For independent artists (and any other artists short of Grammy-caliber, really) sync placements are like manna from heaven. A hefty upfront sync fee is then followed by a nice bounty of residual payments on royalties for each time the media your song has been placed in is played. Additionally, you get the bragging rights of having your music blessed by a reputable film, TV, ad or video game company, which can give you mileage with booking agents, records labels, press, and the like. It's an instant boost of cred and hype. In fact, many industry insiders often refer to music supervisors on TV shows and films as the new A&R directors; land the closing credits of Grey's Anatomy, and you'll watch the offers roll in.
That's the good news.
The bad news is that none of this is a secret—everybody and their grandmother is clamoring for sync placements nowadays—more so than ever in the history of recorded music. Music supervisors are stalked like A-list celebrities. Getting your music in their hands is no easy feat, and even once it's in their hands you become one of hundreds if not thousands of contenders for that one precious sync cue. And then you've got music libraries to contend with—a veritable ocean of boilerplate music available for low prices and blanket deals.
In short, the world of sync placements is a buyer's market, but here are eight tips to tilt the balance more in your favor:
Brand Recognition
If you are not a known artist, you must be able to summarize who you are and what your music is all about in one quick sentence. You hear this in the film and music industry all the time: “It's U2 meets Kanye West"—that kinda thing. Try to associate your sound with something everyone can relate to. I know, I know, your sound is different and shouldn't be put in a box. But the simple reality is that you only get a fraction of time to make an impression, and you want to be saying things the people on the other end can recognize, even if they've never heard of you and would have no reason to. Comparing yourself to mega-stars never hurts either.
Persistence is Everything
In this hustle you are pushing a brand—you are marketing your product, no different from Coke or McDonald's hustle. Ever wonder why those mega-brands continue to pump billions of dollars annually into their marketing and ad campaigns, despite the fact that it is virtually impossible to find a living human specimen that doesn't know about them? It's because your message needs to stay fresh in the buyer's mind. So don't just reach out to a music supervisor once and leave it at that. Keep checking in every two or three weeks. Squeaky wheels get the grease.
Never Fear the Middle Man
As I said before, connections are everything in this business. There are companies out there (such as, ahem, mine) that work with independent artists to create opportunities for them in sync licensing. Some of these companies do indeed have an impressive Rolodex of supervisors and industry insiders. They will take a significant cut of anything they earn for you, but 50% of $10,000 is much better than 100% of $0, ya dig? Don't be greedy. If you have great music but no real contacts to speak of, you will likely need help reaching the decision-makers.
Get Up With a PRO
This is Publishing 101—if you are a songwriter, you should have any work you wish to make any money off of registered with a Performing Rights Organization. These organizations do their darnedest to make sure songwriters are compensated for each and every play of their material. ASCAP and BMI are the two biggest, and Sound Exchange covers online use. Sign up is easy and free. If your music is placed somewhere, you will be due residuals on every play—make sure you're in a position to collect!
Check out part two tomorrow.
