Scott.

If you're going to pursue this avenue, I'd suggest a few things.... write shorter cues. Eight minutes is a long piece of music and no scene in a movie lasts that long. If you're gonna write the 8 minute cue, at least make the variations different. What I mean is, not just a different 8 minute take on the same theme.... give them a 15 second cue, a 30 second cue, a 60 second cue and even a 5 second cue. Make it from the start, middle or the ending so that they can easily drag and drop it into the movie. It's rare to have the music in a TV show or movie, last more than 30 secs...a minute at the most. Even the title theme song in a movie never plays in it's entirety until the closing credits are rolling.

Also, look around. There are dozens of good, first rate music libraries that specialize in film and TV. See what their submission requirements are, see what their split is, see if they are exclusive or non-exclusive and place your music with them. The more folks you have representing your music the more likely you are to get a cut.

My music is in dozens of libraries and publishers. Most are non-exclusive. Not only the full songs, but some have a dozen or more cues cut from them and all those are in the libraries as well. You really never know what the producer is looking for. They may need something for 12 seconds in a TV show or a movie, and they really don't want to listen to 8 minutes of music to find that music..... they'd rather listen to a 15 second cue because really, that's all they will listen to of the 8 minute piece.

You can find libraries on the internet and simply research them a bit and submit to them. Most of the better ones will have a screening panel and a quality bar you'll need to get over.

Some of the better, more active, libraries actually will send you a tip sheet letting you know about the projects they have setting on their desk at that moment. They tell you what they are looking for. Ambient, jazz, comedic funk, rocking country, ballads, male or female vocals or instrumental.... essentially everything you need to submit or write for that particular listing and when it closes.

Taxi and a few others charge memberships and some have submission fees... those are the services. Do NOT confuse those with libraries and publishers. They are a middleman doing some screening or providing a buffer service for the pub or library. Quite often, those libraries are the better ones and don't want a bunch of email songs flooding their inboxes. Don't be afraid to use them, but know what they are and what they cost. TAXI IMHO is rather costly but does have dozens of good listings on a weekly basis. There are others without the high membership cost. You just have to find them. None of my placements came through any of the TAXI listings I submitted to. I quit TAXI several years back and started looking on my own. My placements in film and TV were the result of my own searching for film libraries.

Very important: Join a PRO and get your registration number and register your songs with the PRO. (It's free to writers) Many good libraries will register the cues you place with them, for you. Some will not so be on top of that. It's how you get paid for the music so be sure it gets done. Oh yeah... don't worry with a copyright on the cues. If you have a full song and think it might be a movie theme song... yeah get it copyrighted. None of my film and TV cues are copyrighted. They are registered with the PRO and when they get used, I still get paid. Telling you to not worry about copyright I'm sure will cause a firestorm..... but that's how I have been doing this for years.

Keep good records. Let me say that again..... KEEP GOOD RECORDS. Be able to easily find out which libraries have which songs and cues. Know what was sent to whom, and whether they accepted it into their library or whether it was rejected. And be 100% absolutely accurate and sure about the exclusive libraries. You do NOT want to send something you signed to an exclusive library to a non-exclusive library. Keep your songs in 2 categories. Exclusive signed and non-exclusive. Exclusive means you can NEVER sign that song to anyone else ever again. Publishers tend to use exclusive agreements. Just be aware.

That's a good start.... there's more to learn, but you can pick that up as you begin the journey. For now, look for the libraries and get your music into them. One day, quite to your surprise, if you stay diligent, you will receive a letter from BMI (or your PRO) and when you open it, you will find a check and a statement of account on what songs were used and who used them and where. That's a day you will not soon forget.

Last edited by Guitarhacker; 06/07/16 02:16 AM.
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