I’m Back To Blogging Again!

After a semi extended escape from blogging I’m back.  I didn’t take a break from my music supervision work as this is my job and main source of income.  I did have to endure many disruptions with moving my family back to the Austin area.  Several films kicked into high gear during this time leaving me with very little time for many of my other projects to include my consultation services.

I’m back now and will start my regular blogging again.  I plan to expand beyond the filmmaker side and blog about the music side as well.  This is a huge part of what I do and there’s a lot of songwriters and musicians eager to get their music into films.  The music world reads my blog as well and I want to bridge the gap!

More blogs to come…

I’m Not The Music Licensing Police!

I am a member of many film and music groups and forums. If frequent several Yahoo groups such as Music Supervision for Film & TV, The Budgeting Group, Doculink and Film Finance & Investing. Other forums that I’m a member of are the Composer’s Forum, filmmaking.net, and ReelGrok where I am a Tutor/Consultant.

I reply to a lot of post about music clearance and situations that pertain to music in films. I find it very interesting how I rarely get a reply or have other members join in the discussion. It appears to me that once I chime in, no one wants to discuss the subject as I might call them on their music use.

It’s the same thing that happens when a state trooper pulls onto the interstate and everyone slows down and follows all of the driving laws. Some drivers exit because their inspection sticker has expired or they have no insurance. They want to avoid any chance for the officer to pull them over with probable cause.

I know there’s a lot of probable cause going on in the film industry. I’m not going to pull anyone over, if you will, if I find out that they have not cleared the music in their film. I just point out the fact that they are supposed to clear and license the music and offer a few words to help them understand what needs to be done. I inform them that music is property owned by someone and it’s not free to use without permission.

I’ve taken it one step further and offer consulting services for those who just need an hour or so of my time to consult them in the right direction. I can also be hired as the music supervisor to do the music clearance and licensing for the project as well as all of the administrative task that most filmmakers are not aware of. This is a very important service and can be invaluable. Getting the job done right from the start will alleviate a lot of headaches and frustration down the road.

When I hear people talk about how they don’t think they have to pay to use music, I have to turn the table on them. I ask how they would feel if they found out that someone use footage from their film and didn’t bother to clear it with them first. They don’t like it and they say it’s different when it comes to music. People think music is free because you can record it off the radio or the Internet. It’s readily available. What they don’t understand is these radio stations have to pay ASCAP, BMI and SESAC an annual license fee to legally broadcast the music you hear. This is the same for any business that play music to the public. Internet use has to be cleared also.

I have a lot of publishing and record label contacts that I work with everyday. I don’t need to tell them that their music is being used with out their permission. They already know. They have a team of attorneys that take care of this.

I want to hear from anyone about their music clearance needs. I’m not going to report anyone. I’m just going to help. I’m a music supervisor not a police.

Royalty Free Music and Licensing: The Misnomer

Most things are really not free even if the name says free. There’s always a catch in the fine print or you have to pay something to get the so called “free item.” That free toy you got out of the box of cereal when you were a kid was not free. Even thought the big letters on the box said “Free,” you had to buy the cereal before you could get the toy.

In the case of Royalty Free Music, it’s not free either. The term “Royalty Free” is a misnomer as you have to pay something to get to use the music. It doesn’t really matter if you pay the fee upfront as a buyout or on the back end as a licensing fee; you are still paying the copyright owners of the use of the song.

If you Google “Royalty Free Music,” the first hit you’ll get is royaltyfreemusic.com/. Go figure, Google Royalty Free Music and your first hit is royaltyfreemusic.com. When their home page comes up, the first thing you see $35.95 for individual tracks, $99.95 for compact disks and a $299.95 subscription.

Aside from the free issue, there are other things that you need to be aware of when using library music. It’s extremely important that you read the license agreement, terms and conditions or any disclaimer they have posted on their site.

If your distribution plan includes a major theatrical release, you should be careful. The Music Bakery’s fine print states,

“Use in major theatrical releases or in mass-market retail distribution (3000+ units) is licensed separately by contacting Kelly Atkinson at 800-229-0313 or kelly@musicbakery.com”

You would not want to use this music if you have a theatrical release planned or if you think your film has a chance of selling over 3,000 units. You’ll have to negotiate some other deal. This is not true for all library music companies. You must read the fine print for each and then determine if it’s right for your film.

You should also know that you will be issued a license for the music you use. This license that you are granted covers a wide range of rights and is issued directly from the company that provides the music to you. Some companies are an extension of a larger publishing company and there may be more restrictions.

A requirement that all royalty free music libraries demand is that you properly create and file a cue sheet with performance rights organizations such as ASCAP and BMI. Your license agreement will cover which organization you will be responsible to file with. It may be both.

There are several advantages with going the royalty fee music route. The first is one-stop shopping. You can clear both the sync and master rights with the same company. Going this route is fairly quick. Many licenses can be granted over the Internet and you do not have to deal with a licensing rep. Just click and pay. Getting music that fits your music budget is another reason filmmakers choose royalty free music.

There is always a downside to anything that seems to be a good thing. Royalty free music will limit you in your creative expression within your film. There’s no doubt that using authentic music by artists that create music with a passion is more conducive to setting the mood of a scene. If your music budget is tight, you can search for independent, local artists/bands for good music.

All in all, royalty free music will cost you. Nothing is free here. If you have zero dollars in your budget, don’t make the mistake and think royalty free music is the answer. It can work in your favor to some degree and limit you in others. Do your homework and read the fine print. Contact the company and ask questions. I prefer e-mailing them so you can have a written record of anything they tell you in the event you find yourself in a licensing bind.

Stop What You’re Doing And Do What’s Right…Damn It!

Do you remember the lyrics to the song by Digital Underground, “Okay, stop what you’re doing, ’cause I’m about to ruin the image and the style that you’re used to.”  That’s my goal in the blog posting.  I want you to stop production, take a moment to think about the song choices you have in your film right now.  Can you really afford the licensing fees?  Do you even have a clue as to how much it will cost to license these songs?  Have you even given the owner of the song the right to decide if they even want their song your film?

I don’t mean to ruin your musical vision.  I just want to prevent you from having to deal with the stress and headache down the road.  As a music supervisor, I deal with this everyday.  I hear the frustration in the filmmaker’s voice when we discuss the clearing and licensing issues that have surfaced.  Actually these issues didn’t just surface, they were just being ignored.

My point is, no one is listening.  No one is taking the time to question the music that’s being edited into their film.  It’s insane!  Who’s in charge during filming when music is picked up (incidental music) and no one says we can’t afford that songs, let’s re-shoot.  Who’s in charge during post?  Who was in charge when the script was being broke down and the budget was prepared.

Why do I always rant and rave about this?  Because (as I’ve stated several times before) I keep getting the calls and the e-mails from desperate directors and/or producers who need to clear this ridiculous list of songs that they’ve allowed to get placed in their film.  Now they have a distributor who has told them that they cannot move forward with a distribution deal unless they clear all the songs in their film.

Now I get the list of music cues and the music budget they want me to use to clear these songs.  It’s like going to the grocery store with $100 in your pocket and you fill you shopping cart with $5,000 worth of groceries.  It’s not going to work.  You wouldn’t walk into the equipment rental store and grab a HD camera, a lighting kit and sound equipment and just walk out?  No!  You have to pay for it.

So why do you think you can just pick a handful of songs and throw them in your film without getting permission first and then paying the fees you’re quoted?  Someone owns the music just like the groceries, camera, lighting kit and sound equipment.  Nothing is for free.  Someone had to pay for it at one point.

You’ve been making the festival rounds with music you have not cleared and no one has said a word.  You think you’ve gotten away with something.  You haven’t.  My question to you is, “how serious are you about the future of your film?”  Why put yourself in the position of having to come up with thousands of dollars to clear these songs and the expense to remove the songs that you can’t afford.

Right now while you’re still in post you should ask yourself, “how much money do I have for music?”  “How much money can I raise?”  Be brutally honest here.  There are a lot of songs that will work just the same that are more affordable.

You know, when I bring this subject up, no one seems to want to comment.  I really wish I could get some feedback from filmmakers that fall into this category.  I would really like to know the thought process that goes on while sitting there editing the film and you can hear music that’s obviously a very popular song by a very well known artist.  These are the songs you should stay away from unless you have a fairly large music budget.

So have you stopped what you’re doing and really put some thought in to the music you have in your film right now?  Let me hear form someone who’s in this situation right now.  Just post a comment or send me an e-mail.

One last thing to remember, aside from the financial issues, is the fact that you must clear the rights to use music in your film.  That’s right!  You must get permission first.  Then if permission is granted, you can then deal with the licensing fees that you are quoted.

Remember, “If you can hear it, clear it…and then pay for it.”

I’m Still Busy…

Yes it’s true, I keep very busy and this is why my Wednesday blog is being published on Friday.  Consistency is important to me but there are times when things happen.  I just pulled out my “films in production” list and started making notes.  It’s kind of a make shift to-do-list. For a list of the films I’m working on, you can visit my IMDb page.

Last week I gave details on what I do.  This week I’ll talk about the films I’m working on.  I balance the work load to minimize the amount of multi-tasking that’s required.  On some films the ball is in the publisher and record labels court.  I’m waiting for their quotes so I can either accept them or start negotiating.

“Conflict of Interest” just wrapped filming on Wednesday.  Post-production has commenced and I’m looking at some rough cuts of scenes that I’ll be placing music in.  I’m also dealing with composers.  There’s still some time before the composer gets involved as we’ll need to work with a locked cut.

I received a newly edited cut of “She Pedals Fast (For a Girl)” last week.  There have been several song replacements and I’ve started the clearance process on these new songs. 

I’m still looking for songs for the documentary, “Light, Bright Damn Near White.”  With the low budget situation, it’s been a challenge getting the songs that the director originally wanted to place in the doc.  I’ve been out searching for new material and have found some interesting songs that seem to work well in the doc.  I’m getting all of license agreements for these unsigned artists and songwriters drafted and signed.

“The Kings of Texas” licensing is in progress.  We are also working on a soundtrack album.  There’s a lot of work to go on this film as we are trying to release the CD as a companion to the DVD.

“Misunderstood” and “MANchild” are both being produced by Scenarios USA.  These two films were written by high school students and directed by Clark Johnson and Rawson Thurber respectively.  These students were given the liberty to select songs for these two films and I’m looking at songs from Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, The Temptations, and Usher.  It’s a very ambitious list of songs with the likelihood that I will not be licensing these songs for these two films.  Unless the publishers and record labels agree to support the program that Scenarios USA has with these kids, I’ll have to find replacement songs.

The animated feature film, “Mars,” is using only one song.  It’s a cover version of Lou Reed’s “Satellite of Love.”  Lou has final say over any licensing of his music so we’re waiting on his permission.

“Gretchen” has been complete since 2006.  It now has a distributor and we have to get the music cleared before the distributor can rightfully distribute the film.  I’m still working with the producers and distributor on budget issues.

Documentary “Year at Danger” is still in the licensing stage.  I’m waiting for licensing quotes to come back with one record label from an old 1960’s recording of “Little Bitty Pretty One” still in limbo.  This film has been a challenge as it was financed by film maker Steve Metz hazardous duty pay.  As a result, there’s very little money available in the music budget.  There are plans to raise more funds to cover the licensing fees.

Original music for “Lovely, Still” is currently being recorded.  The licensing fees for Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” and Frank Sinatra’s “Let It Snow” came in too high.  The synch fee alone for “White Christmas” came in at $25,000.  Once the new recordings are done, I’ll be working on the final agreements for these songs and the rest of the songs in the film.

A huge licensing issue with “Harmony and Me” is causing grief for the director and producers.  Elton John’s “Harmony” is coming in at six figures.  I’m trying to negotiate a step deal with the record label and publisher.  Not sure yet if these quotes will come in more affordable.

Outside of my music supervisor role, I’m working with my wife on getting our film “The Funeral Singer” out to festival.  We’ve just met the deadline for the Oldenburg International Film Festival in Germany today.  The film has already been selected into South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, the Chashama Film Festival in New York and the Michigan Womyn’s Music and Film Festival which starts August 5^th.

I’ve got more work pending and I look forward to the completion of these films and a whole new slate of films, documentaries and TV pilots.

I’m Just Busy…Here’s A Quick Summary Of What I Do

I’m juggling a lot of balls right now. My current list of films in production adds up to 10. It’s tough, but I really enjoy the massive multi-tasking that’s required to perform as a music supervisor. I’m working with different directors, producers, composers and songwriters. I’m listening to music, drafting license agreements, preparing cues sheets, reviewing license agreements, and submitting license request forms.

My day starts with checking e-mails for any updates from those I’m working with. I’ll reply as needed. I then look over my to-do list. I check to see what films need to be moved to the top of the list and what I need to do with them. I then follow up on license requests that have been pending too long. This is something that requires a lot of attention. The publishers and record labels that I’m dealing with are extremely busy and will put the big budget films at the top of their priority list. Periodically I have to report to the director and producers with any new developments with the licensing fees.

When I’m not working with the music publishers and record labels, I’m drafting license agreements with songwriters and updating cue sheets. Depending on what stage of production the film is in, I could be screening potential composers or working with a composer on the film score.

As the day progresses, I’m on the phone or communicating through e-mail with directors discussing the musical plan and how things should progress. I’ll discussing the feasibility of certain songs and if we should scrap it now or try to see if we can afford the licensing fees. Sometimes we’ll discuss recording a cover song with local bands to save on money.

When there is a song change, I have to start the research all over again. I have to find out who owns the publishing? Who owns the master recording? What are the songwriter royalty splits and are they affiliated with ASCAP or BMI? Once all the details have been iron out, I’ll either draft the license agreements for the indie songs or submit a license request form with the major publishers and labels.

There’s a lot to deal with when clearing a song. It may sound hectic and tedious, but for me I enjoy every minute of it. Working with indie songwriters is a lot of fun. I like when I can offer them a fairly decent licensing fee and make the deal happen. It works out great for the songwriter and the film. When I get a small budget of about $5,000 to work with, I know that I can get some good indie songs at a good price. These unsigned artists are eager to get their music in a film.

When I get the big music budget I can go for the more popular songs. Just waiting to see how the licensing fees come in is a rush. I wait and hope that the fees will be within my budget so I can report good news to the producers. Many times it’s bad news. That’s when there’s silence for a few days or even a week or so. They’re regrouping and trying to figure out what to do budget wise and possible song replacements.

Negotiating is a key function of the music supervisor. My goal is to get the fees low enough to fit within the music budget. If a quote comes in too high, I have to discuss the budget situation with the publisher and/or record label. It’s tough convincing them to lower the fees especially if the music budget is ridiculously low. If they do not lower the fees, I’ll have to discuss reducing the rights that are being requested with the director and producers.

As my day comes to an end, I check to see if there’s any west coast publisher or record labels that I need to contact. Since they are two hours behind me, I can get a little more work accomplished before everyone shuts down for the day. There are many days I keep working so I can have things ready for the next day to start. New York is an hour ahead so I can get the ball rolling again at 7:00 AM CT the next morning.

There’s really no set routine to my job. Each day is a mix of everything and anything could change by a single e-mail or phone call. I guess that’s why this blog posting is so erratic. No real continuity.

It seems that there’s never an end to this job. As I’m working on these films, I’m still seeking new film opportunities. I have a TV pilot possibility and a couple of documentaries. I’ve also contacted several feature films that I’m interested in and three more already slated for later in the year.

You can check out my IMDb page for more details on the films that I’m working on. If you’re a musician or composer, you can find out more about my music needs by visiting my Music Supervision website.

Music Clearance – Now or Later…

The old saying, “What came first, the chicken or the egg?” can apply to music clearance as well. I’ve been told many times that my music supervisor services are not needed until post. I guess when it comes to music clearance; we can say “What should come first, the music supervisor or post?” I hope to clearly unscramble this.

In the beginning, the screenwriter writes specific songs in the script. This is not a good idea. There should be a reference to music but nothing specific. Now the director reads the script and start forming his/her musical vision without considering the level of the music budget. Filming starts and the dailies are ready to view. In order to better realize their musical vision, the director has the editor drop in some of those pricey songs.

These songs now get tagged with a term called, “temp music.” Now everyone feels warm and cozy when they watch the scenes. It’s getting harder to imagine any other song for those scenes.

Now post comes along and I get the call to clear these expensive songs with a budget that’s too small to cover one song let alone all of the songs. All the hard work that went in to editing around these wonderful and expensive songs will have to start all over when reality forces the need for replacement songs.

I now proceed with reluctance as I already know the outcome. In these situations, I always make a point to include a disclaimer in the license request forms when I submit them. I let the licensing reps know that I’ve already informed the director and producers that the music budget is not sufficient enough to cover the potential licensing fees. I have a professional reputation to uphold and I don’t want any licensing rep to think that I’m an inexperience music supervisor.

Once I get the quotes back from the publisher and record labels, I report back to the director and producers and sadly inform them that the license fee for the “big” songs have exceed the entire production budget.

Had I come on board in pre-production and was given a copy of the script and a list of the songs that had already been selected, I could have given my professional insight on the availability to obtain the rights to these songs. In the early stages of production, this gives enough time to find a replacement song that is more affordable.

Many films make it through the festival circuit with un-cleared music. It’s a sad and unfortunate reality. The festival producers really do nothing about it and the filmmakers know it. The day they get the call from a distributor who is interested in their film, is the day they panic and call a music supervisor.

Having a distributor interested in your film is an awesome accomplishment. Everyone is excited and celebrating. The party ends when the distributor asks for the deliverables and there are no signed license agreements and no cue sheet. It’s back to the drawing board with no money in the music budget and a tight deadline to meet. The only thing that I can do is proceed and do my best to negotiate with the music publishers and record labels and hope that the producers can raise enough money to cover the licensing fees and the cost to re-edit the film with replacement songs.

If you are a filmmaker in the situation that I’ve written about above, I strongly recommend that you revisit your music choices and budget. If you have songs in your film that you’ve heard on the radio or even oldies that your parents used to listen to, I would get a music supervisor involved to help you get a realistic financial picture of your impending licensing fees.

I guess it’s clear to say that the music supervisor should come before post. Unfortunately, the film community will continue to wait until post and play with big songs and a very small music budget.

“Let’s Just Talk” on the Radio

“Let’s Just Talk” is the name of Kathryn Raaker’s talk radio show on WCVX Victory 1050 out of Cincinnati, Ohio where I was a guest on her show this past Saturday morning. We talked about films, music supervision and other film and music topics (to include the 100+ degree weather here in Texas).

It was an interesting morning as I was a bit nervous to say the least. Not knowing what was going to come my way on live radio was what bothered me the most. I felt confident in my abilities to answer any question regarding music clearance but not sure if my delivery was going to be “radio ready.” I guess the “no time to think” was what bothered me most.

The relief came when I realized that my preconceived impression of the show was all wrong. I prepped myself to talk about the technical end of music licensing. What I learned as the show progressed was it took on more of an entertainment angle. Kathryn’s long career as a radio personality helped guide the show in a way that engaged the listening audience and not me talking about the legal and administrative side of music clearance. If her audience had been primarily involved in the film and music industry, I’m sure the presentation would have been more of my initial, technical approach. As I began to relax and feel more comfortable, my segment was quickly coming to an end.

Kathryn and I met at a pre-production meeting in Kyle, TX for the film, “The Lights.” We talked about respective careers. We exchanged business cards and then never spoke again until earlier this year. I contacted her to find out if she knew anything about her very small appearance in the film and if there was any music associated with her scene. As that scene had not been edited in the film yet, I was clueless.

After we reconnected, Kathryn asked if I’d like to appear on her show which I accepted. For about three months we jockeyed for a spot and finally landed May 31, 2008. It came and went with an invitation to be on her show next weekend which airs out of Phoenix, Arizona. This appearance has not been finalized so it may change by the weekend. I’ll update this in my next blog.

In the back of my mind, I’ve always wanted to have a call-in talk show where I can address music clearance and licensing issues with filmmakers and those in the music industry. It seems like this may start to evolve if I continue to make appearances on the radio. I just might get the “radio bug” and who knows where things will go from there.

The show will be archived and available for the public to listen to. I’m sure there will be some interesting information about music in films, but more about me and what I’m doing as a music supervisor. When I do get that call-in talk show, I’ll let all of by blog reader know so they can send e-mail questions which I can answer on air.

Until then, keep coming back to my blog as I’ll keep writing about music clearance and licensing and some real life experiences that I’ve dealt with while working on all these films. I’ll also post the link to my website where you can listen to the archived radio show.

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.

So You Want To Be A Music Supervisor

After receiving another e-mail yesterday from someone wanting advice about how to become a music supervisor, I decided to make this the topic of this week’s blog. I get e-mails, MySpace messages and letters in the mail from aspiring music supervisors from all over the world. Many even live in big music and film cities such as New York and LA where there are many music supervisors at their disposal. I guess I can’t complain.

The first thing I’ll say is, “don’t quit your day job.” If you are just getting started, you have a long road ahead of you. If you are involved in some aspect of the music and film industry, you at least have some idea of how these industries work. It will be a long time (many years) before you’ll see enough money to make a living. This means you’ll have to work your day job and then carve out time to work your music supervisor job in the evenings, on your days off and the weekends. This can impact your family life, your social life or anything else you do when you’re not working your day job. What you’ll need is drive and perseverance and support from your spouse/partner, your kids and your friends.

I’m going to take the approach that you are completely new to this field. The first thing you should do is sit at your computer, go to google.com and type in one or all of these search terms: “Music Supervision,” “Music Supervisors,” “Music Clearance,” and “Music Rights.” Any of these will get you started. You’ll get a lot of hits. Start reading and as you learn more, use Google to research new terms and other bits of information that you find. Go to a book store or your local library and read. There are a lot of books out there about Music Supervision, Music Clearance and other topics within this field.

A good resource to read that will get you started is the book, Music Supervision: The Complete Guide to Selecting Music for Movies, TV, Games and New Media. This book has an associated website called Music Supervision Central and a Yahoo Group called supervisingmusic. I’m one of the moderators of the Yahoo group and we are trying to get group up and running again. I’m in the process of revamping it and making it a place where you can go to learn more about how to licenses music for your films or licensing your music for placement in films. Click on the link above and join if you’re interested…and you should be if you are serious about getting into this fascinating field.

There are other resources out there that you can find on-line at Amazon or at Barns & Noble. You just have to do some homework.

If you live in a city where the film and music industry is alive, you need to start networking. Introduce yourself to filmmakers. Let them know that you are just starting out as a music supervisor and you are looking for work. With your research and studies, you should be able to talk halfway intelligently with your “potential employer.” Don’t mislead anyone by making them think that you are an experienced music supervisor. Tell them upfront that you are just getting started and you’re looking for an opportunity to work on films to learn more.

These early job opportunities will most likely be non-paid positions. That’s why you should not quit your day job. Don’t worry about making money at first. Most of these films will not have a music budget and could not afford to pay you anyway. Those that can will expect you to know what you are doing in order to earn the fee that they will pay you.

While you’re out networking, you’ll want to introduce yourself to musicians and songwriters. They are always looking for an opportunity to license their music in films and TV. Do the same with them and let them know that you’re starting out and most of the film opportunities will not be able to pay a license fee. If they are unsigned, independent artist, then they should be happy to get one of their songs in a film.

Working on these low budget films is the best way to get started. However, you will have to prepare yourself for the bigger movies that have music budgets. They will most likely need you to clear songs from upper tier artist. This is when you’ll be submitting your license request forms to the big publishers and record labels such as Sony, EMI, Warner Bros. and Universal. This is when you’ll learn a lot about how things work.

As you progress in your pursuit to become a full fledged music supervisor, you will need to know the ins and outs of music licensing, music rights, copyright laws, license agreements, cue sheets, filling out and submitting synch and master recording license request forms, synchronization (or synch) licenses, master recording licenses, negotiation licensing fees, build relationships with major and independent publishers and record labels. These are many of the tasks that fall under the administrative side of music supervision. These are also terms you can use when searching on Google.

On the creative side, you’ll find music that is creatively and financially applicable to the film or show you are working on. You’ll work with the director to spot the film for potential music cues. You’ll work with the director and composer to map out the musical score for the film. Facilitate the recording of original music written specifically for the film or show.

If this is a field you’re truly interested in getting involved with, get started now. There’s a lot to learn. If you really want to be a full blown music supervisor, you’ll need to learn all aspects of the field. Once you get to the point where you are hired on a film that has distribution, it will be your job to insure that all of the music clearance deliverables are accurate and ready to be handed over to the distributor. You don’t want to be the cog in the system that brings the production to a halt.

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