Music Composers?

S

suj321

I am thinking of buying music from composers so can you please send me links/samples of your music? If I do buy it ... do I have to do anything if i get the movie distributed or send it to film festivals? I'm new so please help. Thank you! :)
 
You can quite easily get quality soundtrack music for free, if you look through MySpace & similar sites. It costs nothing to email a band, and less than $1.00 to send an SASE with an enclosed release form if they want to give permission. (Though if you have the resources to pay them, by all means do so - it's a rough gig being a musician!)

If you purchase music from stock-sites, such as StockMusic.net, you'll be able to read & print out all the details that you need, including release forms and any limitations that may be in place.

If you have a composer actually scoring your film (as opposed to just dropping in a song here & there), then you'll need to take care of some extra details. For your part, you'll want the score to be a "work for hire" music track which will let you retain the rights to the music you paid for. With a simple Craigslist advert, you'll get many replies from composers just starting out.

can you please send me links/samples of your music?
Click to expand...

You'll find it much easier if you detail what you are looking for, unless you like going through tonnes of non-relevant material. You don't need an inbox full of 1950s sock-hop music when you're putting together a film with thrash-metal influences.

Figure out what you need. Ask for what you need. Get what you need (with release forms). :)
 
Zensteve said:
You can quite easily get quality soundtrack music for free, if you look through MySpace & similar sites. It costs nothing to email a band, and less than $1.00 to send an SASE with an enclosed release form if they want to give permission. (Though if you have the resources to pay them, by
Click to expand...

What's an SASE?
 
Self-Addressed-Stamped-Envelope.

Come on, Steve; these youngsters don't know all of this snail mail stuff!

Instead of asking for submissions, and having to weed through all of them, do a search for what you want. When you find what you like communicate with the artist/band/whatever and ask if you can use it in your project; very, very few will say no. It's more work up front but a lot less on the back end, and you'll wind up with something very close to exactly what you want.

If you're looking for a composer there are plenty of composers forums where you can check out links to their music, and then ask the composers in which you have interest. Unless they're well established you'll get very few refusals, and if your project is exceptional you'll might even snag an accomplished composer.
 
It should be on a buyout basis - not based on sales. For indie films you license music for your movie in perpetuity and in all media. Rarely does an indie film make a lot of money, so that completely justifies NOT having a royalty based payment schedule. As a producer I would not want to be bothered with providing accounting reports and all that BS.

Sometimes filmmakers have no budget and so they pay spec (based on sales if any ever materialize). Personally I would never invest my time as a writer on one of those because I know that essentially means no pay ever, and even if the movie ever DID make money there's too many con-artist producers out there who would never pay... which takes us full circle again... song writers want to get paid up-front based on the budget of the movie.

Here's a little of what I write...
http://www.insaneasound.com/Music.htm
 
I am going to respectfully suggest you not look for composers
until you have made a movie. You have never made one yet,
you don't have a start date for one. Asking composers to send
you samples is a little premature.
suj321 said:
If I do buy it ... do I have to do anything if i get the movie distributed or send it to film festivals? I'm new so please help.
Click to expand...
You will need a release signed by the composer that allows you
to use the music in your movie. When you have a finished movie
I have a nice contract I can give you.
 
It looks like I'm wrong on this.

Seems there are plenty of composers willing to offer you their
music even though you don't know when you are going to make
a movie.

And for free!
 
suj321 said:
I am thinking of buying music from composers so can you please send me links/samples of your music? If I do buy it ... do I have to do anything if i get the movie distributed or send it to film festivals? I'm new so please help. Thank you! :)
Click to expand...

if i like the concept of your film, i will compose an original soundtrack specifically for it, for film-credit only, unless you're going to sell the movie for a profit.

if you're interested, just let me know a bit about the film and maybe I will compose a sample for you.
 
I´m glad to see such response.

As the soundtrack is such an important part of the process and believe the earlier input, the better. Especially the composure who offered to even write something on the premise of the movie only - very cool!

And I for one will check out those who´ve posted links - cheers, Jim.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top