holders . “ This is for Canadian productions , as well , just because in U . S . you hear all the crazy numbers and Canada is a whole different beast ,” Partridge adds .
For use in “ feature moments ,” so montages or other scenes where the song will be quite prominent , “ you can get anywhere upwards of , say , $ 3,000 to $ 5,000 , if not more . But really , it all depends on the budget that the production has ,” Partridge explains . “ I just did one show and we had an astronomical budget — like eight times my regular budget . So , we were able to pay $ 5,000 for a placement that would usually pay $ 500 . But then I ’ m doing other projects , like one that was a short film , where I have $ 2,000 to split across 12 songs . So , that ’ s less than $ 200 per licence .”
Independent artists actually have an advantage “ Honestly , out of what I license , I would say 80 % is independent artists ,” says Partridge . There are two main reasons a lot of independent music gets licensed for sync : lower cost and fewer gatekeepers .
“ When working with independent artists , I can work with them directly and we can hash it out . We ’ re not working with conglomerates . So , that absolutely gives independent artists the advantage . A lot of the times , we may have a tentpole song , which is the one that draws the attention . That ’ s your Elton John song , if you will . But , say , 60 % of the budget goes towards that Elton John song and you still have another 10 songs that you have to fill in for [ scenes with ] radio in the background at the bar and so on . That ’ s all going to be independent music , because we ’ re spending 60 % of the budget on Elton John . So , we have 40 % left , but we have to spread that over another 10 or 15 songs . We can work with independent artists to say , ‘ Okay , we ’ ve got $ 2,000 for this ,’ or ‘ we got $ 500 for this ,’ depending on the context of the use . But we can work with them directly and don ’ t have to worry about there being any major labels or publishers in the way .”
Getting consistent placements is about relationships & being easy to work with “ There ’ s been artists in the past that have agreed to something and then renegotiated after it ’ s locked , or it wasn ’ t even theirs [ to license .] They get exiled in my mind . It ’ s all about building those relationships and being easy to work with . Because once you ’ ve proven to be easy to work with and it was simple , smooth process , then okay , great ; now it ’ s like , you did me a favor . You did me a $ 500 background spot for this one . Well , I then got $ 1,000 for this next one and one of your songs works ; are you into it ? So , it ’ s very much a ‘ you scratch my back , I scratch yours ’ situation ,” Partridge acknowledges . “ Then once you have a relationship with a music supervisor , that ’ s gold in my mind , because I can think of five or six people that automatically , as soon
CODY PARTRIDGE AT THE 2022 CANADIAN SYNC MUSIC AWARDS
as a brief comes in , I throw them on my brief list . It almost doesn ’ t matter what it is , they may not have anything that time , but they ’ ve served me so well in the past that now they ’ re going to show up on absolutely everything .”
Make your contact info easy to find Speaking of being easy to work with , that starts with being easy to find . Every artist should have an email address ( at least ) for themselves or a manager on their website , social media profiles , Bandcamp page , etc .
“ Make all your contact information super easily available . We have to reach out to you to clear the rights , and if I can ’ t find you , then I have to send you a message on Facebook and be like “ Hey , what ’ s the best email to contact you ? Then it kind of feels scammy ,” Partridge says , adding that if he can ’ t reach an artist or their rep or doesn ’ t hear back quickly , there ’ s no choice but to move on .
What to put in a pitch email to music supervisors When it comes to whether an artist should send a link to all their music or just a selection of their best songs , Partridge says there are differing opinions . For him , he wants access to all your music but says he has colleagues who do prefer receiving just an aritst ’ s three to five best songs .
“ So , what I look for in a pitch is , first of all , I don ’ t want a novel . I want something quick and concise with hyperlinks . It ’ s like , ‘ Hey , saw you on this panel . Feel free to download my music here ,’ with a clear spot to click and it ’ s done . Maybe a quick blurb about yourself , or whatever you want to put in , but I don ’ t want to scroll , for sure . Ideally , the message and your signature line are all in one quick glance ,” Partridge explains . Also , if instrumental versions are available , include that info .
Importantly , make sure any download links do not expire . You can use DISCO , Google Drive , Dropbox ; doesn ’ t really matter . But do not use WeTransfer or anything else that will expire . “ Whenever that job comes in , I don ’ t know if it ’ s next week or if it ’ s a year from now . So , if that link
SCAN THIS QR CODE TO WATCH has expired , I ’ m moving on . I ’ m not even
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WITH CODY PARTRIDGE thinking about it , it ’ s just dead , I ’ m not going to email you back to ask if can you resend me ; it ’ s not going to happen because I have so much content coming in .”
Another interesting tip is to list other wellknown artists you ’ re similar to , but do it below the signature line so it doesn ’ t clutter up the main email . “ If you do that below your signature line , all that information is there . Because whenever I get a new project , and say there ’ s a temp track in there by Nina Simone , the first thing I do is I go to my email and I type in ‘ Nina Simone .’ It will pull up every email that references Nina Simone . So , if you ’ ve pitched me music , your email is going to come up and I ’ ll download your music .”
Include necessary info in the metadata of MP3s Once a song is locked in for a placement , a full-res WAV file will be needed . But in the initial pitch email with the download link , make it MP3s . Most music supervisors will sort music that has good potential within iTunes ( often categorized in folders by genre , mood , etc .). So , within the songs ’ metadata , when you right click and hit “ Get Info ,” there is a Comments tabs . There , include contact info and who the relevant rights holders are ( songwriter , label , publisher , PRO , etc .). If there ’ s any split for multiple songwriters , definitely include that . The more information that is immediately available for the music supervisor about how to get the song cleared , the simpler their job becomes , which makes the song more appealing to use .
Michael Raine is the Editor-in-Chief at Canadian Musician
PHOTO : GRANT W . MARTIN PHOTOGRAPHY
CANADIAN MUSICIAN 11