Music & Marketing: URBANIZED!

These 5 things are the components of a word I hear over and over again from Supervisors in describing the type of music and artists they are looking for… “sync-able.” Sync-able doesn’t just refer to lyrics and melodies. There is a nuts and bolts element to it as well. Before you can even think about hearing your music in Grey’s Anatomy, you need to check these off the list. Let’s jump in, shall we!

1. Master Quality Recordings

No demos allowed. (Step up onto soapbox) Do demos even exist anymore? Considering how easy and economical it is to record high quality stuff now days, why would anyone limit that recordings’ opportunities by making it a demo. (Step off of soapbox)

If you’re confused about how to define “master quality recordings,” the easiest thing to do is listen to recordings and artists that have been successful in the TV/Film world already. I recommend you go listen to a few friends of mine like Perrin Lamb and Lee Hester. Of course, you can go listen to my stuff as well. We’ve all been lucky to have some successes with placements, and it’s partly because of our high quality product. Some other indie artists that get used a lot are Tim Myers, Katie Herzig, and Matthew Perryman Jones.

2. 100% Ownership

If you’ve got a major pub or record deal, you’re reading the wrong blog. There is a reason why Supervisors use indie artists. Because they don’t have to deal with slow, haggling publishers and record labels.

A lot of times (especially in TV) a Supervisor doesn’t have time to get 5 people to sign off on a license. And they might not have flexibility in a budget to negotiate for 200 more dollars. These are all things that are avoided when a single artist can sign off on a use.

3. General Themed Lyrics

In TV and Film, music compliments the dialogue and visual. As oppose to driving it. With that said, lyrics should be general or metaphorical enough to be interpreted in as many ways as there are viewers. The song should fit into the story that the viewer is seeing. What the viewer is seeing CAN’T be forced to fit the song they are hearing. It doesn’t work like that.

In other words, if you are detailed story teller, then you are going to have a hard time in the TV/Film world.

4. Feel Good and Break Up Style Production

Obviously, there are a million different music needs out there. But, in my experience, a good 80% of the uses fall into two musical production styles. I call them “Feel Good” and “Break Up.”

Feel Goods are uplifting, anthemic, mid-tempos. Usually with positive, universal lyrics. They do exactly what their title says… make you feel good. Think U2 and Coldplay. Here’s an example of a Feel Good. It’s my song, “Not Today,” and it’s been used in Grey’s Anatomy and The Real World.

The other style, Break Ups, are broken down, acoustic or piano, relationship-themed ballads. Here’s another one of my songs as an example. It’s called “Step Outside,” and it’s been used in The Hills.

5. Instrumentals

If you don’t have instrumentals for all of your songs… get them now. Sometimes Music Editors need to work around dialogue. Or, maybe they love a track, but lyrically it doesn’t it work. You want to give them that flexibility. They will love you for it. Not to mention it will give you a ton more opportunities.


All of the things I’ve listed here will make you and your music more sync-able. But, more importantly, it builds a foundation of something that is essential in a relationship with a Supervisor… Trust.

A study of over 4,200 online consumers in Europe has predicted digital music will have a majority stake (57%) in the recorded music market by 2013. Digital licensing is expected to generate another €1.2 billion ($1.6 million).

The report, entitled "How Digital Licensing Will Help Save the Music Industry", was released today by independent research company Forrester Research.

Its six-year forecast also states that online piracy remains a massive problem, particularly amongst 16 to 19-year olds, where it found file-sharing occurred four times more than legal downloading.

The popularity of social networking is expected to double to 78 million by 2014, prompting a surge of subsidized services offerings free music. Such a business model is also on trial via Nokia Comes With Music.

Mark Mulligan, VP and research director at Forrester Research, urges music companies to steer away from traditional methods of business and focus instead on "monetizing consumption."

"The music industry is moving away from the distribution paradigm to the consumption era," he said in a statement. "The core principles of the old music industry, such as units shipped and album sales revenues mean less in the on-demand digital world. Digital licensing revenue will be a cornerstone of the new businesses models that do that.

"The music industry is not dying but the way in which it does business is changing irrevocably. Every industry stakeholder -- the record companies, consumer electronics manufacturers, telcos, ISPs and retailers -- must get out of their comfort zone and change their strategy in order to grab a piece of a smaller, yet more complex European music industry."

By Jen Wilson, London for billboard.biz