In Los Angeles you can literally swing a cat around and clock someone who says they’re a music supervisor, or declares to have ‘sync industry contacts’. But the truth is 20% of the Music Supervisors in Los Angeles are working on 80% of the key projects encompassing Film, TV, Trailer, Video Games and Advertising. A lot of these SUPES (as they are commonly called) are veterans in the industry, but there are also a lot of rising stars breaking in.
Finding active Music Supervisors is a lengthy and mundane task, so it’s important to get a head start. A sure way of getting a competitive edge is by having access to an accurate, up-to-date music supervisor directory, which lists the Hollywood Music Supervisors that are licensing music on a daily basis.
The Music Supervisor guild in LA defines Music supervision as: “A qualified professional who oversees all music related aspects of film, television, advertising, video games and any other existing or emerging visual media platforms as required”
Music Supervisors in Los Angeles work closely with producers, directors, editors or creative teams to ensure that there is a perfect union between vision and music. There is a misconception that the job of a Music Supervisor is just about listening to songs all day, every day, and slotting them into cues provided by their clients. These days, to be a top line Music Supervisor working in Los Angeles; you need to have WOW factor just like a great musician does.
A Music Supervisor needs to understand every aspect of the creative, technical and legalities of music licensing. However, most importantly, a Music Supervisor needs to be able to realize the vision their clients have.
Supervisor…
You may think setting the tone for a montage scene in a TV show sounds easy. The producer might have shot the perfect scene and thinks that Coldplay’s track ‘Magic’ is the only song that will perfectly complete the montage. But the music supervisor now has to inform the producer that the music budget for the show has to cover six more other songs, and even if they used the entire music budget, it still wouldn’t be enough to clear the ‘Magic’ track. So the music supervisor then gets told to find a replacement for the track – a track that needs to have the same feel, sound, tone and the same lyrical theme as the ‘Magic’ track. Keeping in mind that the producer LOVES the Coldplay track, so whatever they present back to them has to “blow him or her away”. Easy right?
So the music supervisor starts their search to find the perfect track for a fraction of the price. They have their GO-TO people, which can include sync companies, indie labels, artists and artist managers. They listen to a tonne of songs and filter down a handful they think will trump the Coldplay’s song “Magic’ – they present and pray. Quite often producers will come back with a “nothings working” email and the search starts again.
So that’s just one component of a Music Supervisor’s gig. On top of that, they are also project managers working closely with producers throughout the production process. This includes; the breakdown of scripts, searching for songs, employing composers, negotiating the licensing/clearance process, liaising with music editors, and ultimately making their clients 100% happy.
In TV shows, the music supervision is conducted in–house (the music executives at the networks act as the music supervisors), or the executives outsource to freelance music supervisors or music supervision companies. Which direction they undergo comes down to budget constraints and producer demands. This also applies for major studio films.
For indie films, producers either employ freelance music supervisors or end up just music supervising themselves. If they opt to DYI, they’ll usually outsource the copyright clearance process to 3rd party companies.
Music Supervisors that work in the world of advertising can be employed by a number of different staff members including: agency producers, creative directors, or editors.
Trailer houses always have in-house music supervisors, and now-and-then bring in another set of ears to assist with specific projects.
Video game music supervisors are also usually in-house.
Great music coordinators are worth their weight in gold as they are ideal to start relationships with if you’re starting out. Music supervisors have music coordinators to help source music from various people and businesses. Their main role is act as a gatekeeper between you and the music supervisor. This includes listening to new music (filtering the best songs for the music supervisor), coordinating licenses with music suppliers, and ensuring the T’s are crossed and I’s dotted across all paperwork. Most music supervisors were once music coordinators themselves, which is how they learned the ropes.
This comes down to what budget they are working with. If it’s a big budget then the worlds their oyster. But if they’re budget is limited they will usually avoid the major labels/publishing companies.
For example; If a music budget for a TV show is $50,000 per episode, and the show (on average) licenses ten songs, the music supervisor will need to find great songs that can be cleared for $5000 each. However, what’s often the case is that the producer wants a ‘Black Keys’ track that could cost $30k, leaving the music supervisor with only $20,000 to clear the remaining nine songs! In this case, the music supervisor is now dealing direct with sync companies, indie labels, artists and/or artist managers who can clear one-stop songs (people who control/own both the master and publishing rights of the song).
Most big movie producers usually already know what songs they want licensed and they have the hard cash to clear them. In saying that, there are always cues that need to be filled with small ‘under-the-radar’ artists.
You need great songs (songs that surprise!), and the three P’s: Politeness, Persistence, and Patience. You also need to be a little bit business savvy – this can go a long way. Like with every industry, if you’re not knocking on doors then someone else will. The key thing is to do your homework. Ask the big questions, like; do your songs fit a particular TV show, video game or brand? If you produce death metal don’t try and connect with a music supervisors that only license singer/songwriter tracks. Find a contact and reach out with a short, polite introduction email to start things off. Make sure you include a link to 2 or 3 of your best songs, or songs you think will work for their projects. Never send Mp3’s, and never send a lot of songs. Ensure all your songs have accurate metadata including your name, the artist name, who owns the song, and whether it’s one-stop. It will surprise you how many people forget to leave their contact details, so ensure an email and phone number are also included. This is simple stuff, but still so many people forget to include basic details.
licensed with busy Music Supervisors?
If you’ve recorded some great songs and they are mixed and mastered, and they REALLY are top quality songs (feedback from your mom doesn’t count) then go forth and conquer! If you’re new to the biz then start by setting a small goal of reaching out to several music coordinators, instead of going direct to high end music supervisors. Get some conversations going and build your confidence. If you have songs that deserve to be licensed then focus on getting them licensed. People in the music licensing industry are there because first and foremost they love music! They also LOVE to find under-the-radar acts that need a better promotional platform. Big labels/publishers miss out on countless deals because they have the wrong agenda – they are forever pitching songs that are being released (and need to be recouped) and not songs that fit briefs that music supervisors send them. There are literally thousands of sync opportunities every year available for unknown acts, so never worry about competing with the big leagues. Focus on the homework and get the contacts to make your sync a reality. Oh yeah… I forgot to mention, ‘timing’ and ‘luck’ are always in play, and are important deciding factors in the sync industry.
Music Supervisors in Los Angeles?
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