Pitching for Film and TV? Want your song at the top of the charts? Spy on your competitors!
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010If you’re hoping for success in this industry, you might want to take part in a little musical espionage:
If you want to pitch one of your songs to a TV commercial, study the music in every commercial on TV right now and learn it all by heart.
If you want to pitch a song to films, buy the soundtracks for ten films in the genre you’re interested in.
If you want to be at the top of the charts, listen to the top 50 songs every single week. Know the charts so well that if I came to your house and woke you up in the middle of the night, you could tell me what was in the top ten that week. You might try subscribing to this Billboard Hot 100 – Top 50 Songs channel on YouTube–it will provide you with weekly updates on the top songs.
It’s not about copying — it’s about being aware
Knowing what other musicians are doing doesn’t mean you should be ripping off their material. All it means is that you’re doing your best to be completely aware of what’s already out there and, more importantly, what each industry is looking for.
Knowing that today’s action movies like including rockin’ metal songs with heavy guitar riffs is being aware. Knowing that most of the top songs on the charts have auto-tuned vocals is being aware. Once you’re aware of the trends and desires of the music industry, you can tailor your work to fit the scene.
