MASTER MUSIC

LICENSING
The 4 Step Plan to Licensing Success

B Y : MICHAE L E L S N E R
WELCOME TO MASTER MUSIC

LICENSING: THE 4 STEP PLAN TO

LICENSING SUCCESS!

In this short e-book, my goal is to show you the 4 steps that myself,
along with many others, have used to successfully license our music
for use in TV Shows, Commercials, Films, Movie Trailers, Video
Games, Corporate Promos, and more.

I disagree whole heartedly with the ‘starving artist’ mentality. There is

no reason why one should have to starve for their art. The best art is
created when you’re not worried about paying your rent, or where your
next meal is going to come from. The best art is created in world of
abundance. One in which the creator has all the tools at their disposal
to get their ideas out into the world. One where you have the freedom,
and the time, to do it right. The more freedom you have to throw
yourself fully into your art, the better the results.

Over the course of my career, I’ve met incredible artists who’ve written
some of the most amazing music. Sadly, many of them are no longer
creating because they couldn’t support themselves. Unwilling to
change paths, or be open to other avenues of revenue, they simply
decided to quit.
The world is missing out on some amazing music right now because these
artists had an ‘all or nothing’ attitude about getting signed to a record
label. If they weren’t going to get signed, they weren’t going to continue to
create. So, they moved on in life to a regular 9-5 job in order to keep the
bills paid.

If you were born a creative individual, you were meant to create, not to
suppress your gift in favor of a paycheck.

There is a better way. For creative individuals like us, there is a path to
financial security where we can create music full time, and my goal is to
show YOU that path!

It’s one thing to just read about a process versus actually implementing a
process. This system works, and I want to encourage you to follow
through on each of these steps with your own music catalog.

I wish you much success and many song placements. I'm looking forward
to hearing your music on TV very soon!

To YOUR Success,
Michael Elsner

“The Price of Anything is

the Amount of Life You
Exchange For It.”
-Henry David Thoreau
LAYING THE

FOUNDATION

THE TRUTH

Let’s face it, no one wants to be a starving artist. I haven’t met anyone in
my career that said they aspired to barely get by in life. Quite the
contrary. Every musician I’ve ever met has dreamt of ‘making it big’ and
living the good life while doing something they absolutely love.

Unfortunately, it’s become increasingly more difficult for artists to

survive financially as full-time musicians when focusing on the
traditional paths to stardom and success.

Thankfully, there are avenues that we as musicians can take to achieve

the financial freedom we desire while doing what we love - creating
music!

It’s easy to focus on the traditional paths to success, such as record

deals, publishing deals, and touring, but none of those paths guarantee
financial success.

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The question that I get asked more than any other is, “how can I get my
music on TV?” There are weeks where this seems to be a daily question
and to be honest, I’ve answered it so many times that my response is
almost automatic. Since so many musicians have asked me for advice on
how I’ve successfully done this over 2000 times in my career, I want to
show you the exact 4 Step Process I’ve used for my own Sync-Licensing
Success.

The first few questions I ask anyone interested in this field are “What style
of music do you write?” “How many tracks are in your catalog?” and “Are
you currently working with anyone to administer your catalog?”

Now, I’ve been fortunate in my career to have written music for over 180
different TV programs, as well as a variety of commercials, video games
and film trailers. While this list continues to grow, successfully composing
for TV is a world that, to me, has really been quite easy to navigate.

Writing music for these outlets is a very fulfilling endeavor, both financially
and creatively. My favorite aspect of writing music for licensing
opportunities is that I am fully in control of both my art and career. There’s
no record label exec, unscrupulous manager, or publisher telling me what
to write and record. This creative freedom is what makes licensing music
so gratifying.

I believe wholeheartedly that anyone can find success pursuing this path.
However, as with any successful career, it will require a commitment on
your part to follow the steps I’ve outlined below. There is no shortcut.

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MUSIC LICENSING

How often do you hear a particular artist’s song on tv shows or movies

over and over? Every time you hear that song, a license had to be
negotiated and signed in order to use the rights to that song for that
specific film, tv show, commercial, etc. If you heard that song in two
different tv shows, then two different licenses were negotiated and
signed. Every time a song is sync’d to a picture of any kind, there must
be a signed agreement (ie: license) for that usage.

DEFINITIONS

Before we dive into this 4 Step Plan, let’s briefly discuss some basic
terms and processes that are vital to your success.

Music Licensing: The process of granting the right to another party for
the use of your music.

Master License: The license that is signed by the owner of the recording
(the master). Traditionally, if a record label paid for the recording, then
the record label owned the ‘master.’ However, if you paid for your
recording, then you own the master.

Master and Sync Fees: The fees that are paid for the use (master and
sync licenses) of the song. These fees are generally equal (also known
as a Most Favored Nations clause). If a song is licensed for $100, the
Master and the Sync Fees are each $50.

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One-Stop-Shop: This term commonly refers to an individual or company

who controls both the master and sync rights to a song.

Performing Rights Organization (PRO): In America, this refers to

ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. You must be a member of one of these 3
organizations, and they are the avenue through which you will be paid
performance royalties. You may only be a member of one of these
organizations at any one time in your career.

Royalties: The money that is collected and paid to you by your PRO after
the song has appeared on a TV show, radio, film, etc. These are paid
quarterly.

Music Supervisor: An individual whose job is to choose the right music

for a scene and secure the rights to that music.

Music Library: A company that contracts with composers and

songwriters to represent their music to music supervisors. They are a
trusted source, have fully vetted all the songs in their catalog, and are a
‘one-stop-shop’, allowing for quick and easy licensing of music. They will
take a percentage of income for their services.

Metadata: The information included with/embedded in an audio file. The

common metadata that you’re used to seeing would be the Artist,
Album, and Song Title when you import music into a media player like
iTunes. That is only a very small example of the metadata that can be
included with an audio file.

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OPEN YOUR EARS & LISTEN

So, how profitable can music licensing be? Very profitable. There are
many artists and composers who make incredible livings just writing
and licensing their music.

Over the next few days, I want you to listen to TV. Don’t watch it, just
listen. Listen to the music underscoring your favorite shows. Listen to
the music playing through each commercial. When you’re online, instead
of skipping the promos after 5 seconds, give them a listen all the way
through. Just open your ears and listen. There is music all around us, all
the time, and a very small percentage of that music is from Top 40
artists.

Someone has to write all that music, and the writers of that music are all
generating an income in the form of royalties every time that music is
played. Not only that, those songs already generated income when the
sync and master licenses were signed.

As you open your ears and listen, you’ll notice that there is a never-
ending stream of opportunity for us as music creators to license our
songs for use in TV shows, Films, Commercials, Corporate Promos,
Films, and Video Games Trailers, etc.

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It doesn’t matter what genre of music you write, what your

instrumentation and lyrical content are, what tempos or production style
you prefer to use, there will always be a home for your compositions.
Some tracks will find multiple homes, multiple times over. All of this
means income for you. The more music you write for your catalog, the
more opportunities for placements. The more placements, the more
upfront income from licensing fees, and the more backend royalties,
often for years to come.

THE SYNC LICENSE

In licensing, whoever controls the copyright (also known as the

publisher), controls the right to sync the music to video. In order to sync
a particular song to video, a sync license must be negotiated and
signed. Since the publisher is the one who controls the copyright, the
publisher is the one who negotiates and signs the sync deal.

THE MASTER LICENSE

Traditionally, going into a studio and recording an album would cost

hundreds of thousands of dollars, so record labels funded the
recordings for artists. Once the album was finished, the label owned
those particular recordings. They didn’t own the songs, however. The
songs are considered ‘intellectual property’ that is owned by the
songwriter and controlled by the publisher. The specific recordings of
those songs, known as Master Recordings, are owned by the record
label or entity that paid for them.

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Since technology has made it possible for artists to record incredible

sounding projects out of their home studios at very little cost, many
artists are now funding their own recordings. This means that they own
their Master Recordings.

UNDERSTANDING THESE LICENSES

In order to sync a song (intellectual property) to a picture, the right to

sync that piece must be negotiated and granted by the publisher (sync
license). The right to sync the specific recording (master recording)
must be negotiated and granted by whoever owns that recording, also
known as the master recording.

MOST FAVORED NATIONS CLAUSE

So, we now know that in order to sync a piece of music to a picture, two
licenses must be agreed upon. The sync and the master. The publisher
negotiates and signs the sync license, and the owner of the recording
negotiates and signs the master license.

Without one, you can’t have the other. Meaning, if one of these two
parties does not agree to the terms, the deal is off the table.

Enter in “Most Favored Nations.” The Most Favored Nations clause is a

contractual commitment that states that “no other relevant party will
receive better, or more advantageous, terms from the party making the
commitment.”

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 LAYING THE FOUNDATION

Let me show you a real-world example of how this works in music

licensing deals.

A friend of mine was negotiating a licensing deal on behalf of a film

producer for a very well-known song that was to be used in a particular
scene in the film. He contacted the record label who owned the master
recording and they agreed to a $30k master license. When he reached
out to the publisher, they wouldn’t accept anything under $600k for the
sync license. Since the most favored nations clause states that all
relevant parties will receive the best agreed-upon deal, the record label
would now have to receive $600k for the master license even though
they only agreed to $30k.

The producer of the film felt the song was worth the $1.2 million it
would cost to use it in the scene, and the record label was promptly
informed with the good news that they just made $570k more than they
were expecting.

THE PATH TO SUCCESS

With the basic terms and concepts out of the way, let’s talk about
generating a solid and consistent cash flow from writing music. If you
work diligently, music licensing can be a true path to financial freedom.
It’s been mine, and I’m going to show you how it can be yours.

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GET IN THE GAME

I like to think of my music catalog as an investment portfolio. Follow

with me on this for a moment. Most financial planners recommend you
be diversified, with multiple stocks in different sectors. Basically, this
means having investments in the technology sector, a few in the biotech
sector, maybe 2 or 3 in the energy sector, and so on. A good investment
portfolio will keep you diversified enough through the market’s upswings
and downturns so that you’re always making money.

The exact same thing is true with your music catalog. The more
diversified it is, the better. I like diversity, and as a creative individual, I
thrive on it. I'm sure the same is true with you.

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THE 4 STEPS TO

LICENSING SUCCESS

STEP 1: BUILD YOUR CATALOG

CREATE SOMETHING TODAY

The very first step in your music licensing career is to start building your
catalog. Write as much, and as often, as you can. One or two songs is
not a catalog. An album’s worth of material is enough to get the ball
rolling, but not enough to make a career out of it… yet. It is, however,
definitely enough to start opening the doors that will get you on the long-
term path to financial success in music.

If you have the knowledge and skills to produce your own high-quality
recordings, even better. If you don’t, then find co-writers who are skilled
producers. The most important thing is to start building your catalog.

Let me give you an example. A few years ago I bought an old 1920’s
Martin ukulele at an auction. Because I like to put a value on my time, I
decided I was going to spend the next two weeks writing and recording
1 new song a day in order to learn how to play the uke.

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 STEP 1: BUILD YOUR CATALOG

Fortunately, my situation is one where I have a full recording studio in

my house, so I have the ability to record my ideas at any time.

For two weeks I learned chords on the ukulele, watching YouTube videos
to get some ukulele-inspired ideas, and ultimately wrote a new song
each day. It was a fun process, and even though I no longer package my
material in physical CDs, I still create an album’s worth of similar songs
before sending them out to my licensing contacts.

That album generated 4 national commercials as well as multiple TV

show placements. I was able to generate considerable backend royalties
that still come in every 3 months as well as significant upfront licensing
fees by simply learning a new instrument, creating some music, and
having fun the process.

It wasn’t hard, but it was another project to add to my diversified music

catalog. Building your catalog is the first step, and it really is the most
important. Your catalog is what will generate a consistent revenue
stream. The steps that follow are what allow you to collect that money.

WRITE WITHOUT BOUNDARIES

While we’re on the subject of building your catalog, it’s very important
for me to state this: Don’t overthink what you’re doing, just have fun and
create. It’s ok to be in a creative mindset where you’re stylistically all
over the map. For me, one day I may be writing rock, the next acapella,

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 STEP 1: BUILD YOUR CATALOG

the next orchestral, the next Hawaiian, etc…. I’m not obligated to create
in the same genre day after day, and neither are you. At the end of every
creative spurt is a period of non-creativity. Those are the days where I
take the time to go back through the new material I’ve written and start
categorizing it.

When I’m done, I may find I have 10 rock tracks, 8 cappella tracks, 7
orchestral tracks, etc. As I stated above, I like to organize material into
albums before I deliver them to the company that administers my
catalog. In this example, I know I have the rock compilation complete, 2
more acapella, and 3 more orchestral tracks to write until I have 3
completed ‘albums,’ or compilations of music, that are licensable. It’s at
this point that I’ll focus on writing and finishing up each compilation.

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THE 4 STEPS TO

LICENSING SUCCESS

STEP 2: CREATE VALUABLE CONTENT

…AND THEN THERE WERE SIX

Whether you’re writing vocal or instrumental tracks, you can increase

your chances of having your music licensed by simply creating multiple
versions of each song. If you write vocal songs, make sure to always
create an “Instrumental Mix.” You may even be able to creatively mute
various instruments to create an “Acoustic Mix” or “Stripped Down Mix.”

For your instrumental pieces, it will benefit you to create a “No Melody”
mix by simply muting the main melodic instrument. As you analyze your
main mix, listen for the various other alternate mixes that are possible.

I always like to add in sleigh bells for a ‘Holiday Mix.’ These are
especially popular towards the end of the year and offer even more
value to your catalog.

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 STEP 2: CREATE VALUABLE CONTENT

From one track, you can immediately add 5 or 6 versions to your

catalog. Ten songs in your catalog could easily turn into 50 or 60
licensable tracks, depending on how many versions you’re able to
create, and since each song is different, the number of versions you’ll be
able to create from each track will be different. The more versions that
you’re able to create of each song you have, the more possibilities you
will have for licensing that song.

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THE 4 STEPS TO

LICENSING SUCCESS

STEP 3: MASTER METADATA

THE GOLDEN TICKET

Now that you’ve been building your catalog and burning various mixes of
each track, what’s next? One word: Metadata.

You can have an incredible song that’s just perfect for multiple
placement situations, but if the music supervisors and editors searching
for music can’t find your song, then you’re out of luck. That’s where a
solid knowledge of metadata will greatly benefit you.

Metadata is the golden ticket to song placements. This is easily the

most important step that you will take to ensure the successful
licensing of your material.

Metadata is the information that is included in an audio file, and it

allows that song to show up in a search of specific keywords. The best
example of this would be your iTunes catalog on your computer. If you
open iTunes and you want to listen to a specific artist, you can easily

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 STEP 3: MASTER METADATA

find all their songs in your library by simply typing the artist’s name in
the iTunes search field. This is an example of metadata in its simplest
form.

Sometimes you may notice more information attached to an audio file,

such as the album title, composer, copyright year, etc. And sometimes
you’ll import audio with no metadata, to which it may appear as an
untitled song by an unknown artist from an unknown album. That’s an
example of an audio file with no metadata.

To better understand the importance of metadata, put yourself in the

position of a music supervisor for one moment. Let’s say that you have
over 10,000 songs in your iTunes library,and a producer is asking for a
happy, fun, summer, hawaiian- inspired piece that needs to be synced to
picture within the next 30 minutes. How would you go about finding
options that would fit this request? Are you going to listen to every song
in your library? There’s no way you’d have the time. Do you have every
song in your library memorized? Doubtful.

So, how would you search your music library to find the right song? The
first thing you may do is go into your iTunes search bar and start typing
in the words, ‘happy,’ ‘summer,’ ‘hawaiian,’ or even ‘ukulele.’ Any track
that has those words included in its metadata will appear in your search.
If those words are not included in the metadata, then even the most
perfectly suited song will not show up in the search.

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 STEP 3: MASTER METADATA

Your goal, as a music content creator, is to make sure that your song
will always show up in that search. That’s the importance of metadata.
Simply stated, it doesn’t matter how perfect your song maybe, if it
doesn’t show up in the search, it will never get licensed.

In order to get the big placements, it’s imperative to master metadata.

To do this, listen to your track and write out as many adjectives or
descriptive phrases as you can think of. Going with the example above,
let’s say you’ve written a happy, feel-good, song with female lyrics and
ukulele. Your metadata keywords can be as simple as “Happy, Fun,
Upbeat, Cheerful, Summer, Beach, Carefree, Ukulele, Female, Teenage,
Freedom, Feel-Good, Laughing, Laughter, Relaxed,”

You should also write out a 1 to 2 sentence detailed description of the

song. Don’t forget to include the writers, publishers, performing rights
organization affiliation, and, most important, the licensor’s contact info.

ORGANIZATION IS EVERYTHING

I’m a fan of keeping things extremely organized and simple. In fact, for
me, the simpler, the better. I keep a very detailed spreadsheet of every
single track I’ve ever written.

The organization of my columns is as follows: Album Compilation, Song

Title, Version, Writer(s), Publisher(s), Song Length, Tempo (BPM),
Category, Sub Category, Song Description, Featured Instrument(s), and
Keywords. Some of these are self-explanatory, and some require
clarification.

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 STEP 3: MASTER METADATA

Let me show you the metadata of a track I wrote called Hula. The main
instrument is a ukulele, but I also included some glockenspiel, drums, as
well as various vocal “oohs” and “ahhs". Along with the full mix, I muted
the vocals for a ‘No Vox’ mix. I also muted all drums and percussion for
a ‘No Drums’ mix. Finally, I added sleigh bells throughout the entire track
for a ‘Holiday’ mix. From 1 master track, I now have 4 licensable
versions of “Hula.”

Below is my spreadsheet with all the metadata for Hula. Along with the
versions, writer, and publisher, you will note that Hula is 2:15 is duration
and is 138 bpm. My compilation that includes Hula is titled “Hawaii.”

Filling out this spreadsheet takes about 5 to 10 minutes, and I do it while

the track is still fresh in my mind. I know all the instruments I used, I
know the versions I mixed, and at that point, since the song is fresh in
my mind, I can think of a simple, concise description of the track.
Finally, under the keywords heading, I think of every possible adjective
to describe the track.

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 STEP 3: MASTER METADATA

These examples are simplified, but it’s not uncommon for me to think of
30 to 50 keywords used to describe each piece. I generally try to think of
creative adjectives that describe the track. Above all, my goal is to make
sure that every word that could be used to describe the track is included
in the metadata. I do this for every song I write.

You may be thinking, ‘why is he putting them in a spreadsheet and not

into the audio file?’ Well, the answer to that is simple. Depending on
whom you’re delivering your music to (we’ll get to that soon), you don’t
necessarily know yet what file type you have to deliver. Some people
prefer AIFF files, others WAV. Some like 24bit/48kHz, while others like
24bit/44.1kHz, or even 16bit/44.1kHz resolutions. Others still just prefer
high-resolution MP3s. I’ve learned that it’s easiest to catalog each and
every track, then when the time comes to deliver, input the metadata
into the files prior to delivery. Plus, I like having a record of every song in
my catalog.

Inputting this information onto your audio file is as simple as importing

the audio into iTunes or Soundminer, and then filling out the various
columns. In iTunes, you can use the Comments column to input the
Inputting this information onto your audio file is as simple as importing

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 STEP 3: MASTER METADATA

the audio into iTunes or Soundminer, and then filling out the various
columns. In iTunes, you can use the Comments column to input the
descriptive keywords for each track. Be aware though, WAV files DO
NOT store metadata. If you input metadata onto a WAV file, and then
send that file to someone, when they import it, no metadata will show up
- only the title. For this reason alone, I would advise you to use AIFF or
MP3 before wasting your time with WAV files.

Some agencies you work with may even prefer a spreadsheet of the
metadata so they can import it into an online resource like SourceAudio.

Every time you finish a new track, make sure to add it to your
spreadsheet and fill in the columns. It’ll make your licensing life much
easier in the long run.

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THE 4 STEPS TO

LICENSING SUCCESS

STEP 4: GET YOUR MUSIC HEARD

FOUR PATHS

You've been writing and building your catalog, creating multiple versions
of each track, and have mastered metadata. The last step is to get it
into the right hands. You now have 4 paths you can take to license your
music. They are:

1. Direct to Music Supervisors

2. Exclusive Music Libraries
3. Non-Exclusive Music Libraries
4. Royalty-Free Music Libraries

While all 4 of these paths will lead to licensing success, what I’m
particularly focused on in my own career are licenses that pay well. I’d
rather license 5 tracks at $10k each, than 100 tracks at $100 each. I’d
rather have featured placements on primetime network shows over
background placements on infomercials that play at 2 am in the
morning. I prefer placements that generate both upfront fees and
consistent backend royalties.

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For that reason, I want to focus on the first two paths.

DIRECT TO MUSIC SUPERVISORS

If you are extremely detailed with your metadata, know the ins and outs
of sync and master licenses, are great at marketing, negotiating,
networking, and building personal relationships, and most importantly,
are very prompt at responding to emails and phone calls, then getting
your music directly into the hands of music supervisors is the path for
you.

There a significant amount of resources online that contain lists of

music supervisors. Every November, “Music Connection” Magazine
publishes a directory of music supervisors. It’s also advantageous to
take advantage of music supervisor panels at various music industry
events such as ASCAP’s “I Create Music Expo,” or South By Southwest
(SXSW).

One of my favorite ways of researching who is supervising some of my

favorite TV shows is to visit IMDB.com.

Once there, you type in the title of the particular show and select the
latest season. Scroll down and select “See Full Cast.” From here, scroll
down to “Series Music Department” and look for the current Music
Supervisor.

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 STEP 4: GET YOUR MUSIC HEARD

Researching, and personally connecting with music supervisors, will

require you to be creative in your approach. Above all, remember that
these individuals have large workloads and are often under
extraordinary time crunches. Make sure that your music is something
that fits the style of music they’re currently using/looking for on the
projects they’re working on before reaching out.

EXCLUSIVE MUSIC LIBRARIES

These deals generally require you to sign your songs with them for a
term length determined in your contract. During your contract period, the
agency, or music library, may take all, or a percentage of, the publishing
for your songs, as well as 50% of all licensing fees. We’ve all have heard
the phrase, “it takes money to make money,” and that couldn’t be more
true in this case.

As my catalog grew, administering it fully on my own to music

supervisors became a full-time job in and of itself. I found myself
spending more time working on my catalog than contributing more
music to it, which led me down this path. This is a win/win situation, in
that by giving up some of my earnings in the form of publishing and
sync fees, I make more money simply because I was not able to
generate as many weekly licenses administering my catalog on my own.

Just like the music supervisor path, this path requires research and due
diligence on your part. Once you have a catalog that you feel is large
enough to start pitching, then finding the right exclusive library to
partner with is imperative.

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 STEP 4: GET YOUR MUSIC HEARD

Throughout my career, musiclibraryreport.com has been an invaluable

resource in finding the right agency to house my catalog with. Over the
years I’ve worked with multiple agencies, each of which came from
researching them via musiclibraryreport.com and then actively engaging
with employees from each agency.

Signing your catalog with a company should be both a very personal,

and very hands-on process as this company, and its employees will be
your family for the duration of your contract. Every library has
agreements with various networks and production companies. These
agreements determine how their licenses work and the opportunities for
placement, which are the direct contributing factors to the potential for
both upfront licensing fees, and backend royalties.

From a personal perspective, I enjoy the creative freedom of working

with an exclusive music library over administering my catalog directly to
music supervisors. This allows me the freedom and time to contribute
to my catalog as I see fit.

One of the most exciting aspects of this path, for me, is when I check my
cue sheets and see new placements that have come in, all while
comfortably working away on new material in my studio.

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THE OTHERS

You can research non-exclusive and royalty-free libraries in much the

same way. While you can still definitely find success down these paths,
there is a definitive difference in the quality of placements and,
therefore, financial returns. As I stated earlier, I view my music catalog
much like an investment portfolio. I’d rather put my money in an
investment that returns 10% annually than one that return 2%. In my
experience, the non-exclusive and royalty-free paths are much like the
2% investment, however, the process to house your catalog with either
of them is the same as with an exclusive agency.

NOW GO LICENSE YOUR MUSIC!

Frequently Asked Questions

The top 3 questions I get regarding music licensing are:

1. “Who should I send my music to?”

2. “I have a company that wants to represent my song, but don’t want
to give up my publishing.”
3. “What’s the difference between a Music Library and a Music
Supervisor?”

I get asked this first question more than anything else. The answer to
this question involves fully following each step in the 4 Steps to
Licensing Success that I’ve outlined here. The hardest step for most
people is the 4th step - getting their music directly into the hands of
music supervisors and music libraries.

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 STEP 4: GET YOUR MUSIC HEARD

This process is covered in great detail in the Master Music Licensing

Course. Presenting yourself as a Valuable Service is imperative to your
success, and in the online course, you will master my Bulletproof 6 Step
Approach to successfully contacting & delivering your music to music
supervisors and music libraries.

Above all, I want to encourage you to start adopting a mindset of

abundance. Recognize that there is an abundance of opportunities out
there for your music! However, you MUST take the initiative, and follow
these steps in order to get your music licensed.

Question: I have a company that wants to represent my song, but I don’t

want to give up my publishing.

Answer: I say this all the time, “50% of something is better than 100% of
nothing.” Do you have the industry contacts to get your songs out to the
right people in order to generate income? Do you have great negotiating
skills? Do you understand contracts? Will you be able to generate the
most income possible for each
placement request?

If you can’t honestly answer yes to each of these questions, then you
would greatly benefit from having a publisher or signing with a library.

You have to give someone the incentive to want to work your music for
you, and if you’re not going to give them any financial incentive, then,
believe me, they’re not going to spend the time and energy working your
music.

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 STEP 4: GET YOUR MUSIC HEARD

You’ve most likely heard the phrase, “it takes money to make money.” If
you want to have success and generate revenue from your music, then
you will generally always have to give up something along the way. 50%
of something is better than 100% of nothing.

However, before you go signing away your rights to your publishing,

make sure that your contract states (1) a term-limit, and (2) a reversion
clause.

Question: What’s the difference between a Music Library and a Music

Supervisor?

Answer: A Music Supervisor is an individual who works with the

producer and director of a project to find the perfect song for a scene.
The goal is always to get the most emotional impact out of a scene by
the proper marriage of imagery, dialog, and music.

Sometimes, while putting together a scene, an editor may throw in a

piece of music from a popular artist that fits just perfectly. The music
supervisor’s job is then to either secure the sync and master licenses to
that particular song or to find a better, more fitting song at a lower price.

Sync and Master licenses for a hit song from a major artist can cost in
hundreds of thousands of dollars. If there is a limited budget for a
production, the music supervisor’s job is to find and license a song that
captures the emotional impact of the scene perfectly, all the while
negotiating a lower rate than a major artist’s song would cost.

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 STEP 4: GET YOUR MUSIC HEARD

This is where the independent musician’s songs thrive. Instead of

licensing an Aerosmith song for $100k, a music supervisor may license
your song for $10k.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The idea of knowing that millions of people are hearing your songs every
day, AND you’re making a living from it, is not just a crazy dream. It is
the reality for many musicians, and it can be your reality as well!

I hope this short guide has inspired you to look into the various avenues
available for licensing your music, and the potential for your own
success in this industry.

This 4 Step Plan has allowed me to generate over 2000 placements of

my own music in TV, Film, Commercials, Video Games, and Movie
Trailers. There’s nothing like upfront sync fees, as well as recurring
‘mailbox money’ in the form of royalties, to keep a consistent stream of
income coming your way. Licensing your music allows one to not only
avoid the typical starving artist route, but to actually make a great living
while at the same time allowing financial, personal, and creative
freedom.

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 MEET THE AUTHOR

I’m Michael Elsner and I’m a guitarist, songwriter, and producer with over
2400 placements of original music on TV Shows, Films, Commercials,
Video Game & Movie Trailers, and more. My tracks have appeared on over
850 episodes of over 180 different TV shows including Star Wars: The
Mandalorian, American Idol, The Voice, Maleficent 2: Mistress of Evil,
Impractical Jokers, The Sing Off and So You Think You Can Dance.

Through my premier trailer music company SonicTremor, I’ve written

music for Film and Video Game Trailers including Disney’s Cinderella,
Ocean’s 8, The Condemned 2, Dragon’s Dogma, Endwar, as well as a
Super Bowl Commercial for Amazon Prime’s Jack Ryan Series.

Over the years I’ve spoken on the topic of music licensing at numerous
music conferences. After talking with so many struggling and starving
musicians, I realized there was a lack of actionable resources available to
empower musicians to THRIVE in the modern music industry. To answer
that need, I created a number of In-Depth Online Resources:

• The Master Music Licensing Course

• The 7 Day Sync-Ready Challenge
• The Song Placement Workshop

Each of which is available at:

www.mastermusiclicensing.com