One of the most important aspects of music licensing is understanding that it’s a numbers game. Many producers struggle with slow sales or no sales, and often the root of the problem lies in their small or stagnant music libraries. To succeed in music licensing, you must approach it as a full-time job, consistently producing high-quality music. Here’s how you can take advantage of this numbers game.
Consistency is Key
If you are pursuing music licensing as a career, it’s essential to create music regularly. Licensing music is not a passive income stream where you can occasionally release tracks and expect results. The more music you have in your catalog, the more opportunities you create for placements. Think of it as a marathon, not a sprint. You should aim to release new music on a regular basis.
A realistic goal for many successful producers is creating around 2 new tracks per week. For example, producing 2 full-length tracks every week will give you 8 new tracks in a month. By sticking to this schedule, you’ll slowly but steadily build up your catalog.
Quality Over Quantity
While consistency is important, quality should always come first. There’s no point in producing dozens of tracks if they’re not up to industry standards. Clients in the licensing world, such as music supervisors and video editors, are looking for high-quality, commercially useful music. It’s better to have 20 solid tracks that are well-produced and versatile than to have 100 mediocre tracks that don’t meet industry needs.
Maximizing Your Music Library
Another effective strategy is to maximize variations of each track. For every full-length track, you can easily create multiple variations that cater to different commercial uses. Here are five common variations you can add for each full-length track:
- 60-second version
- 30-second version
- Seamless loop
- Narrative cue (a version without the lead melody)
- 15-second sting
By creating these variations, you increase the likelihood that your music will meet the specific needs of clients, from advertising spots to TV shows and YouTube videos. If you consistently create 2 tracks per week, with these 5 variations, you’ll have 8 new tracks with 40 variations by the end of the month.
The Magic Number: 1,000 to 1,500 Tracks
In the licensing community, there’s a golden range often discussed: producers with 1,000 to 1,500 full-length tracks in their library tend to generate six-figure incomes from licensing and royalties. However, this number is not set in stone. Some producers make over $100,000 with just a few hundred tracks, while others with large catalogs may not see the same level of success.
Success in licensing is tied to both the quality of your music and the quality of the libraries or publishers you are associated with. It’s about creating high-demand, commercially viable music.
Why Consistency Pays Off
In the end, the more consistent and strategic you are in producing music, the more opportunities you’ll have for placements. Keep producing great music and understand that licensing takes time to yield results. Eventually, the momentum builds, and the income from sync fees and royalties becomes more stable and satisfying.
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