It is no doubt that the relevance of placement/pitching companies in the music industry has grown over the years. What these companies do is to represent you as an artist in films, commercials video games, or otherwise by looking for opportunities where your music can be used. Therefore, we are going to look at how these companies have developed over the years and also look at the various types of music placement companies.
Before mid-1990 music placements were solely carried out by the given film or television department in the various publishing and recording companies. But after this period, the presence of music placement companies became more popular among artists and the public at large. What actually happened was that music publishing and record companies started collapsing especially in the mid-1990s. There was, therefore, a huge lay-off of staff from most companies, and most of the guys that were laid-off, went out of their way to start their own music placements companies in both large and small scale. As time went by, more people realized the relevance of these music placement companies and they too ventured into the field.
One thing that remains constant amid the saturation in the licensing market, is the fact that there are still numerous placement opportunities available to artists. The best thing, therefore, is to know what works for you and what doesn't. And of course, a deeper understanding of how the market operates.
Now, essentially, there are two main types of music placement companies, namely;
i)Large-scale music placement companies.
ii)Small-scale music placement companies
Various people use different words to describe these types of companies. It is therefore important that you have a deeper understanding of them to avoid confusion. Having said that, let us look at what large-scale music placement companies mean;
Basically, these are companies that have a large catalogue. They represent a large number of musicians, that is; indie music artists and songwriters, for instance. These companies hence provide a huge platform with numerous types of music from which music supervisors can choose. Also, it is very easy to access them. For instance, if you are a company looking for music to use in your production, you just need to log in onto their online platform and search for the music that best fits your production.
The main aim of these companies is to showcase a wide range of music for placements. And so, as an upcoming artist, this can sometimes work at your disadvantage especially because they actually do not promote your music as small-scale companies would do.
What are your thoughts about these types of companies? Just drop your response in the comments section below. Now, let's shift our focus to;
Now, as opposed to large-scale placement companies, small-scale companies actually have smaller catalogues. They therefore only represent a countable number of musicians. The best part about signing up with these companies is that they make it their sole aim, to promote your music. This is only possible because they do not have the burden of administering a huge number of artists as opposed to large-scale companies who do not limit the number of artists they represent.
The question that is perhaps bothering you now is whether you really need to use a music placement company or not? The decision on whether to sign up or not with such companies will ultimately rest with you. Knowing and understanding the reasons I am about to give will greatly help you make a good decision.
Here, the following are some of the reasons why people use placement companies.
What I mean here is that music placement companies have a regular interaction and network with music supervisors, production directors, and managers of various companies searching for music to be used in their productions. Ideally, this is all you need as an artist to excel in the music placement industry. And to have all that just by signing up to a placement company is very much attractive.
You do not need to be in the cold, trying your luck and yet you achieve your goals more easily and get even better-paying music placement deals. Going through the hustle yourself can be super stressful, especially because you might end up signing a deal at a very low fee.
Trust me, nobody would want to sign up somebody they don't trust, especially a stranger who just spammed their mails. No. These ad agencies and production companies have selected trusted parties they already know. And that is why signing up with a placement company that has a strong relationship with such people is vital. More often than not, those placement opportunities will only be known to people that these companies/music supervisors inform. And most times, they only inform those guys who have built a strong relationship with them. Does the music placement company have a strong relationship with production companies? Then you may want to consider signing up with the given placement company.
ii)Placement Companies Will Help You Cut on Your Resources
Trust me, searching for placement opportunities yourself can prove to be super exhaustive. You will spend a lot of time sending emails, going to various seminars just to look for that one opportunity. Well, doing this is not really a bad idea, but this might really eat your time and sometimes, finances. You might also end up taking a lot of time focusing on getting your music placed and entirely forget that you have a music career to develop. But hey, there is a simpler way to avoid all these! And it is just by signing up with a music placement company.
iii)Competent Placement Companies Have Excellent Expertise
I have to be genuine and honest with you, not all placement companies are worth signing up with. It is extremely important that you look for a placement company that has an excellent reputation. Such companies usually employ excellent expertise in handling your music.
The above is essentially the main reason why you would consider signing up with a placement company. If you still don't feel that placement companies aren't really your thing, do not worry, there are still various options available. That is, you can try reaching out to music publishers, record labels, and music libraries to help you seize an opportunity. You can even look for opportunities personally without the help of any of these companies.
Have any questions? Well, feel free to let us know in the comments section and we will be glad to respond to them.
