I’m not going to mention my guest’s name in this description. If I do, people will bombard him with emails asking to have their music heard. You’ll have to watch the show to see who it is ;-)
This music library CEO is a successful TV and film composer who used TAXI to build his career over many years. He became successful enough that he was getting more requests for music than he could personally produce, so he started a music library.
Harder than it sounds, and I’ll ask him to tell us why on this week’s TAXI TV.
But the REAL reason I asked him to be on TAXI TV is because of our relentless efforts to help you learn how to not blow a deal when you’re offered one. I’m also going to ask him to give you tips on avoiding mistakes that could make a library grow cold on you and your music. Who better than somebody who’s been on both sides of the sync licensing fence - Composer/Library CEO?
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⏱️⏱️VIDEO CHAPTERS⏱️⏱️
0:15 - TAXI CEO Michael Laskow welcomes everyone and introduces his guest Steve Barden. He also explains what will be discussed in the episode.
3:18 - If you have wondered why music libraries get half the money, you should see the entire list of things library owners have to ask, know, and check before they sign a price of music to their catalog.
6:48 - Steve explains some misconceptions about music licensing he might have had as a musician/composer when he was just starting out.
12:37 - 99% of the music in Steve's music library is from TAXI members!
14:52 - Steve explains the ingestion process and what the conversation is with a composer or songwriter if he wants to move forward with a piece of music.
17:34 - Michael explains why he has quarterly meetings he has with various music libraries and what is discussed.
22:05 - Steve has specific goals each year as to what he is looking for. He does not have an open portal on his site and explains why.
24:22 - Steve talks about how he is building his library and what music he is looking for.
25:02 - Does Steve see any trends on the horizon for the rest of 2024?
26:26 - Steve explains the steps before he signs any music to his library.
28:08 - It doesn't hurt to ask questions about a contract. Composer cannot change their contract.
30:02 - Steve's library is exclusive and he signs music in perpetuity only and he explains why.
31:14 - Steve explains the steps he takes to pre-clear each piece of music he signs.
39:30 - How often does he contact a composer if there are issues and he cannot move forward?
40:35 - Steve talks about metadata and tagging and why it's important. Do people get it right more of the time?
47:46 - Does he see stuff come in with spam keywords or keywords that do not work? Take the time to create useful keywords and tags.
49:56 - The more you use keywords and tags, the easier it gets.
53:05 - Steve gives examples of keywords and explains good keywording tactics.
56:10 - Does Steve feel he did a good job titling his tracks when he was submitting music?
59:10 - How hard is it to get a music supervisor to answer a call, email, or text message?
1:06:22 - Networking is so important and it is a special skill.
1:08:25 - Does Steve find a lot of inconsistency with levels on the tracks he gets? What are his requirements?
1:10:29 - Does Steve master everything he creates?
1:13:48 - CHAT ROOM QUESTIONS
1:14:31 - How many keywords are optimum for a cue?
1:16:25 - Steve does not allow any AI songs or lyrics in his library, he is a pro-human composer!
1:23:34 - What qualities make a composer a "go-to" composer for his library?
1:24:40 - How does Steve describe the difference between production music vs. score?
1:27:22 - How do you get noticed as a newly signed composer to his library and how to stay on top of his radar?
1:35:19 - It is very important to follow directions and learn keywords!
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