Pitching Yourself to the Music & Media Industries: Are You Ready?

During our sixth Happy Hour livestream event, “Pitching Yourself to the Industry: Are You Ready?” we welcomed three entertainment industry veterans to discuss how artists and content creators can capitalize on critical pitches and potentially career-changing meetings with executives. 

 

Happy Hour Guests

• Matthew Head — Film composer, music producer, and arranger who has contributed to more than 75 soundtracks, including those of OWN drama Greenleaf and Halle Berry’s Boomerang.
• Andy Love — Songwriter and vocal arranger, and the talent behind numerous hit tracks, advert music for companies like Sony, Samsung, and Palmolive, and Huawei’s official theme song.
• Yule Caise — Emmy Award winner who boasts four decades of film and television experience, encompassing 25 Heroes writing credits, a producer and a writing credit on BET hip-hop drama Tales, and much more. 

The discussion was moderated by Songtradr CXO, Victoria Wiltshire.

 

Despite their unique and varied professional experiences, all participants quickly agreed that research and preparedness are essential parts of every effective pitch. 

Aside from creating excellent music that’s well-suited for the visual media at hand, Head takes the time to research and better understand the directors and producers that he will work with. It’s part of a larger effort to cultivate strong personal relationships and set himself up for success. 

“I usually do a little studying behind the director or producer I’m working with,” said Head, who crafted a portion of the soundtrack for the new Starz series P‑Valley.

“I want you to like me first before I even pitch my music to you. I think the music is kinda like the cherry on top.” 

Joking that Head had stolen his response “word for word,” Love agreed that pre-pitch preparation and a strong rapport with projects higher-ups are invaluable. 

“It’s about striking a rapport maybe on something that’s different to music as you walk in,” stated Love. “A funny story that happened to you on the way over, or something relatable.” 

Elaborating upon the significance of being prepared, Caise admitted that he was guilty of “not doing enough research” early in his career, but today, his all-encompassing style of preparation is a catalyst for comfort, adaptability, and results during pitches. 

“It’s just giving you the broader sum so that you can walk into a room open, and be open to ideas,” said the Harvard alumnus Caise. “So that you can just be open to receiving and coming – what I call is coming to the sandbox to play. And I think creative individuals really respond to that.” 

 

In addition to stressing the benefits of research and preparation, the Happy Hour experts emphasized that what an artist does (and doesn’t) pitch is immensely meaningful. 

Love specifically cited carefully tailored music as a must in meetings with executives. 

“Research the relevant artists that they’re [the executives are] looking after. That’s so important because you don’t want to go in and play something that’s not relevant,” advised Love. 

“Also, when you’re getting your songs together…whatever you have, I would suggest getting all your songs, cutting them in half, and then cutting them in half again.” 

 

Head took the idea further, saying of his song selection during pitches: “Every piece of music that you hear is something that I personally like. You never serve food that you wouldn’t eat yourself, so it’s the same way with music.” 

And a major component of staying true to one’s style and preferences, noted Caise, is abstaining from pitching solely to please executives. Though doing so may seem productive (in the sense that company higher-ups might be more inclined to issue a positive response), removing personal passion from the equation compromises the work’s quality. 

“We’ve all tried to do the things that we think they [execs] want, and honestly I’m guilty of doing that over and over,” Caise told viewers. 

“If you can’t find the passion behind it, and bring that passion to it, then it’s probably not really going to happen, because people aren’t just handing things out.”

 

Lastly, Head, Love, and Caise made clear that confidence and thick skin are integral elements of their pitches and success.

“I have to remember that I am the culture. They want what I am giving,” said Head. “And they don’t make music – if they could, they would do it themselves. By them asking me to make the music, I have to remember and be confident that I am the culture and I am dictating musically what they’re trying to say.” 

And Caise, drawing on his decades of entertainment expertise, described the way in which creators’ visions serve as a constant – perhaps the only constant – in an industry that’s perpetually moving. 

 

“In Hollywood, just in general, it’s like, ‘love you, love you, love you.’ And then, ‘next,’” specified Caise. “Maybe they don’t really love you, right, or they’re just onto the next thing.” 

Love concisely summed up the matter and, in doing so, described precisely how artists can overcome inevitable setbacks and pitch at their best. 

“You’ve got to take it all with a pinch of salt,” said Love. “The whole game is subjective, at the end of the day.” 

 

Fans can catch the full replay of the Songtradr Happy Hour on YouTube. The next session – scheduled for Thursday, August 6th – will invite National Treasure director Jon Turteltaub to discuss the process he employs when building soundtracks for his films. 

Watch the full panel discussion:

 

Watch other Songtradr Happy Hour Sessions in full:

• Music for Gaming: What’s Working + What’s Ahead
• Balancing Branding with Artistry
• Music Through the Ages: Soundtrack or Catalyst for Change?
• How to Make Money with Your Music: Monetization Tips for Indie Artists
• Music Supervisor Roundtable: How the Music & Media Business Has Been Impacted by COVID-19 

 

The content of this post was adapted from an article written by Paul Resnikoff and Dylan Smith, originally published in Digital Music News, as a broader partnership with Songtradr.

 

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