Sync Agents for underground dance music

The Studio
1

HI,

Would anyone happen to know of or can direct me to any companies or Sync Agents that may be seeking underground electronic music for placement in games/videos/film etc?

thanks

1 Like
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Pardon my french, but what the heck is that?

You might have some luck by joining some gamedev forums as a musician (itch can be a good place to find collaborators, even paid ones), or setting up an SC or YT page dedicated to making music for games and films, etc.

Sometimes when you advertise your skills to the world, you start getting those emails and job offers, big and small. What might seem like a small offer can help you spread your name, too, so it’s worth working on the smaller ones so that you can eventually take on bigger projects.

Finding a one-stop-shop to replace hard work is probably just a pipe dream, though, but you might also get lucky with these sync agents that you seek.

Also, setting up a basic website with a contact form can be a good starting point. Lay out your rates, direct people to your site, and wait for some offers.

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Good to meet you @CETE I have some experience in this.

I started in a similar fashion to what @KvlT describes. Good advice and there is no substitute for gaining experience and “street cred” in the circles you want to be a part of.

I also spent a lot of time and energy learning about the Sync business in general and how to prepare a catalogue and ultimately pitch your music.

It’s very much a “chicken and egg” situation. No one wants to hear your pitch until you have a track record of sync placements. There’s a good reason for this. The Sync business is all about vetting the music is 100% original with no entanglements. Easy for you to say “Yeah! my music fits that description.” But a nightmare for the end user to find out “what do you mean that pad is ‘not really’ a sample?” Or, “You didn’t tell us this was a Collab! The other guy is not registered with a PRO!” It’s a nightmare for Music Supervisors, so this is why, over the years, they’ve all moved towards using Sync Agents and Music Libraries. It’s their job to vet the music is “clearable” so that the Music Supervisor can go through the legal process of “clearing” the music for use.

You can submit your music to Libraries and you might get lucky. You can research Sync Agents and Music supervisors and attempt to “cold call” or email them and you might get lucky. Be prepared for grueling non-response. Your lucky if you get a rejection, at least they acknowledged you.

Here is where I’ve been having some success: I’m working with a Sync Agent/Publisher who has put together a team of Artists and Producers for the purpose of responding to Briefs (description of what they are looking for) sent by Libraries and Music Supervisors. So right away, the opportunity is coming from the end user side, rather than pitching to the end user. The team members create music, individually or through collaboration, specifically in response to the Brief. The Sync Agent then submits the music for acceptance by the end user. The acceptance rate is very high due to the guidance of the Sync Agent and the combined experience of the Team of Artists and Producers.

Once the music is accepted the Sync Agent negotiates a deal for “up front” money and “back end” residuals. I’ve seen rates on the front end as low as $500 (common) and as high as $100,000! (rare but real!) All depends on the budget, the personal relationships of the end users and agents and of course the quality of the music. I’ve also seen many team members regularly get placements.

I was given the opportunity to join this team as a result of the “street cred” I gained over the years as an Artist and Producer, and by showing up at various zoom meetings and forums. After a while you begin to see it’s a smallish world.

Full disclosure: There is a monthly fee for a finite amount of time and then you are part of the team for life and free to operate independently, but now with experience, a track record and lots of connections and personal relationships with people in the Sync business.

I feel privileged to have stumbled into and been accepted by this Team. I started in May and I’ve got a handful of tracks accepted by the Sync Agent (not yet synced!) and more opportunities to produce for specific briefs than I can keep up with. It’s the “Good Problem” to have for a change.

Send me a DM if you would like more info.

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Thanks for your info, I just can’t bare the thought of ‘paying’ for a service like this. surely the ‘artist’ produces the work that has value, therefore the artists should get paid first and foremost.

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Understood,

I maintained the same philosophy for years, avoided paying for anything and followed the “free” advice that is abundantly available on line, YouTube etc. and I learned a lot of valuable information that way. Ultimately, the key really is making connections and maintaining relationships with the “gate keepers.”

To be clear, the monthly fee does not guarantee your music will be accepted for submission nor that an accepted submission will get placed in a Sync deal. That only happens based on the fit with the particular brief and the quality of your composition and production.

The monthly fee does, however, provide the opportunity to work and learn side-by-side with professionals in the business and to make and maintain key relationships with “gate keepers.” When you have completed the program you keep that knowledge and those relationships. It’s like going to school, but you get to work in the business while you are learning.

I negotiated a free month and was pleasantly surprised to see that the opportunity was far more valuable than I assumed. I’m about half-way through the program and very happy with the opportunities, the people I’m working with and the results.

One key step to take, if you haven’t already, is to sign up with a Performing Rights Organization. Without that, your music is not available for Sync.

If you are going to pursue this on your own, research and reach out to Music Supervisors, Sync Agents, Publishers, and Music Libraries. Also doesn’t hurt to reach out to Video Game developers, TV and Movie Producers and Directors. These are the main Gate Keepers and they are hungry for good quality original music with no strings attached and checking all of the legal boxes, produced by people they trust.

It can be done!