Getting Songs on TV

I got an email from a friend of mine today. I won't say his name because I didn't ask his permission to use it. (I think he'd be cool with it anyway, but why risk it.) I had emailed him before asking him what the secret is for getting film/tv placements. This guy has made an entire career off of them. His answer was "Don't put the cart before the horse."

In order for to get a song licensed for use in a movie/tv show, you have to know someone on the inside who is making decisions. A lot of people spend years trying to send press kits to people who either 1) never open them, or 2) open them, but lose track of the artist even if they liked the song but couldn't use it. My friend said that almost all of his placements have come from people who were fans that he met early in his career and then, as they achieved more decision making authority in their jobs, he was the beneficiary.

One TV show theme song that he authored was from a fan who he spoke with briefly only once. She remained a fan and asked him to write the song for the TV show when it was picked up by the network. This artist just did what any artist should do. He established his career by touring and building relationships with fans first. Then, he started getting placements. Not the other way around!

The moral of the story is that all artists need to value their fans. This means you need to respond individually to myspace and facebook comments. Don't use a bot. That is patronizing. Fans know that a bot is a bot. The more that you love your fans, the more they will love you. When you aren't a huge star with millions of fans, you need your hundreds (hopefully) of fans to be dedicated.