by Aaron Davidson

When writing songs for television and Film there are a number of points to consider.  By anticipating what some of the general needs are you can greatly increase your odds of your music actually getting used.  There are a number of factors to consider, today we'll look at two areas that are important to keep in mind when writing for television:

1.) Subject Matter -  Music in television and Film is used to enhance plotlines.  Generally speaking songs are matched with scenes based on subject matter.   The lyrical content of the music that you're pitching needs to make sense with the scene that your song is being considered for in order to get placed.  I'm typically not writing for specific scenes or even specific TV shows for that matter.  So how do I know what to write about?  Well one very safe bet is to write songs about relationships.  Think about it, almost all stories, be it in television or film, involve relationships.  Whether someone is falling in love, falling out of love or longing for love - just like in our real lives, relationships are central to most plotlines.   Turn on the radio and what are 90% of the songs about?  That's right relationships - and usually romantic relationships.   This is a very good area to start writing about when writing for general placements.

2.) Production Quality - Although it's true that the production standards for music used in television isn't nearly as rigid as it is for studio albums, it's still very important.  There is a lot of competition in this industry and like in any industry the best quality "product" rises to the surface.  It is possible to submit great quality songs recorded in home studios that will get placed.  As a matter of fact all of the songs I've had placed we're recorded in this manner.  Most of them done in Pro Tools.  However, in retrospect I've realized that most of my songs that have not been picked up were due to poor production quality.  My publisher has confirmed this suspicion for me too.  If you're not great at engineering and producing then find someone who is to work with.  All of the songs I've had placed I've had someone else help me with the producing.  It's not my forte and I know it.

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by Aaron Davidson

So, you've done your homework and you've researched numerous places to submit your music to.  Let's suppose that all your hardwork pays off and you land a deal with a publisher, for example, who wants to represent your music.  What happens next? 

Well the first thing that is going to happen is you will be presented with a contract that grants the rights to your new publisher to "shop" your song to various outlets on your behalf.  There are different types of deals.  The first deal I signed granted my publisher exclusive rights to pitch any songs I licensed to her within the TV and Film industry for perpetuity.  In other words my publisher is the only publisher that represents the songs I signed to her and any money that is made as a result of these songs being broadcast in either Television or Film my publisher gets a piece of - forever.  I still own the copyright, but my publisher gets a piece of any royalties generated within the context of TV and Film placements.  At the time I felt like this was a fair trade off, since I had NO contacts within the music business worth speaking of.  And I'm actually still fine with the arrangement.  My publisher simply has many more contacts than I do.  

But I am careful about signing similiar agreements with some of my newer songs.  There are other companies that are fine with representing your music on a non exclusive basis so it's ultimately up to you to use your discretion and make deals that make sense to you.  Just be aware that both types of arrangements exist.  

What happens after you've signed a deal with a publisher? Well, then you sit back and wait and hope they place your material for you.  Not everything gets placed though, so keep that in mind. Some of my songs have been picked up right away, some have been picked up more than a year after I've signed them and some have never been used at all.

Find out more about programs and books Aaron offers at his site by clicking here.