3 Ways To Get Your Music Ready For Sync (Don't use the 'Dumb Way')

Summary

This video script advises musicians on how to maximize the marketability of their music for sync licensing in TV and film. It outlines three approaches: the 'dumb way' of relying solely on personal preferences, the 'better way' of conducting market research and studying production music libraries' catalogs, and the 'optimal way' of directly communicating with library representatives for current demands. The script emphasizes the importance of aligning music production with industry needs rather than just personal taste, and introduces services like Sync Edge and Sync Connect to facilitate this process.

Takeaways

• 🚫 Avoid relying solely on personal preferences when creating music for sync licensing; it's crucial to consider market demand.
• 🔍 Conduct market research by listening to production music libraries' current catalogs to understand what's licensable.
• 📊 Analyze track lengths, structures, and sounds of existing library music to align your production with industry standards.
• 🎧 Pay attention to the sonic quality, instrument usage, and track progression to match the professional standards.
• 🏆 Use reference tracks to emulate length and structure, but avoid copying chord progressions or melodies to prevent copyright issues.
• 📝 Maintain direct communication with library representatives to understand current demands and trends in the industry.
• 🗣️ Engage in conversations with library CEOs to get insights into what's hot and what's not, to align your music with market needs.
• 🔗 Join services like Sync Edge and Sync Connect to get direct access to library CEOs and improve your chances of placements.
• 📈 Use services that provide historical data and recordings of library CEO interactions to understand industry dynamics.
• 📢 Prioritize and personalize your pitches to libraries rather than spamming multiple libraries at once.

Q & A

What are the three ways mentioned to ensure high-quality tracks for sync licensing?

The three ways are: the dumb way (relying solely on personal instincts without market research), the better way (doing your own market research and analyzing production music libraries' catalogs), and the optimal way (directly communicating with a library representative to understand current demands and trends).

What is the 'dumb way' of creating music for sync licensing?

The 'dumb way' is creating music based solely on personal preferences without any market research or communication, which can lead to tracks that are not suitable for the current market needs and result in low placement rates.

Why is it important to avoid relying only on personal preferences when creating music for sync licensing?

Rely solely on personal preferences can lead to creating music that is not aligned with current market demands, resulting in low placement rates and wasted time and resources.

What can one learn from analyzing a production music library's catalog?

By analyzing a library's catalog, one can learn about the track lengths, structures, styles, and sonic qualities that are currently being licensed, which can guide the creation of more marketable tracks.

What is a 'reference track' in the context of sync licensing?

A 'reference track' is a track from a production music library's catalog that serves as a guide for emulating the length, structure, and quality of tracks that are currently being licensed, without copying chord progressions or melodies.

Why is direct communication with a library representative considered the optimal way?

Direct communication provides real-time insights into current market demands, client preferences, and trends, which can significantly increase the chances of creating licensable tracks that meet current needs.

What is the benefit of using a service like 'Sync Connect' for musicians?

Sync Connect offers monthly Zoom calls with library CEOs, allowing composers and producers to ask crucial questions about market demands, get track reviews, and potentially have their music accepted, which can greatly improve their chances of success in sync licensing.

How can the information from 'Sync Connect' help musicians avoid costly mistakes?

Sync Connect provides insights into what styles of music are currently oversaturated or not in demand, helping musicians avoid spending time and resources on creating tracks that are unlikely to be licensed.

What is the advice for pitching music to multiple libraries at once?

It is advised to prioritize and pitch to libraries one at a time, focusing on the music that is most relevant to each library, rather than spamming multiple libraries simultaneously.

How can analyzing the waveform of tracks in a library's catalog provide insights for creating marketable music?

Analyzing waveforms can reveal how tracks start, finish, and their overall structure, including any crescendos or fades, which can guide the creation of tracks that match the style and format preferred by the library.

What is the importance of having a consistent line of communication with a library when working on sync licensing?

Maintaining consistent communication allows composers and producers to stay updated on current trends and demands, ensuring that their music remains relevant and increases the likelihood of securing placements.

Outlines

00:00

🎧 The Pitfalls of Creating Music Without Market Research

The speaker begins by outlining three methods to produce high-quality, marketable music for sync licensing: the 'dumb way', the 'better way', and the 'optimal way'. The 'dumb way' involves relying solely on personal preferences without any market research or communication with industry professionals. The speaker shares personal anecdotes, such as producing a trip-hop album without considering market demand, resulting in limited success. Another example includes creating complex Electro EDM tracks that were rejected for being too noisy and distracting. The speaker advises against this approach, emphasizing the need to create music that serves the industry's needs rather than just personal satisfaction.

05:00

🔍 The Better Way: Conducting Market Research

The 'better way' involves conducting market research by investigating production music libraries and their current catalogs. The speaker suggests listening to the music that libraries have already accepted and distributed to TV and film clients. This approach allows creators to understand what is currently being placed and distributed. The speaker demonstrates how to find and analyze these catalogs, focusing on aspects such as track length, structure, and sound quality. The goal is to compare one's music to the reference tracks to ensure it aligns with what libraries are looking for in terms of style, length, and production quality.

10:02

📞 The Optimal Way: Direct Communication with Library Representatives

The 'optimal way' to ensure music is marketable and licensable is through direct communication with library representatives, ideally CEOs, to understand current demands and trends. The speaker emphasizes the importance of human interaction and obtaining insider information on what is flying off the shelves and what clients are requesting. This approach helps composers and producers create music that is not only relevant but also in high demand. The speaker also introduces a service called 'Sync Connect', which facilitates monthly Zoom calls with library CEOs, allowing composers to ask crucial questions, get their tracks reviewed, and potentially secure contracts. The service provides access to previous recordings and recommendations for companies that align with one's music style.

Keywords

💡Sync Licensing

Sync Licensing is the process of granting permission to use a copyrighted music composition in various media such as television, film, or commercials. In the context of the video, it refers to the goal of creating music that is suitable for licensing to these media outlets, making it a central theme for musicians looking to monetize their work beyond traditional album sales.

💡Market Research

Market Research is the systematic gathering and analysis of information about customers or markets. In the video, it is suggested as a 'better way' for musicians to understand what kind of music is currently in demand for sync licensing by examining existing catalogs of music libraries and analyzing what is being licensed.

💡Production Music Libraries

Production Music Libraries are companies that curate and distribute music specifically for use in media production. The video emphasizes the importance of engaging with these libraries to understand their needs and to increase the chances of getting one's music licensed.

💡Reference Track

A Reference Track is a piece of music that serves as a model or template for creating new music. In the video, it is mentioned as a tool for aligning one's music with the style, structure, and length that production music libraries are looking for, without infringing on copyright by copying melodies or chord progressions.

💡Licensable

Licensable refers to the quality of music being suitable or eligible for licensing. The video's primary focus is on creating licensable music, meaning it should meet the criteria set by media companies and production music libraries for use in various projects.

💡TV and Film Clients

TV and Film Clients are the entities that require music for their television shows and films. The video discusses creating music with these clients in mind, emphasizing the need to produce music that is not just artistically satisfying but also marketable to these clients.

💡Rejection

Rejection in the video refers to the outcome of submitting music that does not align with the needs of production music libraries. It is used to illustrate the importance of understanding the market and the requirements of sync licensing to avoid disappointment.

💡Service Industry

The term 'Service Industry' is used in the video to highlight that musicians creating music for sync licensing are essentially providing a service by producing music that meets the specific needs of their clients, rather than just creating art for themselves.

💡Optimal Way

The 'Optimal Way' mentioned in the video refers to the most effective strategy for ensuring music is marketable and licensable. It involves direct communication with library representatives to understand current demands and trends in the industry.

💡Sync Connect

Sync Connect is a service mentioned in the video that facilitates direct communication between musicians and library CEOs. It offers a platform for musicians to understand current market demands, get feedback on their music, and potentially secure licensing deals.

💡Royalty Statements

Royalty Statements are documents that report earnings from the use of copyrighted material. In the video, the speaker mentions using royalty statements as a gauge of what types of music are currently popular and generating income, thus indicating what might be in demand for sync licensing.

Highlights

There are three ways to ensure high-quality tracks for sync licensing: the dumb way, the better way, and the optimal way.

The dumb way is relying solely on your own instincts without market research or communication.

The better way involves doing your own market research and listening to production music libraries' current catalogs.

You can find public catalogs of many companies online by searching for 'TV Film Production music library'.

Pay attention to the length, structure, and sound quality of tracks in the catalogs to understand what's marketable.

Use reference tracks to emulate length and structure but avoid copying chord progressions or melodies to prevent copyright infringement.

The optimal way is to directly communicate with a library representative to understand current demands and trends.

Sync Connect is a service that connects composers with library CEOs for direct communication and feedback.

Sync Edge is a premium service that provides recommendations and analysis of 60 music libraries.

Direct communication with library CEOs can provide insights into current trends and what's in demand.

Sync Connect offers monthly Zoom calls with new library CEOs and the opportunity for track reviews.

Previous Sync Connect calls are available for members to listen to and learn from.

When pitching to libraries, prioritize and personalize your approach instead of spamming multiple libraries at once.

Sync Edge and Sync Connect are month-to-month services with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Having a clear direction and knowing exactly where to pitch can boost motivation and focus in the sync licensing business.

The video offers advice on how to approach sync licensing and make your tracks more licensable and marketable.

The presenter encourages questions and comments about the process and services discussed.

Transcripts

okay so there are three ways that you

can try to ensure that the next album

the next set of tracks you create for

sync licensing are the highest quality

meaning the most marketable the most

licensable have the highest odds of

securing you placements with TV and film

clients okay there's the dumb way

there's the better way and then there's

the optimal way let's start with the

dumb way this is definitely something I

did far too many times in my career and

something that maybe some of you have

been doing and Hope after this video

stop doing it please stop doing it okay

the dumb way is as you're thinking about

the next set of tracks or album you're

going to produce you just rely on your

own instincts right I've done this so

many times in my career especially early

on where I said I'm kind of into trip

hop right now I want to make a trip hop

album Zero Market Research zero

communication just something that I was

into at the moment was some cool music

that I was excited about went and

partner with the vocalist we made some

great

music produced it sent it to a library

that did accept it but ended up securing

us very little over the lifespan of that

album probably not a good use of our

time should have done something else

also another example from my career went

in and got into some very complex

Electro EDM complex music back in 2013

2014 when that was kind of all the rage

in the clubs I was living in Vegas at

the time I was hearing this kind of

crazy glitchy very experimental EDM

music I'm into that I wanted do that for

sync put a bunch of tracks together send

it to the library I was working with

rejected cool music guy but nothing we

can use too complex too noisy too

distracting sorry we just don't have any

any use for this so if that's what

you've been doing or that's what you

think that's what you've been thinking

about doing for the next album you're

putting together please save yourself

the time the headache and the Heartbreak

in the future uh from rejections or no

placements and don't just rely on your

own preferences or instincts okay we got

to remember this is a service industry

we're not here just to make music for

ourselves but to make music that is

useful for production okay so let's move

into the better way okay you can do your

own market research and find production

music libraries and listen to their

current catalog meaning all of the music

that that library has already said yes

to has already put under contract and

feels confident enough about it that

they've been Distributing it to TV and

film clients also many companies will

feature many of their placements you can

actually literally go see for yourselves

and hear for yourself what actually is

being placed what's being distributed by

current companies so I'm going to show

you how to do this in just a second but

you can do this 100% for free on your

own you just go to Google type in TV

Film Production music library you can

find many of these companies and I'd say

90 to 95% of them have a catalog that is

just open to the general public meaning

you can go type in and find your

particular style of music and that's

when you really want to start AB

comparing what your music is is doing

versus what their music is doing so let

me just go ahead and show you very

quickly an example um how to do

this okay so here we are at reliable

source music's website this is actually

one of the syn edge libraries that we

recommend to our members and this is a

company out of the UK but the vast

majority of the companies that we

recommend are based in the states

however we do occasionally dip our toes

across the pond and show you guys some

great highquality reputable companies

with track records um all over the world

essentially in sink Edge but let's say

you're potentially wanting to work with

a company like this well they have a

website it's reliable hyphens source.

co.uk you can go right to it um and you

can like I said for most of these

companies go searching right through

their entire catalog and check out what

they have um distributed and actually

categorized already uh in their catalog

so let's say that you are making minimal

tension music which some of you might

want to do that's great for a lot of um

documentaries that's great for reality

TV shows um and dramas as well it's

actually very versatile style of music

so if you don't know what minimal

tension is you'll find a little bit more

about that in this uh video but this is

the kind of analysis that you want to

sort of do with your particular style of

music your particular genre whatever it

is first notice the length of most of

their tracks what do you notice about

these lengths you know 230 228 215 204

158 they hover around 2 minutes so if

you were to come to this company you

wouldn't want to give them a 4 minute

long minimal tension queue that's

doesn't seem like it'd be useful for

them so that's the first cheat sheet

guide code you you get from just looking

at directly what this library has

already collected and is Distributing to

its clients you can learn a lot by just

looking at the wave form how the track

starts how do they finish are there any

fade outs in any of these for the

waveforms can you see that I don't see

any fade outs I see this one but I'm

sure there's a hit right there where it

just has a noise fading out but most of

these as you can tell they have a

definite hit at the very end we'll play

some of those so you can hear it it's

kind of a golden rule with production

music you always want to have that hit

but most importantly what you want to do

is pay attention to the Sonic quality of

the instruments how the track is

structured how much it builds how large

does it get you can notice with some of

these that they kind of save uh the end

of the track for where they have a

little bit of a bigger Crescendo others

they're just kind of slowly pulsing

along the entire time through doesn't

seem like they have major crescendos or

any sort of builds so there's a variety

of different um styles of music and or

different styles of um structures that

you can do but whatever you do and in

whatever genre you produce these tracks

you find in the particular library that

you want to pitch to should be your

reference track reference track is

basically one that you follow in terms

of emulating its length you don't copy

its chord progressions or its Melody

that would be copyright infringement you

can use its same BPM that's not

copyright protected and you can use its

very similar or identical structure in

terms of you know this track has four

bars intro two bar rise you know big

Crescendo that kind of a thing you can

definitely follow uh the skeleton of the

reference track and obviously you want

to make sure that your music is sounding

on quality on par quality wise loudness

wise all that kind of stuff with what

you're hearing here so so we'll just

take a listen to a couple so this is the

first one contradictions you can hear

how this uh minimal tension uh CU sort

of

works very minimal

intro little lift there with a little

percussion lots of Reverb

kind of reverse

sounds here's a

lift little more

lowend with minimal tension it's all

about staying in the background you

don't want to be get in the foreground

and you can do this for all of these

tracks and listen to all the different

types and approaches that these

composers are doing so I won't go

through all of that in this video if you

want more company recommendations and

you want more analysis like this that's

what you want to go get in sync Edge it

is our premium service that gives you

actually 60 companies like reliable

source but like I said most of them

based in the US if you're interested in

something like that now let's get back

into the third and the most I think the

best the smartest way the most optimal

way to ensure that the music you're

going to create next is going to have

the highest odds of flying off the shelf

and getting placements ASAP the most

most optimal way to ensure your tracks

are going to do the best in this

business at least have the highest odds

of su of success is to directly

communicate with a library

representative most you know likely

hopefully a CEO so if you don't work

with library yet you haven't been

accepted yet I have a very very powerful

useful service for you but for those of

you that are already working with a

library you should not be doing number

one or number two no way not at all you

should be doing number three which is is

email call get on the phone get on the

zoom call have a consistent line of

communication with your library that

you're working with and ask them what

are you working on right now what are

your clients looking for what are you

noticing that's flying off the shelf

what's more in demand what kind of

requests are you seeing Insight direct

human to human communication is the best

and most profitable path in this

industry I know many of us can be a

little bit shy we want to work behind

the scenes we don't want to really too

involved socially with a lot of the you

know ins and outs of the business I'm

sorry but there's really no excuse for

you as a composer producer initiating

these kind of conversations with your

library owner do not expect them to come

to you and say this is what I want you

to work on next you should take it upon

yourself to insert yourself into that

conversation so that they know that

you're hungry that you're ready and that

you want to make sure that the tracks

that you're producing are not relevant

in maybe 6 months or a year or two years

but this month this quarter for the

clients that they have okay if you're

not working with a library and you're

like Jesse sounds great but I can't get

one of these Library CEOs to email me if

I'm not working with them and I've sent

DMS and nobody's replying this is

basically impossible you're right

because these are very busy people and

they are probably not going to reply to

you if you don't already have a track

record with them and you're already

under contract giving them music this is

why I've created a service called sync

connect it's actually over a year old at

this point if you haven't heard of it

syn connect is the only service that you

can find online where you a composer

producer musician get to jump on a zoom

call every single month with a new

library CEO and we get to ask them these

very very crucial and important

questions first one being what I ask

every CEO and representative that comes

on is what do you guys need right now

what is hot what are the demands out

there what are your library um what are

your clients looking for what are the TV

clients asking for more of what are you

seeing jump off in your royalty

statements what kind of sync fee

opportunities are you guys seeing more

lately so right off the bat when you

jump on our Zoom calls you're going to

hear directly from people who are having

these interactions with the TV film

clients what exactly is high in demand I

also ask ask them what is not in demand

what style of music are you guys good on

you don't need anymore we shouldn't

waste our time trying to pitch you on

what is it that you feel is just not

relevant oversaturated just kind of not

interesting to you that's kind of useful

for you right before you go spend you

know a month or two putting together the

next hip-hop Rock album if they're like

you know what we're good on hip-hop Rock

we got plenty and that was the library

you wanted to work with you can avoid

that huge costly mistake of time and

energy and resources right then you also

get to if you want to be one of the five

the first five that pitch for each one

of our library CEOs you get to have a

track reviewed by the representative and

potentially accepted by them right there

on the call and I make sure afterwards

if they say thumbs up to you I make sure

to connect you guys via email so I make

direct connections for you guys happen

with sync connect also you get to ask

your own questions via the chat feature

and I think one of the most powerful

Parts about sync connect is not so much

that every single month we have new Zoom

calls that you can look forward to uh in

the membership area but also you have

all of the previous recording

calls ready for you right now like

literally if you sign up right now there

are essentially 15 Library CEOs with

calls asking them you know these very

very important questions very recently

on what's going on in their catalog

what's going on with their clients and

what potentially they need not only did

you get to have that front row access

information that you just cannot get

from a library uh a website search but

you also get to listen to how they

reviewed the tracks that were on the

call so if your tracks are similar to a

track that they reviewed you'll kind of

get a preview and insight as to how they

would respond or react to your

particular track how valuable is that

you know I can't tell you had I had a

service like this when I was first

getting started in sync and was thinking

about starting to Branch out to other

companies but was definitely shy and

anxious and worried like what if I

partner with the wrong company I know a

lot of you guys are worried about that

as you probably should be to have this

kind of look behind the curtain service

to really get to know these people

before I pitch understand and know

directly what they're looking for for

get a preview for how they respond to

music and maybe even have my tracks

reviewed directly from them before I

even have a contract with them I mean

the value that you guys get with this

service is unmatched it's unparalleled

anywhere else online so I highly

encourage you guys to consider joining

us I'll put the link in the description

box for sync Edge which is the library

recommendation service that's where I

give you the companies the URLs and the

analysis of their catalog and with sync

connect both are month-to-month cancel

anytime and both with a money back

guaranteed

uh 30-day money back guarantee so you

got nothing to risk nothing to lose by

coming and trying it out see what we got

to offer seeing for yourself if these

calls if these Library recommendations

are going to help make a difference for

you not only just finding your next home

potentially for your next albums but

also boosting up your motivation I can

tell you that a lot of Library uh

composers and producers uh who have been

struggling having some writers Brock

last lack of AO motivation are just a

little bit overwhelmed with okay I want

to get into this business but I don't

know exactly where I should go having a

particular set of companies like maybe

three to five companies that you get

from either one of those services will

absolutely jump and boost your

motivation and your focus because now

you know exactly where you're going to

go you know exactly what kind of music

they've already accepted and now you've

got those reference tracks so you can ab

compare your way into making sure that

your tracks are the most licensable and

marketable for whichever companies that

you want to pitch to now I do still

recommend you go one at a time through

these companies even though you're going

to get a access to a lot of companies

all at once please do not BCC or CC all

six0 of them at once or all the syn

connect CEOs and just Spam it out there

and see what sticks please please please

don't do that find three to five and

prioritize them have a number one two

three four and five and Pitch to each

one of them one at a time the music that

you feel is the most relevant uh for

each one okay maybe one album is going

to be relevant for five different

companies we actually break down our

libraries based by the genre that we

think would be the most relevant for

them but please do p them professionally

Su and um and with a personalized touch

not as a Spam composer producer the the

the the amateurs the people that are

just whatever maybe I'll throw my music

over here that's what they're doing

libraries can see right through that you

don't want to be mixed in with that

Bunch you want to be one of the few

three to Five Percenters that really do

take this very seriously and start to

really thrive in this business so if you

guys have any questions about this video

or my services or this process this

would be the video for you to comment on

and I'd be happy to help thank you so

much for watching I hope you found this

useful