Music Licensing for Film & TV – How It Works

With streaming royalties as low as they are, Film & Television sync licensing is one of the best remaining areas of potentially substantial income for an independent artist, songwriter or composer. This segment is focused on everything an artist/songwriter/independent publisher in any genre needs to know about sync licensing from the business, financial, and legal perspectives. What is a “sync” license? What are the specific rights that need to be granted to the Licensee (them) by the Licensor (you)? What to know regarding collaborations with co-writers and band members in connection with Film/TV/ads placements.

Alan will cover all of this from top to bottom. Q&A to follow.

The Ins & Outs of Independent Music Publishing & Self-Distribution for Artists

When the music publishing business began, there were no vinyl records, cassette tapes, or CD’s and there was certainly no internet for streaming music and movies.  Music publishing meant printing and selling paper copies of the music for others to read and perform whether in concert or at home. That’s why it is called publishing!  Times have certainly changed and so has the world of music publishing. BUT in order to collect your royalties for physical sales, downloads, and streaming, your songs still need to be “published,” even though you are likely not selling paper copies or compilations of songs in book form. So now....What is a music publisher and what do they do? Should you self-publish or try to sign with a professional publishing company? What can a publisher do for you? How is the money collected and split when your music is published by someone else? What are the various sources of income for the music you write, how does it get paid, and how can you make sure to collect everything that is due to you?

Alan will discuss all of this and we will leave plenty of time for a Q&A session at the end of this extended segment.

Tips for Placing Your Music in Film & TV

Now that we’ve covered the business & legal details, this segment looks at the “creative” side of Film & TV placement. The focus will be on what makes a track more “syncable,” what to consider when producing tracks that might be suitable for placement with visual media, and what kinds of materials, alternate versions, and mixes should be readily available when someone is interested in using your song (the “deliverables”). We will discuss the various ways to pitch for and pursue sync placements. What are directors and music supervisors looking for? What will grab the attention of a music supervisor? What are some “must do’s” and some “never do’s” when presenting your music for Film/TV? What about covers of well known songs?

Q&A to follow.

Open Session Song & Production Critiques

The last segment of the day will be songwriters and artists of all styles presenting their songs for Alan to critique from a songwriting craft to performance and production, and from a Film/TV sync perspective. For those who present finished tracks, we will focus on the production of the recordings as well as what might make the songs themselves more or less likely to snag a film or television placement. This will be an open listening forum that songwriters and artists will sign up for and provide mp3s and lyrics in advance (please email Virginia). Everyone present will benefit from this public session, listening to and analyzing your music and the music of others.