Finding your film’s sountrack: What Do Music Supervisors Do?
What Do Music Supervisors Do?
A movie without a fantastic soundtrack will never win awards. Let’s face it – it’s the music that makes a movie shine. That said, have you ever wondered how the music winds up on a film in the first place? That comes down to music supervision. So, what do music supervisors do?
A music supervisor job is a coveted position for those who are passionate about music and have a talent for placing it perfectly into media that includes television programs, movies, commercials and video games. These sought after individuals also need to be able to handle less exciting parts of the job, including the administrative aspects, including nurturing vital relationships.
A successful music supervisor communicates well, excels at negotiations and understands the need for sensitivity when it comes to the egos of the rights holders, artists and directors involved. Even more important, they make it a point to realize the message the director is trying to get across in his film. They arrange and negotiate the appropriate licensing for the songs that will be used in films
Experience Required
Like the majority of music professions, there’s no clear path when it comes to being a music supervisor. Some who have chosen to go after a career as a music
supervisor take music business classes to learn all the ins and outs of music licensing rules which can definitely help. In addition, most look for music industry internships, which provide the perfect opportunity to learn the ropes, make important connections and eventually obtain paid work. Those who are new to the career
field are often willing to start out by accepting low or “no pay” positions in orderto add to their portfolios. For example, a lot of new music supervisors do freelance work in order to present their experiences to potential clients.
Another important asset for any music supervisor is to be well-versed in a wide variety of musical genres. To succeed in this field, it’s important that you stay current, so you will want to go out to the clubs, comb the trades every day and listen to current music genres online. Taking a few music history courses would be invaluable as well.
The Licensing Process
When the producers have specific tracks in mind or only have a basic idea of the style of music they want or think they want, they call on their music supervisor.
Then, the supervisor sets out to find the appropriate music and starts the licensing process. In some cases, a number of licenses are required per song, and the final approval can’t occur until filming has been completed. In addition, music supervisors will only have a small window of time to acquire licensing before a movie’s
release date.
Salary
Music supervisors characteristically get paid flat fees for their services and the amount of money they make is based on the project’s budget. For example, the majority of television music supervisors earn a few thousand dollars per episode, while on the other hand the most popular music supervisors earn around $200,000 for their services when they take part in major film productions. In some cases, music supervisors negotiate soundtrack royalties and are given bonuses if the productions they’re working on exceed pre-determined earning thresholds.
So, What Do Music Supervisors Do?
If they’re good at what they do and are lucky enough to lead a handful of high-profile projects to successful conclusions, they’ll enjoy financially rewarding careers. They have a key role acting as mediators between Production and composers, music publishers, labels or record companies. They research and obtain all legal rights to source music for films.
The music supervisor is the number one person responsible for all the musical aspects from creative to legal copyrights. They provide a unique service to the director to find the perfect music that are right for the film.
Their have the Legal knowledge of music copyrights and licensing agreements necessary to succeed and exist in the music industry.
We’ve compiled a list of the best music composed recently …
pretty much the highest aspiration any composer can want out of their new tracks.
Enjoy 🙂
Preparing for battle
Season of change
Epic motivation
Alive
The universe
We will win
I’m Happy
Eternal justice
Colors of the world
Second chance
8th wonder
Footsteps from here
Inner beauty
Something creative
We are strong
Moment to shine
Thank you for connecting and the great article in shining some light on the key elements and responsibilities of a music supervisor for others to see. No longer my role but my gift will remain to play a big part in my present and future ventures.
Premium Royalty Free Music
It’s a pretty good article. I would add that if a producer likes a certain track, a music supervisor would do well to have an idea of cost already and can that impart that to the producer prior to any reaching out to parties for clearance. Also actual licenses aren’t required prior to airing. The “clearance” process is sufficient to air and the license can come later and often the license doesn’t even occur until after the fees have been paid. Thanks for sharing.