Succeed with a B+ (or less)
April 16, 2023
DOING sync is more important than HOW you do itβ¦ and why Iβm shooting this video in a car (for the first time).
Let me explain in this videoβ¦
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Hey! Give us a shout about anything really.
contact Sync Songwriter
Our goal is for you to start getting your music into TV & film.
Straight talking is fine, but no one really helps, and itβs all on line and people want money, there is no straight avenue to send material, Iβve tried endlessly and got no where. Itβs a fallacy and a dream!!π best wishes, Tom. πΌ
Sorry to hear this has been your experience, Tomas. I do know indie musicians who have gone nowhere in sync, but I also know lots who get tons of sync placements. I have found it is the way you do it so it doesn’t just remain a dream.
I think here in lies your message Chris. Its how indie musicians go about achieving there goals that leads to success or failure in placing sync. Thats what you teach people.
Thanks for sending this to me
You got it!
Hi, I love your advice, I try to catch up whenever I can. This is my Cd John’s Thoughts this Cd was released a couple of years ago: https://johnrichardhendleyiii.hearnow.com/ it was placed on 9,117 radio stations in Germany shortly after being released. Take care my friend and please pass the link!!
Hi John, I unfortunately don’t have the time to listen to all the music that gets sent to me (unless I ask for it and set aside the time like I did a couple of weeks ago.) I am just too busy helping my students get their music into TV & film.
Awesome advise Chris, much appreciated πππΎ
π
I really appreciate you encouraging words. Iβve been z+ing it for many years and I just donβt want to give up.
Your word help me to keep on focusing and growing. Thanks again
By the way you could have shot your video it a shoe box, what you did worked!
Philip Woyus
Haha, thanks Philip, great to hear it helped move the needle for you.
I’m trying to look at this constructively. Seems like everyone’s challenge is to just get their work considered. I feel like my A+ work gets the same results as my B+ work.
Yes, that is part of my point when you are struggling in obscurity. Once the rubber hits the road, A+ becomes A+ !
Hi Mike D. This is Shadow, Modern Folk Rock/Spoken Word Songstress. Thanks for your advice is always so uplifting. I especially needed to hear to hear you today. I got introduced to you online through my mentor Michael Elsner about two years ago. I have attended several of your master classes. I have been studying Sync Writing for the last three years; composing, recording, learning the business from experts like you, specifically Michael’s course, submitting music to libraries, overcoming various financial, medical, personal and technical challenges. I have not yet gotten a placement. Last year I had three songs which I felt were ready to pitch and they got corrupted when I tried to transfer them from one DAW to another. I did not back them up on an external hard drive. I was going to rerecord each song, but my Guitar Sync Writing mentor suggested that I write and record three new songs. I am a very slow songwriter. I am improving and starting to write every month. Not everything is great, but I keep writing and improving. So thanks.
Oh man, such a bummer about the tech issue. Hopefully the three songs are the ones… and you have backups.
Thanks for the encouragement Chris.
Cheers Catrina,
Melbourne Australia
π
Yeah. In my mind, I’m probably at a C+ in terms of getting "the business" of syncing together. I don’t mind that. I think, in terms of songwriting, and even with syncing in mind, I’m at a good B+. I know a whole lot more now than I did when I first started this course. It consumes my every day. I have no problem at all with that. I work at my profession (psychologist), and the songs I’ve written are mainly universal because of the wonderful people I’ve worked with. I truly am grateful for this course. I have a lot of respect with the model. I love the fb group because we are at varying degrees of accomplishment and we share our feedback and expertise and suggestions. We are DEVELOPMING RELATIONSHIPS! My first sync placement will not be my last! Thank you, Chris, and team.
You got it, Cassandra. A fast track to relationships at the top!
Thank you SYNC Song writer and i am grateful to meet you. you B + is good and i will be shooting a proper Video and Remix it soon,
Thank you my brother. from Al j wilson Ceo http://www.reggaew5radio.com reggaew5.org
Love to hear that, Alanzo!
Iβve been working with non exclusive licensing companies for 8 years and still havenβt licensed a song. π€¬
Yeah that is pretty much the way I see it go with non exclusive companies. I am much more into going straight to the music supervisors.
Thanks Chris,
Yes, coach! That B+ attitude is definitely very positive way to look at it. I will keep this in mind. Cheers!
Gong
NIce!
Man, I like the way you think.
Glad we’re on the same page, Richard.
Thank you Chris for your kind words and advice. This week I performed three of my original songs for a Tribal Elder. It is definitely a great privilege to be on this Beautiful Journey! Sincerely, Cheryl J.
Amazing to hear, Cheryl, congrats!
Can’t make the grade if you don’t show up huh. Your so right. Jack Black’s peaches just really inspired me with sync too. Just even a short little snippet of a song, can’t get it out of my head. I feel like I lost my mojo and this helped. B+ Mojo for right now lol
Great to hear, Laura!
Chris: Where is the Waffle House near Catalina Island?
I’m in Tennessee right now, Jay. Lots of them here. π
Do they sell that strawberry wine down there as mentioned in chris stapletons tennessee whiskey? π
Thanks for the positive encouragment always helps.
Hi Chris in my high school days I was a basic student ..and realised that when I started my life journey dream of been successful as a musician,at the age of 12 years old that I was always going FOR A + student as a musician and never looked down EVE
Love that! Not dissimilar to my life either.
Thanks for B+inin the car and getting the message out anyway because that was really helpful for me this morning here in the UK.π
Thanks Michelle, and I’m glad it was helpful.
Thank you Chris! I really needed to hear that. I have felt a lack of inspiration for a while now. You are so right about the facade. This is what we see, not all the long and hard work behind it.
Roger from Sweden
π
Thank you Chris. My music has taken a back seat fove a few years. I realise through listening to you that I now need to step up, retrieve the memories of reading music and work on creation, perfecting the art of writing lyrics and setting music to it and tunes. Time on our hands is all we need. Thank you for this inspiration this morning. Much appreciated @jadanne Spotify x π π β€οΈ
Your comment is what I live for, Jemma. So great to hear!
Thanks Chris, I am just back from a long weekend of wine tasting and happy to hear your voice and listen to your inspiring thoughts…
Wine tasting… you are speaking my language. π
Good morning Chris. Appreciate your video and encouragement . What music do you have that is Sync licensed? How can I hear your music? I have a CD I recorded in 2004 with original banjo music I created. A local cable television company used snippets of it for a documentary they were doing on riverboats on the Mississippi River.
I live in St Paul, Minnesota and not far from the river . It cuts through Minneapolis and St.Paul.
I actually have never placed any of my songs… I don’t have anything remotely new recorded yet. I decided on being a music producer over 20 years ago and so help the musicians I have worked with get their music into TV & film.
Glad you decided to B+ it this week Chris. Just finished writing for a brief and going through the debate in my head well, what if it’s not good enough, i.e. not perfect. Should I go and tinker with it some more. No, B+ it! Thanks for the motivation.
Nice! Good luck, Brian.
Hi Chris, I just returned from a songwriting retreat with Andrea Stolpe, and Iβm really excited because my songs were really well received by everyone. I feel confident in my songwriting skills, but I am having trouble getting music out there. I donβt have professional production skills, and having trouble figuring out how to expand my repertoire without breaking my bank account.
That is always the challenge, Trace. That is something I teach in The Art Of The Song Pitch, but I have something exciting coming soon that might just be the ticket!
Hi my brother ,give thanks for all the work.bless up at all time.
from Hon Alanzo Wilson,Moh.Eng.Edu. {medol of honour}
Thanks Alanzo!
Hey Chris first of all thanks for the inspiration. Question for you, I like to use vocalists from Fivver. How does that clear for sync?
I believe if they would need to sign a "work for hire agreement" then basically they are providing there services but have no further rights to future royalties you would make. Im not giving legal advice here so Chris hopefully can confirm this for you?
π
It’s totally fine as long as you have a work for hire agreement.
Thanks! I second guess everything. I totally needed to hear this!
Glad to help, Beth!
Hi Chris, I enjoyed the video. I have 11 released songs that are nice productions. Iβm not really sure how to break into the sync arena. Iβve done several TAXI submissions but not sure how to get my music to a music supervisor or what to try nextβ¦.. thanks for any ideas or suggestions! Jeannine Barr
That is pretty much what I do is work with musicians to help them break into the top of the sync world. I have something coming up soon that I think will help even further!
Oh yeah. This resonates. <3
Sweet!
Such a useful reflection Chris! Thanks a lot!
You got it, Bianca.
Thanks, Chris! I totally needed to hear this today:).
Great! I am glad I hit the mark for you.
Hey Chris! Always a joy to listen to your words of encouragement! Feeling this message today. Much love to you and your amazing crew.
Jim Vilandre
Hey thanks, Jim!
What? You drive a car too? I thought you got to your boat in a horse drawn carriage or something. Wow! All my illusions just crashed. Maybe there really is an alternative world behind the curtain. And Waffle House? OMG. Yes, well, for me…one step after another. Back in the studio for the past 3 weeks working on new stuff, but with information from your class in my mind. Not really different songs, just different information to play with. We’ll see. Keep on keeping on, I reckon. Thanks, Chris.
Haha, yes, I have one foot in each world. Car rentals and Waffle House are sometimes handy on the road. π Great to hear you are back in the studio!
Really appreciate this Chris. Thank you so much.
Hey, glad I could help, Amanda.
Great inspiration, Chris! btw I love going to retrospective exhibits of famous artists. You might see seemingly endless versions of very rough imperfect (βB+β) sketches searching to refine some conception, the idea that leads up to the A+ masterpiece the artist is known for.
For sure! And sometimes the B+ to them is the A+ to everyone else.
One of your best pep talks! I already knew the βB+β principle and I constantly forget that I know it! Thanks for the reminder!
Thanks, Vic.
I had been working on songs for years with my partner but one just didn’t seem I didn’t seem to get it "right". Well doing this course and the energy , interaction and sometimes big push of it all made us work hard on that ‘precious" song and we are finally getting it done! So I am listening and keep listening to my music, others and some older stuff and keep on learning. So thanks for the B+ talk, since it’s nearing completion and that’s when the ‘not good enough comes in’. Hearing this helps to bring the relax and have some fun vibe back in.
Nice! Love hearing that Gera.
opps -it’s Gera Clark not Geras Clark
Got it!
Thanks for your encouragement Chris you have put a new perspective my way π
π
Hi Chris,
I have been a B+ in different stages; seen the light quite a few times. I feel real good about life.
Thanks for your up lifting tone.
Sterling.
You got it, Sterling.
Now that… was helpful. Thank you, Chris.
You are very welcome, Danelle.
Excellent point. Consistency and perseverance should win the game. It takes longer than we want but we’ll get there. Hopefully. π
That is the whole idea, Shonti. Great to hear.
Thanks, Chris. I appreciate the wisdom. I needed a shot in the arm today.
Cool!
The legendary golfer Gary Player is credited with saying βThe harder I practice, the luckier I get.β When an obstacle is placed in the way, it’s easy to skip out and wait until another time instead of finding a workaround, in this case, a car. The more my songwriting partner and I work together, the more productive we become, and we believe our craft is improving, even if only a little at a time. He is away for the first week of May so to make up for that lost session, we added an additional session for next week to make sure our schedule is not negatively impacted. Excuses are easy to find but hard to justify!
You are absolutely on the right path, Michael!
The message is what matters !! This blog has really stuck with me today !! I had to rewatch. Thank you Chris
Thanks for Encouraging us to keep stepping out and up and keep creating. To Keep going never and give up ! Iβm taking this advice.
Great to hear, Lindsey!
To keep going and never give up that should say
π
Thanks Chris!
As someone whoβs been in the game for 25 plus years, I know this is great advice. What do you say to folks like me who feel like weβve been around the block many times and are still knocking at the door? I know itβs a long game, but Iβm starting to lose my optimism after many positive one on one calls have only led to unanswered follow up emails? Thanks
It’s time to ask your listening group if you are hitting the target. Sometimes it is just a very small change that needs to happen.
Hey Chris,
I appreciate the constant positive encouragement. It helps me have confidence in knowing that I chose the right synch program to get my music placed into Tv ,commercials and film.
Love hearing that, Michael. Thanks for the kind words.
Hi Chris,
Speaking words of wisdom let it B+
Haha, nice!
I had not heard that approach, it’s a manageable way of looking at things. Thanks for your always-positive approach!
π
So very true and such sage advice! Coach Rick Barker says this all the time – "perfectionist artists are broke (artists)." It has been my motto lately (maybe has always been), though I like to reach as close to perfection as I think it is. Perfection can be a fleeting concept!
Nice to see you in a car for a change – it is refreshing! Are you still in Mexico or back in southern California.
Nive
P.S.: Oops…typos at the end. Should be a question mark at the end followed by nothing. Ignore the last non-word!
I agree! I’m still in Mexico about to sail up to California.
JUST FINISHED OUR 6TH ALBUM –AND HAPPY WITH IT B PLUS OR NOT – MUSIC WILL ALWAYS MAKE ME HAPPY PERIOD — SO I TANGO ON N ON N ON -AND CONTINUE TO PLY MY SONG WRITING — I WILL PUT A PLETHERA OF SONGS OUT HERE — THEY EXSIST — THEREFORE I AM –WE ARE — THANKS CHRIS
Love it! Great attitude, Martin.
Absolutely! They also say … 50% of success is showing up. I believe in this!
I couldn’t agree more, Daniel.
Thank you .
Glad I could help, Zoe!
Thank you Chris for encouraging us! Yes, it is about never giving up.
Well sometimes it is a time for a change, but my point is if want to move forward, just do the best you can and don’t worry if it’s not perfect.
Many thanks for the encouragement, Chris!
I am glad this helped, George.
Wise words….π
Thanks Tim!
"the best you can is good enough" – Thom Yorke. might not be good enough to overcome every obstacle, but it will keep you proud of yourself.
Totally agree, John.
I have come into contact with 3 music sups face to face that heard my song through your own connection base who wanted my song. But have yet to be able to contact them through your specific instructions. But to no avail. Would you suggest I keep reaching out to them? It’s been almost 3 years now. If you were me would you not lose confidence in that? Think positive?
Hi Andre, Are you sure the music supervisors said they could use your track in their projects? We get a lot of placements because we are a trusted source for them and have a lot of member songs they can use immediately. I would say that if they haven’t responded to you, it’s possible your track didn’t hit the mark. I would revisit your targeting and try another track that might fit better.
Niccce! Unfortunately, I think Iβm kind of a chaotic perfectionist in the sense that I obsessively overthink every single note, word, and melody i write during my creative process until Iβm finally satisfied with the song but I also have a bad habit of prematurely releasing some of my βA+β material with like βC–β quality at best, mostly due to my lack of patience and production experience so this video actually gave me a little bit of reassurance that prematurely releasing some music is better than not releasing music at all. I guess I can always just go back and re-record anything Iβd like to later on once i get a little more skilled at mixing and mastering
Yup! I think you have it figured out.