Stinger endings always preferred?

[kwspence]

Hey guys, new to the forum, as well as not sure if this is the right place to ask - For listings that *do not specify* a stinger ending, is it assumed that we should have one anyway? Specifically asking because I've seen a lot of listings that request, but some that specifically ask for faded endings, and some that do not mention them at all.

Thanks!

And for reference, this is the listing in particular I'm referring to - D230621FT

[funsongs]

Just an opinion, based on observation - you're probably right to go with a stinger/button ending...
UNLESS the listing SPECIFICALLY asks for a fade.
HTH.

[Casey H]

Yup, in the absence of other information, always have a ring out ending, never a fade out. Music editors for TV shows often want to line up the musical ending with the end of a scene and can't do that with a fade. Some libraries won't take any tracks with fade outs.

Also, though not asked, always end the song in the same key it started in and end on the root note. Editors also like to sometimes take a piece of your track and paste the ending on it to create something shorter that lines up with the scene. That only works if the keys are the same.

HTH
Casey

[cosmicdolphin]

Make your ending sound like a definitive ending...a full stop...you might hear some artists songs where the ending is ambigious and sounds more like a question mark. Don't do that as it make it hard to end the scene and move to the next.

[Casey H]

As said above, the purpose of a stinger ending is to coincide with the end of a scene, wrapping that up and helping transition to the next scene. Here is an example of a placement I had where they took the end of the track's stinger ending and used it just like that:
https://caseysongs.com/files/1183390/to ... 1-0001.mp4

#BadRealityTV #ToddlersAndTiaras

The ending of your track doesn't have to be a sharp stinger like this one, unless requested, but something (as cosmicdoplhin said) definitive. Ring out chords/notes work well and a little bit long is OK because the music editor can shorted them by fading out sooner. Speaking of "reality", at the time I did this track many years ago, I had no idea what I was doing and was just lucky that my producer ended it that way.

Also, when you place a track with a library, they often will ask for some alt mixes-- 30 seconds, 60 seconds, etc., and a stinger where you give them approx 5-15 seconds to use like this example.

PS I couldn't even afford to buy cosmicdolphin a cup of coffee with the money made on that placement!

[kwspence]

Wow thanks for the responses. Really really helpful