Music industry contacts are most useful if you know how to use them correctly. Sadly, many musicians don’t take the time to learn what to do if they make a new contact in the music business. Hard to come by, easy to blow the relationship!

There are hundreds, maybe thousands of website that give out free listings of music industry contacts, along with contact information for the A&R people at record companies, music publishers, and film & TV music supervisors. While it’s great that you can get your hands on that information, there are some critical things to think about before using that information.

First and foremost, unless the list of labels, publishers, and supervisors is updated monthly, chances are that much of the information is old, and therefore useless. Check to make sure the list you want to use is fresh and updated often.

How to Use Music Industry Contacts the Right Way!

The first thing to consider is what you want to do with your music. Most musicians will answer, “I just want to get my music heard.” That’s great, but heard by whom, and for what purpose.

Do you want a record deal? More specifically, do you want to get singed by an Indie Record Label or Major Label? Independent labels are known for having smaller artist rosters, and giving more attention to each artist. They also have much smaller marketing budgets for their artists, and often have to rely on grassroots marketing techniques, and the landscape is unbelievably crowded with songwriters, bands, and artists who are all clamoring for attention from the same music buyers.

Major record labels have more money for marketing and promotion. They also have larger staffs of radio promotion people, field sales reps, and product managers. The downside is that the major labels are well known for dropping artists if their record doesn’t get significant radio airplay in the first few weeks.

You should also look at what genre of music the labels you’re reaching out to are best at marketing. Don’t send your Country demo to a Hip Hop A&R person. Do your homework and find out which A&R people at which labels are the right people to submit your music to.

Film and TV Music Supervisors Are the New “Rock Stars”

Many musicians have given up on the idea of getting a record deal altogether. Instead, they’ve turned their attention to the film and TV music market because it appears to be an easier route to make money with your music. Because there has been a huge increase in the number of people who wan to license their music to TV shows, films, and movie trailers, music supervisors have become the hot ticket.

And while you can get free lists of music supervisors, the same rules apply when submitting your music to them. You need to know who they are, what shows or films they need music for, and what kind of music they need. Do your homework before you reach out to them!

One Chance to Submit Your Music

You may only get one chance to contact a music supervisor, so don’t waste their time with sending them music they don’t need. If they work on a TV show on the CW network, they’ll probably need songs that skew to a younger audience. If the music supervisor you’re contacting mostly works on sports programs, they’re going to need testosterone driven Rock or Hip Hop, not love songs.

If you want to submit Dubstep to a music supervisor, chances are you’ll do well by submitting to supervisors who work on film trailers, because Dubstep works well for the quick cut projects that are common in the Hollywood blockbuster film trailer world.

In any case, it’s key to remember that just like A&R people at record labels, Hollywood’s top music supervisors have very limited time to audition music, and they only want to hear the very best music targeted at their immediate and most pressing needs. Because there are so many free lists of music supervisors, they are getting bombarded with independent songwriters, bands, and artists who want their attention. Those who are best prepared and submit the right kind of music are the few that will get a chance to get their music heard.

The Best Way to Get Your Music Heard…

While free lists of contacts in the music industry are great because they have no cost involved, the truth of the matter is that most people in the music business only want to hear music that comes to them from reputable sources who have already filtered the music before it gets to them. It saves time and trouble, and in today’s world, time is at a premium.

TAXI has been serving record labels, music publishers, and music supervisors for more than twenty years. The reason they come to TAXI to find the best indie artists, songwriters, and composers is because the music we submit to them is always pre-filtered to fit their exact needs at any moment in time.

As a matter of fact, TAXI publishes music Industry Listings that are updated lists of exactly what people in all facets of the music business need every day. Thousands upon thousands of songwriters, artists, and composers have been successful using TAXI. Click here to see their success stories in their own words.

Click here to learn how TAXI can help you target your music submissions better than just using a free list of music industry contacts!

Want to see what record labels, music publishers, and Film and TV music Supervisors need right now? Click here!

Songwriters and artists who want to license their music for film and TV placements, get record deals, publishing deals, and placements in TV commercials and video games have been using TAXI’s A&R service since 1992 for good reason—TAXI has more REAL connections with record labels, music publishers, and top music supervisors than ever.

Why? Because TAXI has been around for more than twenty years, and we filter the music before it’s pitched to the A&R reps, publishing companies, and Film & TV music supervisors.

Why Music Filtering Matters

With millions of songwriters, artists, and composers all trying to pitch their music to what is a relatively small group of professionals in the music business, there has been an ever-increasing deluge of unsolicited music. People who license music, look for artists to sign, and songs they want to publish, just don’t have the time to listen to music that isn’t on target for what they need at a particular time for a particular project.

It’s Not Just WHO You Know…

Knowing somebody at a record company, publishing company, or a music supervisor working on a TV show, Hollywood feature film, or a TV commercial is only half—maybe even a third the battle. Knowing WHAT they are looking for and WHEN they are looking for is the real key to success.

And that’s what TAXI does better than anybody!

TAXI’s Industry Listings were nothing short of revolutionary when the company first opened its doors two decades ago. Though many other so-called music or A&R services have tried to copy TAXI’s business model, the thing that makes TAXI the stand out firm is it’s A&R team. The TAXI imitators don’t have experts filtering music.

Having genre specific experts who pre-screen the music is what has kept Indie Labels, Major Labels, Music Supervisors coming back to TAXI time and time again. And those long-term relationships have translated into thousands of TAXI member songs being licensed for TV shows and films, thousands of publishing deals, and yes, some TAXI members have even landed record deals with major and indie labels, and a couple of number one Billboard hits and platinum records.

“Is TAXI a Scam?”

Ironically, you’ll still find that question posted on message boards and forums all over the Internet. Though TAXI has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, has a success rate that remains unmatched, and success stories posted all over the Internet, there are those who remain unconvinced.

TAXI isn’t for everybody! Our service is for songwriters, artists, and composers who are looking for commercial success, not a pat on the back or stroke to their ego. While some believe that TAXI is only for musicians who write and record music that is targeted ONLY at the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, the opposite is often true. Most of the songs licensed from TAXI members are in genres and styles that won’t be found on that chart at all!

What Kind of Music Gets Licensed Most Frequently?

If you want to know the answer to that question, the quickest way to find out is to simply sign up for TAXI’s Industry Listings before you join! It’s free, and you’ll get an updated list of what music supervisors, music libraries, record labels, and publishers are looking every two weeks. You’ll also daily alerts when music supervisors, ad agencies, and Hollywood movie trailer companies are in a time crunch and need something in hurry.

If you don’t see a lot of requests for the type of music you make, then don’t waste your money on TAXI. Truthfully, we don’t want you to join TAXI if you aren’t going to get any benefit. We like happy customers!

And if you see posts on music blogs and forums from people who weren’t happy with TAXI, please take a moment and listen to their music and ask yourself, “Would I license this music, would I sign this artist to a record deal, or would I pitch this music if I were an industry professional?”

If you wouldn’t, maybe that’s why that person has posted a negative review of TAXI. It’s always easier to blame a music service than it might be to admit your music isn’t ready for prime time.

TAXI Success Stories

Check out this forum thread where TAXI members post their success stories. These are unedited and in the members’ own words. What is the difference between the successful TAXI members and those who post sour grape stories or bad reviews of TAXI’s music service?

The music they make and how well (or not well) they targeted their music at TAXI’s opportunities. Everything else is the same!

Both successful and unsuccessful TAXI members use EXACTLY the same service, have EXACTLY the same opportunities for their music, and get heard by EXACTLY the same experts on TAXI’s A&R team. Only the music and what it is pitched for are the variables.

Is TAXI For You?

Yes, if you want to get your music heard by true experts, and you’re looking for Film and TV music licensing deals, a record deal, or a publishing deal. No, if music is a hobby, you’re not willing to listen to feedback, and you aren’t looking for some form of success on the commercial side of the music business.

TAXI isn’t for everybody, but it may be just what you’ve been looking for if you want to make money with your music!

A list of music supervisors might look like the Holy Grail to the uninitiated. But having a music supervisor directory is only part of the puzzle when trying to pitch your music for film and TV. Knowing what the people on that list are currently working on, and what kind of music they’re looking for at the moment is the true key to success..

Music supervisors aren’t just looking for good music, they’re looking for great music that fills a need. And more often than not, what they need is music that supports the central emotion of the scene. They also need the music to enhance that emotion without getting in the way of the story the script and dialog are telling.

What Music Supervisors Are Not Looking For…

In other words, they generally don’t want a song that tells a story of its own. More than likely, that would conflict with the story already being told. Obviously, instrumental music doesn’t have the issue of conflicting lyrics, but the mood, texture, or overall vibe of just the track could also conflict with the mood.

Imagine a scene showing family and friends mourning at a grave site with a happy, uptempo track playing in the background. Incongruous, unexpected, and probably un-cool!

A music supervisor might also be looking for music that puts the viewer in a physical place or location like an elegant restaurant or a redneck bar. Can you imagine that redneck bar scene with classical music coming from the jukebox? How about the elegant restaurant scene with death metal blaring in the background?

A Music Supervisor List Isn’t Much Help On Its Own

So having a list of TV music supervisors or a directory of the top music supervisors in Hollywood in your hot little hands won’t help you much if you don’t know what they need! How do you find out? Do your homework. Watch TV! Make a list of songs or types of instrumental tracks that particular music supervisor uses on that specific show.

Get Inside the Music Supervisor’s Head

Most shows that use a lot of music have what I would call a musical signature or “sound.” Some of that signature sound is determined by the time period the show takes place in. For instance, Mad Men is going to need a completely different type of music than a show like NCIS. One takes place in the 1960s, and the other is current.

Mad Men sometimes uses 60s-sounding songs to act more like what a score would normally do, while NCIS is more likely to use source music—meaning that it comes from a source like a car radio in a scene where a character is driving somewhere.

Beyond how the time period or types of scenes can dictate the music used, many music supervisors like to be on the cutting edge of cool. They want to be known for using music that’s fresh and new. They want to impress the producers they work with by staying ahead of the curve.

That can be critically important, especially when licensing music for a film. The film might not be released for several months, maybe even a year ahead of when the music is selected and mixed into the movie. If they load the film up with music that was on the charts six months prior to completion, then it could easily be out of fashion when the film is finally viewed by the public.

Music Libraries. Friend or Foe?

While music libraries are arguably being used less these days by music supervisors, I don’t think they’ll ever go completely away. They serve a purpose—providing pre-cleared music at a reasonable price. And many of today’s libraries include songs with lyrics, not just the canned instrumental music found in the libraries of yore.

As a parting thought, you might find it more productive to get your music placed in libraries or repped by a film/TV music agent rather than buying a directory of music supervisors, doing all the research yourself, and trying to contact them on a one-to-one basis to pitch your music. You might be smart to give up a piece of the income in exchange for increasing your odds of success and doing much less of the leg work.

After all 50% of something is always worth more than 100% of nothing!

“How do I get my music heard?” asked the caller. If I had a nickel for every time a songwriter, artist, band or composer has asked me that question, I could retire! Truthfully, it’s not a great question because it’s so ambiguous. The people who ask the question would get a much better answer if they asked a more specific question.

Here are some examples:

• “How do I get my music heard by an A&R person at a record label?

• “How do I get my music heard by a publisher?”

• “How do I get my music heard by a Film or TV music supervisor?”

• “How do I get my music heard by somebody who books bands?”

• “How do I get my music heard by people who would be interested in buying it?”

Even those questions aren’t really specific enough. Don’t you want to know what kind of music they’re talking about? After all, a music supervisor working on a soap opera is probably not looking for Death Metal so much as singer/songwriter tracks, right? A little common sense goes a long way!

Marketing Your Music Starts with Common Sense

If you’re looking to market your music to the public, the question might be, “Where is a good place to market music from singer/songwriters?”

The more specific you are in your question, the more narrowly focused the answer is going to be.

Let’s take the example of a band that wants to get their music heard by an A&R person at a major record label. The question would be, “How do I get my music heard by an A&R person at a major record label?”

If you’re really on top of your game, you’d be even smarter to be more specific and ask, “How do I get my music heard by somebody who works in the Pop genre at a major record label?”

Getting Film and TV placements has become all the rage, yet most musicians don’t take the time to actually watch the shows and take notes as to what kind of music the shows generally use. The road map is staring them in the face!

Don’t submit Country songs to a show that primarily uses twenty-something hipster, Singer/Songwriter music. And the question that works as the corollary to this is, “How do I get my music to music supervisors who are looking for Singer/Songwriter tracks?”

The next time you’re ready to ask, “How do I get my music heard?” give it some thought and frame your question to be more specific. You’ll be much happier with the answers you get and much more successful in getting your music to the right people!

“Is TAXI Worth it? Is TAXI REAL or is it a Scam?”

I saw that question posted on a forum about an hour ago. I’m not sure why people are still asking that question after nearly 19 years in business and thousands of success stories on the Internet. I know that some of our less than scrupulous competitors create fake posts to make themselves look better. I know that we have some sour grapes folks out there who make it their business to denigrate TAXI as a form of retribution because their music didn’t make the grade.

What I don’t understand is why more people don’t just check out our forum and ask our members if they are having success with TAXI. The evidence is overwhelming!
These are just a few of the thread starter titles on our TAXI Success Stories forum. BTW, all of the forum posts are in the members’ own words and unedited:

• TV theme & 450+ placements… // Thank you!
• Over 90 placements, a TV Theme song and now a “Go To Guy”
• First check from a deal through TAXI
• YET ANOTHER TAXI PIECE, ENDS UP IN AN AD CAMPAIGN

“Each day it seems like I’m one step closer to making this dream of being a full-time composer a reality so I just wanted to say THANK YOU again to Michael and the rest of the TAXI staff for all they do.” Barry French

“Fall of 2009 I had my first deal because of a TAXI connection and signed with a producer who, among other things, supplies music for several day time talk shows. Some few months ago I landed the theme for one of those shows together with my friend and colleague David John. We got to write a lot of additional music for the show as well and within the first two months of the show airing we have had over 450 placements total. It just keeps growing.” Lydia Ashton

If you’ve been on the fence about joining TAXI, then you really need to look at this forum and hear the success stories directly from our members” mouths. You’ll quickly find out that TAXI is most definitely worth it!

“What Are Film & TV Music Supervisors Looking For?” Songwriters, artists and especially composers ask me that question all the time. I’m going to give you the answer in a minute. Be forewarned, you might not take me seriously because it’s so incredibly easy!

Remember when your parents told you not to watch too much TV because it kills brain cells? Well, that might be true for the average person, but maybe not for musicians who want to know what Film and TV Music Supervisors are looking for. It might even be, well… downright educational.

There’s no better way to figure out what kind of music the supervisors need than to watch and hear what kind of music they actually use! I’ve been preaching this for years, but very few people seem to have listened. The success of those who have listened has been obvious.

The road maps are out there, and there are clearly different maps for different destinations. Reality TV tends to have its own sound, dramas have another, comedies another and so on. All you really have to do is turn up the volume a bit, listen past the dialog and take notes. Yes, I said take notes!

I know, I know… you thought you had finished school. Well, I promise you this education will be more fun than high school even was, and I guarantee there aren’t any bullies in the hallways waiting to stuff you in a locker.

Set aside just one hour per night to do your “homework.” Make sure you watch at least two of each type of show or movie and write your research down.

How many instrumental cues overall? Did any similarities pop out? Which genres? Instrumentation?

How many tracks were songs with lyrics? What subjects were the lyrics about? Which genres? Male or female vocals predominant?

What types of scenes did each play in? How long did each piece run?

Was the music in the clear or under dialog? Was it a background piece, did it appear to come from a source (like a jukebox in a bar scene), or was it featured performance (like a band playing in a bar) with no dialog over it?

Was the music current sounding or did it sound like it came from a particular time period like the 70s?

After doing this for a couple of weeks, you’ll have enough data build a spreadsheet and probably start to see some patterns forming. The trick is to find the patterns and types of music that best match your skill set. In other words, if you’re a little weak at writing lyrics, then maybe you’d be better off concentrating on instrumentals.

Common sense, right? Sometimes those things are easier to see when somebody else points them out. The next time you wonder what Film and TV Music Supervisors are looking for all you need to do is go watch some TV to figure it out.

You can also sign up to get FREE updates of TAXI’s Industry Listings so you can see exactly what TV and Film Music Supervisors are looking for every two weeks.

Good luck!

Jeff Greenleaf shows up in the Success Stories section of our Forum quite often. Want to know how he’s used TAXI to build his fast-growing success?

Learn exactly what Broadcast Quality Music is and what it sounds like. Hear examples and see TV commercials that have really simple one-instrument music beds that earned their creators thousands of dollars. Virtually anyone with a home studio can easily make Broadcast Quality Recordings.

Also answering these questions:

• Can I earn money with Instrumentals and Songs?

• How long should my tracks be?

• What are “Universal Lyrics?”

• Do my tracks need to be “Mastered” to be competitive?

• What is a “Buttoned Ending,” and do I need one?

• How much money can I make?

• What do I need to do to start earning money from Film and TV Placements?

It’s a new year, but I’m going to revisit a topic from last year… any year for that matter.

Can you record Broadcast Quality Music if you have a limited home studio? Yes, but it depends what you’re recording. If you’re trying to do big, lush Orchestral tracks, you’re going to need outstanding virtual instruments or samples and lots of tracks.

If however, you want to start out with some simple ideas that can and very well should get some Film and TV placements, you’ll be surprised by how little recording gear and instrumentation you can get by with.

Imagine a chase scene in a Dukes of Hazard type show. Can’t you just hear a Jew’s harp melody and a washboard percussion track? How hard would that be to record? Just about any microphone would work fine, but I’d recommend a Shure 57. Everybody has one, they’re pretty cheap and they handle a lot of level, which I’m sure you’ll get from that washboard!

Bang out a simple “Hillbilly” melody and rhythm, lay down two minutes and give it a buttoned ending, and bammo, you’re good to go! Make sure you’ve got nice, healthy levels while recording and get a good blend while mixing and you may have just created a contender for a Production Music Library and eventual placement in a TV show or movie.

Want to try another? How about a scene in biker flick? Imagine a hot, dusty scene outside of a biker bar in Noweheresville, Nevada. The head of the biker gang just came out the front door, only to notice his 1964 Harley had been knocked over and is on its side, spilling gas.

I’d go for a haunting slide guitar part combined with a distorted harmonica to add some tension.

Want to hear a great example of exactly this type of track? Here’s one done by TAXI member Jeff Greenleaf. It recently got a TV placement in MTV’s Nitro Circus. Here’s his forum post about the placement and a link to the track.

Harmonica on Nitro Circus

I just heard 2 of my harmonica/slide guitar songs on MTV’s Nitro Circus episode 9 (season finale)!
They played both songs in entirety, which was very cool.

I’ll attach the songs and if you want to watch the episode it’s in beginning of part 2 (from 5:27-6:14 and then 6:40-7:10).

Songs: http://www.reverbnation.com/tunepak/2163400

Video: http://www.mtv.com/videos/nitro-circus- … list.jhtml

Happy Holidayz!

And then there is this little beauty! TAXI member Bob Mete had a solo piano track (that he wrote thirty-five years ago!) licensed by a major fragrance company for an entire year on a worldwide basis. The licensing fee alone on this was $15,000. Go Bob!

Yes, the licensing fee was $15,000 for a solo piano piece! Can you record a solo piano piece and make it sound good in your home studio? Read Bob’s story here.

I hope I’ve inspired you to get off your tush and start listening to more TV to see how many simple tracks are used every day. They’ve got to come from somebody, and that somebody might as well be you!

TV Music Licensing pays songwriters and composers differently than Film Music Licensing does. Most songwriters don’t know that, and they ask me the question pretty frequently! The short answer is “yes, it pays differently,” in the U.S.

In the United States, composers of scores, background music and featured songs do NOT get paid when the music is played in a movie theater. In other words, there’s no back end, no performance royalty for music played in theaters. But there IS a performance royalty for theater play in many, if not most other countries.

So, while you won’t get an ASCAP, BMI or SESAC check for U.S. screenings of a movie with your music in it, you WILL get a check from your Performance Rights Organization months down the road from screenings outside of the U.S. Those checks are often slow in coming, as they need to go through the accounting systems of the foreign PROs, then go through the accounting system of your U.S. PRO.

BUT, you WILL get paid for your music if it’s in a Film that airs on a TV network in the U.S., so all is not lost. If you have music that ends up in a film that’s a huge hit, and gets tons of play on major and cable networks, month after month, year after year, you will see some nice checks hit your mailbox from those.

I’ll get into the difference between pay scales for music in cable vs network shows in another blog post. That’s a complicated matter and will need more time than I’ve got at the moment.

Talk to you soon,

Michael