Marketing Instrumental Music

[Kuwi]

I only make instrumental music, mainly because I don't really like to sing and am not really all that great at singing.

So is there a market out there for Instrumental music?

The type of instrumental music I make can range from sounding like Rob Dougan, Nine Inch Nails, and music that was on Toonami.

So will people just write it off because it has no singing? Or is there people out there that like instrumentals?

 

[Chili]

I only make instrumental music, mainly because I don't really like to sing and am not really all that great at singing.

So is there a market out there for Instrumental music?

The type of instrumental music I make can range from sounding like Rob Dougan, Nine Inch Nails, and music that was on Toonami.

So will people just write it off because it has no singing? Or is there people out there that like instrumentals?

I think there's always a market for instrumentals with Film/TV, etc. You should check out Taxi.com or look around for a publisher who works in film and tv.

 

[Kuwi]

I think there's always a market for instrumentals with Film/TV, etc. You should check out Taxi.com or look around for a publisher who works in film and tv.

When you say publishers are you talking about music libraries?

 

[newcomputeruser]

yes and no

I only make instrumental music, mainly because I don't really like to sing and am not really all that great at singing.

So is there a market out there for Instrumental music?

The type of instrumental music I make can range from sounding like Rob Dougan, Nine Inch Nails, and music that was on Toonami.

So will people just write it off because it has no singing? Or is there people out there that like instrumentals?

Guy in the washpost was making 500K per year doing custom instrumental music for movies, corporations, presentations, etc.

He has a full midi/recording studio with high end synth/samples and mucho orchestra/instrument packages.

He knows how to compose any style and make it fit the occasion/setting.

The real key is that he can produce the type of music the client needs. And he can find the clients.

If you just want to make your own music and sell it then there is not much of a market unless you have a big name.

You can rent singers. Songwriters don't need to sing although many do both.

Making a living in music is tough , takes hard work, and time to build reputation while getting experience. But there are jobs if you want to do it and have the skills.

 

[Chili]

When you say publishers are you talking about music libraries?

I'm not talking about music libraries. A publisher is a person or company who will take your songs to record labels, performing artists, tv/film producers, music libraries or where ever to get your song out there and making money for you. Usually the publisher will take a percentage of the royalties your song generates. It's called publishing rights. When you write a song, you own the copyright AND publishing rights. If you sign up with a publisher, you typically sign an agreement to let him claim the publishing rights; you still keep the copyright. The royalties that come to you will be divided up between you and the publisher 50/50 (though they actually call it 100/100, crazy I know....).

There's a book called the Songwriter's Market that has a list of record labels, publishers, song pluggers or other places where you can submit your songs. the book is updated yearly and is a good resource. It doesn't have much in the way of film and tv or music libraries, though.

good luck.

 

[Zombre]

You know this has been an interesting read. Marketing one's music so that you could make a living off of it is a cutthroat endeavor, and is actually a serious amount of work, not for the faint of heart or weak spirited to be sure.

As someone who has an interest in doing this sort of thing (Not just instrumental music, but all kinds of music) It's pretty tough to find an opportunity, much less 'seek' one out. That directory (Songwriter's market) looks cool, I think I may invest...

A dumb question; if you find a'publisher' how do you approach him/her? I mean you have to establish a relationship of some sort right? How do you get your foot in the door, as I'm sure that they're inundated with requests from money hungry musicians daily...

And any more thoughts on Taxi? I mean it seems like a HUGE money sink... I'm inherently poor so if I could avoid funnelling money into them and instead funnel it into myself, that would be nice!

Cool thread, thanks for all the replies..

 

[HomeNoiseRecord]

im interested in this also. Taxi.com is a really big investment for someone starting out, are there any alternatives?

 

[Chili]

A dumb question; if you find a'publisher' how do you approach him/her? I mean you have to establish a relationship of some sort right? How do you get your foot in the door, as I'm sure that they're inundated with requests from money hungry musicians daily....

The Songwriter's Market will have a description on how to submit to each company or label. Some will take unsolicited material while others require a letter asking for permission. I think it takes a lot of networking. And your tunes have to be GOOD and ready to go.

I joined a local songwriter's group and we get publsihers in every so often to pitch our songs to. I think that's a good way to meet them. One publisher almost picked up one of my songs. ha!!! But even if he did, it's still a long shot that that song would have made it to an artist.

You can also look for songwriter's conventions, conferences, etc. NSAI might be a good place to find that stuff. I got to meet a former president of NSAI. This guy has a holster full of #1 country hits and he gave a concert with only like 10 of us in the room. So cool.

Hope this helps.

 

[newcomputeruser]

yes yes

im interested in this also. Taxi.com is a really big investment for someone starting out, are there any alternatives?

the cost is modest to high depending on whether you are working minimum wage or not at all

yes there are alternatives

there is no magic bullet
you have to be good
work hard
and have some luck to succeed

 

[newcomputeruser]

You know this has been an interesting read. Marketing one's music so that you could make a living off of it is a cutthroat endeavor, and is actually a serious amount of work, not for the faint of heart or weak spirited to be sure.

As someone who has an interest in doing this sort of thing (Not just instrumental music, but all kinds of music) It's pretty tough to find an opportunity, much less 'seek' one out. That directory (Songwriter's market) looks cool, I think I may invest...

A dumb question; if you find a'publisher' how do you approach him/her? I mean you have to establish a relationship of some sort right? How do you get your foot in the door, as I'm sure that they're inundated with requests from money hungry musicians daily...

And any more thoughts on Taxi? I mean it seems like a HUGE money sink... I'm inherently poor so if I could avoid funnelling money into them and instead funnel it into myself, that would be nice!

Cool thread, thanks for all the replies..

songwriters market will tell you how to approach buyers
keep in mind they get a *lot* of unsolicited material
so be sure yours is top quality and spot on to their requirements

taxi costs some money but will take a lot more time and skill if you expect to make money through them

 

[UrbanKlass]

more ways

Instrumental music is actually one of the easier-to-market types. With the growing number of channels, there is an ever-growing number of tv shows, indie films, tv films and HW/BW movies.

Taxi has a fairly high cost, because it is trying to weed out the people who aren't really pursuing anything. They know if somebody pays, then most likely they are passionate about the music, in which case the artist will create music of a better quality, and will continue to improve. If you are of a decent caliber in your music quality (a lot of the time it's the quality of your mix over the actual composition that has the biggest effect on audio consultants for big screen companies), then you should sign up to Taxi and promote yourself on there. It is definately worth it.

Another place i suggest you look is starnow.com (they often send requests from all over the world asking for music for shows etc). There is also ModernBeats.com's Song Submit, mainly requesting beats and songs for pop stars, but occasionally ask for tv shows like America's Next Top Model and other reality shows, and Song Submit only costs you around $10 for the first upload, then $5 for each consecutive upload. So you only upload specific tracks to specific 'offers'. Song Submit may not be right for your genre of instrumentals though as a lot of the material processed on that site is questionable rap and pop music. But it's definitely worth the look.

I hope this helps

 

[davekmusic]

I've been doing instrumental music since 1998. 2 CDs with a band and one on my own (a second one is imminent).

Not so long ago it wasn't impossible to at least break even on a recording project. We were able to sell all of the CDs we pressed with the band even though we didn't do any live playing.

Since our music is "prog" we were able to target boutique vendors, niche internet and college radio shows, niche publications, reviewers, etc...

Now either because of mp3 pirating or due to the fact that it is now so inexpensive to produce a record I think it is a lot tougher slog than it was 5 years ago.

Now it seems like CDBaby is the only vendor who moves anything, and it seems like that has slowed down since the ownership change.

 

[DrewPeterson7]

I've been doing instrumental music since 1998. 2 CDs with a band and one on my own (a second one is imminent).

Not so long ago it wasn't impossible to at least break even on a recording project. We were able to sell all of the CDs we pressed with the band even though we didn't do any live playing.

Since our music is "prog" we were able to target boutique vendors, niche internet and college radio shows, niche publications, reviewers, etc...

Now either because of mp3 pirating or due to the fact that it is now so inexpensive to produce a record I think it is a lot tougher slog than it was 5 years ago.

Now it seems like CDBaby is the only vendor who moves anything, and it seems like that has slowed down since the ownership change.

Have you tried iTunes?

I'm in the same boat as you - I'm preparing to release an album of instrumental guitar tracks, so I think your and my target market is a bit different than the OPs. But, there are definitely ways out there - I'm an active member on a number of large guitar boards so I hope to sell a couple discs that way, and there's a few small record shops in the area that stock local releases. The rest I'll try to do digitally.

I think it's a question of keeping expectations reasonable and networking.

 

[davekmusic]

Have you tried iTunes?

I'm in the same boat as you - I'm preparing to release an album of instrumental guitar tracks, so I think your and my target market is a bit different than the OPs. But, there are definitely ways out there - I'm an active member on a number of large guitar boards so I hope to sell a couple discs that way, and there's a few small record shops in the area that stock local releases. The rest I'll try to do digitally.

I think it's a question of keeping expectations reasonable and networking.

Yeah I'm on iTunes and most of the other Digital distributors (CD Baby takes care of that thankfully). Thing is, at a penny or two a download I often find it is barely worth the time to update my books with the new sales. I mean spending 45 minutes updating a spreadsheet with $4.38 worth of downloads isn't exactly time well spent in my view.

I've lowered my expectations into the cellar. I've no intention of breaking even on my new record. Just trying to make an album I can be proud of and hope some people hear it.

I tend to think the best thing is to make lots of records so that those who do enjoy your music can buy a catalog of items rather than 1 CD.

I also find doing "solo" albums is a real tough slog on the marketing front... so if you can somehow position yourself as a band or "project" that is probably better. People like bands better (To be honest, I do too). I think a lot of people assume that if you are working solo it is about ego, even though for most indie guys it is probably a lot more about logistics.

 

[sonicpsyops]

Geting back to Taxi. If you do instrumental music then the music better be "broadcast quality." Singer songwriters can get away with less-than-professional-quality recording because their stuff is going to be rerecorded anyway; they're just trying to sell the idea. For the instrumentalist you really have to have a professional recording. If you use samples, they better be the highest quality you can afford and that might not be enough. Forget about using ROMplers they are not good enough and you are up against some stiff competition. Also, for instrumentalists, If you can't mix/master you're going to have some problems.

Food for thought before unloading the cash.

 

[moresound]

I only make instrumental music, mainly because I don't really like to sing and am not really all that great at singing.

So is there a market out there for Instrumental music?

The type of instrumental music I make can range from sounding like Rob Dougan, Nine Inch Nails, and music that was on Toonami.

So will people just write it off because it has no singing? Or is there people out there that like instrumentals?

Elevator owners love that kind of stuff.