thought! 🙂
Ah, food for songs…
Oooooh, nice pun! ?
Check out the “Logan Lucky” soundtrack: https://youtu.be/7T7aSvfyWFg
Hi Joyce,
Thanks for that… Very inspiring, as I’m on the path to get into sync, and I am embarking on a rigorous course to try and attain some flexibility in my approach. Bending my styles doesn’t come naturally to me, but I’m convinced it’s a worthwhile thing to work at…
However, I do have a few different bags that I like to write in.
Thanks so much for listening. I know you just asked for one thing. So first song is best… but I added a few more just to show a bit of my range.
Here’s one: (Sort of T. Rex vibe perhaps)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/wqsig8q8r86lr4t/When%20Can%20We%20Wake%20Up%20Together.Mix.mp3?dl=0
Here’s another: (Sort of Velvets, perhaps. This one still needs a bit of polish, but you get the idea.)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/gsqfy408ippkbbh/Green%20Trees%20Mix%201.mp3?dl=0
And here is an electronic track that’s gotten placed via a stock library that I’m in in Hong Kong called Melodise:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/mgi3zstekdd6i72/3%20FingerOnThePulse%20_PScherr_ProductionLibrary.mp3?dl=0
Here’s a cue that I did for a fight scene from a web drama about crime in the Bronx:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2podek4g8zlicm0/1%20Fight%20Scene%20Cue_The%20Stash.mp3?dl=0
And another song I did for a short film in 2015 (The Long Goodbye):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/xm2wztxqxl7wbs2/4%20Drinking%20Song_FromTheLongGoodbye_Film.mp3?dl=0
I also enjoy post scoring. I sat in symphony orchestras for years, so I have a good feel for orchestral music, and I was an early adopter of virtual orchestra instruments in the late 90’s. I have done long form documentary work, etc.
Hi Peter,
Listening to When Can We Wake Up Together, the first thing that came to mind was the movie “High Fidelity” but of course that used well-known tracks and isn’t very recent!
With your T. Rex tip in mind, I found this pretty quickly: https://youtu.be/wxSIi6mcvWk
It’s a recent soundtrack too 😉
PS: I think your music sounds great. Don’t tweak it too much, ok 😉
I’m bookmarking this article for future reference. Thanks for putting it together!
Here’s one of my tracks – would love to hear your constructive critique: https://soundcloud.com/caleb-murphy/dont-forget-the-world-is-lovely?in=caleb-murphy/sets/instrumentals
Hey Caleb,
TV Show “Master of None” featured The Walker Brothers’ song “I Can´t Let It Happen To You” that has a similar vibe to “Don’t Forget The World Is Lovely”.
https://youtu.be/9USBYytKvck
By the way, when you’re pitching music, Kings of Convenience might be a good “sounds like” option for you.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/52ou3feb0ap65kg/Number%20Four.mp3?dl=0
Thanks, Joyce!
Hey Marilyn,
I have a few ideas for you here….
1. This track would sound great for a big reveal on reality TV or on a big election night: https://youtu.be/KDxAOlOTmsI?t=1m50s
2. This is a little left field but also very doable: you could reach out to YouTubers that put together sports videos: https://youtu.be/8yFFRxesCSo
3. Big mainstream shows like “Westworld” or “Stranger Things” might also be a good fit. It’s harder to build those relationships of course 🙂
Hey Joyce, nice to read you again 🙂
I just sent this track to BMI, https://soundcloud.com/priscillapwood/the-merry-always-go-round-draft-01/s-F4dDb
Do you submit your cue sheets to the PRO or directly to the libraries? And is there a template for that or anything downloaded will work?
Thanks a lot!!
Hi Priscilla,
Based on the picture attached to your Soundcloud link, I’m guessing you know exactly where the track would be a good fit and don’t really need my help 🙂
Here are a couple anyway: IT, Criminal Minds, anything horrific or paranormal.
https://youtu.be/y6lQMPE6MVE
I don’t deal with cue sheets. Cue sheets are the job of the people using the music, working on the TV show or film.
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to ensure that they fill it out properly and you get paid, especially since it’s a manual process. There’s a lot of work being done to improve this but unfortunately, at this stage, there’s not much us composers can do.
Here’s a couple of good articles (including templates) from ASCAP and BMI on the subject:
ASCAP – https://www.ascap.com/help/royalties-and-payment/cue-sheets
BMI – https://www.bmi.com/creators/detail/what_is_a_cue_sheet
By the way, if you suspect you are not being paid what you should, don’t hesitate to get in touch with your PRO! They’re there to help (even if sometimes they can’t do much).
Hi Joyce,
I can imagine how busy you are so I appreciate your reply! I’m a total newbie and I’m dealing with information overload regarding cue sheets (and everything else) I thought it was my job to do them, but good to know I have one less thing to do 🙂
I started writing a “horror” track but, as always, I’m not sure about my work, anyway, I’m putting myself out there and stopping from being a perfectionist.
xoxo
Priscilla
hi Joyce!
loved your post and your advices, thanks again!
I would be pretty curious about you opinion, here’s my fav track o’mine 🙂
https://soundcloud.com/maxguzzo/do-you-think-you-are-a-star
thank you so much in advance!
Hi Max,
The first thing that came to mind is Beverly Hills 90210! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyS_o6lqKS0
For a more current opportunity, a show like Pawn Stars might be a good fit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6VIequAx4w
If you upload to a music library or pitch to a customer, don’t be afraid to play up the 90s, retro feel.
Hi Joyce, good article. Have a listen to this one please
https://soundcloud.com/pnuma-recordings/suddenly-someone
Regards
Ken
Hi Ken,
Sorry for the late reply :/ Was on holidays! 🙂
Here’s an example of a good fit for your style of music: https://youtu.be/OEUirZrWA4k
I’m sure there are plenty of other opportunities out there but here’s how I ended up on Geordie Shore:
– searched for ” deep house music on tv” on Google
– ended up on “Armada Music”
– saw Armin van Buuren as a co-founder
– that name rang a bell so looked for what placements he’s had with his music using tunefind.com
– looked for Geordie Shore videos on YouTube to check it was a decent match to your music
If you want to dig deeper, check out Armin van Buuren (or any artist you want to emulate really) and check out their IMDb page.
Greetings Joyce… Here is one of my TsTunes that I’d like to push. Your advice is appreciated … T
https://soundcloud.com/tstunes/when-he-touches-me-mixdown-3
Hi Terry, thanks for sharing! This type of tracks usually does well in reality TV. Here’s the first that came to mind: https://youtu.be/yESucoYiVsM
[…] Music placed on TV/film: the Composer and Publisher get most of the money, through synchronization fee (upfront) and performance royalties (each time the Composition is performed) […]
Just discovered your site via the LJS podcasts. I’m a classically trained pianist, who’s now into playing jazz on the oboe. Have NO CLUE AT ALL what ‘music licensing’ is, what it means, will it be something I can/should get into. On the other hand, if you don’t try/ask, you don’t get, so here goes: not the world’s best techie, so I hope I’ve inputted the Soundcloud track right! It’s an own composition, written as a tribute to Chet Baker, one of my jazz heroes. Thanks, Gail.
https://soundcloud.com/gail-ford-22315571/thank-you-mr-baker
Hi Gail! Lovely track. It’s a beautiful tribute 🙂
Music licensing is when you grant the right to someone to use your song in an audiovisual project. In exchange, they pay you a synchronization fee (it can range from $1 to $100,000 but let’s say realistic when you’re first starting out is $20-$2,000). The beauty of it is that you can license the same track over and over again.
Also, whenever the audiovisual project plays on TV, you may also get paid performance royalties by your PRO, ASCAP or BMI for example. You’ll get the writer’s share of performance royalties if you’re the writer and also the publisher’s share if you self-publish.
There are lots of music libraries out there that look for good music to add to their catalogue. Then they attract potential customers to their website and split the synchronization fee with you when they place one of your songs. The good thing about music libraries is that you don’t need to know anyone to get in, you can handle pretty much everything online at your own pace so it can be a great, recurring revenue stream if you have a busy life, full-time job or touring and kids 🙂
Thank you! I’m now off to find music libraries!
Great! I’ll publish a post with 6 recommendations next week 😉
All music/genres gets licensed? https://soundcloud.com/user-258118579/cold-duck-the-remix-featuring-stanley-engelbrecht
Hi Tina,
Well, I’m not going to pretend that one was easy 🙂
Aside from licensing opportunities in hotels, opportunities for TV and film didn’t come up straight away. I fumbled a bit and poked around Google and YouTube, looking for “lounge scene” and stuff like that.
Then I closed my eyes and your tune immediately brought back memories of club scenes in New York way back when “Sex & the City” was a hit.
So I typed “bar scenes in New York” in YouTube and this was the top result: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb5O3FJlQMY
Decent but not enough.
So then I looked for current TV shows set in New York and found “Friends from College”, looked up the soundtrack on YouTube and found this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT9nOeCOObY&index=4&list=PLGoyUatTMFe0czC_iYYvHX_WF4dwEuLy7
Then I listened to the soundtrack from “The Deuce” and found this goldmine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6zvPHRZP8c&list=PLkLimRXN6NKzgwvHsJKDiBHZBMJN5FnrE&index=5
The music on there sounds less “lounge” than your reference track and I haven’t watched the show but it seems like it could be a good fit 😉
Hello Joyce, would love some feedback regarding suitable libraries for these:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vbdkz5yza8zg7fb/AAB5KwONo4g5r-n18jxPHWnBa?dl=0
Thnx for all the tips, they are VERY useful!
Hi Martin, nice production!
Pond5, AudioJungle, PremiumBeat come to mind.
All three would be good places for you to research 🙂
Hi joyce,im reading and learning a lot here ( i will take some course as well,congrats for the content) this a link of my music. I think is good material but for strange some reasons the material is not moving… i need some feedback about if its really good or no…
https://open.spotify.com/user/1135018231/playlist/1TO5bOgt7NhfyX2kDMgiJb?si=TkiFfqn2TL2TYTTcbC-ijQ
Hey Sergi, I’m glad you’re learning a lot! 🙂 I’d be happy to have a listen bu can you send a streaming link that doesn’t require creating an account and signing in? Cheers, Joyce
Hey! Im an American Singer/Songwriter living in Geneva Switzerland (I speak french as well). I would be interested in getting your feedback on our music, we are about to do our second album and are going to try to self produce bc I feel like with this last one I didn’t have enough control over the music, I like it but my ideas were not being expressed. Anyways, I am actually a classically trained singer as well. I know u are in paris which is not far.. I would be interested in collaborating with you somehow if you are interested. I love your style and im a huge fan of dark atmospheric sounds. Id love to reinvent classical music.. I have a few crazy ideas maybe you would be interested 😉 Let me know! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmUN5y-KOFQ
This is great stuff, Natalie! Has a James Bond and Goldfrapp feel to it that I really love, a bit of Garbage as well. Lots of licensing opportunities out there. Just taking Goldfrapp as an example: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1566932/?ref_=nv_sr_1
For collab, right now is too busy to take on anything new but don’t hesitate to email me thoughts at joyce@creativeandproductive.com
Love your articles… but just to see, what do you think of this
https://soundcloud.com/akeyrecords/drippin-like-sauce
Easy! 😀
Although you’ll need a non-explicit and/or instrumental version for most licensing opportunities, you have quite a few options. Here are some that spring to mind:
1- Reality TV is always looking for hip hop in the background: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi8ZtMhCe3A
You can also look at DL Music’s recent credits for inspiration: http://www.dl-music.com/credits.php
2- Any TV show or film set in Detroit, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago, Atlanta, etc.
3- Many TV shows and films featuring cool dudes. Think “Fast & Furious”
4- Also works with some action movies and sports shows/games. Think “Black Panther”, “Bright”, “Madden NFL 18”, etc.
Good luck with this! 🙂
PS: a good tip to find opportunities that’ll be a good fit for your music is to look for similar artists on IMDb.com and check out their credits
Hi Joyce thank you for the info and all the hard work you’ve put in to get this to us. it is highly appreciated. It has been really helpful especially for people like me.
I have a lot of tracks doing nothing so I really need help.
Here’s a sample of my music please let me know what you think:
https://soundcloud.com/user-853796700/hybrid-call-to-war/s-fLm5c
https://soundcloud.com/user-853796700/splendour-2/s-nehJb
https://soundcloud.com/user-853796700/covenant-4/s-Nclzc
https://soundcloud.com/user-853796700/kingdom-adventures-n/s-CdnFV
https://soundcloud.com/user-853796700/nathan-curtis-happy-again/s-6SSlh
Sorry to bombard you but any help you can give will most appreciated
I think you’ve nailed it 🙂 I’m hearing action/adventure/war video games like “Halo” and film composers like John Williams, Michael Nyman and Hans Zimmer for the first 4 tracks. Not sure about the last track, it made for a little uncomfortable listening on my laptop, maybe a little bit too much panning?
Sorry about that, need to fix that. okkkk so could you recommend any places I could send them too?
Most music libraries will be interested in that type of cinematic music. Here’s a list of 6 you might want to look into to get started and a post about deciding if a library is a good fit for you.
There are a few music libraries specialized in trailer music as well, like Evolving Sound and Liquid Cinema.
Hi Joyce thought I responded. Thank you very much for your help. I will indeed get going and investigate these companies. 🙂
Great! Keep me posted and don’t hesitate to reach out if you need help with keywords, similar artists, etc.
Hi Joyce, thanks for taking the time to listen. All my tunes are very funky and slap bass themed.
Hope the links work
Much appreciated for the advice
Thanks
🙂
https://app.box.com/s/cg334pn3s1dg9alulv554u49rff3scze
https://app.box.com/s/zne8jv775akjmluc15vqgx5aegf30gsl
There’s plenty of room for funk and slap bass themed music in libraries to get started.
If you want to go direct to customer, I suggest aiming for comedy because it seems to use funk music fairly often.
And keeping an eye out for shows set in the 70s and 80s like “The Deuce” or “I’m Dying Up Here” or shows that have frequent flashbacks.
You could also check out Funkadelics credits on TuneFind for inspiration.
Thanks Joyce, I’m inspired. I’ve already had one sale on Pond5 and just uploaded about 60 slap/funk mixes. I’m going to do your 7 day challenge tho so I’m more organised.
Got to be in it to win it, innit..;-)
Thanks again Joyce
all the very best
Dan…
Go for it and keep me posted, Danny! If you haven’t already, you might want to consider downloading and/or printing out the 4 Steps To Start Licensing Your Music checklist.
Oh and congrats on the Pond5 sale, you’re off to a flying start! 🙂
Thanks Joyce will you keep you updated on my progress
Cheers
Dan
Hi Joyce,
I’ve been writing a lot this year, mostly specifically for my band- and am starting to look into licensing opportunities. Your website has been incredibly helpful! Thank you. I would appreciate any feedback you have on a few tracks from my most recent album. Specifically, if you have thoughts about libraries that might be a good fit, or placement options you can imagine this kind of music in. Would appreciate an outside perspective. Thanks!
https://soundcloud.com/user-616067698/no-wonder-west-valley-shakers/s-PghOz
https://soundcloud.com/user-616067698/tired-heart-west-valley-shakers/s-1n3ll
https://soundcloud.com/user-616067698/snowflake-west-valley-shakers/s-0vK0w
https://soundcloud.com/user-616067698/hot-lava-west-valley-shakers/s-memg2
Hi Brent, love the fact that you use real instruments! That may sound like a weird compliment but it’s a big bonus these days and I don’t see it changing any time soon 🙂
Re library tips, I’m sure your instrumentals would be appreciated by most big libraries but considering you’re in a band and I’m assuming performing live and interested in exploring that avenue as well, Marmoset Music comes to mind. You may also want to get in touch with music publishers to see what they have to offer.
Re placement, different things come to mind. I’m getting a cowboy/country/manly vibe – think Justified, Sons of Anarchy, Fargo. I can’t think of a similar but current TV show right now but you can do a little bit more research for TV shows by state on Wikipedia. Location is often a great place to start when looking for placements.
Also, there’s a real swagger about your music that I associate with movies like Ocean’s Eleven and, more generally, with George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt in his pomp.
There’s also an Irish/Celtic element to a couple of the tracks you linked to, there’s usually room for that in cop shows 🙂