Putting It All Together - Your Own Music Library

"The whole experience was an actor's dream."

oday a Songwriter/Performer needs to have a calling card of their material that's USE ready for film,TV and commercial considerations. This calling card is your own music library CD.

When I say music library, I mean you own all the rights to the recordings, as well as the songs on it, and thereby you can legally offer it to be licensed for all such usages. In fact you should have it copyrighted on the SR form in your company name as claimant and as protection demonstrating you own the recorded masters.

You should also be affiliated with ASCAP, BMI,or SESAC and affix your affiliation to the CD. Make sure you registered the song titles to your performance rights society. If they want to license it for use, it must be registered to you or it is a problem and will not make the cue sheet (you will miss getting airplay due to this factor).

In past columns I've discussed the importance of getting a musician/vocalist release signed off on masters or demos you record with other musicians/vocalists - at your own expense. It may be a work for hire form (or you may also provide for an additional royalty on licensing uses to be paid to the players, singer etc. on the back end), but you must OWN all of the rights to the Master and control it legally for all purposes.

This CD of your songs and masters is a shopping tool for Film and TV Music Supervisors and Indy Film Producers, as well as Ad Agencies.

Here are some things to consider when making a sampler CD:

•Was it originally planned to be an Indy album you self distribute or a music library-sampler only ?

If it's an album it should reflect your sound and a easily heard continuity of your own material so that it feels like an album all the way through.

• Were the Artist's vocal sound, style and song genre self evident?

If its a sampler ( your music library disc ) then here's what I suggest you put on it :

LIST THE MUSICAL STYLE- then put 2 song/masters of each style you write on the music library disc. But heed the warning that if you put a genre like “Surf”, and the song/track doesn't feel authentically like a surf song you’ll lose credibility. Be sure if you label it a certain style it is your best representation of that style of song and recording.

I remember receiving a music sampler disc last year with 6 different styles listed as blues, surf, R&B pop,etc., that totally obliterated those styles and sounded as if the writer had no knowledge of the genres at all. In other words, it wasn't just formulaic, it was all wrong and sounded bogus. So, if you're going to do a music library sampler, BE SURE you represent the styles you’re composing in and producing musically.

This goes for instrumental music as well. Too often we receive tapes purported to be instrumental songs, which sound like background score (lots of string synthesizers, big production and no melody lead line or musical hooks at all). There is a difference. Examples of great instrumentals would include – Watermelon Man, Shaft, and Europa. Why? Because they sound like real songs with a lead melody line and HOOK, not just a background score piece.

Bear in mind Film and TV production companies have their own in-house score composers who write all of the background music for a production, and the rest of the outside music licensed for films and TV are actual songs! The right song can be integral to a scene, and has total impact on a show or films identity. A good example would be the usage of Barry White's material in Ally Mc Beal. They even ended the show's run with Barry himself singing it on the last show. (r.i.p. Barry!)

So right about now your probably thinking there’s a big difference between an unknown song and a hit used on a TV show. I live to tell you, after a new song is used it’s no longer an unknown song - if effectively placed. It provides exposure (and credibility) for a new Artist/Writer in ways no other medium can do.

So whether you cut your dream album and use it or do a music library sampler of your Songs/Masters in genres, the point is it should ONLY be master quality vocals and musicianship with cleanly mixed songs, great arrangements and production - no matter what the style is.

Your sales tools for pitching an unknown song are your approach, your individuality, your songwriting craft and your creativity. Do the best with these attributes that you can.

Then I recommend the Film and TV Registry Guide. To order their annual publication call:

Film & TV Music Guide

800-377-7411

It will becoume one of your best resources for finding music supervisors, networks, production companies and more. Also get Variety Magazine and Hollywood Reporter for the weekly production charts issue.

Make a great music library CD, or have a UNIQUE album of great songs to show. Promote it to the right folks who make the decisions, and it could be the best investment that you’ll ever make.