Having recently secured a Samsung sync placement through his Future Royalty creative collective, Ashton Allen joined us to discuss the deal’s specifics – and the broader role Songtradr's premium one-stop licensing and distribution services play in his highly successful career.
The electrifying instrumentals and empowering lyrics of Future Royalty’s “Back in the Game” contribute heavily to the inspirational mood of a Samsung Voices of Galaxy spot, featuring Olympic sprinter Dina Asher-Smith. During the two-minute-long clip, Asher-Smith explains how tenacity, determination, and mental fortitude have enabled her to record historic athletic achievements, overcoming adversity both in competition and life.
That “Back in the Game” feels uniquely well-suited for the advert – almost as if Samsung had commissioned the track exclusively – attests to the vast library of easy-to-license music available on Songtradr. Visual media professionals can promptly find songs that bring their project to life, filtering by genre, mood, theme, and more.
“Rock Salt, the company that I co-founded, does a lot of work with ad agencies and creative directors on commercials and different campaigns,” Ashton Allen said of how the Samsung placement came about. “We’ve been doing that for 14 years. In situations like this, with a band like Future Royalty, a large number of the songs that we’re creating, the structure and the arrangements tend to bode well for these types of usages.”
After Samsung’s team identified “Back in the Game” on the Songtradr platform and expressed their interest in licensing the work, Allen explained that he received an email to review the placement’s terms – including the offered compensation – and sign off on the deal. This simplicity meant many of the unexpected hiccups that often plague traditional sync negotiations were avoided.
More broadly, Allen noted that Future Royalty has quietly gained popularity outside – and possibly because – of its high-profile sync placements. Now, he and the group's other music experts command north of 150,000 monthly Spotify streams, will soon launch a merch line, and are open to the possibility of touring.
“Sometimes when the visibility is really high, we’ll see incredible spikes in our streaming, in the comments on YouTube, any number of things," the Rock Salt CEO stated of sync placements.
"It’s such a scary and great time to be in the music business because it’s never been more of the Wild West than it is now.”
This far-reaching success underscores the impact of sync and the considerable potential of music projects. In today’s quick-moving music landscape, there’s no telling where an ambitious professional endeavor will lead or which doors it will unlock.
“12 years ago, we accidentally started a different band. It ended up being this kids’ band called Rabbit!, with an exclamation point. Now we do kids’ music shows for Netflix, composing theme songs and charting on SiriusXM kids’ channels,” Allen told us.
“When we started that band, we didn’t want it to be a band; we named it because we had to. We had no expectations. People say, ‘Oh, it’s not even a real band.’ First of all, who defines or determines what a real band is? Just because in the late 90s it meant you were selling t-shirts and touring in a 15-passenger van – you know, everything changes."
“The way I see it, if you’re a music creative and you’re creating and having a great time doing it, and if you’re able to benefit from that in the process and make it into something sustainable, that’s awesome.”
It’s this ability to capitalize and expand upon even seemingly small opportunities – which can arrive in seconds from all corners of the globe – that defines the contemporary music space. What’s more is that the coming years will usher in further opportunities and innovation, to the benefit of established acts and tomorrow’s stars alike.
While Allen looks forward with optimism, partnering with Songtradr has already paid off. Songtradr Pro artists receive a greater share of their sync and licensing fees. For a lucrative Samsung placement, the amount paid out can increase significantly.
“It’s exciting. It’s a great time to be in the business,” said Allen. “Even 10 years ago, the landscape was just so different. Imagine in the next three to four years, it’ll change just as much as it has in the last 10.”
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This post was written by Dylan Smith of Digital Music News, as part of a broader partnership with Songtradr.
Cool, and I would like to release my music and work with Songtradr
That’s great to hear! You can head to http://www.songtradr.com to sign up.