How to get started finding Libraries

[moodscape]

Hi All,

I'm fairly new to Taxi and the publishing game but I'm not new to composition and songwriting. I'm realizing while reading through some of the forum posts that libraries are a logical and possibly necessary step in going from making music to placing music. I've seen several posts talking about this. Can anyone please give me some insight on what to google, or where to look to find a real resource with good contact info for music supervisors and libraries (preferably libraries, as from my reading I've come to understand it's a good starting place. Please correct me if I'm wrong ). There's so much info on the web, I find myself getting lost in it all and I just want to ensure that I'm on the right path.

I understand that contacting them and submitting through their preferred method and following up 3 to 4 weeks later is the commonly accepted time frames. I do have a couple of questions:

1) How many tracks should I be showcasing within my demo?
2)I compose across several genres. Should my demo stay to one genre or should I showcase my talents across genres?

Also, any other useful information, pointers, complaints, success stories that you have would be much appreciated.

Thanks for listenin
-T

[VanderBoegh]

Hey T, the best way to get into the library side of things is to do what you've signed up for by joining Taxi. Submit music to appropriate Taxi listings, and if your music fits the bill, Taxi will forward your music on to the person who is looking for it. In a ton of cases, this will be a music library that is actively looking for music.

You could of course go out on your own and send unsolicited tracks to libraries, but chances of them being listened to in a timely fashion (or at all, for that matter) are slim. By submitting through Taxi, you stand a much better chance of being heard and signed from libraries. Plus, if you haven't seen much success on your own yet, you'll have a harder time piquing a library owner's interest if you approach them yourself.

My advice is to use Taxi. They exist for this very reason! They give you dozens - maybe hundreds - of opportunities every two weeks. Let them send your tracks out to libraries.

The key is to make music that fits the Taxi listings... and that's a whole different ball of wax!

Best of luck,

~~Matt

[Russell Landwehr]

Hi, T. Welcome to the forums.

Matt is exactly correct. Unless you have some serious name recognition built up for yourself, "cold calling" the good Music Libraries isn't going to work. Yeah, sure, you could go with some we'll-take-anything kind of libraries on your own, but do you REALLY want to jump into that?

This is the reason TAXI exists. TAXI is where composers go to get a favorable introduction to the good Music Libraries. The Libraries that TAXI sends your materials to are vetted by TAXI, and when the Libraries receive your material through TAXI, they know that YOU have been vetted by TAXI.

THAT's the way you get your stuff into Music Libraries.

Regards
Russell Landwehr

[moodscape]

Hey Matt & Russell!

Thanks a lot for the input! I'm totally taking all the taxi submissions that I have something suitable for. I haven't been a member for long but my goal is to submit to 3 listings a week (pending that the listings are suitable for my style). I was reading in other forum posts that it's best to be proactive and "cold call" as well to come at it from both sides. However, my concern was exactly as you pointed out. I didn't want to end up with a library that will take anything and isn't going to be of any use to me. I'll continue forging through the taxi listings and going that route for now.

I appreciate your input.

Thanks,
Tory

[mobster85]

T,
These are Two really good guys to listen to. They r both successful and followed the guidelines that Taxi has set out for all of us. This is like having a business plan without having to develop it on your own. Good luck.

[Joseph]

Hey Tory, I don't mean to hijack your thread but I tried clicking on the soundcloud link in your signature and it sent me someplace weird. Was this intentional? Welcome to TAXI and the forum.

-Joseph

[Casey H]

There are two advantages (at least) to submitting to library listings via Taxi. One is, you may get forwarded... The other is the forward/return decision and feedback itself which will help you make you tracks more marketable, gauge how your tracks stand up, help with targeting to specific opportunities, etc. So use Taxi as the educational tool it is which you are pitching!

Casey

[moodscape]

Hey Joseph,

Sorry about that on my sound cloud link. It was a fumble finger typing in my signature. Thanks for letting me know though. Please do check out my stuff. I'd like to know what you think.

Thanks,
-Tory

[denalihighway]

I'm not disagreeing with anything said about Taxi obviously...but don't discount cold-emailing libraries / publishers - because it can work. I have already had some success with it.

There are many things to consider obviously - you may only get one chance to make an impression with these guys (obviously through Taxi listings is another way)

Research your libraries / publishers through google, facebook groups etc (there are different types, Royalty Free, Non-ex, Exclusive etc etc). There are good ones, dodgy ones and OK ones. Its a jungle out there. Make a spreadsheet with names, types, genres, contact details etc and after a while get contacting them but remember:

- what kind of music do they work with and are you a good fit?
- is your music ready and will it impress them?
- have you got Soundcloud playlists / a website / whatever convenient way / to present your tracks etc?
- make sure you think hard about, and compose a well worded email with just the right of professionalism and I guess a hint of personality that they will read.
- follow up on your promises!

Libraries and publishers are always looking for great music. If you show them you have it, and come across as someone cool and reliable, that they could work with, then you may well get a response.

I'm submitting stuff to Taxi and have only recently had some small success - but I began contacting publishers months ago, because although I get forwards etc and I will continue submitting to Taxi (because they are great, and the community is awesome) I honestly thought a connection through Taxi might not happen. I was getting frustrated and decided to take the bull by the horns on the advice of an Irish guy who runs this website (http://filmandgamecomposers.com/). I'm glad I was wrong about me and Taxi...but I still won't be hanging around either.

Everyone's journey is totally different, based on their skillset, personality and where the first chinks of light appear, so its impossible to give formulaic advice. I'm only getting started too.

Hope this helps a little - I know how bewildering in can be. Stick with Taxi!

[mojobone]

I'm not disagreeing with anything said about Taxi obviously...but don't discount cold-emailing libraries / publishers - because it can work. I have already had some success with it.

There are many things to consider obviously - you may only get one chance to make an impression with these guys (obviously through Taxi listings is another way)

Research your libraries / publishers through google, facebook groups etc (there are different types, Royalty Free, Non-ex, Exclusive etc etc). There are good ones, dodgy ones and OK ones. Its a jungle out there. Make a spreadsheet with names, types, genres, contact details etc and after a while get contacting them but remember:

- what kind of music do they work with and are you a good fit?
- is your music ready and will it impress them?
- have you got Soundcloud playlists / a website / whatever convenient way / to present your tracks etc?
- make sure you think hard about, and compose a well worded email with just the right of professionalism and I guess a hint of personality that they will read.
- follow up on your promises!

Libraries and publishers are always looking for great music. If you show them you have it, and come across as someone cool and reliable, that they could work with, then you may well get a response.

I'm submitting stuff to Taxi and have only recently had some small success - but I began contacting publishers months ago, because although I get forwards etc and I will continue submitting to Taxi (because they are great, and the community is awesome) I honestly thought a connection through Taxi might not happen. I was getting frustrated and decided to take the bull by the horns on the advice of an Irish guy who runs this website (http://filmandgamecomposers.com/). I'm glad I was wrong about me and Taxi...but I still won't be hanging around either.

Everyone's journey is totally different, based on their skillset, personality and where the first chinks of light appear, so its impossible to give formulaic advice. I'm only getting started too.

Hope this helps a little - I know how bewildering in can be. Stick with Taxi!

Excellent post, with some excellent points. Taxi is for learning how to get your music licensed, and after you've understood the basic principles, there's no reason you can't find or make your own opportunities, and in fact, that's encouraged. There are other methods/systems, but they mostly discourage efforts outside their ecosystem, which I find to be kind of a red flag. Taxi is happy to compete with every comparable product, and they've been winning for over twenty years. Still, it's difficult to get the best intel on the libraries, supervisors and agencies that can do the most for your career. You mostly get that from who you know, which is why you should attend the Rally.