The quest for finding new clients.

This is my YouTube channel by the way: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNsax6s5m81sadMmOZFEdGg

fawn said:

Maybe a cool video of me playing my music live with my Komplete Kontrol MKII S88, complete with all the LEDs and catchy stuff, might work, but I don't have a good recording device.

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Get a good recording device!

Just posting music on YouTube will not cut it. People need to see your face. Being socially awkward isn’t a rare thing. There are millions and millions of socially awkward people. If you want to get more work, you have to put in the work.

What's your overall goal? To get film scoring projects? To write production music? To write music for video games? To get more social media followers? To sell your music to the public (downloads, streams, etc.)?

Each of these targets requires a slightly different type of outreach effort, so it's important to define exactly what you want so you can focus your energies effectively.

And yeah, the "random" part is a huge factor. Luck plays a massive role in steering most music careers, especially in the early stages. I think it was Alan Silvestri who said after his first film scoring job, the phone didn't ring again for a whole year. We can never predict when, where, or how the next gig is going to come. All we can do is be prepared and put ourselves out there.

In terms of outreach, there's no substitute for human connection. Social media groups are fine, but to really make an effective impression, it's personal contact, or at the very least a phone call or Zoom conversation, that works best. This means you need to put yourself in situations where you can make contact with the people you're targeting. It's not easy, and it's usually way outside most people's comfort zone, but at the end of the day, that's where the real sparks are ignited.

And don't expect results overnight. It happens sometimes, but typically, the long term accumulation of persistently putting yourself out there is what eventually yields a result.

Hope that's somewhat helpful. Maybe if you state your specific goals, you can get more specific advice.

fawn said:

How do you, veteran or amateur composers, usually reach new people? I'm working hard on my music, trying to improve day by day, but I'm a total mess with networking. I have YouTube, SoundCloud, and use Facebook because of groups like Filmmakers and Composers, Indie Game Dev, etc.

I've been contacted a few times, and it sounds more like a random thing to me than a result of my actual marketing abilities. I say this because I see poor numbers when sharing my music with the world. I know the basics like joining game jams, itch.io, Reddit, and more. I've spent time doing works for free (I've invested a lot in my gear and have already landed some paid gigs), but I feel like just putting my music in some internet place and waiting for a miracle to happen won't work.

Maybe a cool video of me playing my music live with my Komplete Kontrol MKII S88, complete with all the LEDs and catchy stuff, might work, but I don't have a good recording device.

I'm not that old school to go around meeting people in person (a.k.a I'm antisocial, lol), so I'm looking for some wisdom here if possible!

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Hi Fawn,

Here's a start from Zach Heyde;






Anne-Kathrin Dern also has some cool advice here;





Both are VI-C members, btw. I hear Anne in particular can be bribed into answering your questions with large quantities of cheese, so...


I think one of the things that gets overlooked though (and they don't teach you this in music school) is the fact that being a composer is as much about getting along with and managing people, their expectations as it is about coming up with a decent tune. Honestly, 70% is about connecting with people, sharing stories, taking an interest and listening, being reliable and fun to work and then 30%, maybe even less, about you sitting in a room in front of your keyboard or whatever trying to find the right sequence of notes until six in the morning.

In short; As of yet, it's (still) a people-centric business (I guess you could say you're in the service industry), so as a fellow grumpy cat my advice is to take that into account and if you feel you can, actually make that human connection side one of your main strengths/KPIs . Because people will remember you if you're great to work with or for example, when you managed to provide some calm and clarity to a stressed-out director, work out some problem together, etc. Those are the things that'll get you re-hired, not if you think you can outdo Mahler or something.

That said, good tech chops also help, of course. And the ability to work fast.

So, yeah... That's it, really.

quickbrownf0x said:

Hi Fawn,

Here's a start from Zach Heyde;






Anne-Kathrin Dern also has some cool advice here;





Both are VI-C members, btw. I hear Anne in particular can be bribed into answering your questions with large quantities of cheese, so...


I think one of the things that gets overlooked though (and they don't teach you this in music school) is the fact that being a composer is as much about getting along with and managing people, their expectations as it is about coming up with a decent tune. Honestly, 70% is about connecting with people, sharing stories, taking an interest and listening, being reliable and fun to work and then 30%, maybe even less, about you sitting in a room in front of your keyboard or whatever trying to find the right sequence of notes until six in the morning.

In short; As of yet, it's (still) a people-centric business (I guess you could say you're in the service industry), so as a fellow grumpy cat my advice is to take that into account and if you feel you can, actually make that human connection side one of your main strengths/KPIs . Because people will remember you if you're great to work with or for example, when you managed to provide some calm and clarity to a stressed-out director, work out some problem together, etc. Those are the things that'll get you re-hired, not if you think you can outdo Mahler or something.

That said, good tech chops also help, of course. And the ability to work fast.

So, yeah... That's it, really.

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If you can “outdo Mahler”, then you will be in a different category, which is concert music composer.

fawn said:

I'm not that old school to go around meeting people in person (a.k.a I'm antisocial, lol), so I'm looking for some wisdom here if possible!

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, this is a huge factor if you want to network with possible clients in your local area....which is ideally where you need to start if you're looking for experience with film scoring, etc.

I checked out your YouTube and Soundcloud pages. The first thing I noticed is that these pages don't tell me anything about you; what you do, what type of music you write, past credits, how to contact you, etc. All I can see is that you're in Italy and you're a "composer". Also, I'd edit those Soundcloud tracks so that there is zero silence at the beginning (for example, Downpour has a 5 second delay, that's more than enough time to lose a client's interest). The first two tracks are also in mono, not sure if that was intentional.

It's not for everyone, but I recommend building a website that markets you, as a composer, that you can direct clients to. IMO, it's much more professional than sending out links to Soundcloud, YouTube, FB, etc.

fawn said:

I'm not that old school to go around meeting people in person (a.k.a I'm antisocial, lol), so I'm looking for some wisdom here if possible!

Click to expand...

I myself am rather introverted - never been a fan of small talk and hate large social events.

But, there is a reality that you need to develop strong relationships to move forward in this field and to lead to gigs. I attribute much of my career to the strengths of friendships I had made, and my ability to be reliable and enthusiastic in the projects I am involved in. And being authentic and honest - so much comes down to trust.

You don’t need to be friends with everyone - in fact I encourage against it. I see a lot of people who try way too hard to force connections at events and conventions and it only leads to really shallow relationships. But you should find your people in the industry, really throw yourself into environments where you will be surrounded by other creatives you can work with.

Once you have those connections though, your ability to deliver is what ultimately makes or breaks the career. I have seen a lot of very talented composers lose or miss out on gigs by simply naming files incorrectly or delivering multiple messed up stems and mixes. Being that this is a trust based industry, having a track record of delivering consistent, high quality music in a timely and organized manner time and time again is what keeps clients coming back.

Bruhelius said:

If you can “outdo Mahler”, then you will be in a different category, which is concert music composer.

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Sure, but you get the picture.

Jeremy Spencer said:

Unfortunately, this is a huge factor if you want to network with possible clients in your local area....which is ideally where you need to start if you're looking for experience with film scoring, etc.

I checked out your YouTube and Soundcloud pages. The first thing I noticed is that these pages don't tell me anything about you; what you do, what type of music you write, past credits, how to contact you, etc. All I can see is that you're in Italy and you're a "composer". Also, I'd edit those Soundcloud tracks so that there is zero silence at the beginning (for example, Downpour has a 5 second delay, that's more than enough time to lose a client's interest). The first two tracks are also in mono, not sure if that was intentional.

It's not for everyone, but I recommend building a website that markets you, as a composer, that you can direct clients to. IMO, it's much more professional than sending out links to Soundcloud, YouTube, FB, etc.

Click to expand...

thank you, those tips are extremely useful!

Jeremy Spencer said:

Unfortunately, this is a huge factor if you want to network with possible clients in your local area....which is ideally where you need to start if you're looking for experience with film scoring, etc.

I checked out your YouTube and Soundcloud pages. The first thing I noticed is that these pages don't tell me anything about you; what you do, what type of music you write, past credits, how to contact you, etc. All I can see is that you're in Italy and you're a "composer". Also, I'd edit those Soundcloud tracks so that there is zero silence at the beginning (for example, Downpour has a 5 second delay, that's more than enough time to lose a client's interest). The first two tracks are also in mono, not sure if that was intentional.

It's not for everyone, but I recommend building a website that markets you, as a composer, that you can direct clients to. IMO, it's much more professional than sending out links to Soundcloud, YouTube, FB, etc.

Click to expand...

btw, you mean the first track I've upload on SC are in mono? I didn't noticed that, I'll have to replace them

fawn said:

thank you, those tips are extremely useful!

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Your music is really beautiful by the way, just need to plan your self-marketing and network strategy so the world knows how to find you.

fawn said:

btw, you mean the first track I've upload on SC are in mono? I didn't noticed that, I'll have to replace them

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On Soundcloud, both "Black Powder" and "Downpour" are playing in mono (for me, anyways).

Jeremy Spencer said:

Your music is really beautiful by the way, just need to plan your self-marketing and network strategy so the world knows how to find you.

Click to expand...

it means a lot to me, so again, thank you so much! ^ ^

fawn said:

I'm not that old school to go around meeting people in person (a.k.a I'm antisocial, lol)

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I can relate, although oddly enough I used to be very extroverted in my younger days. There wasn't a party or social gathering I wouldn't go to. However I eventually found myself getting really exhausted by all the parties and networking events, and constantly having to tell people what I do... I also felt this pang of guilt that I was getting more socializing than actual writing done. Sure, I met a lot of people, but my work wasn't up to par for my own standards. Nowadays I prefer to stay in and work and I'm a lot more proud of how much my craft has improved as a result.

I guess in hindsight I think it's all about creating a balance, not either extreme. I haven't quite found the balance myself but I think it's valuable to meet people in the wild. Even though my craft is getting much better, in the end, people (non-composers) don't really seem to care haha. I've discovered a vast majority of time, people prefer to hire their friends or those within their network, even if their friends are totally incompetent at the job (trust me I've seen this many times), rather than total strangers. So I'm trying to get myself out there a little more again, though a bit less than I used to. Perhaps it's better to meet people in smaller settings I think, rather than chaotic networking events which feels a bit like business speed dating, where everyone is walking around "peacocking" about what they do.

Literally just wrote an article about this!

Three factors in pretty much any business, but especially in music:

1. Networking
2. Quantity
3. Luck

fawn said:

I'm working hard on my music, trying to improve day by day,

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Note that "quality" is not on the list because you either can't define it or, given an agreed upon definition, the definition is so vague that it's not a practical concern.

Trying to make money by writing great music is, in my opinion, a fool's errand.

It might work. That's the luck part.

But networking and quantity are the much safer ways to build a business with your music.

Meet a lot of people. Write a lot of music. Those are the only things you can control.

Most of the people I’ve worked with didn’t hear a note of my music before they hired me. It’s all about trust. Recommendations from others and experience helps too.

It’s also a numbers game. The 20+ short films I did for free led to 3 paid gigs with 2 directors. It took years between the short film and paid gigs. I’d advise to do short films only with talented directors. Even then… some directors actually hire someone else when their first big project arrives. Only because they’ve met other composers in the meantime. They hire the composers who are on top of mind so that’s also logical. I try to stay on top of mind with all directors I’ve met or worked with.

And then there’s luck. I had a coffee meeting with a director (let’s call him J) who already worked with another composer (X). A couple of years later the pandemic hit and composers and songwriters got funds to spend on music from our PRO. I’ve reached out to a couple of directors asking them if they where working on something, because I had money available to spend on musicians. Then director J told me he had a couple of projects lined up and he was actually looking for another composer. Because on the last project he wasn’t satisfied with X. We’ve worked successfully on the film, the film was a huge success in Dutch cinema’s and we’ve worked on part 2 of the film, atm I’m working on another film of his and there’s going to be a series and another film later this year.

The luck part is that his film was a success and it’s easy for him to get funds for more projects. In the meantime I have to work hard and deliver good music on time. The trust part is there and he wants me to be involved in his projects.

J is not the only one I’m relying on so I’m still in touch with other directors. The difference now is that I’m more in demand. Projects come towards me instead of the other way around. So besides the projects with J. I’ll be working on a childrens film and maybe another film later this year.

Some other tips
- try to find directors who are switching composers occasionally. Directors who’ve been working with 1 composer for 20 years are probably not switching anymore.
- see which films are getting funded to be made in the future
- try to stay in touch with producers too
- same with sound people, other composers and editors. I didn’t get gigs out of it but it’s always good to know a lot of people in the field.
- show your face in the real world. Film festivals, composer gatherings, drinks etc. I'm an introvert by nature too (I think most composers are). But you'll get used to it and alcohol helps :D

rgames said:

2. Quantity
...
Note that "quality" is not on the list because you either can't define it or, given an agreed upon definition, the definition is so vague that it's not a practical concern.

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As recovering perfectionist, I had an epiphany a couple years ago which changed everything for me. I came to the understanding that the old saying "quality over quantity" is B.S. Because like you said, quality is subjective and impossible to define (where quantity can be easily defined). Also the yardstick of what is deemed 'quality' will constantly move further away as your skills and tastes develop, whereas quantity is a measurable number.

But more importantly than that, I began to understand that the only way to achieve quality is through quantity. The more you create, the more you can share with others, the more feedback you receive, the more you learn, the quality of your craft improves. Therefore, quantity = quality. Though not always true, because again quality is impossible to define, and there are some people who create a lot of crap over and over for years without ever learning... but point is, the only way to find your 'quality' is through creating in great quantity.

Plus then you'll have a lot more to show people. If there's one thing I've learned, average listeners and potential clients care less about what we might consider quality ("just look at how perfect that voice leading and orchestration is! it only took me 6 months of re-working it..."). Not to say one should write in haste and lower their standards, but just keeping in mind that having more things to show for yourself has greater value than a small handful of "perfect pieces."