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Production Music Q&A
Dive into the world of production and library music with Dave Kropf on the 52 Cues podcast. This episode covers mastering alts and stems, AI tools, pitching to libraries, choosing sounds for cues, backend royalties, finding references, mastering dynamic tracks, panning practices, using samples, placements in PRO catalogs, transition music, and learning sample libraries.
Explore the ins and outs of being a working production music composer!
Do Libraries Owe Us a Response on Returns?
Last week I posed a burning question: should libraries reach out to composers whose music was forwarded by Taxi but not selected? This ignited a spirited discussion among composers, publishers, and everyone in between, shared via YouTube comments, our 52 Cues community, DMs, and emails.
Join me this week on the 52 Cues Podcast as we dive deeper into the Taxi debate with their President and CEO, Michael Laskow. We'll uncover the truth behind showbiz rejections, learn how to bounce back from bruised egos, and examine why Taxi-forward success might make make the silence sting that much more.
Is Tunesat Really Worth the $$$?
TuneSat can detect nearly any music placement on TV throughout the US and EU, and while it has its limitations, it can be a good way to see if your cues are getting traction. But what can we actually do with this information? And is it even worth the CRAZY subscription cost?
10 Piano VSTs Compared!
While I’m not a pianist, I’ve certainly done a fair amount of piano programming as well as lot of research looking for that perfect piano sound. On today's episode I compare ten (yes ten!) piano libraries with examples from meditation to jazz and Beethoven to Debussy.
What do Editors Want?
It’s one thing to talk about what editors need, but it’s another to have the opportunity to hear straight from the source. So I was thrilled when I had the chance to chat with Josh Siegel, a film editor who makes his living making the shows that use so much of our music.
Waves Goes Subscription…Only?
With zero fanfare and not even a heads up email to their customer base, Waves has gone subscription… only. So we’re gonna talk about it, look at what’s being offered and at what price, and discuss about how Waves has, literally overnight, managed to piss off everyone.
5 Books That Changed My Thinking
On today’s show, I go over five books that have transformed my way of thinking and helped in my career as a professional composer, even though they’re not explicitly about the music industry.
Must-Have Plugins
Regardless of mood, emotion, or genre, I keep finding myself dipping back into the same handful of plugins time and time again. So on today’s show I share the sounds and FX which have become so deeply embedded into my workflow that they should be immortalized into my own personal Mount Rushmore of plugins.
Do You Have What it Takes?
On today’s show, I share the 8 things I think it takes to be successful in the production music industry, with the understanding that most of these I’m still working on myself!
Plus in my Year of Taxi update, we’re going to check in on any returns or forwards and take a listen to this week’s submission which is a Lo-Fi/Chill Hop cue, and I give my thoughts a dark, mysterious cue written by 52 Cues Community Member, Claudio D
The 4 Stages of Competence
When you’re just getting started, you don’t even know what you don’t know, but when you learn a little then you know. You continue this until finally, you know what you know, you know there’s more to know, but you’ve stopped thinking of what you know because now you know it.
This is the path to learning any new skill, and on today’s show, I’m going to unpack each these four stages of competence and discuss how they correlate to the production music process.
Let’s Talk Metadata
Wrangling keywords and mood terms across spreadsheets, PDFs, and submission forms, can feel pretty soul sucking at times, but metadata just may be the most important part of the life of a cue!
On today’s show, I go over the most common type metadata found in libraries and give you some of my strategies that could mean the difference between getting placed or getting passed over.
Creativity Using Live
On today’s show, I welcome composer, educator, and certified Ableton Live guru, Christina Horn, who talks about how she uses the non-linear and expansive capabilities of Live to unlock her creativity, and how she relishes in breaking through stereotypes.
A Chat with ReelCrafter
Household-name businesses are run by real people with a real passion to help others. I chat with Sam Hulick & Sara Pocius about their story ReelCrafter features, future, and maybe even what I got wrong. Plus this week’s featured composer, Daniel Rose!
The 10 Commandments of Production Music
So much of this gig is frustratingly inconsistent! But I’ve found there are some overarching guidelines which can help govern a lot of our choices. In this episode, I share my 10 Commandments of Production Music! Plus this week’s Featured Composer, Mojo X!
Is One Cue Per Week Really Enough?
I’ve said before that you need 100’s of cues to make a living in the production music industry, but is one cue per week really enough? Today I’m going to unpack and illustrate how productivity and output might not be the linear journey we think it is.
We’ll take a listen to “Waltz of Shame,” the latest submission in my “Year of Taxi” and check in on any forwards or returns.
Read the @#$%& Brief! (Anatomy of a Taxi Listing)
I’ve started my Year of Taxi, and I thought it’d be a good idea to talk about the anatomy of a brief and discuss how everything we need to know is right there in the listing!
We take a listen to "Entered Into Evidence," the first submission in my Year of Taxi and check in on any forwards or returns.
We also take a listen to a dark, moody EDM cue written by 52 Cues Community Member, Rolf Schild.
Town Hall Meeting
Join us for this community-wide meetup where we'll recap the year, talk about the community plans for the 2023, and answer any of your questions!
Coming in 2023: The Year of Taxi, The Briefing Room, Album Accelerator Experience, Workshops, and added benefits for all membership levels!