Your success as a singer-songwriter depends a good deal on the strategic way you position your self as a musician. The artistry of producing superb music—your vision, your mood, your intuitivesense of rhythm and musical figures—is a vastly different beast than the often daunting legal and economic landscape of audio in this new generation of digital distribution. One undertaking is creative and intuitive; the other entails red tape, legality, logistics and factors.
Apart from the creative process, it's important to contemplate strategy when considering where you want your music to take you. Do you create audio as a career? Is music your main type of funding? Do you produce music to promote albums and create a fan base, or do you primarily wish to have your music placed in film, television and video games? Perhaps you produce new music for all three purposes.
Another essential aspect to contemplate is what distribution technique will in reality make you money. Given the present landscape of diminishing download revenue and the excessive cost of antiquated physical distribution systems it generally is a daunting undertaking to discover the method that is right for you. In 2012, most producers agree that the main two ways to generate income from music are to tour, or to license music for film, television and video games. After considering the effort and cost involved in planning, booking and carrying out tours licensing certainly emerges as a preferred revenue stream generated by music. If placement in films and television is your primary objective, please keep reading.
The way you control ownership of your songs is an essential ingredient for potential music licensing deals in the future. You'll want to research what makes the most sense for your own productions with a lawyer, but in general, you'll need to consider:
1) You'll need to keep your own publishing.
2) It truly is easier to contemplate licensing contracts if there is one single
songwriter credit for your music.
3) It is easier to work with licensing agents if you release your own
productions as an independent artist. In general, the less parties there are
in a contract, the better.
4) It is best to evaluate licensing companies effectively. Have an attorney
examine any possible contracts. Should you choose a licensing agent, they
frequently prefer to be the exclusive agent—so choose well.
Musician Jennifer Clarke is one such singer-songwriter. She creates her music primarily as an emotional pursuit. Her productions are deeply personal and soulful. Yet the moment the album is mastered and printed, Jennifer becomes all business. She licensed her song, “More Than I Have,” on the FX Series starring Denis Leary, Rescue Me. Her current album, Trinkets in Rubble, is slated for release in March 2012, when she'll start new efforts to get the album licensed.
What can you do to pursue licensing? Get in contact with Music Nomad, ASCAP, or use your favorite search engine to look for companies that specialize in the field. Most importantly, never give up. If you knock on enough doors eventually one of them will open.
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