The Latest Trends in Sync Licensing—What’s Hot and What’s Not

When I review songs at my BMI Workshops, I ask the writers to share their hopes for their song, so I can assess whether they are hitting their intended target. When I started teaching the workshops thirty years ago, the attendees almost always responded in one of two ways:

1. I am a recording artist, and this song is for my own album, or
2. I am not a singer. My goal is to have this song recorded by a pop, country, or R & B artist such as (they would insert several names).

Twenty or thirty years ago, it was virtually unheard of for a writer to tell me that his or her song was intended for placement in a TV show or movie. Now, when I ask what the writer hopes to do with his or her song, "I hope to license my song to be synched for TV or films," is the response I most frequently get.

I attribute this shift to two factors:

1. The number of U.S. artists who record outside songs (songs which the artist and/or producer did not cowrite) has decreased dramatically, and
2. with the explosive growth of cable networks the opportunities to place songs in television shows and films have increased exponentially.

For most songwriters, landing a song in a television show or a movie is a more attainable goal than having their songs recorded by a superstar artist. With so many writers hoping to secure TV/film placements for their music, I wondered whether there were any trends that might give my students and readers an edge when seeking to place their work. I had an opportunity to pose this question to some of the most knowledgeable individuals in the field of sync licensing at the annual Hawaii Songwriting Festival (www.hawaiisongwritingfestival.com) and it became apparent that some shifts have INDEED occurred.

Authenticity

One of the developments most often referenced was that music supervisors are more often seeking songs by artists and bands, as opposed to those composed by non-performing songwriters and recorded by studio musicians and session singers.

Lynn Grossman, Founder of Secret Road Music Services, expressed this, stating, "With the proliferation of musicians learning the craft of creating for sync and seeing the financial rewards from having separate sync-oriented projects, there seems to be a counter trend from supervisors to want to license music from what would be considered "real" touring artists with social media followings."

Unique Takes on Covers

Hit songwriter Richard Harris has landed hundreds of placements in films and in television shows including "Empire," "Nashville," "Pretty Little Liars," and in commercials and/or trailers and promos for TJ Maxx, eBay, AT&T, Hyundai, the NFL, HBO, and many more. Harris, who recently started consulting as head of Film and TV for Nashville-based publisher Demolition Music, also runs SongWriterCamps (www.songwritercamps.com) with hit writer Pam Sheyne, where they present mentor-based programs for artists, writers and producers including Songwriter and Sync MasterCamps. Harris stated, "Covers are still a huge pull. So cutting a very unusual version of a hit song can be a great way to go. But before you do, check with the relevant publisher(s) see if they will clear on new versions."

This sentiment was echoed by Tracey and Vance Marino, authors of Hey! That's My Song! A Guide to Getting Music Placements in Film, TV, and Media (HeyThatsMySong.com) who stated, "Covers are red hot, especially if the vibe is surprisingly different than the original recording.

VINTAGE SOUNDS

David Fisher, Music Supervisor and Chief Creative Director of Songs for Film & TV, stated, "We've been placing quite a bit of music with swagger. That could be 60's soul/funk grooves with sprinkles of modern elements-breakbeat vibes with vintage percussion, horns, and bass. There is a particular joy and confidence in this music that plays very well with many brands. The epic build, indie-folk stomp music, and Black Keys vibes that dominated the past 10-plus years have gone by the wayside for the most part. I'm hoping that music, ala Stephen Sanchez 's self-penned "Until I Found You," with its vintage sound, will be the next trend in sync.

"With all of that being said, you never know what will come up in a brief. The possibilities are endless."

Taxi (www.taxi.com) has been instrumental in securing countless sync placements and thousands of film and TV licensing deals. Michael Laskow, Taxi's CEO and Founder shared, "I've seen more and more vintage recordings getting used, both in songs and instrumentals. They range from the 1930s to the late '90s. They can be old master recordings or even good demos. I've even seen cases where good demos done on a Teac 4-track are used!

"The vibe and authenticity to the era are often more important than any other aspect. Those pieces are often used in TV shows and films that take place in past decades, and they're needed for background in party scenes or other scenarios where setting the time period with authentic music is important in making viewers feel like the scene really happened 'back in the day.'

"It's noteworthy that trying to imitate the old sound and productions styles with modern equipment (and even vintage equipment) just doesn't have that 'thing' that actual vintage recordings have. The show, "Young Sheldon" on CBS is a great example of a show that uses vintage music from the late '80s to the early '90s."

POPULARITY OF VARIOUS STYLES

"Hip Hop (both instrumentals and songs) ruled the roost in TV, film, and commercials for many years, but it looks like we're in the early stages of that becoming less popular. That said, there's still a lot of it getting used. I'm curious to see what the future brings for Hip Hop in the years to come." - Michael Laskow, CEO and Founder of Taxi

Laskow added, "Orchestral movie trailers used to be done almost exclusively with live musicians and orchestras, but I've noticed that more and more of them are being done 'in the box' with sample libraries. That's probably because the quality of the sample libraries has become really good, and more composers are becoming highly skilled at making them sound very convincing.

"I've seen some waning in the use of "happy/clappy" instrumentals that use ukuleles, handclaps, and sometimes a celeste or other instruments played with mallets. Those were very popular for many years, and the industry was tired of hearing that style everywhere!"

Richard Harris commented, "I think licensing is all over the place. I'm seeing a little more for country these days due to 'Yellowstone' and spin-offs."

"Another trend is songs with simple, repeated titles in the chorus. We're also noticing a broad range of genres being used, which means there are opportunities for all styles of music.

"We like to say, 'Any song can be used for sync, but not all songs are appropriate for every scene-and not every song will be synched over and over again.' "-Tracey and Vance Marino

DO YOUR RESEARCH

When asked what advice he would give to writers seeking sync placements, Richard Harris suggested, "Do your research first. Find shows that use your kind of music and write with the intention of pitching to those. Take note of subjects and tone of the music they use. It's much easier to create something with the show in mind than trying to make a song you have fit. But remember to keep that artist authenticity ever present in the writing."

Husband and wife Tracey and Vance Marino (SongMakerPro.com), the authors of Hey! That's My Song! A Guide to Getting Music Placements in Film, TV, and Media (HeyThatsMySong.com) are composers, songwriters, musicians, and producers with more than 3,000 songs and cues in their BMI catalog. Their music has been placed in shows including "The Voice," "The Tonight Show," "Saturday Night Live," and "Kelly Clarkson Show," and has been featured in hundreds of reality TV shows, sports events, films, trailers, documentaries, video games, toys, and in several national commercials.

They advise writers who hope to earn a living by placing their music in TV and films to watch and be familiar with the media needing your style of music. "We like watching true crime, sitcoms, sports, talk shows, and reality TV so, no surprise, our music gets synched a lot in these types of shows. Watch films and shows and study the songs that were synched."

The Marinos, who write and produce in their San Diego Pro Tools studios, use the app Shazam to identify music they hear in movies, advertising, and television shows. They listen to the songs in their entirety and analyze how they are being used in a given scene. Noting that songs that are synched usually have easily identifiable sections, they also examine songs' structures, identifying the parts that were used in the scene.

Putting successful songs under the proverbial microscope, they identify the "narrator" of the song, determining whether it was written from the first-person perspective (I, we), second person (you), or third person (he, she, they). They also note the tense of the song-does it take place in the past, present, or future, and also determine whether the instruments and vocals are perfectly in tune or purposefully "pitchy." Additionally, they make note of the instrumentation-is it stripped down with only piano or guitar and vocals? Or does it feature a full orchestra with a choir? Does the arrangement have interesting, changing layers of instrumentation with each section? How busy is the mix?

The Marinos shared that the emotion conveyed by songs that are synched tends to be clear and consistent throughout the song. They identify these emotions, noting that certain emotions occur regularly in storylines.

"In the past two years, 'happy' is the keyword searched for most often, according to music supervisors and editors. It doesn't matter in which genre, either. Happy is it-for now.

"You can't go wrong creating songs with universal themes or 'evergreen' music. Evergreen music is timeless and can fit into numerous types of shows, scenes, and media. It doesn't chase short-lived current trends, and most sync companies have it-or will need it at some point." - Tracey and Vance Marino

They shared, "About 12 years ago, we wrote and produced a light, positive, two-track ukulele instrumental called 'Rainbow Shave Ice' that's been in commercials and synched on shows like 'The Voice.' It continues to generate income for us on every BMI statement. It's so simple, yet we think it gets placed often because it doesn't interfere with the dialog and the title is intriguing."

"You don't have to be a flashy musician to get sync placements. In fact, we know composers and songwriters who can't read a note of music, but their music can bring a listener to tears by the way they convey an emotion. That's really what it's all about. If your well-performed and recorded music immediately captures a vibe, mood, or emotion, you will find success in the sync world." - Tracey and Vance Marino

Summary

To give your music its best shot of being chosen for sync licensing strive for authenticity-music that sounds like it came from an artist or a band, as opposed to sounding like was recorded by a non-performing songwriter. Explore recording cover versions of songs-especially renditions that sound significantly different from the original recording. Do your research to determine the kinds of music being used in the shows you are targeting and review your catalog to assess whether you have vintage music.

Possibly the most important advice came from David Fisher, Music Supervisor and Chief Creative Director of Songs for Film & TV, who stated, "I advise anyone creating music to do it from their hearts and not their heads. When music truly comes from the heart, it connects with others on an authentic and pure level. The magic happens when the artist lets their emotions tap into the stream of creativity. Your hopes should be to tell your truth through your music and create moving vibrations that resonate with people. Never try to write for sync placements, as most times, they feel forced. I'm a true believer that great music will be heard in this day and age. So, make beautiful art and let it go."

Jason Blume is the author of 6 Steps to Songwriting Success, This Business of Songwriting, and Inside Songwriting (all published by Billboard Books). His songs are on Grammy-nominated albums and have sold more than 50,000,000 copies. A guest lecturer at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (co-founded by Sir Paul McCartney) and at the Berklee School of Music, he has been interviewed as a songwriting expert for CNN, NPR, the BBC, Rolling Stone, and the New York Times. To receive his free video, "3 Things You MUST Do for Success," and weekly tips to inspire creativity, click on https://tinyurl.com/yckat6fc. For information about his workshops, webinars, additional articles, and more, visit www.jasonblume.com.

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