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My band is dropping our first single tonight. Show me how to monetize it, please.
Congrats on the single - please post it!
Get the work on DISCO, a site that allows you to catalog the work, tag it for searches in Disco, have your own channel and page, and have it come up in searches by actual clients who pay money.
You control it, it's not like Taxi or things like that, it's direct to client, B-to-B.
It's inexpensive, and it's a growing source of licensing music. Showrunners, music directors, gaming companies, etc., do searches on DISCO and once your stuff is tagged, it'll turn up on people's search lists automatically.
I learned about this via an LA talent agent.
It's not just bands, of course. Companies involved in licensing also offer their catalogs on DISCO; so it's a good way to find companies who will promote your work non-exclusively. Non-exclusive licensing deals are key here. That way you're not stuck with only one resource.
I mainly say this because I'm familiar with licensing as a source of income.
Is the stuff suitable for ads, TV or films? Well, it doesn't have to be all that accessible. Consider gaming companies who use different genres, including heavy guitar based music.
All this might be helped by streams on social media, Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon. I really don't much like social media, so that's a bullet to bite - but get enough streams and it's easier to find licensors and get some attention from folks in films and advertising. This is also true of generating label interest.
There are companies like CD Baby who will post your stuff to these streamers for a very small fee.
Get your stuff out to ad agency producers as examples of your stuff that might work with picture. There's an ad agency Red Book that lists just about every agency in the US. It will take some persistence, do not take 'no' for an answer. Just keep sending stuff and making follow up calls. This is how I broke into the ad business while still running a law firm, and if I can do that with what I was doing full time, anyone can.
I hated making those calls - hated it - but it paid off. I'll try to come up with other ideas.
EDIT - get the stuff out there to ad music companies to show what you can do. Most will hire talented people to do custom work, or license things from their catalogs.
One thing is certain: You can't hit a home run unless you step up to the plate to bat.
Another word of advice: Everyone in any business who can use your work is your best friend. Everyone. So be easy to work with, kind, and available to them. Do not get pissed off at people. Do not treat your work as though it came down from the heavens, be flexible. Most work that pays is a collaborative effort. Let them make suggestions; don't be a prima donna. I've learned so much from my clients as to what works, even when I thought I was right and they were wrong, they were usually right on the money.
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