The Music Supervisor - A Few Words for the Songwriters/Artists Looking for Film Placements

I received several CD’s this weekend from aspiring songwriters who are looking to get their music into films. One in particular inspired me to make this the subject of this week’s blog.

It wasn’t until I opened the envelope and examined the contents that I shook my head and asked why. The problem with this submission was the songwriter/artist did not provide their contact information. Other than the snail mail address on the package, there was no way to contact this person using the current technology…such as e-mail or the telephone.

As I drove away from the post office and put the CD in, the music started playing and it was pretty good. This is really rare as I get close to 50 CD a month and a majority of the music is not good. I’m not being mean; it’s just the plain truth.

If you are serious about your songwriting career, there are things that you need to take seriously. If you don’t know enough about your career, then you need to do a bit of homework. I’m not talking about the creative side (songwriting, playing your instrument, etc.). I’m talking about the administrative side.

When a music supervisor is looking for music to clear for a show that airs tonight, they don’t have time to hunt you down. They need your contact information now and you need to be ready to talk business.

Here are a few things you need to accomplish on the administrative side of your career:

1. Register your work with the US Copyright office.
2. Become affiliated with ASCAP, BMI or SESAC or whichever performing rights society is available in your country.
3. Once affiliated, register your songs with the performing rights society that you join.
4. Make sure any collaboration is accompanied with a co-writer agreement outlining ownership/credit splits. This applies to the publishing side and the master recording side.
5. If you are part of a band, have all band members sign a Band Partnership Agreement. This covers who owns the equipment, song ownership/credit splits and other things that could be disputed should band members start disputing things.
6. Learn as much about music publishing, record labels, music supervisors, film & music and just about anything that your music can be involved in. The more you know the better you’ll be when it comes time to negotiate with those that want to use your music.
7. Make sure you are on the cue sheet of any film or TV placement and insure that you get a copy for your records.

These are just some of the things you can do. Networking with your peers and other professionals in your field will be an education in itself. Use Google to do research. You just have to be driven!

These are just a few things that you’ll have to do outside the creative box. If your music kicks butt, but you don’t know what to do or say when it’s time to license your music, you could loose out on opportunities to generate some cash flow and royalties down the road.

Knowing how to talk the talk gives music supervisor, music publisher, advertisers and other interested in licensing your music the confidence to know that they are dealing with someone who understands the business. In the end, you’ll look back and be glad that you made the effort to take your career to the next level. You’ll jump for joy when you get that first royalty check in the mail.