Put Your Original Music Compositions To Work For You - Royalties Part 1

If you have composed original music, or rearranged popular pieces in the public domain, or even if you're a "looper" (linking royalty-free loops together to create sounds, songs, or queues), you have opportunities to get heard and even placed into television programs, commercials, movies, web content, corporate training videos, documentaries - whatever!

I used to try to write hit tunes, and I have had single-song contracts with major publishers in Nashville and Los Angeles. The competition is fierce, especially for "outside songwriters" (those of us who do not live in a Music Hub). In 2009, I discovered "production music"--this is the musical background and soundscapes to accompany the visuals on a TV program or movie. Twenty or more pieces of music, queues, music beds, bumpers and transitions could be utilized in one single half-hour show, and some of those could be yours.

My first television placement was a 12-second queue on Auction Kings. I was experimenting with Apple tech at the time and messing around with Garage Band. Yes, I had music placed on TV that I created, produced and mastered all in Garage Band. Since that time, I have moved on to Logic Pro Studio and have enjoyed placements in dozens of shows, as well as a national radio commercial, some documentaries, live theater, and various web content. My top placement to date is NBC-The Voice where I have had music used in 12 episodes.

The very first step that needs to be taken is to get established with a PRO--Performance Rights Organization. For those of us in the US, that means primarily BMI or ASCAP. While each serve the same essential functions, that is, collecting and paying royalties for music used by the composers they represent, you should conduct your own research to decide which is best for you. There are PROs that represent writers outside the US as well, such as SOCAN in Canada.

What is important here is to get signed up and registered with a PRO because you cannot get paid royalties for your music without them. And this is not just for songwriters! If you perform original music live at venues, you can get paid for that once you are signed up with a PRO. Simply send in your set lists for each gig, and you'll get a check in the mail for those songs you have listed and registered in your catalog.

If this message resonates well in this community, I will follow up with subsequent parts to continue sharing my knowledge and experience. There is a lot to know about the music business--how to get heard, what to avoid, etc., and I am happy to pay it forward.