10/04/2018
Someone asked me recently if you need to be able to produce high quality masters to get syncs. The short answer is ABSOLUTELY.
And not everyone can produce their own music. I think you need to have a team if you can't produce your own stuff at a high level. Music production is not easy to do well. Everyone can do it with technological access being at an all time high, but knowing how to leverage the software and make songs that are competitive is tough. It also really helps to have access to high quality microphones, outboard hardware, instruments and studio facilities.
It takes real resources to record, mix and master a professional quality song. Now those resources can come in the form of money that you pay out to hire the people you need to make your music, in the form of trades you can do with other people - provided you can bring something to the table that they need for their music work or business life. And yes, you could also buy your own set up and learn to produce. That takes not only financial resources but time. I've been producing for about 4 years and it was only about a year ago that things really began clicking for me as a producer.
And that just covers the production side of it. There are other factors as well. I think it's also CRITICAL to have the right kinds of songs to record. This is where getting honest feedback from artists, writers and producers who have gotten placements or are decision makers (supes, agencies, etc.) comes in. That kind of honest feedback can be tough to get from peer groups who mainly want to support each other and perhaps don't have the perspective of someone who has succeeded in writing songs that get placements. It's a learning process, and it might be a steep one if you're not writing the kinds of songs that are needed. Through education and feedback from professionals, I ended up learning that the way I had been writing songs for 20 years was at least half wrong, at least when it comes to writing for commerce. And when I say for commerce, it doesn't mean they aren't real artistic tunes - it's just saying that if you want to make music that people pay money for there are tendencies that people listen for and if you ignore that you are just creating music on an island. In a vacuum. Which there's nothing wrong with that, but if you expect the commercial music world to receive a song well.. it really helps to know the sandbox you should be playing in. From first creative spark to writing to recording all the way to master.
And I will be the first to admit that everything I'm saying COULD be wrong for you. There are not set rules in the ever-changing music industry. The rules we think we know get constantly thrown out the door in favor of fresh new ones. And then the rat race to embrace those rules begins until it happens again. That's actually one of the things I love most about the music industry. I never get bored by the chase.
I wish the best to everyone pursuing their sonic dreams, and aspiring to have their songs heard by millions. Anything is possible!
-John
