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.

Meetings, Meetings, Meetings!

Production meetings have been the highlight of this past week and weekend. It’s all about everyone getting on the same page when it comes to the music needs of the film. If I’m lucky, I’ll come on board during pre-production. This is when I can help with the creation of the budget. I have to constantly remind many filmmakers that they need a music supervisor on board as early as possible to ensure that the expensive songs that they choose are taken into consideration before shooting starts. If an entire film revolves around on $100,000 song, it’s time to get more money or rethink the script. My job regardless is to do the best I can to meet the needs of the filmmaker without jeopardizing my relationships with the songwriters, publishers and record labels.

Last Thursday I had a pre-production meeting for the film, “Conflict of Interest” with producers David Cuddy and Bonnie Orr. A lot was discussed in a short amount of time and was an overall good meeting. The most important topic of discussion (to me) was the music budget. Yes, this film has one. It’s not very big, but it’s a budget. With this budget I’ll be able to hire a composer (yes, a paying gig) and use the rest to pay for all of the licensing fees. In this case, I will select songs that will fit within the music budget. There are songs written in the script, but not specific songs. I can pick and choose what I want to play over those scenes.

John Sjogren is directing “Conflict of Interest.” The last time I music supervised one of his films, I was given full reign on the creative side. I found all the music for the film with the exception of a few songs that the music editor asked if we could use. Having creative control adds to the enjoyment of this job. It’s not all paperwork when you get to play around with the music.

On Sunday I had a conference call for the film “Harmony and Me.” On the call was director, Bob Byington and producer, Jennifer Hallmark. Again, the music budget was front and center. We also went over the song list and music clearance strategies. We have a huge hurdle to climb with the need to license Elton John’s song “Harmony.” I already received a six-figure quote from the record label (on the master side). They offered a step deal due to the fact the music budget is nowhere near the amount that they quoted. I’ll most likely get a quote from the publisher that will match the record labels quote. These quotes will almost definitely be on a Most Favored Nations (MFN) basis.

My Monday meeting for the short film, “Misunderstood” was postponed due to other production issues that the producers and director had to iron out. When we reschedule, we’ll have director, Clark Johnson present as well as producer, Bob York. Clark directed “The Sentinel” with Michael Douglas, Kiefer Southerland and Eva Longoria. Since this will be the first time I’ve worked with Clark, I’ll have a lot of questions in regards to what his musical vision is on this film. Based on the script, the music will be predominantly urban/rap music with one scene where “smooth jazz” is playing. If Clark does not have a composer in mind, I’ll be looking to hire one. This will be an interesting film as the script was written by high school students who competed in the Scenarios USA “What’s the REAL DEAL” screenwriting contest.

More meetings are slated for the coming weeks. If you’d like to check out my Projects list to see what films I’m working on or will be working on, just visit my Music Supervision website. I’ll have music needs listed as well.

I am also scheduled for an appearance on the radio talk show, “Let’s Just Talk,” with radio talk show host Kathryn Raaker. My plan is to be a weekly or monthly regular on the show. I’ll post more in future blogs.

Music Clearance – Help Me Understand Your Thinking!

I haven’t expressed my feelings about the lack of music clearance that goes on in the world of filmmaking in quite a while.  I guess it’s time to cover this subject again because I keep running into it all the time.  I really hate to go on and on about this but it’s a thorn in my side and I have to speak out about it.  Put simply, it is copyright infringement.  That’s the bottom line!

I really wish someone could explain the rational behind making a conscious decision to use someone’s copyright protected music without clearing the rights.  There’s nothing that anyone can say to justify it, but I’d just like to hear the excuses that are made.

I’ve posed this same question on the Filmmaker Magazine’s Film Festival Forum.  This is one of the replies I got and it wasn’t from a festival producer.  Not one producer replied.

“The festival directors/programmers I know (about 3 or 4 dozen of them) would probably never admit publicly that they don’t care if you clear the rights or not. (Some would be risking professional relationships or even their jobs to do so.)

I know from observation when screening submissions in their presence that they notice when high-profile music is used and often scan the credits for some indication of clearance in those cases, but it’s usually out of curiosity (”How much money did these filmmakers have in their budget?”) than out of a sense of duty to make sure that the rights have been cleared.”

This past week I received an e-mail from two music publishers asking if their songs are still going to be use in a film I worked on last summer.  They are asking because the license agreements have never been signed and no payment has been made.  This puts me in a bad position.  I can’t lie to the publishers and say no when the film is making its rounds in the film festival circuit.  I don’t want to tarnish my relationship so I had to confront the producers and find out what their plans are.

As of now, I’m waiting to see what direction the producers will take.  There are songs from upper tier artist that will demand a fairly pricy fee (relatively to the extremely small music budget).  I’m hoping that they can come through and we can finalize these outstanding license requests.

You can Google “music clearance” and get thousands of hits on how to clear songs.  Every resource will tell you that you must clear all the music used in your production.  Find one reference that says you do not have to and I’ll prove that it’s wrong.  There are songs in the Public Domain, but if you don’t have a musician or a band to record the song, you’ll have to use an existing composition which you will have to clear.

Last year while working on a short film, I was asked this question by the director (this is the exact text of the e-mail):

“I want to know what the realistic pros and cons are of just screening the film at festivals without the rights. Will the festival refuse to screen it? Will we be disqualified from any prizes or competitions? What exactly is the danger? Because as of right now I’m only aware of the possibility of a “Cease and Desist” letter from the record companies.”

While clearing another song on this same film, one of the songwriters denied the use of his song in this film.  He stated that he did not want his song associated with the subject matter of the film.  I forwarded the songwriters message of concern to the director.  Despite the songwriters request to have his song removed from the film, the director chose not remove the song.

This is a total disrespect to the copyright owner.  I still live by the saying, “if you can hear it, clear.”  It’s that simple.

Pre-Production and the Music Supervisor

Pre-production starts May 1st on the latest film I’m working on entitled “Conflict of Interest.”  Starting this early is a good thing for a music supervisor.  I have the opportunity to be apart of the decision making process before other decisions are made.

I started my job on this film by reading the script, which I did this past weekend.  As I read, I broke down the script for potential source cues and underscore cues. I made detailed notes which I will use during my first meeting with the director.  Since I have yet to meet the director, this gives me time to conceptualize the overall music needs for the film and come up with more creative ideas.  As for the director, there are times when he/she has a very strong musical vision and times where they rely on the music supervisor to bring songs to the table.  Either way, there will be songs that need to be licensed.  The tough part is being able to keep that killer song that fits perfect in a particular scene.  When this is not possible, it’s the music supervisor’s job to find alternates for prohibitively expensive songs.

I’m meeting with Executive Producer, David Cuddy, this week.  In this meeting I plan to discuss topics such as who will be selected as the Director, the Music Editor, the Film Editor and the Composer.  I will discuss my level of input in the selection of the music editor and composer.  Two important items of discussion will be the music budget and the overall film budget.  A lot of this information (and more) will be necessary when it comes time to start clearing the songs that are selected.

One of the key contributions that a music supervisor can make in pre-production is giving the production team a piece of mind.  A good music supervisor takes on the responsibility of putting the music team together.  As mentioned above, finding the right composer and music editor is important.  Other team members are the songwriters, music publishers and record label licensing reps.  It may not seem like they are part of the production, but they are.  They can make or break your music budget.  A good music supervisor with great working relationships with the copyright holders can negotiate licensing fees that are more in-line with the music budget as well as getting the quotes back in a more timely manner.  The latter is extremely important when song selections are still an issue in post.

Other issues that can give the production staff more headaches are all of the administrative tasks.  Some of these tasks run through pre-production all the way to post.  Regardless of which stage of production you’re in, these tasks are inevitable.  Task  such as submitting the synch and master license request forms, drafting and issuing the synch and master licenses, reviewing license issued by publishers and record labels, creating and submitting an accurate music cue sheet, dealing with the legal issues brought up by the songwriters, publishers and record labels.

Regardless of which stage the music supervisor comes on board, it’s important to have an experienced person taking care of the music clearance and licensing.  The sooner the music supervisor comes on board, the better the musical workflow will end up.  Pre-production is the most ideal stage in the production proces to have a music supervisor on your team.

Music Clearance – Never Assume

It’s extremely important to do your due diligence when clearing the rights to any music you use in your film.  You should not assume anything regardless of what you have experience in the past.  Things can change over night in the world of music copyright ownership.  As a music supervisor, I can’t take chances and make any assumptions where music clearance is concerned.

If you are the person responsible for clearing the rights to any song used in the film you are working on, don’t take anyone’s word.  Use what they tell you as a starting point and then do your research to make sure you have all the facts.  Here’s a recent example of why this is important.

Back in 2004 our publishing company, Durgon Style Music, was the publishers on a song entitled, “Mirror On The Wall” written by Jim Disney and Buddy Lee.  At that time our publishing company retained the publishing rights for one year and we exercised a six month option.  After 18 months, the song reverted back to the two original songwriters.

Between May 2005 and last week, many things had changed.  Jim Disney started his own publishing company.  Buddy Lewis and his wife Cozy McGaugh made a few lyric changes and took 25% writers share each.  Buddy Lewis’ publishing company came on board and took 50% of the publishing.  To complicate things even more, Buddy Lee passed away in April 2007.  His daughter, Brandi Lee, now handles his estate.

Had I gone forward assuming things were still the way they were in 2005, I would have left out two songwriters, two publishing companies and the proper legal language in the license agreement required when dealing with the use of a deceased songwriter.

Needless to say, everything is in order and the song is still being used in the film with permission granted from all parties involved.

As many of my readers know, I’m totally against using music without clearing the rights.  Again, clearing the rights is basically getting permission from all copyright owners to use their song.

Again, this is very important as all of the new parties involved in “Mirror On The Wall” were very concerned about the use of their song and had many questions.  This was especially true for Buddy Lee’s daughter.  You don’t want to mess with the heir of a deceased songwriter.  They’ve been through enough not to have to deal with copyright infringement.

Never assume.  Do your due diligence and make sure you get it right or it may come back and bit you in the “end.”

It’s All About Relationships!

“What’s in it for me” some songwriters have asked.  “Why should I let you use my song in your film for nothing (or almost nothing)?”  There are times when there’s not much when you’re looking at short-term goals.  In the business of music licensing, looking long-term is the smart way to look at your songwriting career.  The hardest thing to do is get your foot in the door.  Building relationships with a music supervisor is the best way to accomplish this.  How is this accomplished?

You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.  You grant permission to use your song in this ultra low budget film; I’ll make sure I come to you when I have a decent budget to pay a fair licensing fee on the next film (that is, if the film/scene and your song make a good match).  The next film just might be the big budget film.

Many low budget film productions cannot afford to pay big licensing fees.  When I say low budget, I mean low.  Low in this case is less than $20,000 for the entire production.  If the music budget is thought about during the budget phase of pre-production, there should be at least $2,000 budgeted for music.  There really isn’t a rule of thumb for calculating the music budget but the 10% rule has been thrown around.

With a $20,000 production budget and $2,000 carved out for music, the filmmaker can provide the music supervisor with enough money to work with the songwriters.  This will allow for a very small amount depending on the number of songs being licensed.  The amount will most likely not be much, but it is more than nothing.  The upside is you’re on the cue sheet and you now have established a relationship with the music supervisor.

Music licensing is a business just as filmmaking and songwriting are.  Relationships between the songwriter and filmmaker are extremely important.  With the music supervisor in the middle, it’s just as important to keep the relationship cordial and avoid difficult or complicated licensing opportunities.

There are a lot of songs out there and there’s not just one song for one scene.  If a licensing deal starts to get too difficult or complicated, it’s time to move on to someone else that’s willing and ready to license their music.  They’ll get on the cue sheet and will always have the opportunity for performance royalties down the road.  As I stated before, you’ll have a long-term licensing deal to add to your resume and a relationship with a music supervisor that can last a career.

The Music Licensing Conundrum!

I start this week with a new film under my belt.  It’s still in pre-production and I’m off clearing the songs before filming starts.  Pre-clearing songs is very important to this film as some of the songs are scripted.  One of the main characters will be singing while driving her car.  If the licensing fees come back too high and the song has to be replaced, that means the script will have to be re-written.

Clearing songs that are written in the script puts the pressure on because you want the licensing fees to come in under budget and still have enough money for the other songs.  You want to avoid having to replace the song especially if the song fits the scene.

I must digress from the main point of this blog for just a second…

As I harp once again about those who do not respect the songwriters rights to their music, this situation is one where a song would end up in a film if the licensing fees exceed the music budget…if there was one.  I respect those who respect the copyright holder’s rights.  It’s a tough situation to be in when you do not have the money to license the song that has been written in the script.  This is something that should be considered during the script writing process.  Most screenwriters don’t think about this as it becomes the producer’s burden.

Okay, back to where I was.  I’ve already started the research and so far it looks like there are three publishers that control the copyright to this song.  It’s already looking bad as three publishers mean I’ll be dealing with the dreaded “Most Favored Nations” clause or MFN.  This means that all three publishers will try to get the highest fee possible even if their quote comes in the lowest.  Ultimately, I’ll have to do some serious negotiating to bring the fees down to a more favorable amount.

So far I’ve only been talking about the synch licenses (publishing).  If the producers decide not to use the original master recording, I don’t have to deal with clearing the rights to the master.  If they do choose to use the master, there’s going to be more MFN quotes and the budget will really be shot to hell!  If they choose to go into the studio, there will be cost to consider as far as musicians and singer.  The studio producing the film has a recording studio so there’s no additional cost there.  It’s all about money!!

While all that is going on with the first song, I’m preparing the license request forms for the other songs with a strong feeling that there’s not going to be enough money left in the music budget.  It really sucks, but I’ll push forward and get a final number on all the licensing fees.  The reality of music licensing is realized at this point.  It’s not cheap.

I do have an issue with some of the publishers and record labels when their quotes come in too high.  I appreciate the value of a copyright as long as it’s inline with the caliber of song and artist.  Throwing out high licensing fees just because the major players do is not right.  If the band hasn’t had a hit song since 1967 and the song never charted in the top 40, the licensing fee should not be five figures.  I digressed again!
Nonetheless, I have a phone meeting with the executive producer on Monday (04/07).  I plan to discuss the obvious budget issues and hope that there are still some funds available to allocate to the music budget.  We’ll see how this turns out.

I hope by next week I can write about how these licensing deals are coming along.  I know I will not have all the quotes in for all the songs, but I’ll have some progress to report about.  It’s a challenge that fuels me.

What’s in your wallet… I mean music budget?

Your script is in hand and it’s time to break it down so you can start preparing your production budget.  Your list of budget breakdown elements probably looks a bit like this:
•    cast members
•    extras
•    stunts
•    special effects
•    props
•    vehicles
•    animals
•    wardrobe
•    make up
•    sound effects
•    special equipment.

Take another look at the list again.  See anything missing?  Could it be….Music!!

Music is that budget line item that is either put in the budget with no dollars allocated to it or there’s too little.  A lot of the times the music budget is left out all together.  The kicker is, there’s always a need for music in the film.  In some rare cases you’ll find a film that has no music at all.  I know this because I’ve worked on films where this has happened.  I worked several months on the film clearing song just to find out that the director/producers didn’t have the money to license the songs.

Another issue is many times the songs that are selected recorded by high profile, upper tier artists.  It may be a great song, but the cost to license the song is most likely going to exceed the music budget and possibly your entire production budget.  This happens when the song is used as temp music.  It starts to grow on the editor and director that they decided to use the song anyway knowing that the fees will be out of reach.

Determining how much to budget for music can be a daunting task if you are not familiar with how publishers and record labels determine the licensing fees that they quote.  Even if you have experience with music clearance and licensing, there are still a lot of factors to consider in making the best estimate for your music budget.  When I say this, I mean creating a realistic music budget.  Not just throwing an amount on a spreadsheet.

Some factors that must be considered when estimating your music budget is:

•    Term: This is how long you want to retain the license.  Most terms are 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, or perpetually.  The longer the term, the higher the licensing fee.

•    Territory: Where you plan to screen or exhibit your film will affect the licensing fees.  Worldwide rights will generate a much higher fee than just in the US or Europe.  Specific regions such as France only or just in Texas will lower the fees.

•    Duration: The length of time the track will be used in your project will increase the fee as well.

•    Use: If the track will be used as a theme, featured music, credit music, or background music has will cause the fees to go up or down depending on how you use the song.

•    Media: How you plan to screen or exhibit your film is a big factor as well.  If you’re looking for just festival rights, the fees will be much lower than theatrical.  You can also request home video/DVD rights, paid cable TV rights, free cable TV rights, broadcast TV rights, VOD rights and any other media.  All of these can be bundled in to “All Media” where you will pay more or pick one or more to bring the fees down.

Any combination of rights will be factored in to generate the final licensing fees.  If the fees come in too high, you can remove some of the rights, find more money or find another song.  On just about every film I’ve worked on, I have had to deal with one situation or the other when there’s not enough money.

This was just a quick and dirty view of creating your music budget and what’s involved.  A real life situation can bring in more issues such as multiple publishers, Most Favored Nations (MFN) Clause, denial of rights all together.

The bottom line is, if you can here it, clear it and make sure you have enough in your music budget to pay for it!

Legal agreements for Music in Film

This past week I’ve spent most of my time drafting synch and master-use license agreements for the film “The Lights.”  There are 18 music cues currently set for use in this film and 14 have been placed already.  These 14 cues that have found a home in the film are the ones I’m focusing on right now.   This does not include all of the score cues performed by the composer.  I’ll talk about that in a later blog.

Some of the songwriters and bands that have granted permission to use their songs are Curtis Wayne (Killing Me), Ruth Ruth (Right About Now), The Lights (Calling), Shannon Hurley (Sunrise), Rockus Circus (Turn Away), Jim Disney & Buddy Lee (Mirror On The Wall), Erin Elder (Miserably Happy) and Navigators (Dying By Degrees).  Some have given permission to use more than one song, which has helped me fill in almost all of the scenes with music.  On this project, I used MySpace and iTunes to find some of these artists.  Some had already submitted their music to me months ago.

Just to put my work in perspective, I am currently working on about five different films right now with “The Lights” requiring most of my time.  The other films get my attention daily, however, we are trying to get the final sound mix done on this film in the next week or so.  While all this is going on, I’m constantly looking for more work.  There are a lot of films being produced and music will be used in all of them.

There are two sides to music supervision.  One is the creative side and the other is the administrative side.  Finding songs that fit scenes in a film is the creative part.  There are times when I have to do both the creative and administrative side.  This film is one example of doing both.  In other cases, the director or producers have already picked the songs and I’ll do the administrative side.

“The Lights” is a horror film with a bit of comedic elements.  This film has been somewhat of a challenge, as I was given no music budget to work with.  Despite not having a music budget, the process of clearing the rights to every song used is necessary regardless of how much money is in the music budget.

Clearing the rights is the process of obtaining permission from the copyright holders to use their song in a film or other production.

As soon as I find a song that I think will work, I start doing the research in order to insure that I have all of the copyright holders information.  I get most of this information by researching the performing rights organization’s websites (i.e., ASCAP, BMI & SESAC) for each song.  I also get some of the information directly from the songwriters.

Along the way, I contact each of the copyright owners to ask permission to use their song.  When I’m working with independent songwriters, I will send and e-mail that outlines how their song will be used in the film, compensation (if any) and details of the film.  This is more of an informal license request.  When I deal with a major publisher or record label, I send a more formal synch and master use license request form with the addition of the production and music budget.  In either case, the copyright owners will reply letting me know if the use is granted or not.  As for compensation, the independent, unsigned songwriters will grant permission if they agree with the rights being requested and the amount of the licensing fees (even if it’s nothing).  The majors will quote a licensing fee and open the door for negotiation.  Once the licensing fee is agreed upon, the licensing process will start.  If the indie songwriter says no or the major’s fees come in too high, it’s time to looking for a replacement song and you do not use their song.

Again I stress, verifying all of the copyright holders information is something that’s very important.  I never assume that the copyright owner will grant permission to use their songs.  In future blogs I’ll talk about how some filmmakers use songs despite the fact that the copyright owner has denied permission.

Most of the unsigned songwriters and artists do not have a clue as to how the administrative process works so I always facilitate this on their behalf.  When I’m dealing with a major publisher or record label, they’ll always use their own license agreement.

Once I have all the licensing agreements finalize I start getting the music cue sheet in order.  The music cue sheet is the long-term, financial lifeblood of the songwriter and publisher.  This is how the songwriters and publishers receive performance royalties.

With so many aspects of music clearance and licensing to cover, it’s very difficult to address them all, in detail, in one blog posting.  This opens the door for many more blog postings to come.

The Music Supervisor – The Intro

I’m set to start blogging about my role as a music supervisor.  I plan to write about many topics from music clearance, music rights, music budgets, synch and master-use license fees, license agreements, music cue sheets, composers, selecting music, bands & songwriters and so much more interesting things as they relate to my job.  All of these topics have an impact on both the filmmaker and music maker.

To get started, I’ll tell a little bit about how I got involved in the field of music supervision?  The music part started in 1974 when I was only 11 years old and purchased my first guitar for $10.  I had an interest in music many years before this, but this was my first step towards my journey into the music industry.

Fast-forward to 1988 and several guitars later, I’m standing in from of my Ensoniq EPS keyboard, an effects process and a Tascam 4 track recorder.  I was a full-fledged songwriter and became a full ASCAP writer member in 1990.

Fast-forward a little more to 1993 and I’m in Nashville sitting at my desk at Mercury Records.  Learning the ropes from within a major record label was invaluable and I use a lot of it today.  After my stay at Mercury, I found myself working at Acuff-Rose Publishing.  This is where my music publishing knowledge started.  What I learned at Acuff-Rose was instrumental in the launch of our music publishing companies.

Again, fast-forward to 2001 and I met my wife, Jamie, an aspiring screenwriter.  Our marriage not only brought us together but also brought our music and film interests together.  In 2004 we formed Spin Cycle Films and shot Jamie’s first short film, “The Spin Cycle.”  When it came time to secure the music rights to “It Must Be Love” by Don Williams, I put my music supervisor hat on for the first time.  I found my calling.

Now 16 films later, I find myself where I want to be in the film industry.  Still connected to the music industry, I’m inundated with music from songwriters and artists.  I’ve got the best of both worlds.

I am very serious, upfront and to the point when it comes to music clearance.  I’m a strong believer in “if you can hear it, clear it.”  That means if there’s music in your film, you must clear the rights from the rights holders.  No ifs, ands or buts about it!  I really hate to hear a filmmaker try to tell me (or someone else) that it’s not necessary to clear the rights if it’s just a small project.  For the most part, the rights holder may agree, but you won’t know until you ask for their permission.  Just don’t assume!  I have many stories were the filmmaker chose to ignore the rights holders desires not to have their song in a film and used the song anyway.

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