The Easiest Way To Get Started With Music Licensing.

Grasping the complexities of the sync music market as a whole can seem like a daunting task at first glance. There’s a lot going on. From the numerous music libraries big and small, to the many music supervisors and agencies who represent artists all around the world. To say the market is competitive is an understatement, but let’s put things into perspective. The sheer amount of video content being produced on a daily basis is astounding. No less than 30,000 hours  of video is uploaded to YouTube every hour. We’re living in an age of mind boggling content creation, and you can rest assured that at any given point in time there is a place for your music to live and thrive. 

If you’re like me and you feel compelled to write music as much as possible..let me tell you that there is nothing more satisfying than having your music paired with the right visual content. Whether it be a movie, an advertisement or an art project..it’s an incredibly rewarding experience to write music for these types of projects, and it’s a privilege to be able to do it for a living.  

If this is something you see yourself doing, or something that interests you, I have good news. Getting your foot in the door isn’t very difficult. We all need to start somewhere, so here’s my advice for you. 

First of all, identify your strengths. When I first started out I didn’t have much production experience, but I could play guitar. I wrote simple acoustic songs to start, just a few layers. I added basic percussive elements to them like shakers and tambourines. This was well before I had ever used a sample library. Maybe you’re a pianist, or a singer. Maybe you’re a beat maker. If you’re just starting out I’d recommend getting a small package of songs together, maybe 5 or 6. Let your strengths determine the type of music you decide to write. 

Once you’ve got a solid package together, I’d recommend asking for some honest feedback before you start sending it out to the world. There’s no better way to improve your skills than getting some valuable advice and objective criticism. Don’t take negative feedback to heart. Get as many opinions as you can and take stock of what others have to say, but trust your gut and go with your instincts. A great place to get some solid feedback is by joining my Discord channel, where you'll find a like minded community of friendly composers who are happy to point you in the right direction. 

Once you’ve got some music you’re ready to share with the world there's a few things to consider. To help you better understand how things got rolling for me, let me break down how I took it step by step. First, I uploaded my music to Soundcloud. It’s free, it’s easy to use and you can put a little profile together to test the waters. It will also come in handy further down the road when you’re applying to sync music libraries. Second, I uploaded some music to Audiojungle and Pond 5. This was my first taste of the music licensing universe. The moment that my music was first purchased was a special one. Over time I started to grow my portfolio and created a personal website. I used this as a calling card and reached out to videographers, filmmakers, agents, music supervisors, production music libraries etc.. The good news is they’re all online and they all have profiles on Linkedin. As my confidence and production skills grew, I established working relationships that still hold up to this day, and I spread my music as far and wide across as many platforms as possible. Today I can proudly say my music has been licensed by internationally recognized brands, award winning filmmakers and thousands of content creators all across the globe. 

If it all seems a bit overwhelming, remember to focus on the small steps that you can take on a daily basis. Work on the fundamentals and the rest will fall into place. Take it day by day, it’s a marathon, not a sprint! 

The key aspect to achieving success in licensing is ensuring your music is top notch. That's why I started the Production Music Academy. If you're interested in seeing how I write, mix and master sync ready tracks from scratch, make sure to enrol in the academy. It's free to join, and you'll be first to be notified on all upcoming course deals. In the meantime, feel free to browse the MIDI and sample packs we have available in our online store! 

Good luck and happy composing.