The Question that Successful Sync producers know to ask

Summary

In this video, the speaker with 16 years of sync licensing experience identifies a critical pattern that distinguishes thriving music producers from those struggling in the industry. Success is not about talent or tools but the mindset and proactive approach towards the business. Unsuccessful producers often wait passively for placements, while successful ones actively engage with their library partners, focusing on creating music that is relevant and useful. The key is to communicate, serve, and let go of expectations, focusing on what one can control.

Takeaways

• 🧠 Mindset Matters: The success of music producers in sync licensing is heavily influenced by their mindset and attitude towards the industry, rather than just their talent or tools.
• 🚀 Persistence Pays: Successful producers continue to create and submit music consistently, despite facing rejections and a lack of immediate results.
• 🤔 Question Your Approach: Unsuccessful producers often ask 'where are my placements?', indicating a passive approach, while successful ones seek to understand and serve the needs of their library partners.
• 🔄 The Importance of Communication: Active and ongoing communication with library partners is crucial for understanding their needs and ensuring the relevance of the music being submitted.
• 💡 Serve, Don't Just Submit: Successful producers focus on how they can be useful and relevant to their library partners, rather than just hoping for placements.
• 🎯 Targeted Creation: Producers should aim to create music that is specifically tailored to the current needs of their library partners, rather than making assumptions about what might be useful in the future.
• 🤝 Building Relationships: Strong relationships with library partners are built on consistent communication and a willingness to understand and meet their needs.
• 🚫 Letting Go of Expectations: Successful producers let go of the need for immediate results and focus on what they can control, which is the quality and relevance of their next track.
• 🔄 Adapt and Overcome: Producers should be ready to adapt their approach based on feedback and results, understanding that the industry is unpredictable and requires flexibility.
• 🔄 The Power of Positivity: Maintaining a positive attitude and responding constructively to setbacks is key to thriving in the sync licensing industry.
• 🛑 Knowing When to Move On: If a relationship with a library is not yielding results despite consistent effort and communication, it may be time to reassess and potentially seek new partnerships.

Q & A

What is the main pattern the speaker has noticed that separates successful music producers from those who are struggling in the sync licensing industry?

The main pattern is the mindset and attitude of the producers. Successful producers tend to have a proactive and supportive mindset, focusing on how they can help their library partners, while struggling producers often have a more passive and expectant mindset, waiting for placements without contributing further.

What does the speaker suggest is not the main factor determining success in the sync licensing business?

The speaker suggests that talent, equipment (Daw), samples, studio quality, and even direct library relationships are not the main factors determining success. Instead, it's the mindset and approach to the industry that makes the most significant difference.

What is the common question that unsuccessful producers tend to ask their libraries?

Unsuccessful producers commonly ask, 'Where are all my placements?' They expect results quickly and may become resentful if they don't see placements after submitting their music.

What is the key question that successful producers ask their library partners instead?

Successful producers ask, 'How can I help you?' They focus on creating music that is more relevant and useful for their library partners' current needs.

What mindset shift is required for producers to thrive in the sync licensing business according to the speaker?

The mindset shift required is to let go of expectations and focus on being useful and relevant to library partners. Producers should aim to serve their partners better with each new batch of tracks they create.

Why do some producers fail to see placements or royalties even after submitting their music to libraries?

Some producers fail to see placements or royalties because they adopt a 'wait and see' approach, submitting their music and then passively waiting for results without further engagement or communication with their library partners.

What is the importance of communication between a producer and their library partners?

Communication is crucial as it helps producers understand the specific needs and preferences of their library partners, allowing them to create more relevant and licensable music.

How does the speaker describe the experience of producers who are successful in the sync licensing industry?

The speaker describes successful producers as those who consistently show up, create music that is helpful and relevant, and maintain open and ongoing communication with their library partners.

What advice does the speaker give to producers who are not seeing the results they desire from their library partners?

The speaker advises such producers to step up their communication efforts, ask for feedback, and ensure they are creating music that is currently useful for their partners. If there is a lack of results despite good communication, it might be time to consider moving on to a different library.

What is the speaker's perspective on the importance of attitude in dealing with the challenges of the sync licensing industry?

The speaker emphasizes that attitude is a critical factor in overcoming industry challenges. Producers should maintain a positive outlook, learn from setbacks, and focus on what they can control, such as creating the next relevant track.

How can producers ensure they are creating music that is licensable and relevant to their library partners?

Producers can ensure their music is licensable and relevant by actively communicating with their library partners to understand their current needs and tailoring their music creation process accordingly.

Outlines

00:00

🎯 The Power of Mindset in Sync Licensing

The speaker emphasizes the importance of mindset in the success of music producers in sync licensing. They highlight that after 16 years in the industry, it's not talent, equipment, or even direct relationships that make the biggest difference, but rather how producers think and approach the industry. Successful producers have a positive attitude and are proactive, focusing on how they can serve their library partners better. The speaker urges producers to move past the weeds of details and instead focus on the bigger picture of their mindset, which is the key to thriving in sync licensing.

05:01

🤔 The Dichotomy of Producers' Questions

This paragraph contrasts the questions asked by unsuccessful and successful producers. Unsuccessful producers tend to inquire about their placements, expecting immediate results and showing impatience when they don't materialize. In contrast, successful producers ask how they can be of service, focusing on creating music that is relevant and useful for their library partners. The successful approach involves open communication, understanding current needs, and serving those needs proactively, leading to more placements and income as a natural consequence of being useful.

10:03

📞 The Importance of Communication and Initiative

The speaker discusses the importance of communication and taking initiative in maintaining relationships with library partners. They note that successful producers keep the lines of communication open, asking how they can help and ensuring their music is relevant. The speaker also touches on the need to let go of expectations and to focus on what one can control, such as the creation of the next track. They stress the importance of not just waiting for results but actively working to improve communication and understanding the needs of library partners.

Keywords

💡Sync Licensing

Sync Licensing refers to the process where a music producer or composer grants permission to a third party to use their music in various media formats such as films, TV shows, commercials, and video games. In the video, the speaker has been involved in sync licensing since 2008 and discusses the patterns observed among successful and struggling producers in this field.

💡Royalties

Royalties are payments made to the creators of music, literature, or other works for each copy sold or each time the work is used. The script mentions that successful producers see their royalties grow, indicating their music is being used and they are being compensated accordingly.

💡Forward Momentum

Forward Momentum in the context of the video refers to the progress and growth a producer experiences in their career, such as an increase in placements and royalties. The speaker notes that successful producers have a clear forward momentum in the sync licensing business.

💡Mindset

Mindset is the established set of attitudes held by an individual. The video emphasizes that the mindset of a producer is a critical factor in their success or failure in sync licensing. It's not just about talent or equipment but how one approaches the industry and handles challenges.

💡Attitude

Attitude is the way a person tends to feel and act towards someone or something. The speaker identifies attitude as a common thread among successful producers, suggesting that their approach and outlook on the industry are significant contributors to their achievements.

💡Placements

Placements refer to the instances where a producer's music is used in a specific media project. Unsuccessful producers in the script are described as being overly focused on when and where their placements will occur, rather than focusing on how they can be more helpful to their library partners.

💡Library

In the context of sync licensing, a library is a collection of music tracks that are available for licensing to various media projects. The script discusses the relationship between producers and their library partners, and how this relationship can affect the success of a producer's placements.

💡Communication

Communication is the act of sharing information. The video stresses the importance of ongoing and consistent communication between producers and their library partners. Successful producers are those who actively engage in dialogue to understand the needs of their partners and how they can meet those needs.

💡Relevance

Relevance in this context means the degree to which something is applicable or closely related to the current situation or needs. Successful producers are described as creating music that is highly relevant and useful for their library partners, which increases the likelihood of placements.

💡Expectations

Expectations are the beliefs or anticipations about what will happen. The speaker contrasts unsuccessful producers who have high expectations for immediate results with successful ones who let go of such expectations and focus on what they can control, such as creating relevant music.

💡Productivity

Productivity is the state of being able to produce a lot of work in a given time. The video mentions that successful producers are productive, focusing on creating new music that is useful for their library partners, rather than waiting passively for placements.

Highlights

The video discusses a clear pattern that separates thriving music producers from those struggling in the sync licensing industry.

Success in the industry is not determined by talent, DAW, samples, or studio, but rather by mindset and attitude.

Successful producers have a proactive approach, focusing on how they can serve and add value to their library partners.

Unsuccessful producers often adopt a 'wait and see' approach, expecting libraries to create opportunities without further input from them.

The common question from unsuccessful producers is 'where are my placements?', indicating a lack of understanding of the industry's dynamics.

Successful producers ask 'how can I help you?', showing a willingness to tailor their work to meet current needs of the industry.

Anthony Crawford's advice on not having expectations after sending tracks to a catalog, focusing instead on being productive.

The importance of letting go of the need for immediate results and focusing on what is within one's control, such as creating the next track.

The speaker emphasizes the need for ongoing communication with library partners to understand their current needs.

Lack of communication is often a sign of unsuccessful relationships with library partners.

Producers should trust their intuition and ask hard questions about their relationships with libraries if they are not seeing results.

It's acceptable to move on from a library if there are no placements or progress despite good communication and effort.

The video encourages producers to value their career and music enough to seek out placements and progress.

The speaker shares personal experiences of dealing with disappointments and the importance of mindset in responding to industry challenges.

The video concludes by inviting producers to share their experiences and seek advice on how to thrive in the sync licensing industry.

Transcripts

when you've done sync licensing as long

as I have going back to 2008 16 years

into it now you start noticing some

things okay and I want to basically in

this video let you guys know one of the

clear obvious patterns I've noticed in

terms of what separates the producers

that are thriving doing great seeing

their royalties grow just seeing a lot

of forward momentum in this business and

those that are struggling and are

getting resentful and bitter maybe they

gave a library or two a shot with a

couple of albums but they haven't seen

the placements and they're like H I

don't think sink's really the thing it's

all a scam or it's all Bs and there's

really no future or promise for for me

in this industry I'm going to let you

know right off the bat it's not your

talent it's not your Daw it's not your

samples it's not your studio um it's

probably not even your direct Library

relationships that you have in this

business all those things are important

they all play a role but above all of

those those are kind of the weeds those

are the details above all of those is

what's happening right here in your mind

I noticed and we definitely saw this at

sync up our inperson event the Common

Thread between all of those successful

producers and composers that some of you

guys that were there in person or

virtually saw it has to do with what

they're thinking about how they're

thinking about things what their

attitude is how they approach this

industry that is the make or

break issue detail element uh very

variable whatever you want to call it

that is literally slicing people down

the middle in terms of some people that

are doing great here and some people

that are really struggling in this

business and it's all about how they

think it sounds stupid that sounds

ridiculous that sounds

way woo woo woo and kind of

oversimplified and that can't make the

big difference can it I I am telling you

guys in my personal life it has made the

difference and I'm seeing it

consistently play out with everybody

that does well in this business so

please please do take a moment just to

finish this video out because I think

this is something that we all need to

consistently remind ourselves because

this industry is going to kick our asses

over and over again right rejections

just the length of time it takes to get

those royalties to get placements

risking and and being vulnerable and

putting your music in the hands of a new

publisher a new library are not really

sure if they're going to be able to

deliver for you I've been there you guys

have probably been there or if not

you're going to be there okay so it's a

really scary delicate situation and

unfortunately there aren't really very

clear answers to any of this kind of

stuff a lot of it comes down to your gut

comes down to your intuition but most of

it is going to come down to how you

think about this business so let me

explain the the biggest question that

unsuccessful producers are asking their

libraries okay this is the unsuccessful

ones and what I mean by unsuccessful

meaning that they're not untalented or

they don't have great music or something

like that and they're not maybe amazing

great people they could be all of those

things but they're not seeing placements

royalties and they're not seeing just

forward momentum in any way way that

they want to categorize that or measure

that the question that those producers

are always asking their libraries is hey

where are all my placements how come I

don't have any placements yet bro what's

going on I gave you an album I gave you

two albums it's been 6 months it's been

9 months it's been a year where are my

placements that is the question that

every Library owner who's watching this

video right now is probably laughing

because they see the pattern too where

you get the producer composer that drops

off 10 tracks 20 tracks maybe even 30

tracks with a with a library with a

publisher kind of walks away doesn't do

much after that and then just kind of

sits there and waits and says all right

well let's see what you do with those

those tracks before I keep committing to

you before I keep giving you more music

or continue a conversation uh let's just

see what you can do with that it's a

kind of wait and see approach of sitting

back folding your arms and just waiting

for them to create Magic for you and

hoping that they're going to get you

placements which of course yes that is

their job that's what you signed over

your tracks for them to do but you all

know and we know that there are no

guarantees that that will absolutely

happen those producers usually don't see

placements they usually don't see

forward momentum they usually don't have

great relationships with their Library

partners and those are usually the ones

that 6 months a year maybe two years

sort of just back away from the industry

and then go do something else and

sometimes about a year or two later get

like a surprising royalty statement from

BMI or askap and it might be hundreds of

dollars maybe even thousands of dollars

and that's when they scramble and go oh

crap like it actually was working I I

didn't know I didn't know it took this

long okay then they come back to their

publisher and say I wouldn't want to

give you I want to give you more music

like let's let's get this thing going

again most common story in this industry

literally 80 to 90% of producers fall

into that so if you've done that it's

totally cool it's not a judgment or

anything like that I don't know if

there's a way that I could coach you or

educate you or advise you out of that

cycle I just think that that's just kind

of like the human nature of wanting

results quickly matched with this

industry that just takes so long for it

to work out and no clear trans

transparency on like am I getting a lot

of placements is it happening we have to

wait for a royalties right I don't know

if there's a way around that you know I

luckily didn't have to go through that I

just consistently kept showing up but a

lot of people 80 to 90% of us don't keep

showing up we have to kind of see

results before we keep doing it which is

very understandable again not to be

judgmental on that so that's what the

unsuccessful people who are not seeing a

lot of results in this industry are

asking hey where are my placements you

want to know what the successful

producers are asking you probably

already know if you've been watching

this channel for a while the successful

question that producers and composers

are asking that are seeing results are

how can I help you how can I serve you

in this next batch of tracks that I

create how can I make them even more

relevant more licensable more useful for

you and your TV and film clients because

you obviously accepted what I did before

maybe there's something going on right

now there's some new sporting event or

season or a client initiative maybe

you're trying to and some of the library

Partners I've worked with they are

trying to get a foothold into major

sporting um uh networks like a Major

League Baseball Network or NHL Network

or the BBC or something like that

keeping these conversations open to say

I am here to make music I'm going to

spend a lot of time in my studio but I

want to make sure that the next 10

tracks I create are going to be at the

top of your list in terms of they are

the most relevant they most useful and

something that's really feeling a need

for you right now because I don't want

to make music that be useful for you in

2 years potentially or 10 years

potentially I want to know what you're

working on right now what's important to

you what can I do to help how can I

serve you you notice the difference

there right the first question was where

are my placements how can you help me

right what why aren't you giving me

stuff I need more stuff here to keep

going the second question is what do you

need how can I make your life better

helpful more relevant because if I'm

making your life more helpful and

relevant um to your libr Partners I'm

going to be getting more placements

anyways like the side effect of me being

useful is more placements and more

income this is the mindset shift that is

required to really thrive in this

business and one thing that I think was

great about Anthony Crawford he was this

uh amazing very talented crazy Talent

I'm going to have him back on the

channel soon uh producer who produces in

multiple different genres and he's great

at at multiple ones which is actually

very rare um but one thing he said at

syn up which has been sticking with me

is he says you know after I send my

tracks off to a catalog um I don't think

about them anymore I'm not I I have zero

expectations that any of them get any

any placements I hope that they do

obviously I'm crafting them in a way

that's going to be helpful and relevant

for them but once they're in their hands

like I'm going to trust that they're

going to do their job and then I got to

go back to being productive and doing my

job which is all right what's my do

what's on my docket for the next week

they're handling all that I'm moving

forward in his brain there is no

expectation that something magical is

going to happen over here we want things

to happen this is the hardest part about

this business we want them we are

obviously doing this because we want to

get placements we want syn fees

royalties we want this to become

significant part-time or maybe even

full-time income for us for sure that

was my intention all those years ago so

it's hard to let go of that and to

pretend like that's not something that's

pulling you and to just focus on what

you can control which is your next track

right that's really all we got in this

business what can I do next and if

you're going to be spending time waking

up early staying up late sacrificing

your weekends sacrificing family time

friend time socializing time why not

make sure that the next track or the

next group of tracks that you have are

extremely relevant and useful for the

library partners that you're partnered

with and the only way to know how to do

that is not to assume don't guess don't

think that you've got all the answers

because this is a mistake that I made

was making a lot of music that I thought

was great and really useful and then I

sent it off the libraries and some of

them accepted them and they got zero

placements and others rightly right off

the bat said cool music but like this is

not at all useful for us at all and so I

had to learn that lesson the hard way

after spending a lot of time money and

effort making music that just wasn't

licensable so the shortcut to all of

this stuff is communication between you

and your library Partners to say how can

I help how can I be useful how can the

next track or the next group of tracks

next album that I create become the most

useful and relevant for you right now if

you can stick with this mindset of

letting go of expectations outcome

Independence if you've ever heard of

that term letting go of well either I

get placements or I'm a failure you have

to let go of that framing that is a game

it's a dangerous game that you

absolutely can lose um if I had played

that game in my career there's no way I

would have kept going because most of my

tracks have not been placed in my career

okay it's a small number of them that

are doing most of the work most of the

heavy lifting for my career and for my

income okay probably likely same will

happen for you depending on I guess your

approach to this business but I remember

every single time I got a disappointing

royalty statement I got passed over for

a custom opportunity some punch in the

gut one way or another from any of this

industry there was always this moment

of how do I decide this is my choice

this is what I can control how do I

perceive this and what moves do I make

now that's pretty much it here's what

life gave me it's a bucket load of

lemons right over and over again do I

cry about it do I give up do I uh sulk

do I get bitter resentful passive

aggressive I've been tempted I've Had My

Moments I've had times where I've not

been proud of how I responded to all the

things that this industry has given me

but one reason or another I figured out

a way to go okay here are the

lemons what can I do to make this into

lemonade how can I squeeze this how can

I approach how can I change this uh

maybe if I'm not getting great results

that means that my communication needs

to step up that's probably the biggest

lesson for most of you guys I'll be

honest right now if you're not getting

results from your library chances are

your your relationships and your

communication has not been pretty

consistent and ongoing that's that's

usually the biggest sign that I've

noticed from some producers that are

doing well and those that are going like

well I gave it to them a year ago and I

just haven't seen anything you know I

always ask when was the last time you

talked to them on the phone not just an

email but just phone call of saying hey

you know I really want to make sure that

this is you you're the right partner for

me do you value what I'm giving you is

this helpful and most times of those

composers you oh I've never gone on the

on phone with them or I I talked to them

when I first submitted but we haven't

talked since that's not always on them

guys libraries are very busy people

they've got two sets of clients they got

their TV film clients and all of you

you've just got them you've just got one

client I mean you might have multiple

libraries you're working with but take

some initiative and responsibility that

like you can ask them for a conversation

and a phone call or a zoom call and you

can ask them for consistent

communication um and and if they're not

giving that to you and not able to give

that to you that might be a sign that

maybe this isn't the right Library

partner for you again uh just because

I'm saying you have to con consistently

show up and create new music for for

these Library Partners you know if it's

been you had this relationship it's been

a year two years and you're constantly

giving the music and you're getting no

placements even though communication is

great maybe your music isn't in the

right hands maybe it's just not the

right place for you at that time so it

doesn't mean you just blindly keep

giving music to these Library Publishers

you kind of have to trust your gut a

little bit and kind of ask some harder

questions about that and it's okay to

move on from a library even if they're

great people they've been treating you

well answering your questions being very

approachable but no results have been

coming in it's okay to walk away from a

relationship like that you should be

valuing your career and your music and

yourself enough to realize that you

deserve to be seeing some some

placements and some uh progress if

you're not getting enough of that then

maybe it's time for you to move on to

another um Library so anyways it's a

tricky subject there are multiple assets

and facets to this and multiple

perspectives um I want to now know what

do you guys think uh have you been in

this situation have you been feeling

this um um and not really sure where you

should be going in your career right now

comment below I'd love to help and any

possible way that I can but hopefully

this is helpful in terms of letting you

guys know what I think really separates

those that Thrive and syn from those

that are really struggling