Long gone are the days when making it as a music composer was considered a naive ambition. While some decades ago achieving a musician’s career was inseparable from building connections within the music industry or being discovered by music managers, today musicians are in charge of their own destiny. With the help of music libraries, composers all around the world are provided with easy access to cinema, TV, radio and marketing industries by simply uploading their music on online music catalogs.
How did this become possible?
We have to thank the internet and the impact it had on the music industry which enabled the composers, their clients from the industry, and the performing rights societies to smoothly operate and make deals online.
Second – it wouldn’t be possible for musicians to make money from music if it wasn’t for the increasing popularity of video content on the internet such as ads, vlogs, video tutorials, etc., which prompted the new era for music producers. Music is the key component in most of the videos you see every day! Both traditional media and the internet are flooded with massive amounts of video content, so you can only imagine how many tracks have been created and used for all kinds of projects since the first music libraries emerged – and even more new music is constantly needed!
Do I have to be a professional composer to license my music and start earning money?
Not at all! Even if you’ve just begun your musician’s journey, you have as many chances to sell your music online as the producers with years of experience in the industry.
Keep in mind though, that when we talk about “making it” in the music industry, your number one priority should literally be making “it” – your music – because whether you succeed or not depends only on your determination and diligence. The more effort you put in, the more courageously you dive in the sea of music licensing opportunities, the better your chances to finally find the niche you can benefit from making music you love.
However, there’s one little catch.
The majority of popular music libraries accept only clean-sounding, high-quality music. So even if you’re producing a bunch of new tracks every week, it won’t necessarily guarantee that every music library accepts your music submissions.
To make sure you get off on the right foot, you may need to invest in advanced gear like a powerful computer, a good Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), MIDI controllers, maybe a synth and some sample packs.
In addition, you’ll want your tracks to convey a specific mood (dramatic, emotional, aggressive, dreamy) and have a clear structure – such tunes have better chances out there as opposed to complex compositions that are hard to apply in standard video projects.
On the other hand, scoring and production music trends do change, so if experimental sounds are your forte, go for it – you might be on to something!
Where can I sell my tracks?
As soon as you have a nice bundle of high-quality tracks ready and mastered, you can start submitting them to music libraries.
In many music libraries today, you can be your own boss as they allow you to set your own prices and sometimes even choose between the exclusive or non-exclusive agreement type.
Sync Licensing is the most common licensing type offered by a majority of music libraries. It ensures that the artists receive their one-time synchronization fee (which is usually around 50%) for every time their track is purchased, plus performance royalties for each time the track is played where royalties are collected by a PRO, as well as ad revenue if you’re part of Youtube ContentID program.
Music libraries have proven to be a win-win-win for every player in the music industry game: media production companies, independent directors, and music composers. There are thousands of beginning film directors or niche production houses that have a limited budget for their production, which makes music libraries the most reliable and convenient source of some beautiful tracks for their commercial or artistic projects.
So, enough holding back – it’s time for you to seize this exciting opportunity to see your music featured in commercial and artistic video projects and start earning the money you deserve! You’ve got absolutely nothing to lose so when you’re ready, apply here and share your music with the world!
