I've seen plenty of threads on here complaining about film makers who aren't paying for compositions. Also, I have seen threads complaining that it's difficult to make money from music. I beg to differ and would suggest that composers / musicians who are complaining are either not good enough or are doing the wrong thing to market themselves. This comes from my own, personal experience of making money from music.
The first time I was paid for music was over 25 years ago when I was a young teenager and I didn't give a damn. I was too young and didn't realise that most of the musical world would have given their right arm for that kind of opportunity. Strangely, my parents did everything to stop me including not allowing me to leave the house when I was offered money to perform for a James Bond film, again while still in my teens. A few years later, still as a teenager, I managed to get out of the house and recorded for 'Man in Music,' a Channel Four documentary in the era when there were only five channels in the UK and viewing figures were in the millions.
I was decent enough to be paid to rehearse (yes, rehearsals are all paid for) and then perform in front of 3,500 paying punters plus they threw in food, drink etc... Even in my teens, at one point I was so busy that I was being paid every weekend for my musical skills.
I was good but not amazing by any stretch of the imagination. The reason I was constantly making money from my skills is because I ended up constantly meeting people who paid money to buy music.
Even when I went to Uni (to study business), I found a bar with a piano, played piano and the owner was impressed enough that he booked me every weekend I wanted to be there. Before I walked in there, the piano was just for decoration but after he heard my skills, he thought I could make him money. So he paid me money.
One guy I shared a stage with on numerous occasions as a teenager is now a composer, musician, author and an extremely wealthy guy. He uses 10 agents in different countries to market his work (if you don't have an agent, well let's just say you are making your life harder). He did this by being an incredible musician (much better than I ever was) and has nurtured his contacts over two decades.
Composers have to remember is if they approach people who aren't interested in paying money, they will not be paid money. However, if composers / musicians etc... approach people who actually pay money for music, well, guess what will happen. It's just common sense.
If you don't know how to hook up with people who buy music - well that's for you to figure it out but I'll give you a clue what not to do - don't leave it to the internet. Personally, I did it through going to an audition, demonstrating my technical skills and getting booked. This then put me in a position where I ended up meeting lots more people who wanted to pay money for music which meant I made money from rehearsing, performing and composing. Even today, I get the occasional offer and one of my contacts at the BBC recently offered me money to help out at a rehearsal and I've been off the circuit for over 20 years!!! It wasn't very much money and I actually rebuked my contact for coming to me with something which was beneath me but I suspect it's more money than some composers have ever made in their entire lives.
So all of this to say - if you're good enough - find people who will pay you, not amateur film makers like me. There are plenty of people out there who buy music but I'll start you off with a little clue - you have to go to them - if you're waiting for them to discover you via the internet, you're going to be waiting a very long time.
The first time I was paid for music was over 25 years ago when I was a young teenager and I didn't give a damn. I was too young and didn't realise that most of the musical world would have given their right arm for that kind of opportunity. Strangely, my parents did everything to stop me including not allowing me to leave the house when I was offered money to perform for a James Bond film, again while still in my teens. A few years later, still as a teenager, I managed to get out of the house and recorded for 'Man in Music,' a Channel Four documentary in the era when there were only five channels in the UK and viewing figures were in the millions.
I was decent enough to be paid to rehearse (yes, rehearsals are all paid for) and then perform in front of 3,500 paying punters plus they threw in food, drink etc... Even in my teens, at one point I was so busy that I was being paid every weekend for my musical skills.
I was good but not amazing by any stretch of the imagination. The reason I was constantly making money from my skills is because I ended up constantly meeting people who paid money to buy music.
Even when I went to Uni (to study business), I found a bar with a piano, played piano and the owner was impressed enough that he booked me every weekend I wanted to be there. Before I walked in there, the piano was just for decoration but after he heard my skills, he thought I could make him money. So he paid me money.
One guy I shared a stage with on numerous occasions as a teenager is now a composer, musician, author and an extremely wealthy guy. He uses 10 agents in different countries to market his work (if you don't have an agent, well let's just say you are making your life harder). He did this by being an incredible musician (much better than I ever was) and has nurtured his contacts over two decades.
Composers have to remember is if they approach people who aren't interested in paying money, they will not be paid money. However, if composers / musicians etc... approach people who actually pay money for music, well, guess what will happen. It's just common sense.
If you don't know how to hook up with people who buy music - well that's for you to figure it out but I'll give you a clue what not to do - don't leave it to the internet. Personally, I did it through going to an audition, demonstrating my technical skills and getting booked. This then put me in a position where I ended up meeting lots more people who wanted to pay money for music which meant I made money from rehearsing, performing and composing. Even today, I get the occasional offer and one of my contacts at the BBC recently offered me money to help out at a rehearsal and I've been off the circuit for over 20 years!!! It wasn't very much money and I actually rebuked my contact for coming to me with something which was beneath me but I suspect it's more money than some composers have ever made in their entire lives.
So all of this to say - if you're good enough - find people who will pay you, not amateur film makers like me. There are plenty of people out there who buy music but I'll start you off with a little clue - you have to go to them - if you're waiting for them to discover you via the internet, you're going to be waiting a very long time.
