What happens when your song is placed in TV & film
December 8, 2024
There is an unexpected ripple effect when you get a song into a show, movie, or ad.
See what amazing things can happen that you might be unaware of – and hear it from an indie songwriter just like you.
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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.
Congratulations. However, there seems to be a piece missing for me. What happened between getting ducks in a row and being pitched a ton? What unknown musician gets pitched a ton? By whom? For what? How did they even know about the song? Continued success to everyone.
Hey Tom, you might be new to the Sync Songwriter community. This is stuff that happens inside Sync Songwriter with indie songwriters I work with. I like to interview some of folks who I help get sync placements. Sorry if that wasn’t clear.
Thanks Chris, for your advise and encouragement to Indie Artists. And sharing your knowledge.
You got it, Paul!
Thank you for this information and video…it gives me hope to know that you could help me get my music heard and placed!
Thanks again!
Gary Chaffee
Great to hear, Gary. Glad you enjoyed it!
Everything I just heard sounds really cool but my question is how do you know who is looking for what
and were to send it to
That’s a great question, Rosario. There are a few ways to target for this that are too long to go into here, but honestly the main way I do it is I just ask my music supervisor friends who tell me, and then I tell the songwriters I am working with.
It’s encouraging to hear someone say they want to help “newbies” start down the correct path. As a longtime songwriter and former singer-songwriter, I would like to believe music people who say this. But then comes the inevitable kicker. You want to make money off of people who don’t really have any or at least much of any. It deflates my enthusiasm. I’ve got a catalog of songs, some that have won local or regional contests but always seems to fall short of the big score. I’ve worked television for years and used some of my material on programs I’ve produced, but again, no traction with outsiders. Signed, the GretschProf
I am sorry to hear you aren’t getting any traction with your music, but more sorry to hear you are suspicious of anyone who helps musicians and makes a living doing it. I am not sure how a person could devote that kind of time to get the results for songwriters in TV & film and do it for free. Everyone has to pay the rent.
I’m just going to assume you are referring to people who make money from musicians but don’t deliver on what they promise. But as I am sure you can see from this video, that’s not the case with me (she’s not a paid actress and I have so many more success stories). 🙂 I hope you don’t have me mixed up with the opportunists.
Yes, thank you Chris. I echo Tom’s sentiment, no specifics really. I don’t even know what she means by a “ton” either, etc.
Yes I maybe should have been clearer, these are things that happen with musicians inside Sync Songwriter that I work with. I just sent this video out to give encouragement to indie songwriters to show that this kind of success is totally doable.
The secret to sync licensing is getting a sync agent.
Hi Larry, I actually created Sync Songwriter to solve this problem of so many songwriters gathering dust in catalogs of sync agents and music libraries. Those companies often have thousands or millions of tracks you are competing against. The odds of them picking your songs is like playing a lottery. You are almost a needle in a haystack unless you are on the front burner with a hit song or know the owner.
To test this, ask every musician you know who has a sync agent deal or is in a music library and let me know how many of them are getting consistent placements. I already know the answer but would love to hear back from you.
Hi Chris.. Great encouragement although all I seem to ever see are people that have placements. Rarely, do you hear from anyone that has been trying for years and has not been able to crack the glass ceiling. It is very difficult to even contact anyone in the industry. It looks like you might be getting ready to offer your class again? I’m on the waiting list. Also, I have to call you out on this because this is what I have been doing lately in my life, brute honesty. I have left several comments to your videos and have never received a reply. That’s cool if you cannot do it, but please don’t say you do and never do. That does not do very much for your credibility I would have to say.
The vast majority of songwriters will never get sync placements because they aren’t doing it the right way. I thought it would be more helpful to show someone who made it happen rather than one of the many who are struggling.
I actually answer every single post if you go look. I am not sure why you aren’t seeing this on your end. Feel free to reach out through our website if you aren’t.
I just had my songs remastered and would love to know more about how this works!
Just show up to our annual “Sync Songwriter Music Supervisor Panel” on Sunday January 12, at 10am PST and we will cover how to connect with the gatekeepers in the licensing industry to get your music in TV & film!
In February of this year, I put out my first CD in many years and it’s placed on all the platforms streaming. 18 songs on a CD called “broken Road“ by Dan Lawton and The.Flappin’ Pappies. Also on sale at Apple Store. It’s my 10th year and I’ve never even won an honorable mention. I’m 72 and this is my last year for entering. I entered a small fortune worth of songs, including all eating from my CD professionally produced by my music partner Kip Williams at Green studio. And many other home produce songs that I’ve written over over the past 48 years. I have never won so much is an honorable mention in these past 10 years. This year I manage to learn how to make music song videos and that’s what I entered. I have my hopes but realistically speaking to myself. I also realize it’s an international competition and professional songwriters can also enter. So without God‘s divine intervention, I’ll just continue recording at home, but I will not be entering again. Your video is interesting, and maybe too young people with connections and managers, etc. and no more the ins and outs of music.… They may have a chance. I’m content that I’ve done everything. I can do this year of 2024 to promote my songs which are in my opinion meant to help other people in I am very solid songs based in the Songwriter genres of the 60s and 70s 70s style Gordon Lightfoot, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Paul Simon, etc. , but my feet are on the ground and I’m not holding my breath. Thank you for reaching out though. It was very interesting.
Hi Dan, I am not sure what you mean about entering your song in a contest. I don’t run one of those. If you have any questions, just reach out to us from the website contact form.
Great and encouraging info as always, Chris. Thanks for sharing. A question I posted before (perhaps in the wrong place, as I didn’t get a response)… I have a number of tunes that I think are ready for review, and I continue working to put up more each day. In order to be able to claim “one stop”, however, I have some questions: 1. I’m the songwriter, but if I have friends record parts for me on the demo, can I still make a “one-stop” claim without issue? Or, do I need some kind of “work for hire” contract. I’d hate to put myself or a music supervisor in a bad position if someone claims rights for having created and sung BUV’s. I do get PA and SR rights secure through the copyright office, but not doing this for real yet, I don’t want to paint myself into a corner. I also work with children’s music, and I’d like to colaborate with a local talent school to record young people’s voices (and yes bonding and liability insurance are on my radar) for that genre. Again, I want to avoid any potential legal issues.
Hey Scott, I can’t elaborate here and can’t offer iron clad legal advice on a blog comment thread, but yes, you need all your work for hires for anyone who was hired to contribute to your song including engineers and producers. ‘One stop’ just means you are the only person a music supervisor needs to talk to to clear it which means you have to have agreements from the other co-writers or copyright holders.
Sorry I can’t elaborate more than that here, but come out the Sync Songwriter Music Supervisor Panel on Jan 12th and you can learn much more straight from the people who place the actual music in TV & film.
Thanks for the sage advice, good sir. I certainly understand your hesitation about giving out legal advice. And, yes…I’d like to join in Jan. We’ll see. I’m moving my home and my studio that week, so…
Thanks a lot, Chris!
Maybe you are the man I was waiting for😀
I am a singer-songwriter, a multi-awards winning composer and performer, a voting member at Grammys,
was one of composers of “The hunt for Red October” movie, “Lucky Number”, etc. Produced number of CD albums (mostly with my songs and music) but now all my music and art agents and promoters are ether gone, ether retired and the industry has changed a lot so I am looking for new connections. Who knows maybe it’s gonna be you, your company?😄
Chris,
When do you open enrollment for Art of the Song Pitch? If I have10 professionally produced and recorded original songs, is that enough or should I wait until I have more?