THE Secret Resource When Writing Songs For TV

If you’re a songwriter, getting your song on a TV show could catapult your career as an artist overnight.

With tools such as Shazam, suddenly thousands of people can be googling you within minutes of the show airing and heading to your website or social media pages, as well as streaming or purchasing your music, (if you have it available for this).

So let me share with you one game changing website which, used properly, can hugely increase the chances of getting your songs ahead of the pack and onto TV shows.

But first, who are we targeting?

 

Music Supervisors

 

A Music Supervisor is the person responsible for picking the songs that will go onto a TV show. Sometimes there will be a good budget to license well known songs for use in a show of series, but 99% of the time there won’t be. That means that Music Supervisors need to take the music budget they have to work within and search for cheaper costing songs to license.

(Such as yours.)

It’s also cool for shows to use fresh, new music.

(Such as yours.)

So the question Music Supervisors get bored of is, “So what are you looking for?”

That’s asking for an unreplied email.

Want a better approach?

Something more likely to peak their attention?

Try this.

 

Approach Music Supervisors Already Knowing What They Need

 

Let’s put ourselves in the Music Supervisor’s shoes. What they want from you is songs that are:

• Well written.
• Well performed.
• Well produced.
• Lyrically appropriate.
• Available to licence (i.e. not tied up in deals elsewhere).

 

…and…

…in the right style for the show.

As you’d imagine though, different shows = different styles.

So how do you know the exact, perfect show to pitch your songs to without listening through the hundreds of programmes out there? Without flicking through looking for where the tracks are in the show? 

Wouldn’t it be great if someone just created a big list of the songs different shows use for you to listen to?

Well, as luck would have it, someone’s just done exactly that.

 

Thanks For Doing My Homework

 

https://www.tunefind.com is an astonishing website that gives you the ability to browse a huge selection of current TV shows by season and then further, by episode. You’ll find every song used in each show: The track title, the artist and direct links to the Spotify and YouTube streams.

It’s an incredible (and free) resource that is a research “must” if you’re considering writing songs to licence to TV shows.

Be sure to take note of lyrical concepts as well as musical and production styles as you listen. Notice how song lyrics used in TV often are careful not to be so specific in nature that they can’t be used. For example, if you’re writing about a relationship, it’s better to write about how the relationship made you feel as opposed to talking about direct aspects of that relationship.

 

Final Stages

 

Once you’ve compiled 3 or 4 songs undeniably in the style of the show, it’s time to research online who the Music Supervisor of that show is. Or check the show’s credits. Worst case, give the production company a call and ask. Put your detective hat on. (Every brick wall you hit is another one of your competitors giving up.)

Then when you finally get in touch with the music supervisor, make sure to mention that you’ve carefully researched the music used in the show and have included a link in your email to where they can hear your tracks written with their show in mind. (And only these tracks! Don’t go trying to throw other stuff in there.)

Approach Music Supervisors demonstrating that you clearly know the type of music they use on a show and you stand a much higher chance of your tracks being considered.