How to break into the commercial scoring business

wonder · Post by **wonder** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 4:52 pm

I am wondering...with ALL the radio and tv commercials...ALL of them have background score. How would one go about breaking into that business?
ANY pointers might help .... thanks

KarlSutton · Post by **KarlSutton** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 9:34 pm

Having mixed alot of those over the years I can tell you that a lot of them are using production music libraries. I'm sometimes surprised to hear the same tracks used on a national spot that I used on a local car spot.

As for getting into custom scoring, my experience has been getting work is all about relationships and sometimes doing spec work etc.

Build a good reel & hit the pavement. Good luck!

wonder · Post by **wonder** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 10:41 pm

well, that was my original thought...im hearing SO MANY commercials using RMX loops and Apple loops....and it got me thinking....i could do that!

so...make a demo...then shop it....but where?

chrispick · Post by **chrispick** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 11:17 pm

wonder wrote:well, that was my original thought...im hearing SO MANY commercials using RMX loops and Apple loops....and it got me thinking....i could do that!

so...make a demo...then shop it....but where?

Post-production houses. Befriend editors and post producers.

Bring them a demo sample of score-to-picture. Keep it short and exciting. Maybe include two or three "just music" snippet-size samples to prove diversity. Jack-of-all-trades talent can be good here.

Offer to do one of their low-priced score jobs for spec (meaning free to token pocket change). A PSA or corporate video bed or in-house promo -- anything whereby they'd say, "Sure, anything to make this dull gig better."

Do a bang-up job. Make sure it's got plenty of "to picture" hit points (after all, they can paste up their own loop sequences, as can any six-year-old). Then, then ask to do a bigger gig while they remember who you are. In other words, pitch before you finish your first spec. Ask for value money this time.

Lastly, know this is gun-for-hire work. Service employment, not artistic commission. Expect to be a cog in someone else's big wheel. People will tell you what to do, what to play and how to play it. If you can hang with that, you'll be cool.

Hope this helps.

wonder · Post by **wonder** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 2:50 pm

Thanks for the info.

So....let me ask the next obvious question ... how much should one charge for these spots?
I'm guessing here are the options for possibilities
30 or 60 second radio spot
30 or 60 second tv spot.

How much would/should i charge if i'm tryin to break in?
thanks!

wonder · Post by **wonder** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 4:06 pm

Hey Guys,
Just wondering.....do I just go knocking on production houses or ad agencies to try and get my foot in the door?

any help would be appreciated!

chrispick · Post by **chrispick** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 4:32 pm

wonder wrote:Hey Guys,
Just wondering.....do I just go knocking on production houses or ad agencies to try and get my foot in the door?

any help would be appreciated!

Yeah, pretty much.

If you don't know anybody already connected: I'd pick up a copy of LA-411 and see if you can familiarize yourself with companies and what they do (it also has their contact info). Then call them, saying you're a music composer and asking to speak with a producer. If you get through -- which you probably will, at least to voicemail -- try to set up a sit-down meeting with them whereby you can put on a bit of a dog-and-pony show. It's likely they may only want to hear a sample CD in which case you only send them that. You can follow up with calls or emails.

I'd suggest being frank with them. Say you're looking for a foot-in-the-door experience and you'd be happy to work a gig on spec. All producers are constantly looking for better vendor product at a cheaper price, so appeal to that sentiment.

It helps if you have an angle to work. You produce Christian-oriented music, right? Maybe try concentrating on companies that produce religious content? There, you have a good talking place to begin. Of course, you needn't limit yourself to this subgroup.

re: Pricing -- Numbers are all over the place. I think the best thing to do is to get that spec gig, then, once you have a relationship started with the producer, ask him/her about the kind of rates they pay. Over lunch is always good. Anyway, that's what I did, more or less.

mr miyagi · Post by **mr miyagi** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 11:49 am

My 2 cents --

I actually work as a freelance agency producer as well as a composer/music producer -- I've worked for several music houses on staff, and continue to do some freelance work for some music houses.

I really think your best bet of "breaking in to the biz" is doing some writing for the more established music companies. The problem with going directly to agencies/production houses is that you need to have done work in order to get work. It's a catch-22 -- they want to see what you've done in order to even consider your for the work. If you don't have any spots on your demo reel it's hard to get considered for that lucrative high-end commercial.

Contact some of the bigger name music houses and talk to music producers to see if you can get on board to do some demos for any jobs they've got going on. Spot writing is also a very specialized thing -- it's very different from songs, or long format -- you're dealing mostly in a 30 second format that could have some real hard angles, quick turns, and not always artistically inclined work. It's commerce, not art, in most cases.

- JA

www.johnauthor.com

Jim Cobb · Post by **Jim Cobb** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 9:00 pm

i've been in this business for about 2 years, working with some of the veterans of the business (david horowitz, nick diminno, jake holmes, bernie drayton) and i've just got a couple comments.

first off, please don't let the agencies dick you around. your work is worth money and too many people who want to break into the business will give something for nothing in hopes of landing a spot that goes final, but this is really really hurting the business, because these agencies come to the more established music houses expecting the same kind work for very little money and it's imposible to run a business like that.

check out amp (association of music producers) at www.ampnow.com , i engineer and play for the new york president's music house as well as the vice president's. that website gave me a list of all the major houses when i was looking to get started doing this, and i just got in contact with every single one until i was employed.

wonder · Post by **wonder** » Wed Sep 13, 2006 9:43 pm

great! thanks jim

aquaman · Post by **aquaman** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 6:05 pm

this is really helpful. I am also trying to break into the scoring business. do you recommend setting up a website first and if so is it best to set it up yourself or are there hosting sites that allow you to update your songs etc..
Web guys often take forever to make changes. any suggestions?

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How to break into the commercial scoring business

How to break into the commercial scoring business

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