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5 Dos & Don’ts: Making First Contact With A

Music Supervisor (https://output.com/blog/5-dos-
donts-music-supervision)
Music supervisors are the gatekeepers for music-to-picture, selecting the music & closing the
deals between artists and productions.

Here’s a quick guide of the best & worst practices for artists to win a music supervisor’s ear and
get their music discovered from the seasoned professionals behind “Music Supervision: The
Complete Guide to Selecting Music for Movies, TV, Games & New Media.”
(http://www.musicsupervision101.com.)

Have questions? Ask the authors anything on Reddit HERE (https://redd.it/7hvukf) on

Saturday, December 9 at 9:30-11 AM Eastern Time.

— DO’s —
1. Do your research
Know the music supervisor’s work before you contact them. There are big directories of music
supervisors available, but blindly blasting out “Listen to My Music!” emails to them is a waste of
their time and yours. Just like your music has its own sound, many music supervisors have their
own brand and distinctive credits. Cold contact the ones that you know have a track record of
placing music that’s in the vein of what you make – it’s a higher percentage play.
 2. Show you know their brand right in the subject line
You can demonstrate to music supervisors that you studied up on them with an intelligently
crafted subject line in your initial email. If that Netflix series that your EDM is perfect for is
always playing big beats in the weekly nightclub scene, differentiate your email or social media
intro with, “Techno for ‘Vampire Zombies’ nightclub scenes.” The music supervisor on the
receiving end will know and appreciate that you’re paying attention.

3. Make music that’s authentic

Music supervisors, almost always, are charged with finding music that’s real and will therefore
resonate with the audience. If your music comes from the heart, and is made because this is art
you’ve GOT to express, your odds of a synch will greatly improve. Put another way, writing a
song about tires just to score a synch in a Goodyear commercial probably won’t get you very
far.

4. Make your presentation unique

Established music supervisors receive hundreds, if not thousands of pitches from musicians,
music libraries, managers and A&R reps. Most often it’s an email with a generic heading with a
generic body text and a link to a YouTube video or a Soundcloud file. It also is often a manila
envelope with a thumb drive and a generic cover letter. Those emails and envelopes are mostly
not opened and usually deleted. Instead, try something different to get the attention of the
Music Supervisor. Send a box of candies. Write an email header that is unique and personal.
Anything different will increase your chances of getting them to open the email/envelope and
take a listen.

5. Be polite and persistent

There is a fine line between being politely persistent and being down right annoying. A general
rule is three outreach attempts. Send an email or an envelope. Attempt contact to ask if they
received it and a final outreach asking if they might have a use for the music. If you’re polite
and persistent you may land a deal right away or the music supervisor may keep you in mind
for future projects.

Sync up with Matt FX (https://output.com/blog/sync-up-with-matt-fx) to learn about the

taste-making process of music supervision and making moves as a producer & DJ.
 — DON’Ts —
1. Don’t hit up music supervisors who don’t want to be contacted by the general
music-making public
Music supervisors like Thomas Golubic (“Better Call Saul,” “Breaking Bad”) would love to hear
your music, but they’re gonna tell you right up front: They don’t have the time for unsolicited
submissions. It’s not just listening to your music that’s an issue, it’s also being sure that a song
is something they can easily clear. Check out a music supervisor’s Website whenever possible,
and see if they have a policy. Golubic explains the guidelines in great detail here
(http://supermusicvision.com/submissions.html).

2. Don’t cold call music supervisors on the phone

While there’s a bit of bravado and self-confidence evident in such a move, it’s not what they
want and is a red flag for unprofessonalism. Music supervisors may be managing literally
dozens of active contacts if they have multiple projects going. Find another way to make that
first contact via social media, email, attending an event, or – better than anything – building an
audience that’s passionate about your music, and have the music supervisor come to you.

3. Don’t send attachments in a cold email

Attaching music files to an initial email is a rookie mistake, since a big attachment can get your
email jettisoned into a spam folder before your target music supervisor even sees it. So send a
link to music, or better yet, simply introduce yourself and ask them if they would be interested
in receiving a link to your music – if they say “yes,” then you’ve started a dialogue. Also, golden
rule of thumb is always link a WAV over a MP3.

4. Don’t submit music that isn’t exactly within the genre or style being
requested by the music supervisor
If and when you have the luxury of being furnished with a creative brief or song style request
by a music supervisor, make sure you give them either exactly what they’re looking for to the
best of your interpretation, or do not give them anything at all. Nothing is more frustrating
when you ask for one thing, and you receive something that’s completely not that thing (wrong
genre, tempo, it has vocals when the call is for an instrumental, etc…). You’ll gain more respect,
and better yet, maybe even a second chance, if you submit nothing at all rather than something
that’s far off the mark.

5. Don’t sell Yourself as a “Jack of All Trades”

No one is great at everything. Put your ego aside, and market yourself based on your strengths.
Any time a composer or producer introduces themselves as a master of all genres, the red flag
of warning goes up immediately. Any music supervisor with experience knows that the best of
any genre comes from those who specialize in those genres! Stick to what you’re great at, and
offer your services with that style or those styles first and foremost. And you never know – once
a music provider proves themselves on the first project, they may get to show what else they
can do later on.

Ramsay Adams, Dave Hnatiuk, and David Weiss

Co-Authors & Music Supervisors | “Music Supervision: The Complete Guide to Selecting Music
for Movies, TV, Games & New Media” (http://www.musicsupervision101.com)

Get the guide on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Music-Supervision-Complete-Selecting-

Movies/dp/1468315048/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1500513417&sr=1-
1&keywords=music+supervision+2) and at www.musicsupervision101.com
(http://www.musicsupervision101.com).

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