Library Music / Production Music

So this is something I've always considered getting into, and given how quickly and easily I can now produce bits of tracks it seems like it could be at least a viable revenue stream (eventually), but I'm curious if anyone here has any experience in it. I'm looking into finding some information elsewhere as well, but I'd love to get some of your experiences in writing/selling/buying library or production music. If anyone has some experience and wants to share and/or answer some questions get in here and tell WATMM what's up with that hustle.

It's not especially lucrative unless you're famous or have a lot of connections.

the library music that is coveted and fetches a hefty sum is usually from the 60s - early 80s and usually depends on artist or label. if you want to make library music today, you can either hook up with a label like kpm (now owned by emi) or bruton (now owned by bmg) or boosy & hawkes (classical music)- but seriously, nobody gets this stuff and what commercials use it are usually corporate film companies for their training videos or slide shows

many of the european labels are all gone today which leaves you're best deal being making soundtrack music and finding a forum like the velvet rope to shilling your scores as "soundtracks looking for a film". after all, that's what library music was meant to be

another thing you can do: see if you can track down the american library labels (since you're american) like robert hall productions. their addy was 115 west 57th street new york. the listing on discogs is VERY incomplete but can give you a starting point perhaps.

good luck. this is the hen's tooth of many a library collection

I think I wasn't clear in my original post.

I'm looking for information concerning producing and selling music in this fashion. Not the history of library music and all that. Production music and library music are both terms used to refer to creating songs, song snippets, and short sound effect/bits that the rights to use are then bought by television shows and ads.

There's a couple of resources online I've found that detail the current state of producing and selling music in this fashion, but I was curious if anyone here has actually done it themselves or has friends who've done this.

I know a few people here work in creating audio/soundtracks for specific things, but I'm more curious, for now at least, about the possibilities of building up a library of stock pieces for sale.

na, no personal experience...ed dmx/dmx crew did a few things for deep east music

http://www.deepeastmusic.com/

https://www.discogs.com/label/1008282-Deep-East-Music

DEM031 AnalogueLounge

DEM032 AnalogueBoogie

  On 7/13/2017 at 2:54 PM, auxien said:

I think I wasn't clear in my original post.

 

I'm looking for information concerning producing and selling music in this fashion. Not the history of library music and all that. Production music and library music are both terms used to refer to creating songs, song snippets, and short sound effect/bits that the rights to use are then bought by television shows and ads.

ah sorry bout that, but what do you mean "selling music in this fashion"? do you mean selling music with the intent of it being used for film and television or do you mean music being produced and sold through a label that specifically licenses the music for film and television? or do you have an example of someone who does what you're looking to do?

  On 7/13/2017 at 2:54 PM, auxien said:

I think I wasn't clear in my original post.

 

I'm looking for information concerning producing and selling music in this fashion. Not the history of library music and all that. Production music and library music are both terms used to refer to creating songs, song snippets, and short sound effect/bits that the rights to use are then bought by television shows and ads.

 

There's a couple of resources online I've found that detail the current state of producing and selling music in this fashion, but I was curious if anyone here has actually done it themselves or has friends who've done this.

 

I know a few people here work in creating audio/soundtracks for specific things, but I'm more curious, for now at least, about the possibilities of building up a library of stock pieces for sale.

There's a thread on this years ago, maybe in EKT - about making music for licensing, ads, available for media, etc. I think there was even a site you could submit tracks to. It was like a license music head-hunting service. Some were just like "jingle, 15 seconds max, '8-bit style' " or something like that.

No idea if it's around anymore.

  On 7/13/2017 at 4:57 PM, Mesh Gear Fox said:

yeah i'll admit that i was just weighing in in a roundabout way that didn't really address the original post

It's alright to chat about whatever of course! It was just upon re-reading what I said, I realized that it was my fault that I wasn't clear with my personal interest in starting the thread of course. Older collections of 'library music' are really interesting from what little I know of them. In my relatively small amount of time crate digging I don't think I ever came across any, though.

  On 7/13/2017 at 5:36 PM, iococoi said:

na, no personal experience...ed dmx/dmx crew did a few things for deep east music

 

http://www.deepeastmusic.com/

https://www.discogs.com/label/1008282-Deep-East-Music

 

DEM031 AnalogueLounge

DEM032 AnalogueBoogie

Hadn't come across this site yet, it gives a good idea of the general feel of one of these businesses though, thanks!

  On 7/13/2017 at 6:41 PM, Nebraska said:

 

  On 7/13/2017 at 2:54 PM, auxien said:

I think I wasn't clear in my original post.

 

I'm looking for information concerning producing and selling music in this fashion. Not the history of library music and all that. Production music and library music are both terms used to refer to creating songs, song snippets, and short sound effect/bits that the rights to use are then bought by television shows and ads.

 

ah sorry bout that, but what do you mean "selling music in this fashion"? do you mean selling music with the intent of it being used for film and television or do you mean music being produced and sold through a label that specifically licenses the music for film and television? or do you have an example of someone who does what you're looking to do?

 

Either/or, really. There's obviously a lot of keeping connections and promo that would go into trying to sell it myself, and given my track record of selling my own music on Bandcamp/etc., I'm not too good at that  

This series of articles, http://www.soundonsound.com/music-business/all-about-library-music-part-1, I'm assuming, details things out but I have to be cheap for now and they're a few bucks to read through it all, so I haven't actually read them. They mentioned it on the Sonicstate podcast chat thing yesterday and it perked my ears up again because I haven't thought about it in a few years, though now I've gotten much quicker/reliable with being able to 'produce' tunes. I haven't seen anyone else in particular anywhere who was willing to detail it all out. I even looked on reddit for Christ's sake!  Everything else I've seen has been just tidbits and very general information, and a few sites that are selling things like this.

  On 7/13/2017 at 6:43 PM, joshuatx said:

 

  On 7/13/2017 at 2:54 PM, auxien said:

I think I wasn't clear in my original post.

 

I'm looking for information concerning producing and selling music in this fashion. Not the history of library music and all that. Production music and library music are both terms used to refer to creating songs, song snippets, and short sound effect/bits that the rights to use are then bought by television shows and ads.

 

There's a couple of resources online I've found that detail the current state of producing and selling music in this fashion, but I was curious if anyone here has actually done it themselves or has friends who've done this.

 

I know a few people here work in creating audio/soundtracks for specific things, but I'm more curious, for now at least, about the possibilities of building up a library of stock pieces for sale.

 

There's a thread on this years ago, maybe in EKT - about making music for licensing, ads, available for media, etc. I think there was even a site you could submit tracks to. It was like a license music head-hunting service. Some were just like "jingle, 15 seconds max, '8-bit style' " or something like that.

 

No idea if it's around anymore.

 

I did actually search WATMM first but I didn't find anything based on the few search terms I tried. Will have to hunt a bit more today, thanks Josh!

Yes sir Nebraska, I actually meant to post that here the other day after they released it and obviously forgot. It's a pretty interesting little interview and though you still have to sort of read between the lines to get at the real information (pricing, costs, networking, opportunities, etc.) it does give a lot more info than I had previously.

A few days after posting this thread initially I actually spent a few hours spread over two or three days just writing basic commercial-sounding things, to see if I could put my money where my mouth is. I think getting the tunes polished enough to sell would take a bit more work than I expected, however, as a quick perusal of some of the sites that sell tunes like that will give you an idea of what is really expected from a 'finished' product. I would like to try finishing up at least 5-10 pieces and post them just to see if they get any bites, but I may also be overthinking it. I think endeavors like this really would benefit from having two or more heads in the game working towards the goals...obviously the interview there that guy is usually writing by himself, but he talks about collaboration a lot and I can see how that would be a huge benefit.

Yes, I guess I hadn't thought too much of it in the context of relation to past Library music stuff, but it's interesting to consider that and sort of what stands out about decades old library music to us now. Just thinking about that maybe puts some of what I'm hoping to do into perspective Nebraska. So thanks for that :)

And definitely, been trying to ween myself away from being 'attached' for the past year or two but godDAMN is hard as fuck to do. Honestly that's my biggest problem when writing/finishing/releasing music.

And thanks for the kind words in general.

Btw I hope I didn't come off like a dick up there to any of you or anyone reading a few weeks ago trying to hone in on information about current production versus older library music interests. It wasn't my intent at all, I was just trying to focus my attention. Older library music stuff definitely is interesting in general. I need to try and find that thread Josh mentioned, too.