Ask Uncle Zee · No. 01
How do you get into sync licensing?
By Tommy Zee · 10-minute video + article
The short answer: stop pitching your passion and start solving other people's problems. In 20 years I've hired freelance musicians for more than 1,000 campaigns on three continents — for Google, Nike, BMW and Adidas — and the ones who keep getting called back all work the same way. Music school charges you five figures and never mentions any of it. Here's my practical answer: 12 rules, free, in ten minutes.
Rule 01
Read the room
Not just the room. Your emails, your outreach, the briefs. Take the time to understand what you're doing, who you're doing it with, what the purpose is and what they actually want.
Learning to read the context is one of the most important skills a commissioned craftsperson has. Pros don't assume. They ask. Because when you assume, you make an ass out of you and me.
Rule 02
Keep it short, focused and relevant to the person reading it
If you're contacting music supervisors for film and television, send them things that are syncable. If you're contacting music houses who commission music for commercials, send them things they can picture in a commercial.
Please don't write long emails about yourself. Write short ones about how you can serve the person commissioning you.
Rule 03
Don't tell me about your passion
Every musician is passionate. The proof isn't in the words. It's in the pudding. And by pudding I mean what comes out of the speaker, how it makes me feel, and how well it fits the story you're scoring.
Obviously you have the passion. But do you have the pudding? The taste, the skill to understand what you're scoring and how to score it so everything works seamlessly as one?
Rule 04
It's not about you. It's about the answer
The music is the answer. Not music that sticks out when it's supposed to be subtle, and not music that's subtle when it's supposed to stick out.
The people commissioning you just want a musical answer they can serve to their client. And the client wants to be confident the campaign is going to move human beings and stick. Music is one part of this job. Your job is to be almost invisible: a seamless source of musical solutions that fit the campaign like a glove.
Rule 05
Nobody cares about your diploma
All that theory from your prestigious music school might be great for your artistic project. For commissions, we want the music simple and striking. Think three chords and the truth. Think AC/DC.
People ask how I've produced for some of the biggest brands in the world without any formal musical training. Here's what I realized: if I did have sophisticated training, I'd have to leave about 95% of it aside to make something simple and striking for the average listener. Get sophisticated on your own time. On commissions, keep it simple and striking. The goal is always goosebumps.
Rule 06
Know the difference between an artist and a craftsperson
The sooner you learn it, the sooner you relieve yourself of unnecessary stress, despair and frustration. The art you create is on your own terms. You can do whatever you like. That doesn't mean you'll get paid for it.
A commissioned craftsperson has a client, and has to satisfy the client's needs, not their own. Nobody forces you to do this. If you choose it, accept the trade: you don't always get to do what you want, but much of the time you get paid well for serving the client. One piece of advice though: don't sell your soul.
Rule 07
It's not about the gear. It's about the goosebumps
I can't count how many musicians tell me they need to upgrade their studio before they start reaching out to clients. Do you want to make progress, or do you want to keep tinkering with soundproofing?
If you're a composer, nobody cares about your sound panels or what you used to create the goosebumps. The only thing necessary is the goosebumps. Next time you catch yourself about to buy something you think will make you commission-ready, stop. Splash some cold water on your face and ask: are there goosebumps? If not, no plugin is going to fix that. Practice on real commercials and real scenes until your craft gives goosebumps.
Rule 08
The real money for musicians is with the brands
Brands sit on a huge share of the world's capital. They spend enormous amounts on marketing and advertising, and a real part of that goes to original music. They are the modern patrons of the arts. They need attention, they need to move people, and they can't do it themselves. That's why they need you.
Yes, AI can make decent music. But it doesn't help a brand stand out. Your opportunity is learning to create original music from scratch for a specific brief, to move people in a very short time, and to make your track twist and turn with the picture. Do that, and you've found one of the best ways to future-proof your career as a composer.
Rule 09
Who you are matters as much as your music
No matter how great your music is, if you're an asshole, can't take feedback or fold when things get difficult, nobody will want you in the room. Most musicians in our business have the talent to take a crack at a brief. So the difference becomes your frequency, your vibe, who you are and how you do things.
Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer are both brilliant. Some directors will always call one and never the other. That has nothing to do with talent or studio decoration. It's their sensibility. Know who you are, stand for something, and serve the client's needs in a way only you can.
Rule 10
Disregard all the rules. The only thing that matters is goosebumps
Even when the brief doesn't ask for goosebumps, give goosebumps anyway. Better yet: give them what they asked for, the safe version, and then give them goosebumps on top.
Our job isn't only to solve the problem. It's to give the person commissioning you a feeling, so every time they contact you, they know they'll get goosebumps. That's how you become the person they call first.
Rule 11
When in doubt, ask questions
Asking questions isn't amateur. Not asking and assuming is amateur. The best question I've learned is so simple it's almost stupid, and people rarely have a clear answer ready: "What is the happy end here?" Imagine we've arrived and we're listening to the best possible solution. What are we feeling? What does the audience hear? Where are the magic moments? You're gently getting the client to define how we'll know we've arrived.
Other simple questions that somehow often don't get asked: When do you need this by? What file format? How should I deliver it? Do you want the music on picture and on its own? And my favorite bonus question: what is the client absolutely allergic to? So many times you submit something only to learn the client hates rock and roll.
Rule 12
Settle the money first
I know you're excited about your first project. But pros don't start work until the money is settled. That doesn't mean getting paid in advance. It means knowing exactly what you'll be paid if everything goes well.
In our business, freelance composers usually get a demo fee and a final fee. The final fee is what you get if your track actually goes to broadcast: TV, cinema, radio, online. Know both before you start, and ask whether there are royalties. Ask gently, politely and confidently. Pros are clear on the cash before they start crafting. There's money to go around. Find out your slice of the pie before you start baking it. And if you're not sure about a deal, ask someone further along the path.
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