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Many producers today are not getting their sound across to the widest audience and that’s why they have to learn how to get placements as a music producer.
If we talk about placements, most music producers do not know where to start.
Your overall skills and ability as a music producer is just a small fraction of what it takes to getting a placement.
Instead, you have to play your cards right and make the right moves if you want to get placements as a producer.
10 Tips On How To Get More Placements
Getting placements can be difficult for up and coming music producers.
Therefore, you must learn and gather as much information as you can from other successful music producers.
By acquiring legitimate information and wisdom, you can eventually work your way up to negotiating and closing major deals with amazing artists, movies, TV shows, and more.
Here’s some tips on how to get placements as a music producer.
Contact Sound Engineers
People often overlook the fact that the sound engineer may be the closest individual to an artist.
Getting to managers is great, but never let go of the opportunities to talk to the sound engineer.
This is because setting up a meeting with the artist is a farfetched idea.
Do not wait on fortune to strike you a chance to introduce an artist to your beat.
Instead, ask people around about each artist’s sound engineers.
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Then, once you get to meet the sound engineer, build up a connection with them.
Talk to them about music and get to know them personally.
If the stars align, they may ask you to introduce them to some beats.
In the best-case scenario, they will probably like what you have and introduce it to the artist.
The next thing you know, you are sitting in the studio recording a song for your favorite artist.
This ideal situation promises you the world, so keep track of all the sound engineers in the top studios.
Placement Opportunities: Establish Yourself
As a music producer, it’s going to be tough to land a placement if you are not in the music industry scene.
You need to establish yourself as a music producer and get people to recognize you.
Ideally, people want their music and previous work to do the talking.
However, this just does not happen.
Therefore, you must stay connected with the music scene and get your name out in public.
Initially, you want to meet as many music producers, managers, artists, studio owners as you can.
This is the struggle that every young music producer, songwriter, composer, or beat-maker has to go through to get their name out in the music scene.
If you are a song producer, then build connections with music production crews.
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On the other hand, if you are looking for music production placement for a movie or TV show, then you must be in contact with sound engineers, recorders, and everyone that works in the sound department.
Having a list of industry contacts will be essential in order to make getting a song placement easier for you.
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Strong Social Media Presence
In this day and age, the world is progressing rapidly in terms of communication.
Considering the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic, people are avoiding social contact, and most business deals are happening through online communication.
Renowned music producers are spending more time browsing on social media platforms than they were before.
This is the same for managers, artists, and other people from the industry. Thus, there is a very probable chance that they visit your profile if you reach out to them and check out some of your work.
If you wish to increase the odds of that happening, you need to build a strong social media profile.
If your profile lacks significant followers and relevant content, then you might as well consider potential placement opportunities bouncing away from your profile.
Upload content that will engage potential clients to spend their hours and listen to what you have.
More importantly, put effort into your posts and online content.
Remember, you do not only want to attract clients but also regular followers.
This is because a client will judge your profile by looking at your number of followers.
Apart from building an aesthetic and amazing profile, keep active in contacting producers, managers, and artists on their social media.
If there is a specific artist that you want to work with, look up the name of their manager and search up their social media.
Oftentimes, you will also find their email address online, which makes for a great opportunity for you to send an email to them.
Moreover, if you happen to spike a conversion with an artist or a manager, and they ask for samples, then make sure you prepare beats that align with the artist’s preferences.
This increases your chance of making the placement.
Never send them something that they do not usually work with.
Contact Artists Without Managers
Your best odds of producing your first hit are likely to come from working with an up-and-coming artist that does not have personal managers.
Artists without managers are usually more open to listening to beats and collaborating with new music producers.
This is how to get placements as a music producer when you’re first starting out
Thus, if you get a response from an artist with a considerably large fan-base and without a manager, it is not just an opportunity to get a placement, but it is also your chance to get your name out in the music industry.
The best way to reach out to your favorite artist is to send a brief message explaining to them that you appreciate their work, and then follow that up with letting them know that you’d like to share a few beats with them that they would enjoy working on.
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Make sure that you contact small artists directly, especially the ones that leave their contact information, such as email, on their social media bio.
Do not make the mistake of contacting their family members or friends, requesting them to get you in contact with them.
This comes out, as intrusive and most professional artists do not appreciate this type of behavior.
Go To Live Events
Events such as concerts and different types of music shows are great venues, which help you create your network.
Buy VIP tickets to shows, as this helps you meet the artist personally and makes them realize that you are showing commitment to them as a music producer by purchasing the ticket.
As a result, a particular artist will show more interest in what you have to say and may even be willing to work with you on one or two songs.
Speak To Your Fans and Customers
If you know someone that leases or buys your beats online, make sure that you message them, so you can get to know them.
Regardless of how small your supporters are, you should always keep the people that buy your beats close.
This helps you build a better and helpful community.
Help other struggling music producers who can’t sell beats online and artists so that they can give back whenever they can.
By doing so, you can generate a positive feeling and image surrounding your personality, which will reel in more people that will want to work with you.
Be willing to work for next to nothing, especially if you still have not made a major placement.
It is great to know your worth; however, it is damaging to overestimate it.
Initially, it is essential to get your work in the public than to make money.
If you believe the artist has the potential and will elevate your work to another level, then you should also consider working for absolutely no money at all.
Moreover, if you keep your offers high without having anything to show for it, then you are likely going to lose the placement chances that you get.
Song Placement Quality
In order to impress artists, producers or music supervisors with your work, your beats or loops need to be of a certain quality.
They should reflect the modern style and demand and have your unique flare to them.
Overall, it should be something that they have never heard of before.
To produce this kind of sound, you should not restrict yourself from exploring multiple options.
Thus, you must invest in plug-ins so that you can expand your creative juices to create a beat or loop that signifies you as an artist the best.
Music Placements in Tv and Film
Now that you know plenty about music production opportunities, you should also know how to get placements as a music producer in TV and Film.
You should always be open to diversifying your options if you want to increase your probability of getting a placement.
Regardless of the type of music producer you are, working on music for a film or TV show can change the path of your career.
Getting your music on a particular film’s soundtrack will spread it across the world to thousands of views.
How to Secure a Music Placement for Tv and Film
Getting a music placement in this industry follows the same tips and tricks.
It requires you to create a network, build a relationship and get to know people.
Similar to other industries, if you know the right people, you can easily secure a music placement in a movie.
To secure a solid placement as a music producer in a film, you must have a connection with music supervisors.
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They are professionals who have most of the control over the audio and music that goes into the movie.
Acting as guides and consultants of the producers and directors, they help them make the decisions regarding the music in the film.
Thus, their suggestion to hire you for the soundtrack of the movie will ultimately get you a music placement.
This is because they are undoubtedly one of the main people in the music production team.
How to Track your Music Placement Royalties?
If you have your music out on streaming platforms, then you must learn the ways to track your royalties.
Firstly, make sure to release your music through independent distributors.
Secondly, affiliate your music to various collection societies like BMI, ASCAP or Songtrust.
This ensures that you get the money for whenever people play your music in a concert, restaurant, TV commercial, your PR-0 collects the performance royalties.
Selling Beats Online Vs Getting Music Placements
The possibilities of making plenty of money by selling beats online are always there.
Considering that your beats can sell repetitively, this explains why some producers earn six figures selling beats.
Even if you can share 0.1 percent of the revenue of the beat selling market, it averages out to be 30,000 dollars a year.
On the other hand, when it comes to placement, your pay will depend on the deal and how well you negotiate that deal.
Also, once you get a placement you will have to wait on a royalty check every quarter instead of receiving the money instantly like when you sell your beats online to a customer.
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Using both strategies is the way to go in my opinion.
We music producers have to have multiple income streams if we want to grow our business for years to come.
Learning how to get placements as a music producers and also learning how to sell beats online will help you do that.
To be a successful music producer, you must work hard each day regardless of music placements and money.
Hard work, integrity, and talent are tough to go unnoticed, even when it comes to making music.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How producers get placements?
First, create high quality beats or loops. Once you have the products then you music work on building relationships with recording artists, sound engineers, music supervisors and managers. Go to events and find recording studios in your area.
How much money do you get if your song is in a movie?
Music publishers usually charge major studio films in the range of $5,000 to $45,000. This will also depend on the music budget for the film which can change the price range.
How much should a producer charge for music?
A new music producer should charge between $200 to $1500 per beat. In addition they also should get 20% of the artists royalties which will be about 3% of the price that they put on the record.
Do music producers make a lot of money?
Music producers can make a career out of selling beats online to independent recording artists. They can sell beats anywhere from $30 to $10,000 a pop. They can also generate multiple income streams by creating different services like mixing services, promotion services, loop kits and more.
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