During a recent “Happy Hour” livestream event, Power Songwriting for Sync Placement, Songtradr welcomed two eminent songwriters to discuss their keys to sync success.

 

Happy Hour Guests

  • Esjay Jones — The producer and songwriter has recorded noteworthy achievements both in the U.S. and her native South Africa. Besides working with high-profile names like Sean Kingston and Olivia Holt, Jones has secured sync placements on Netflix’s Insatiable and Dark, to name just some. 
  • Benj Heard — Songwriter, producer, and artist who’s written with The Voice winner Jordan Smith and Lifehouse lead singer Jason Wade. In the sync sphere, Heard’s music has represented Apple, the NFL, Microsoft, and many other leading brands. Additionally, the “Quicksand Heart” singer frequently develops up-and-coming talent for Sony Music, Universal Music, and several of their foremost imprints. 

The discussion was moderated by Songtradr CXO, Victoria Wiltshire.

 

Early in the Happy Hour, Jones and Heard indicated that their inaugural placements arrived while they were mainly pursuing goals outside of sync. 

Despite the nuances of their respective careers – including, most obviously, beginning on different continents – the two traversed relatively similar paths en route to becoming power songwriters for visual media.

“I kind of got into the songwriting-production game organically, coming from a band,” said Jones. “My very, very first placement was in South Africa with a VW or a Jeep ad. … It was called the ‘Out There’ campaign. And that was probably around 2008.” 

Heard’s sync debut was also unexpected, as it involved a track that he’d crafted for use at a fundraiser. Ultimately, event organizers opted not to utilize the song, which Heard proceeded to release as part of an EP, present to a music supervisor, and secure for placement in “a very prestigious show called 16 and Pregnant.”

“It was over a scene where one of the girls was giving birth,” elaborated the “Falling Sky” creator. “That song was not written for that show. But it worked, it totally worked.” 

The nature of these placement deals underscores two decidedly meaningful points, which have been touched upon in other Happy Hour events: Creating quality music is an essential precursor to locking down visual-media accomplishments, and it’s impossible to predict exactly when a song will catch the ear of a supervisor. 

 

“That’s the moral of the story, I would say. I’ve never written for a pitch and gotten the pitch,” said Heard. “But everything that I’ve written as a pitch has been placed somewhere else.”

Predictably, given that the power songwriters were pursuing other aspects of their careers at the time of their first placements, they didn’t immediately take steps to achieve further results in visual media. However, both individuals have since embraced the idea that frequent promotion is an important ingredient in the recipe for continued sync success. 

“I didn’t leverage my first major cut that I had in the States – I didn’t leverage that at all because my mind was so focused on being a top 40 songwriter and producer,” said Jones. “Meanwhile I have this pot of gold, these 300 songs sitting here that could have been licensed and made a fortune from.” 

Attributing his comparable experience to a “learning curve,” Heard stated that promoting oneself – especially via social media posts – is vital in the grander scheme of obtaining songwriting chances, sync placements, and more.

“It’s essential to post about your successes. And it may be really annoying to people like your friends that follow you,” admitted Heard. “But those posts aren’t for those people. Those posts are for music supervisors to see that you’ve been taken seriously by another music supervisor and you’re trustworthy and you’re easy to work with.”

“It actually builds your clout and allows you to get bigger placements. … I think telling people is one of the most important things. But I didn’t do that when I first started,” he finished.

Jones, who’s shared the stage with Fall Out Boy, Maroon 5, One Republic, and other well-known acts, expanded upon Heard’s statement by exploring the subtleties of communication and the way a songwriter and/or producer is represented. Somewhat paradoxically, frequent music-industry triumphs depend equally upon one’s core abilities and personal relationships; a lack of commercial success doesn’t necessarily reflect a lack of talent. 

 

“People have to trust you. It’s like you build a level of trust with an artist, a label, a music supervisor, whoever it may be because people want to – before they hand over their musical babies to you…

or they hand over this project which they want you to score, you know, they want to trust you,” said Jones. “It’s really a personality thing.”

Acknowledging Jones’s invaluable ability to maintain strong relationships with music supervisors and other professionals, Heard noted that he may be able to improve in that department. Frequently reaching out to those who place songs in visual media – or failing to do so – could be the difference between unlocking potentially career-changing opportunities. 

“If you’re not constantly in touch and sending them new stuff, you’ve got to keep on their minds or they’ll just forget. … You’ve gotta be the one that they’re like, ‘Yeah do I have anything?’ On the top of their brain, is your name gonna come up?” 

Jones has taken the idea – and her view of the songwriter’s outreach obligations in the modern music landscape – a step further. Networking and cultivating a diverse stable of contacts is a must, per the “Magic” co-writer, as one chance meeting has the power to open up a multitude of doors. 

 

“It’s your responsibility to be at every single panel, every single convention, every single – if there’s an ASCAP thing, if there’s a BMI thing,” said Jones. 

“Whatever’s going on in your town that has anything to do with music – you never know who’s gonna be there. … You don’t know the connections that one person could have.”

Jones’ active relationship-building efforts – including quite literally knocking on Songtradr’s door some years back – haven’t ceased amid the pandemic-prompted pivot to remote working. Until the coronavirus crisis and its associated lockdown measures are distant memories, the Step Up: All In scorer emphasized the effectiveness of sending emails, leaving comments, making friendly phone calls, and even dropping a line to those who’re doing well on platforms like Songtradr. 

Lastly, aside from a clear-cut commitment to the promotional side of the industry, Jones and Heard cited consistent activity and a strong work ethic as integral components of their becoming power songwriters. 

“As a songwriter, you’re like a professional athlete,” said Jones. “You have to be training every single day to get on your skill. I’m in this room by myself for like 16 hours a day. … You’re always learning, you never stop learning, which is amazing.” 

 

Heard emphatically agreed with Jones’s assessment: “Make a lot of music. That’s the best way to learn and improve your skills. It’s a muscle, and you just keep exercising. And you have to be okay with making crappy music.” 

 

Fans can catch the full replay of the Songtradr Happy Hour on YouTube. The next edition – scheduled for Thursday, September 3rd – will invite touring musicians to discuss how they’ve coped and stayed connected throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 

Watch the full panel discussion:

 

Watch other Songtradr Happy Hour Sessions in full:

 

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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