Have been getting hundreds of emails with questions about how to make money licensing your music to film/TV and elsewhere. This post is the first of several which will answer the questions I have received.
I'll be getting deeper and deeper into this as we go along, so it will be important for you to keep up. To do so, I need you to do two things:
1. Subscribe to my feed. It's free and this will make sure you're instantly updated when I post a new video or other information on licensing music.
2. Sign up for email updates. Not everything will be posted here.
Why? First of all, I want to keep this information exclusive to the people who really want it.
And secondly, I've got some contact info for you, which will put you directly in touch with people who are looking for new music. Can't post that on a public website. :)
Input your name and primary email address below. That way you'll be sure to stay on top of everything I release.
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One more thing... I'm in the process of setting up a teleconference, so we can talk by phone and be able to go over this stuff in a more interactive format. Those on the list will be notified as soon as we have details on the time/date this will happen.
For now, here's the first round of questions I received from people. As I mentioned, I've gotten hundreds of emails, many with several questions. If you don't see your question here, know that I'll get to in in a future post or on the teleconference I mentioned above.
On to the questions...
1. Is music licensing a company/business of itself or is it just part of music publishing?
You can take music licensing as far as you want. My suggestion is to start getting placement for the stuff you own copyright for, such as song you've written. Start small and expand as you go. A "one man show" can make plenty.
If it goes well for you, and it should, considering the hot market we've got right now, you can look to expanding it and bringing in other people to write or record.
2. What are the necessary tools/people you need to gather to start your own music licensing company?
This is a great question and something we'll go over more in depth when we get together on the phone. To make sure you get details on when to call in, get on the mailing list above.
For now, I'm going to give you an answer in writing, which I hope will explain things.
This subject gets confusing for some people, to I'm going to try and break it down in the most simple way possible. If you have any questions, post a comment here or email me. If you don't have my email address, you can get it by signing up for the list above.
What most people consider a "song" is actually two separate things...
One, there is the "composition" part, which simply means a song written out, with no performance of it, as in "words and music" on paper.
Then, you have a "recording" of the song, which is the song brought to life-- a performance, a moment in time, captured on some type of recording device...a tape, a hard drive, or whatever people record with these days.
It helps if you own the "composition" and you'll certainly make the most money that way, because you'll be able to get royalties when the song is broadcast on television or in a movie theater.
But maybe you just have a "performance" of a song on tape, such as a recording of your band doing a song you didn't write, maybe a Rolling Stones cover. You can make money here too, in the way of "licensing fees." Television and movie producers will pay you to use your recording. However, if you only own the recording, but not the "composition" copyright, you won't get money when the song if played.
Obviously, because you get money upfront for a song you own the recording of, and because you get money based on performances of that song, when you own the "composition," it's best to own both aspects of what you want to license.
Other stuff which comes in handy...
Because of what I just said above, it's great if you have a way to record music. This can be a home studio or access to a studio which you rent. Either one works.
And obviously, you'll need to own compositions. If you're already writing your own material, you're in good shape on this...and you're probably in good shape on having recordings of these compositions as well.
So to make a long answer short, if you're a musician and write your own material, you probably have everything you need to do this.
3. After you've just opened your own music licensing company, how do you advertise yourself to potential clients?
Like anything in the music industry, a music licensing business is one built on relationships. If you've just started building a catalog of material to license, the easiest way to break in is to find what exactly what people are looking for and then deliver that to them on a silver platter.
In other words, if somebody is looking for "somebody who sounds like Britney Spears," you give them somebody who sounds like Britney Spears-- not Jessica Simpson, Chaka Kahn, or Dolly Parton. They want "Britney Spears" for a reason...don't try to convince them of something else.
Don't sound like Britney? Don't worry. There are a ton of opportunities for all types of music, regardless of your genre or singing style.
So how do you find these opportunities? The good news for you is that there are services which connect you directly with people who are looking for new music. I've run a music licensing newsletter for years, which is one of the ways I got so connected in this business.
At this time, we are not taking new subscribers to our licensing newsletter. However, if you sign up for the list above, I'll throw you a few bones with some direct contact information you can use to get your music into the hands of people who can do something with it. :)
4. What is the day-to-day work/tasks being done in a music licensing company?
The more songs and recordings of those songs which you own, the better position you'll be in to deliver the perfect package to film and television music supervisors and others who are looking for music for film and television projects, such as producers, directors, and writers.
If I had to give one piece of advice to somebody looking to get involved in music licensing, it would be to build your catalog. Like the lottery, the more "tickets" you have, the better your chance of winning.
Of course, a good song is more than a lottery ticket, in that you're not building a business based on luck. And this is why you want so many songs and recordings of them-- when you can deliver exactly what is needed for the scene, you'll see results in licensing fees and performance royalties.
In addition to writing and recording great songs, you'll need to spend time "marketing" your songs to people who are in the market for them. We'll spend more time on how to do this shortly...
5. As a music licensing company, who do you deal with in business: record label, artist, any other type of company?
The short answer to this question is, "Anybody who makes the decision to use songs."
These people can be directors of advertising, producers, music supervisors, managers, and if you're looking to get a song cut, artists themselves. This is because "music licensing" can mean several things.
For film and television licensing, you'll most likely deal with a music supervisor. But on smaller level productions, you can deal with anybody, since many don't have a person dedicated to just music.
If you're interested in advertising, and want to start small and build, a good way to get something going is to hit the owners of small businesses who need a song or jingle for use in their ads.
I did an Music Business Radio interview with Brad Colerick of DeepMix in Los Angeles recently, and he had some great stories of how he got involved with advertising. I hope you'll listen closely, because what he's done is definitely something you can model.
Here's the interview...
I'll post more about music licensing and how you can make money with it tomorrow. Until then, if you have any questions about this, I want to know. Input your name and primary email address below and I'll send you my contact info.
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See you tomorrow!
Dave...
your columns, newsletters, CD's etc... are soooo helpful. Thanks man! BTW it was great too finally get to talk to you.
All the best, Lou
Posted by: Lou Lombardi | October 23, 2008 at 08:15 AM