February 8th, 2008

Royalty Free Music from RoyaltyFreeMusic.com and How to Succeed in the Music Industry with the Power of Words

For several months now we've been offering you up tips from expert Derek Sivers, owner of CDBaby about how you can start making music for a living. No matter what style or type of music you play -- background music, stock music - you need to make GOOD music that will translate globally. Early last fall, Mike Bielenberg, composer of royalty free music and stock music talked to Derek Sivers, the founder of the successful music Web site, CDBaby and heard many useful tips about how to really make music (and get paid for it!). (Before you read this article, get up-to-date on the tips so far in the royalty free music news archives).

There are many PROFESSIONAL artists and musicians involved in crafting the stock music that graces our royalty free music and background music library. What you might not know is that these same artists are real, working musicians with collective experience that adds up to DECADES in the film, television and music industry. Our royalty free music creators enjoy successful careers in multiple genres of background music, stock music and royalty free music. They have challenged themselves in a variety of musical genres continue to compose and perform new and innovative works of the best royalty free music around. So, when you are buying royalty free music and background music to finish high-quality projects, you are truly getting the best music you can possibly find - bar none!

If the title of this news piece seized your attention, you might be interested in getting into the music industry yourself (maybe you just know someone who has been trying for years without success!), and you might even be frustrated (even if just on behalf of someone else. Do you have a lot of experience do you have making background music, stock music or any other type of music? Maybe you've been trying for months or years to get noticed. Sadly, the amount of time you've been trying and your experience level really has very little to do with "making it."

You shouldn't be surprised by this fact. Regardless of your accomplishments so far, the words you use and communicating with the people that can help you push your career to the next level is one of the MOST important ingredients to success. You need to focus on words and having them reach actual people that can help you.

As Derek Sivers talks about how getting people to hear what you have to say is critical to success in the music industry. Yet another ingredient of successfully creating background music, stock music or any other type of music lies in "the power of words."

"ON THE INTERNET, WORDS MATTER MORE THAN EVER.

On the radio, descriptions don't matter. People hear your song one time or a hundred times, they decide they like it, and hopefully the DJ says who it is.

In concert, descriptions don't matter. You don't have to describe your music while you're performing. You get on stage and perform. People love it, or like it, or they don't. No words necessary.

But on the internet, and in print, and in conversation, words matter a LOT.

If you take just one night to come up with some good descriptions of your music, you can use those phrases for years, and you will find many, MANY more fans than you will without descriptions.

On the internet, whether web or Email, you need to entice people to click their mouse before they'll ever become a fan.

In order to get someone to listen to your sound clips, sign your mailing list, or buy your CD, you have to: (1) catch their attention (2) appeal to their senses or emotions (3) arouse their curiosity (4) persuade them to do something about it (click!)

A SHORT DESCRIPTION - 10 SECONDS OR LESS

Most of the world has never heard your music.

Most of the world WON'T hear your music, unless you do a good job describing it.

It's like a Hollywood screenplay. You not only have to write a great screenplay, but you have to have a great description of it that you can say in 10 seconds or less, in order to catch people's attention.

Find a way to describe your music that would catch anyone's attention, AND describe it accurately. No use coming up with a funny description of your music if it doesn't actually describe what you really sound like!

HOW TO GET THE BEST SHORT DESCRIPTION OF YOUR MUSIC:

(1) Ask friends for their opinion. Ask a friend who talks too much, or someone in sales, to tell someone about you. Listen in, and remember.

(2) Get silly. Get drunk. Write down 50 ridiculous descriptions with some drunk friends. One of them may be good.

(3) Take your favorite one and test it on the world. Whenever you meet strangers and they ask about your music, have your catch phrase handy. If it doesn't make their eyebrows go up, try a different one.

(4) Send an Email to everyone on your Emailing list. Give them your three favorite phrases and let them pick which they like the best. Let them offer a better one.

Once you've got a great one, you'll know it.

Keep using it again and again until people almost associate your name with that one-sentence-phrase that describes it beautifully and accurately.


THINK LIKE A PERSON OR POET, NOT A MUSICIAN.

When describing your music, PLEASE don't be a musician.

Don't say, "The wonderful harmonies and arrangements on this release are sure to delight! Not to mention the tight rhythm section and insightful lyrics!"

Real people don't think like that.

Think what one teenager down at the mall would say to another, when describing what they love about your CD.

("Dude - it's like if Korn hadn't wimped out. It's like Busta Rhymes went metal, but they're from Mars or somethin. It's slammin. And you gotta see that picture on the inside cover!")

Think what an office-worker who wasn't much a music expert would say to a friend about your music.

("It's cute! They have this song that has a little "hoop-hoop!" at the beginning, with that baby voice. It's kinda funky! And he's got this sexy bedroom voice. Funny video.")

Real people often compare an artist to other famous artists. Real people talk about the overall "vibe" or sound of something.

Real people DON'T talk about "insightful lyrics" and "wonderful harmonies" and "tight musicianship". That's musician-speak. (OK - *some* music fans are deep enough into music that they do end up using these musician terms. But that's pretty rare.)

Play your music for some non-musicians, and ask them what they'd say to a friend about it.

Learn to describe your music in ways that actually *reach* people's emotion and imagination, and your music itself will be that much more likely to reach and touch people.

Your descriptions of your music should be almost as exciting (or touching, or sad, or shocking) as the music itself.

READ ABOUT NEW MUSIC. USE THE TRICKS THAT WORKED ON YOU.

Go get a magazine like CMJ, or Magnet, or Alternative Press.

You'll read about (and see pictures of) dozens of artists who you've never heard of before.

Out of that whole magazine, only one or two will really catch your attention.

WHY?

I don't have the answer. Only you do. Ask yourself why a certain headline or photo or article caught your attention.

(Was it something about the opening sentence? Was it a curious tidbit about the background of the singer? What was it exactly that intrigued you?)

Analyze that. Use that. Adapt those techniques to try writing a headline or article about your music.

YES YOU DO SOUND LIKE SOMETHING OR SOMEONE.

Yes you DO sound like something or someone.

Thousands of musicians describe themselves as sounding "Totally unique. There is nothing like this music you have ever heard!" Then when you put on the CD, it's straight-up pop/rock/blues. Instant disappointment.

When asked, many musicians think it's fine to say, "We don't sound like anyone." Or when asked what kind of music they play, say, "You can't describe it. Just check it out."

That's just lazy, inconsiderate, and stupid.

What if a business out in New Jersey somewhere said, "We can't describe what our store does. Just check it out!" Would you get in your car and spend a Saturday driving out to Route 17 to check it out? No!

You have to convince people! Grab their curiosity. Describe what you actually do, in an interesting way!

Make the wheels in their head turn. Make them taste it, hear it, see it, want it.

Be accurate, and don't disappoint. Read that twice: (1) - Be accurate. (2) - Don't disappoint.

This is a creative writing exercise. You can do it. It's important.
It will make the right people stop and listen to your music.

BLAH BLAH BLAH ... WHAT NOT TO SAY.

At CD Baby we ask musicians to give a one-sentence description of their style. You'd be surprised how many artists say, "A great 4-piece band from North Carolina. A hot new artist for the new millennium. A band you're sure to enjoy!"

Imagine if you ran into an old friend who now owned his own business, and you asked what his company does. Then he says, "We're a top-notch 9-person company in New Jersey. We believe in service, quality, and dependability."

"Yawn."

Would you remember that 1 minute later or give a damn what that business did?

Nope. They lost you.

Think how many people you're losing when you describe your music in a boring, or generic way.

When asked for a little more info, musicians often say "The members grew up in Boston and met in high school. After the bassist left to pursue another career, they found a replacement who has solidified the lineup as it stands today. They regularly play the local club scene."

Imagine a computer store saying, "Our VP of finance graduated from Penn State. We found our office manager through an employment agency. After our initial marketing director left "

"Yawn."

When a fan is learning about an artist for the first time, the last thing they care about is uneventful band history. As a rule, it's safe to assume people don't care about your history until you've got a gold record. Don't bore them with it before then. (Unless it's buried deep in your website for those few folks that are deeply curious.)

Describe your music or history in a way that you would want a total stranger running a little shop somewhere to describe his business to you.

OR YOU CAN NOT TALK AT ALL

Words got you down? Nothing new to say?

Then spend some money on a great photographer.

Calvin Klein showed you don't have to talk and talk and talk.

But if you don't, it's ALLLLL up to the image.

Unless you're in heavy rotation on top40 radio stations, it's not very easy for people to hear your music. They have to go seek you out, and make an effort to go hear you.

Music is like perfume. You have to convince and persuade people, with your words and images, to take that initiative, to make an effort, to hear your music.

If you try to just "let the music speak for itself" most people will never hear you.

HAVE FUN - DO NOT BE CORPORATE

Never use corporate marketing-speak.

Be weird.

Be a real person.

Sound like one person speaking to one person.

This is a big reason why it's COOL to be indie instead of corporate.

Real people respond better to the weird fun stuff."

Stay tuned, because we STILL have more tips about making it in the music industry (we'll eventually unravel this interview in its entirety!).

And if you are also looking for great film music or simply background music for your Web site, presentation or any other multi-media presentation, browse our royalty free music library.

NEW! -   Music Tutorials

Are you a Composer, Musician, Band, Flash or Video Artist that would like to be featured on Royalty Free Music.com? If so, click here