Coldwave Blog - Music Tips For Independent Artists

Blog post originally from MusicClout . While today’s music industry climate may be more favorable to an independent approach, artists need to be more diligent and look for alternative and innovative ways to succeed. With music piracy rampant on the internet, artists more than ever must take advantage of opportunity to profit from their music. One rapidly developing area of the music industry is music licensing. So, what is music licensing? Music licensing is the licensed use of copyrighted material. Music licensing is intended to ensure that the owners of copyrights on musical works are compensated for certain uses of their work. It turns out that music licensing is happening every day, all around us. When you listen to music on the radio, that music is licensed. When you hear music in a commercial or on a sitcom, that music is licensed. And that music you hear playing during the credits of your favorite movie? You guessed it, that music is licensed. Music licensing, if done...

Post originally from andylykens.com . I’ve always been very engaged with connecting music to advertising . Today, I want to get your wheels turning and get you thinking outside the box. What is the fastest way to get your music in a commercial? This answer may make you laugh: start a company. Originally I thought the answer was “start an advertising agency” but that isn’t really correct, though it could still be effective. Ad agencies still answer to clients (most of the time – sometimes they’re given artistic freedom by the brand). So even ad agencies can’t guarantee their final creative decision will be the approved one (even though plenty of times it is). Music is tremendous at creating engagement and targeting specific demographics that brands can’t help but put it into everything they do. Let’s look at 10 specific ways brands can use music: 1. Original content – some brands like Patagonia create amazing content which features the stories or glimpses of active i...

By Kaitlyn Raterman Originally from SymBlog Being a musician is not as simple as writing a song, recording an album, selling it, and getting money from your sales. As an independent musician trying to learn a real living off of making music, it’s vital that you understand what kinds of royalty streams are out there. The first thing to understand is that in the most general sense, there are 2 parts, or 2 “sides,” to every “piece” of music. 1) Master The master is the sound recording. It’s the thing you hear when you play an mp3, vinyl, CD, YouTube video, etc. 2) Publishing The publishing side has to do with the underlying musical composition, which is embedded within a sound recording. The “publishing side” refers to the notes, melodies, chords, rhythms, lyrics, etc. to the piece of music. The “publishing side” is the musical composition. Various usages of each “side” to a piece of music generate their own royalties. If you write your own song, r...

A Guest Post by  Symphonic Distribution Originally from  MusicClout Licensing music is a much more involved process than just selling music. On your part as the content creator, it requires education, knowledge of copyright and publishing basics, extreme organization, and some annoying but highly important prep work that will set you up for potential success. Before you begin your venture into this exciting part of the music industry, read our 5 crucial tips below. 1. Make sure your music actually SOUNDS good. What the heck qualifies music as sounding good? This has absolutely nothing to do with subjective tastes in music. We mean that in the most general sense, the music must be well-produced music with high-quality instruments (whether acoustic or electronic) and high-quality sound design. Heads up: Not all music is licensing-friendly. Music that gets licensed for the medium & large tier opportunities hits mainstream audiences. Music that hits mainst...

Article from MusicClout Originally written by  Andy Lykens Note from EH Mídia Editors: We work closely with record labels that can help you sending your music to PR partners for possible commercial placements, contact us if you need further information. Yes, advertising pays and it pays well.  The days of seeing licensing music for use in advertisements as selling out are near an end (for most bands and artists). As long as a song is aligned with a cool brand, the brand will shell out a stupid amount of money, or if a new artist is seeking exposure the placement of music in advertising seen as a smart business move. When I speak at Universities or at panels inevitably artists will ask a question that’s burning in their minds: “How do I get my music in a commercial?” I’d be lying if I told you it’s easy and didn’t take a long time to get something placed. Even major publishers and labels have dedicated people (like me!) pitching music ALL the time.  At the en...

By Andy Lykens January 7th 2013 Article from MusicClout Lately I've been fielding a lot of questions by songwriters and composers looking for ways to get their music licensed on TV, in film, and on commercials. How do I even get my stuff considered for commercials? The short answer to this question is “hit the pavement.” Luckily, I’m going to give you the long answer too! There are several options when it comes to getting your music in front of people who consistently license music. Here are just a few ideas to help get you started: 1) Contact them directly – This is definitely the hardcore sales route. It is probably the most daunting and least appetizing approach, but it also allows you to play some solid odds. While there really aren’t that many people directly in charge of music specifically at agencies, there ARE a lot of people involved in the final decision. Use your current connections and see if you know someone who knows someone and reach out. 2) Non-Excl...

Article originally from MusicClout.com With all the changes that have been going on in the music industry over the past decade, one of the biggest and most lucrative has been the rise of music licensing.  It is now very common to hear your favorite song not only on the radio, but on tv shows, commercials, and video games as well. This can only be great news for artists and musicians whose goal is to share their music with as many people as possible.  Despite all this, there are still some musicians who feel that licensing your music is similar to “selling out” to corporations.  So we’re going to discuss a few of the benefits of having your music licensed. The number one most important benefit of licensing your music is exposure, exposure, exposure!  One of the main reasons people write and record their music is so that others can listen to and enjoy it.  Sure, some people may be in it just for the money, but any band or singer who’s played a great show w...

 Five Reasons Your're Not Licensing More Music A Guest Post by Aaron Davison of How To License Your Music.com Incorporated from Music Clout If you aren't licensing as much of your music as you'd like or if you simply haven't been able to successfully license any of your music, then most likely one or more of the reasons below is why: 1) Your Songs Aren't Good Enough - If you've been actively trying to license your music without success then this is the first place you need to look. Are your songs good? Are your songs great? I know this is a hard thing to be objective about but you really need to try to distance yourself a little and assess whether your music really is as good as other music that is being successfully picked up. Supervisors listen to a lot of music and they gravitate towards songs that fit the criteria for the scenes they need music for and for the songs that they simply like the best. Write great songs and people will take notice. ...