Submitting music for television

Writing music for TV requires a strong background in both music composition and studio production. Becoming a success in the industry also requires quite a lot of patience, as it can take many years to build a catalog that generates enough royalties to make the investment of time worth while.

Music library composers frequently debate the fine balance between quantity versus quality. On the one hand, it takes of lot of cue placements to generate income. On the other hand, the quality of each cue much be top notch, both in composition and studio production to get accepted into libraries. Music supervisors tend to be very picky about both of these things, and music libraries know this well. To compete, your tracks must be authentic and well-produced.

So, how do you accomplish both of these goals? A good strategy is to develop a schedule of block recording time, but don't necessary put a limit on the completion. If you find yourself working on a cue for what seems to be an extended period, take a break and come back to it another day. Sometimes hearing the elements with fresh ears can provide the eureka moment needed to pull it together quickly.

Though every composition and production requires varying degrees of attention, it's good to find a balance between the act of churning out a certain number of cues every month and creating unique, original music that will get well-paying placements. 

Music for reality TV, documentary, commercial and various cable and satellite networks has become a booming business in recent years. The demand for high production quality music that can be delivered on short notice has seen a huge increase, due partly to the number of successful reality shows and investigative documentaries.

As the film composing industry is highly competitive, it seems that there are less "serious" composers willing to submit music for TV and other media, making it more of a growing niche industry. Though it may be less rewarding than composing for film in many aspects, it has the advantage of creative freedom - there is such a big number of shows needing a wide variety of styles that the job always stays interesting, as opposed to composing within one genre for an extended period. It's also a great way to get a feel for what is filling needs in the marketplace by working with the best music supervisors in the business. The fast-paced nature alone can be both stimulating, even inspiring.

The studios of today make it possible to compose and produce an amazing amount of quality custom music scores with almost blinding speed. It's a great time to be a professional in the industry.

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