Extended: Music Licensing with Sony’s Dom Jones & Marmoset’s Tim Shrout

Sync opportunities are incredibly important in creating new revenue stream(s) for musicians of all career stages. In preparation for a piece on the Splice Blog [Publishing December 2022 — Link to come], I had the pleasure of connecting with two professionals in the field: Dom Jones, Film & TV Music Specialist at Sony Music Group and Tim Shrout, Senior Music Producer at Marmoset Music. As so often is the case, the final piece reflects only a fraction of the insights and wisdom shared. For those keen to soak in that which didn’t make the Splice piece, look no further than below!

What are some common or shared qualities in the artists you’ve worked with who’ve been successful in placing their music?

Dom Jones | Stylistically, sync is a wide open space, and there’s lots of room for lots of different kinds of artists. When it comes to success, I think that the biggest commonality is an openness to feedback without losing artistic integrity. An artist who can convert on small bits of advice to better position themselves for opportunities, while remaining true to their personal sound, will be successful. Two other important qualities are patience and consistency. While there are a myriad of media projects using music, there’s also so much music as well. Remaining consistent during the wait for opportunities is key.

Tim Shrout | I’ve seen many artists find seasons of success with a particular song or record, only to have trends change their licensing slow down tremendously. Those artists that continue to do well, year after year, tend to put out a lot of material. Not only does this keep them on our (and our clients’) radars, but it usually means they’re continuing to grow and develop as artists, building their skills and exploring new musical territory. Which leads me to point #2: Some artists find that they’re successful staying in a single niche, and that’s totally fine. It absolutely can work. In my experience, the most successful artists that we work with don’t just make a single specific genre or style. Instead, they dip their toes into a few different musical worlds that allow them to create more opportunities for themselves. Client briefs are all over the place in terms of style, and the more variety an artist has in their catalog the more often we’ll pitch them. (I should say: creating music at a high level of quality in multiple genres is HARD. I wouldn’t suggest someone just starting out try and do a little bit of everything. I think the sweet spot is developing mastery of a sound and then building on that and exploring new territory with intention, allowing expertise to accumulate over time.

For artists interested in writing original music for sync opportunities, what are some first steps?

Dom Jones | Be yourself! Nobody can beat you at being you, so lean into what you have to offer. Secondly, when completing final mixes, are you requesting instrumentals, acapellas, a TV mix, and if there’s profanity, a clean mix? Having all of the needed versions is important (and make sure they are hi-res versions, .wav or .aiff). If there are co-writers, make sure that the splits (ownership percentages for both the recording and the publishing) are clear, and that split sheets are completed and signed. Make the music, yes, and also take care of the business.

For artists interested in making their existing musical compositions available for sync opportunities, what are some first steps?

Tim Shrout | The very first step should be getting instrumental mixes and masters printed. The vast majority of sync opportunities that we get require instrumentals, so right out of the gate start there. Even if a client ends up using a part of the song with vocals, having the instrumental available allows them to make edits to fit their piece that otherwise wouldn’t be possible. Make sure the instrumental is mastered to sound as seamless and close to the full vocal master. After that, having stems available is a great extra step to take, as it allows us to pitch for more opportunities (sometimes clients ask only for songs that have the potential to be customized). Good stems are limited in number (usually less than 10 is good), grouped thoughtfully, and resemble the full master as closely as possible when played back at unity gain in a DAW.

Dom Jones | Find representation through a reputable sync agency with the right relationships to position your work. This part is more about doing research and homework, speaking with fellow artists who have found success to hear about their experience (and perhaps be referred to a sync agency). There are times when an artist can build direct relationships with music supervisors, but more often, a supervisor will reach out to a reputable sync agency as a trusted source for music, knowing that said agency will understand and have the ability to complete the business process of licensing music in a timely fashion.

What are some examples of common misconceptions, or misunderstandings, or artists when it comes to sync?

Tim Shrout| The biggest I’ve seen is that getting representation will lead to guaranteed income in the immediate future. Yes, some artists have big catalogs that are primed for sync, but for the average artist who’s made a record and finds a library or agent to rep it isn’t going to immediately be able to quit their day job (if ever.) For the majority of the artists we work with, sync revenue is just one piece of many in their revenue pie. For some it can be quite small, bringing in a little extra cash here and there, while for others it’s more consistent. There ARE folks who make a living doing this, but it’s not the guaranteed passive income source that some people expect it to be. I’m not saying artists shouldn’t strive for greater success in this space (I think many should!), but just want to paint a realistic picture.

Overall, how can independent artists position themselves in, at the very least, a place of visibility with decision-makers without being insensitive to their busy schedules? Or, is it less about a personal relationship and more the case of simply picking a library to add tracks to?

Dom Jones | Well, here’s where doing research and understanding how an artist would like to position themselves is important. A sync agent is much different than a music library. It’s important to understand that difference, and whether or not an artist wants to sell their rights to their music or license their music. Educate yourself on the various avenues that music is licensed and make an informed decision about what your ultimate goal is when leveraging sync as a path for visibility. Personal relationships will always be a vital component, so my biggest piece of advice in that regard is to be kind to everyone you meet, not because they may be able to do something for your artist career (people can feel when someone is not being genuine), but because kindness, besides just being the right temperament to have towards another human being, can also be a portal for future opportunity.

Tim Shrout | This is a tough one. There are many ways to get noticed, so I’ll say what I think DOESN’T work, which is scrubbing the internet for email addresses and doing a big BCC dump of your latest single. If you’re looking for representation, I’d suggest reading a company’s guidelines on submissions and following them rather than taking the blast approach. Personal relationships also matter tremendously! Plenty of amazing artists on our roster have been recommendations from folks we already represent. If you have friends or connections to other artists, that’s a totally viable way to get connected with a licensing rep. Reach out to people in your network to see if you have any 2nd or 3rd degree connections to catalogs, and see if they’d be willing to make an introduction. That goes a long way.

If you can share, what is a common range of artist’s income for a single track license in 2022?

Setting aside Track Club, Marmoset’s new subscription music platform, single song licenses can vary greatly. Because Marmoset works with a wide range of creators and brands, artists may see payouts ranging anywhere from under $50 to many thousands of dollars. They can be rare, but big payouts in the tens of thousands of dollars for a single song definitely happen. Most hover in the $1,000 — $2,000 range. Higher licenses tend to be for national or international broadcast commercials, often with some type of exclusivity, while lower cost licenses are for small, independent uses like unbranded podcasts or wedding videos.