| It is possible that in this day and age any musician can | | | | leads. |
| get their music licensed. By musician (in quotes) that | | | | To go even further, you may want to take some |
| may mean anyone fluent in the world of Garage Band, | | | | additional advice. Perhaps having thousands of dollars |
| anyone who is able to string loops together or anyone | | | | of equipment and an unending fountain of creativity |
| that plays an instrument for leisure and can record with | | | | spewing from your faucet will not ultimately get your |
| decent quality. | | | | music out there. Take every band that was ever |
| The home recording studio business has flourished | | | | created for example. The great tunes, the great lyrics, |
| over the past few years and just about every person | | | | the amazing 7/8 part in the middle of that one song will |
| who wants to can record a piece of music with | | | | go unnoticed if you just sit back and let it stream on |
| decent quality. Every Mac nowadays ships with | | | | your website. |
| Garage Band included in the software package. | | | | The beauty about sites like is that people will hear your |
| So with all this sort of new technology being utilized by | | | | music on that my space site. The only problem is that |
| the common mortal man, their influence on the licensing | | | | our ears are that much more cluttered. Do we really |
| industry has been noticed. It used to be a challenge to | | | | have that much time to sit back and take in that much |
| make a career in music licensing. Now it is almost | | | | music? Music Supervisors and Producers will not comb |
| impossible. Good friends of mine that were the jingle | | | | the web and look for you. It is important to get your |
| writers of the past now are looking at other possibilities | | | | music to them. You can parallel this to the days of the |
| to earn income. The competition is just so fierce. | | | | phantom A&R person that supposedly was going to |
| Now, I have been in this business for a few years and | | | | show up at your show. Was he or she ever there |
| have gotten a couple of tracks licensed on VH1, MTV, | | | | through all the silhouetted faces in the crowd? Now, I |
| Bravo and many others. The licensing fees are much | | | | am not saying that you will find success in picking up a |
| lower than they used to be. Royalty Free music has | | | | Hollywood Reporter magazine, finding a new show or |
| enabled prospective buyers to get decent music for | | | | movie in production and submitting your music to the |
| their productions and not worry about paying a large | | | | Music Supervisor. It definitely does not work that way |
| amount of money for it. | | | | either (well not always). Years ago I interned for a |
| When I launched my royalty free website in 2003, I | | | | Publishing company and later on an Intellectual Property |
| had every intention to make all the music on the | | | | company and I sifted through thousands of unsolicited |
| website available to anyone that wanted it. It sounds | | | | CDs. Ninety nine percent of them got thrown away. |
| great but with any website, just being on the web | | | | People in the music business hold on to their niche |
| does not ensure sales. Proper avenues of promotion | | | | business with claws so thick it would take a jack |
| must be taken to get your site noticed. | | | | hammer to penetrate. There are a lot of musicians |
| 1. Have a site that works 100 percent. No broken links | | | | jumping up and down trying to get attention. Let your |
| or glitches. No under construction pages. | | | | inspiration be your guide but make sure you chisel your |
| 2. Have as much content as possible. Stay away from | | | | way through to the other side; and be creative in this |
| large flash orientated sites | | | | chiseling. Remember, if you bought a book about how |
| 3. Manually submit to all major search engines and | | | | to become successful in this business, think of how |
| directories. I have not found a submission service that I | | | | many people are reading the same type of book with |
| trust yet. If I find one I will let you know. | | | | the same information. Now think about how many |
| 4. Update your content daily | | | | people are using the same tactics as you are. |
| 5. Get quality reciprocal links to your site. By quality I | | | | I remember it being the winter of 2002 and just |
| mean sites that are PR4 and above and have content | | | | purchased a whole new recording system. I had put |
| that relates to your site. The jury is still out on this but it | | | | down my stage microphone and hung up my guitar for |
| seems to work. | | | | studio headphones. I attended TV/Film music |
| 6. Write articles and post them on other sites. Make | | | | conferences to find out what I was up against. I read |
| sure you point back to your site and make the content | | | | all the semi-useless books about how to get |
| relevant. | | | | successful writing music for TV and Film. I found that |
| These five steps are the first baby steps in getting | | | | the only was to get your music out there was by |
| music seen by the public on your site. Following this | | | | promoting yourself day and night and finding new |
| advice will get quality hits to your site and some great | | | | ways to get your stuff noticed. |