Workshop: The business side of sync: how to get your music licensed in visual media

The world of sync continues to mystify musicians, label owners and other industry professionals. How does it work? What is reasonable to expect? Where does one start?

Most independent musicians, labels and publishers are seeking opportunities to reach a wider audience and are eager to earn money with their music. Having your music included in a popular film, television series, videogame, ad or new media outlet can serve both these goals, and it’s not as far out of reach as you might expect.

This 60-minute session will unveil the sync process behind the scenes and show several avenues to bring your music to the big screen. Participants will leave the session with an understanding of music rights, the knowledge of how to get sync-ready, and gain confidence to reach out and seek sync opportunities.

The session will cover the following topics:

Part 1: "Follow that money!" - Copyright law, your musical rights and how to track them, and the legal fundamentals of music in film, TV and video games (types of rights, royalties and types of agreements).

Part 2: “Get it right, get it tight” - the importance of metadata, quality mastering, song organisation, instrumentals, lyric sheets, making your music discoverable and always including contact info.

Part 3: "You oughta be on the big screen" - How does music get into movies, TV, video games and advertising? The key players in the industry, the role of music supervisor and sync agent; how music is selected; and custom score vs pre-recorded music (not made specifically for the visual).

Part 4: "Scoring it big in the movie business" - Getting your music in movies, and getting paid for it! - How do Music Supervisors like to receive music, the perfect pitch, quote requests vs confirmed use, why independent artists have an advantage over major label music, types of income streams, and what to expect regarding fees.

Speakers:

• Stephanie Rushton, Music Supervisor at Seven Seas Music & The Rights Workshop
• Chicago Mike Beck, Founder & Executive Director of Access Film Music LLC