PRODUCTION MUSIC COMPOSER

PRODUCTION MUSIC

Video:

Rumble in the Jungle

Snazzy

Spoontime

Sunny Day

New Orleans Strut
Humouresque

Audio:

Boomtown
Nutty Crackers
Diggin in the Dirt
Diamonds & Rubies
Whitechapel Whistler
Gorilla
Mr Plod

Production music has evolved from library music. In some respects it is the same thing: pre recorded music available to production companies for use without negotiating copyright clearance or composition fees. Generally there are fixed fees payable for a synchronisation licence depending on length of music, territory and type of use. The term library music is used as publishing companies would build up a library of such music and make it available for use on television, film, radio and other media. Library music was often looked down on as inferior, cheaply produced background or mood music. As music (and sound design) has become increasingly important in television advertising, the quality expected of library music has increased in order to compete with the use of existing pop and jazz tracks, and the companies that produce this music are increasingly using the term production music partly to distance themselves from the previous downmarket connotations of the phrase library music

I have recently composed and produced several production music CDs for Universal music library, one of the biggest publishers in the world. The music which works best and earns the most money seems to be the music which sounds like it is an authentic pop, jazz or blues recording. In order to do this composers may need use different methods from traditional soundtrack composition way of working. I have sometimes been asked to make the instruments out of tune or less rhythmically tight to sound more street rather than like a polished performance by session musicians.

How to Become a Production Music Composer

The first question to ask yourself is "Why become a production music composer?". Surely you will get more success, recognition and maybe even money if you write commissioned music for TV or compose film scores. Maybe, but it's a very big maybe.

There's more to it than that. One of the best parts, you'd think, about being a composer is that you get to do something you enjoy doing: writing music. Whether you are working in sound design, electronic music or in studios with great session musicians and orchestras, you are immersed in what you spent your young years dreaming of. The reality for most composers is very different. Stupid budgets, imposssible deadlines, annoying briefs (not your underwear, the style of music you are asked to write...) and worst of all, very rude and unhelpful clients.

Add to that the fact that being restricted by writing to picture can really stifle any creativity you have left after wrangling with the producer over a budget, you probably begin to get the picture.

Now compare that with composing and producing a piece of music that is based on a very free brief, or even no brief at all, ie just having fun writing something that you feel inspired to write. Add to that a publisher dedicated to getting it placed in a TV programme, commercial, film or game for which you get paid, perhaps the picture is becoming clearer

More to come....watch this space