The worst part about briefs
August 3, 2025
We love briefs, but they have a dark side too. Not the briefs themselves, but what they can do to your music. Here I talk about the dangers vs how to make them shine for you.
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I could see a situation where after all the onerous brief process a frustrated music supervisor faced with a deadline just gives up and goes with a bird in the hand – SC!
They usually go with the bird in hand first and resort to a brief if they have to.
Hi Chris, I’ve responded to well over 90% of the briefs provided fitting the sync criteria. I have received no responses. Patience and perseverance is the key and to not get discouraged. That’s my continued approach. The sups we had meetings with really liked the songs and I followed up with additional tunes with an emphasis on tge song they reviewed. 2 months went by snd I followed up with a friendly hello and
Mentioning key points in our meeting to remind them of who I was thru the link they provided with no response. What would the next step be? Wait another 2-3 months before another follow up ? It’s a little frustrating cause it seems the relationship hasn’t developed. What’s your advice on how move to forward within the current latent relationship with the sups I picked? Thank you –
You are doing the right things, Peter, just keep in mind a couple of things. You are just two months in (other people less than that), and you can expand your supervisor base. Just reference the coaching calls and course material where I talk about how to do that. Great to hear you are on the right track.
Hi Chris- thanks for the tips. Hope you’re doing well. I see I need to get in touch with the supes I met in your program. Thank you
Yup!
The briefs have been one of my favorite parts of AOTSP! Based on this video, it’s probably not realistic to day dream about landing a sync through briefs, but they sure stoke that day dream when my song matches one of the request. After I submit, the endorphins in my blood stream from day dreaming about that potential sync last for days & are the best drug out there! And manifesting is a necessary part to any success, sync or otherwise, so bring on the briefs… and… Yes, the relationships are even more of a sync stoke, so bring on those too! Johnny Awesome of The Staylyns!
Absolutely Johnny. I feel the same way. I think it’s a blessing to be in this family of like minded people. I know that if not for this class and the connection it has made for me, my blood pressure would raise trying to figure out…..how do people meet a music supervisor. Thanks to the program I am very enlightened by the necessary information I see now that one must be armed with in order to be as far as we’ve gotten with music supes. Whether I get selected or not…….(preferably the selected part), I have no complaints. I couldn’t have done this with the help. Sounds like that’s kinda how you feel also. So, lets “Keep That Music Flowing”.👍
Great to hear, Vance!
You can absolutely land syncs through briefs, you just need to combine them with relationships.
Hi Chris, I haven’t connected with any supervisors other than the three I’ve had a chance to speak with 1:1 in the special sessions you’ve set up for us. I confess I’m still a bit shy about doing this, because I don’t have many songs ready! Three to date that are mixed/mastered/tracked. So my question is, what is the best way to go about introducing myself to a supervisor cold? Many thanks, Beth
You never want to introduce yourself to a supe with a totally cold email. I have talked about how to do this in the course and on the coaching calls, so just jump in there for all the details!
My 2nd year of SC and I plan to renew if accepted. Nothing has landed yet but I’m very mindful of targeting. So, even though I may have had many great one 1-1s with the music supervisors, or even followed up with them and had a response or an exchange, I have made it a point to not inundate them just for the sake of staying in touch because I am very mindful of their time, and do not expect to receive a response, which is usually the case: no response. I don’t take it personally. It’s difficult to maintain that balance between staying in touch, especially with no response, and hoping a brief or relevant 1-1 will rekindle the relationship. It’s frustrating and keeps me pretty insecure but I try to trust the process.
No response is totally normal, they are extremely busy. I don’t know how many times a member has told me about a placement they got and the supervisor told them at the time that they had been pitching their music for months. There is typically a lot going on behind the scenes even as supes don’t have time to get back to everyone. Great to hear we’ll see you again this year.
I fall into the category where people know my songs already and ask me or don’t to place them in their films or they are looking for a certain kind of vocal and asl me to do session work with someones composition…not mine. either ways I’m in. This course has been really frustrating because I don’t know who I send briefs to and it feels like” throwing a bottle into the sea”… not knowing if they got it, or anything. It’s a wonderful class with lots of great information. Personally, the meta data is what seems to be most important and that is very administrative and yes, necessary, but such a time-consuming drag to do when I’m all about the music.
I absolutely believe that relationships are the key and they take time to create and develop. It’s always about “attraction” . So I guess time will tell …who will get placements from the 2025 class of AOTSP. I’m grateful I’ve been working as the musical composer for a feature film while taking this class which has been fun work (placed 14 songs + the instrumentals).
To make metadata super easy, just download the guide in The Art Of The Song Pitch. Really straight forward. You don’t need a ton of info in the metadata, just the right info. In terms of the briefs, I don’t quite understand when you say you who you send the briefs to. Just reach out to us if you need some clarificaton.
I have followed up with 2 of the music supervisors I met with and sent additional songs, referencing that we had met on such and such date and they heard name of my song and said this about it. I felt an immediate connection with those 2, and I will follow up with the other 2 when enough time has passed. I am in the midst of watching replays of pitch sessions and I always get something out of watching those. I am not in any hurry and know my time will come. Thanks !
Cool!
I have followed up with 2 of the music supervisors and mentioned we met on an AOTSP session on such and such a date and they listened to name of song and then a short comment on what they said. I sent them some other songs and just tried to be myself and also not take up too much of their time. I will contact the other 2 supes when enough time as passed. I am in this for the long haul and don’t expect anything to happen until it happens, but I know it will. Thanks!
That is perfect, Irene, and great to hear they got back to you. That is exactly how those relationships start.
It seems to me that a music supervisor’s writing a sync brief is in some respects like a legislator drafting a law. The challenge is to find the right balance between being overinclusive (too broad) and underinclusive (too narrow). Often a good guide to accurately interpreting the meaning of a law — say for a judge wondering how to apply it in a specific court case — is to refer to the law’s point or purpose. Similarly, I feel like the best sync briefs are those that clearly express the purpose of the song being sought. Like describing in vivid detail the cinematic scene at hand (e.g., physician talking to a patient’s loved ones about a high-risk surgery) plot background (e.g., a group of cats are taking over a dog beauty pageant), characters featured in the scene (e.g., elite snobs mingling at a classy cocktail party in LA), and so on. I feel like a brief giving reference tracks alone — but without enough background— while pointing to something quite specific —can be puzzling. Some of the briefs we’ve gotten in SC are quite impressive in communicating both the bigger context and in including important details that can really help remove ambiguity and uncertainty about submitting songs that are likely to fit.
Great analogies, Kevin.
1st of all, what an amazing , eye-opening course this was , was catchy what I needed to get back in the game . As long as I’m in the game, there’s high hopes. That’s what this music industry runs on. I’ve Got my music in a couple of libraries and have made a little bit of money but definitely not enough to change any kind of lifestyle. Ive been trying to get rid of 75% of the artists I work woth and only write songs that i want to write . This course has been one of the best classes I have ever taken . You are very pleasant and genuine to say the least about your skills and knowledge .Im excited to wake up in the morning and meta-tag another song and watch another pitch video and soaked up some of the nuggets that the music sups throw out there during conversations with other artist .
Thank you for this opportunity to take your course . Everyone that works with you is at the top of their game .
Sincerely ,
Chris Flores
Thanks so much, Chris! Greatly appreciated.
The famous artist, Picasso painted over 50,000 works over his lifetime, but only a small percentage of those became famous. The secret seems to be, never to give up and keep on trying. Do the work, as frustrating as it may be! I guess we musicians have the same destiny!
I find that for many briefs, the style of music that I write is not’popular’ compared to rock, pop, etc.
Thanks Chris for your tutorials!
Well, don’t forget that Picasso did a bunch of custom paintings for people, not always his artistic vision. In sync it comes down to relationships, not the odds of a few out of 50,000.
Since I joined the Art Of The Song Pitch AOTSP Class of 2025. I had listened to some great tracks and being in zoom meetings with some inspiring Music Supervisors and also some one on one song review with Music Supervisors. I have looked into their requests for the songs they need and I believe this helps me to better being an targeted Songwriter.
Great to hear, Ethan.
Hey Chris-
Thanks for doing this video. Really helpful.
I’ve followed up with all the supes that I pitched to in the live sessions. They all really liked the songs I presented. I sent each one a kind thank you and several more songs. My goal moving forward is to keep my Database up-to-date with their upcoming projects as best that I can and send them relevant new tracks as I finish them. I enjoy writing in several different music silos within the Rock and Country genres. New Wave/Post Punk, Garage, Riff Rock and Modern and Alt Country. I mostly cowrite. I’m hoping that gives me more opportunities to fit different supervisor’s needs.
Great to hear you have a diversity of music, Mark. That always helps if the quality in all the genres are good.
I think the most challenging thing is how to create a real meaningful relationship with the music supervisors who are probably all very busy as you said they get thousands of tracks and only choose one. I’m also assuming that most of the time the only way to establish relationships is after we’re fortunate enough for them to reach out to us after they’ve selected one of our songs. It does seem like a long waiting game of patience and continuing of working on our craft of food songwriting. Well I’m in it for the long haul so I hope I can write songs that are needed for specific projects and the whole create hope, value and reflection.
The key is being able to meet them in the first place and then after that it is relationship building, just like every other relationship in your life. It takes some time but always moves forwards, not backwards.
Hello, Chris. I have been spinning wheels on numerous “sync” platforms where they post sync opportunities, ask for song submissions (where you have to pay $ for each submission), and then you send your song(s) out into the abyss, with no reply. I feel like your course is the way to go – it is all about who you know and by you opening some of those doors along with teaching us the correct way to address music supervisors and how to handle the business, this will be a game changer for all of us.
Yup! It really is all about who you know in this industry.
Hi Chris,
Met 3 supervisors, submitted songs through briefs, and outside of your program have done cold emails. No bites yet, but persistence and fostering relationships is definitely key to maintaining optimism.
Yes, you are only a few weeks in, Scott, so keep at it.
Great video Chris – very much to the point.
Over the past year with Sync Club I have built some key relationships with a number of supervisors that resonate not only with the type of music and songs I write but also with me – as you said, a more personal relationship. Clearly, that is the entry point to be a reliable source of music for their needs.
It would have been very hard for me to do that without the guidance that comes from your talks, master classes, office hours, your great staff and the music supervisors you all have brought together.
Thanks Robert, great to hear that makes sense to you.
I have had songs placed in feature films before and I have to say, most were pure luck and or after personally meeting the director of the film after they saw me perform live in Vancouver. Other than that, I have never placed a song through emailing a music supervisor. Hoping that the three I met here will like some of the songs I have been sending them. I have hundreds of songs mixed/mastered and ready to go! Staying persistent and hopeful.
Exactly, Suzka. Cold emails never work, it’s all about relationships (as the director meeting proved).
Thanks Chris,
You are always able to break down a nebulous topic into some concrete tasks to do.
I find Briefs in general to be a little confusing. With the limited information they give you, I can see how you can easily convince yourself that you have a song that will fit when in reality it is not even close.
Yes, it can be difficult sometimes, but when you have relationships with music supervisors, they can tell you what the briefs mean.
Hi Chris, Thanks for this supportive pep talk! I’ve been finding it a bit of a learning curve, trying to interpret some briefs and see if I have a song that will fit. I’ve submitted several songs to the briefs we’ve gotten through AOTSP and haven’t heard anything back, but in one of my pitch sessions, the supe said he had heard the songs I’d submitted to one of his briefs and was already pitching them. Exciting! 🙂 I felt like I was on my way in this sync biz, even though I am only meeting supes for the first time here and just taking my first sync baby steps. Thank you!
Hey Chris,
I know I’m very very niche and we’ve talked about ways to make this happen. Maybe my road will just take more time or I just need to earn a relationship with the right 2-5 people who. Or maybe one connection will lead to another. I’m not looking for a big break, I’ve been in the music world too long to expect that, but I can’t wait until someone hears my hammered dulcimer and says, “this is just what I need!” And things slowly start to blossom. I do have other talents not on the hammered dulcimer and I’m constantly trying to make albums where it shows off my other instrumental talents as well. I’m sure that only comes with relationship building.
Thanks again for all you’ve done for us in this class. Can’t wait to be considered for Sync Club. 🙂