Going stock

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Stock Music Musician
Posts: 45
Joined: 03 Jul 2016
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05 Dec 2018

Hey guys, sorry it took me so long to get see this thread, but I've got some advice for you (and I've learned so much from Giles and Marco over the years that I'm only too happy to help). And everything that Daniel says on his Youtube channel is super helpful too, he's a great guy.

Trying to start with AJ is suicide. They're curation system is arbitrary and capricious, and it takes so much effort to prep your uploads.

In early 2015, I started with AJ and P5, and quickly pivoted to just P5 (well I tried other sites, to, but they weren't worth my time). Since then, I've made about $10k from licensing, and had songs on TV, radio, award winning indie shorts, and Netflix documentaries. I say this not to brag, but to offer some context.

After focusing just on P5 (for at least the first year), my first piece of advice is to learn how to write songs for stock (I think Jesse Josefson's Youtube channel Sync My Music has some videos on this), and I've made several videos on it as well (you can explore them here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0j6L- ... irmation=1). While sound quality matters, it's the song writing and structure that will result in the sales. As producers first, though we may be too narrowly focused on sound quality/effects/ear candy.

You absolutely need a strong beginning, middle and end (and no slow build ins or fade outs).

You need to establish the mood of the song immediately, and you need to stay there the whole time. No surprises!

You also need to have the song evolve much faster than you would for a typical rock/pop/edm context. Every few bars should be moving the song forward.

I'd recommend turning on trashy reality TV when you get home and listen to the background music for an hour. Take notes. Regardless of the genre, listen to how much movement it has. How it usually features nice starts, stops, or builds to help editors out.

Also, don't put too strong of a filter on your stuff. Upload songs and let the market decide. My most profitable song is literal garbage from a production stand point (and I don't think it's great from a songwriting point either, but hey - you can check it out here https://www.stockmusicmusician.com/one- ... g-revenue/). I've made a couple thousandfrom it, and AJ rejected it.

Also, you need to learn the business end of things: how to register your songs with your PRO, how to use keyword tags and write smart descriptions, and how to stay motivated.

So let me know of you have questions. I recall one about 16 vs 24k - I'm not sure it maters much, but there's no reason not to do 24k, because higher quality libraries/clients may require it. As you progress in the industry, you may find yourself invited to move your songs to more exclusive libraries (which require 24k), and you save yourself a whole lot of time by not having to rebounce everything).

Cheers,
Evan

PhillipOrdonez
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06 Dec 2018

I got one that I didn't try with AJ, accepted on pond5, didn't get any notification but went to my account to check as I've done for a few days, and instead of "pending moderation" its status was "online", looked for the track on the site and voila, it is available for purchase. Is that how things work in pond5? Little strange that they only message you the bad news πŸ˜‚

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Zac
Posts: 1784
Joined: 19 May 2016
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10 Dec 2018

PhillipOrdonez wrote: ↑
06 Dec 2018
I got one that I didn't try with AJ, accepted on pond5, didn't get any notification but went to my account to check as I've done for a few days, and instead of "pending moderation" its status was "online", looked for the track on the site and voila, it is available for purchase. Is that how things work in pond5? Little strange that they only message you the bad news πŸ˜‚
The same just happened to me. No email notification but got my first song accepted on pond5 :D

PhillipOrdonez
Posts: 3732
Joined: 20 Oct 2017
Location: Norway
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10 Dec 2018

Zac wrote: ↑
10 Dec 2018
PhillipOrdonez wrote: ↑
06 Dec 2018
I got one that I didn't try with AJ, accepted on pond5, didn't get any notification but went to my account to check as I've done for a few days, and instead of "pending moderation" its status was "online", looked for the track on the site and voila, it is available for purchase. Is that how things work in pond5? Little strange that they only message you the bad news πŸ˜‚
The same just happened to me. No email notification but got my first song accepted on pond5 :D
High five!

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Zac
Posts: 1784
Joined: 19 May 2016
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10 Dec 2018

PhillipOrdonez wrote: ↑
10 Dec 2018
Zac wrote: ↑
10 Dec 2018


The same just happened to me. No email notification but got my first song accepted on pond5 :D
High five!
Oh yeah :thumbs_up: Congrats to you too.

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sonicbyte
Posts: 347
Joined: 16 Jan 2015
Location: Argentina
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10 Dec 2018

Congrats guys !! :)

PhillipOrdonez
Posts: 3732
Joined: 20 Oct 2017
Location: Norway
Contact:

10 Dec 2018

Zac wrote: ↑
10 Dec 2018
PhillipOrdonez wrote: ↑
10 Dec 2018


High five!
Oh yeah :thumbs_up: Congrats to you too.
Thanks! It is exciting, isn't it? I thought it was never going to happen!

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Zac
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10 Dec 2018

PhillipOrdonez wrote: ↑
10 Dec 2018
Zac wrote: ↑
10 Dec 2018


Oh yeah :thumbs_up: Congrats to you too.
Thanks! It is exciting, isn't it? I thought it was never going to happen!
I am pleased. I'll be excited if i get my 1st sale ;) I think it will take building a fair sized portfolio before I get many sales.

PhillipOrdonez
Posts: 3732
Joined: 20 Oct 2017
Location: Norway
Contact:

10 Dec 2018

Zac wrote: ↑
10 Dec 2018
PhillipOrdonez wrote: ↑
10 Dec 2018


Thanks! It is exciting, isn't it? I thought it was never going to happen!
I am pleased. I'll be excited if i get my 1st sale ;) I think it will take building a fair sized portfolio before I get many sales.
I'm excited nonetheless. After a bunch of rejections, it feels good to finally get one through.

You are absolutely right that we need a large portfolio before making many (if any) sales, but we'll get there.

I'm curious about the song the other poster mentioned is his biggest selling tune. Too bad he instead of linking directly to it, decided to link to some sign-up-whatever; uncool.

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aeox
Competition Winner
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Joined: 23 Feb 2017
Location: Oregon

10 Dec 2018

PhillipOrdonez wrote: ↑
10 Dec 2018
Zac wrote: ↑
10 Dec 2018


I am pleased. I'll be excited if i get my 1st sale ;) I think it will take building a fair sized portfolio before I get many sales.
I'm excited nonetheless. After a bunch of rejections, it feels good to finally get one through.

You are absolutely right that we need a large portfolio before making many (if any) sales, but we'll get there.

I'm curious about the song the other poster mentioned is his biggest selling tune. Too bad he instead of linking directly to it, decided to link to some sign-up-whatever; uncool.
Cool thing about pond5 is I didn't need a large portfolio before getting sales and they are a little more lenient with submissions from my experience. Interestingly enough, my songs on there sold quite a few at the beginning and then died off and never even got any plays after that. So I'd say it's important to be consistent and build a reputation there.

PhillipOrdonez
Posts: 3732
Joined: 20 Oct 2017
Location: Norway
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11 Dec 2018

sonicbyte wrote: ↑
10 Dec 2018
Congrats guys !! :)
Gracias che!

PhillipOrdonez
Posts: 3732
Joined: 20 Oct 2017
Location: Norway
Contact:

11 Dec 2018

aeox wrote: ↑
10 Dec 2018
PhillipOrdonez wrote: ↑
10 Dec 2018


I'm excited nonetheless. After a bunch of rejections, it feels good to finally get one through.

You are absolutely right that we need a large portfolio before making many (if any) sales, but we'll get there.

I'm curious about the song the other poster mentioned is his biggest selling tune. Too bad he instead of linking directly to it, decided to link to some sign-up-whatever; uncool.
Cool thing about pond5 is I didn't need a large portfolio before getting sales and they are a little more lenient with submissions from my experience. Interestingly enough, my songs on there sold quite a few at the beginning and then died off and never even got any plays after that. So I'd say it's important to be consistent and build a reputation there.
That is interesting. I do not think mine has had any plays though. How do people "promote" their pond5 releases? Is there no way, so you basically rely on luck? If it gets buried in a sea of tracks then you are effed?

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Wobbleburger
Posts: 260
Joined: 14 Sep 2018
Location: Austin
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11 Dec 2018

Not sure if anybody else posted it but subscribe to Evan:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0j6L- ... irmation=1

He uses Reason and knows a lot about how to succeed in stock music production and marketing. His mailing list is legit too without too much spam.
In the 90s, my midi music was on the Baulder's Gate site. That was my life peak.
Reasonite since 2000. My music (and my old midi) can be found here:
https://futurewizard.org

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Zac
Posts: 1784
Joined: 19 May 2016
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11 Dec 2018

PhillipOrdonez wrote: ↑
11 Dec 2018
aeox wrote: ↑
10 Dec 2018


Cool thing about pond5 is I didn't need a large portfolio before getting sales and they are a little more lenient with submissions from my experience. Interestingly enough, my songs on there sold quite a few at the beginning and then died off and never even got any plays after that. So I'd say it's important to be consistent and build a reputation there.
That is interesting. I do not think mine has had any plays though. How do people "promote" their pond5 releases? Is there no way, so you basically rely on luck? If it gets buried in a sea of tracks then you are effed?
I think this is where building a portfolio by keep submitting comes in... your song might not have many views now (mine hasn't either) but when people do start viewing your songs and profilr the older ones will get looked at too...?

PhillipOrdonez
Posts: 3732
Joined: 20 Oct 2017
Location: Norway
Contact:

11 Dec 2018

Zac wrote: ↑
11 Dec 2018
PhillipOrdonez wrote: ↑
11 Dec 2018


That is interesting. I do not think mine has had any plays though. How do people "promote" their pond5 releases? Is there no way, so you basically rely on luck? If it gets buried in a sea of tracks then you are effed?
I think this is where building a portfolio by keep submitting comes in... your song might not have many views now (mine hasn't either) but when people do start viewing your songs and profilr the older ones will get looked at too...?
Yes, indeed.

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reasonsuser88
Posts: 272
Joined: 29 Apr 2019

28 Aug 2019

What's up folks! I've been taking notes and I wonder how people are doing with this?
The time has come for you to take care and comb your hair. :wave:

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Zac
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Joined: 19 May 2016
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29 Aug 2019

reasonsuser88 wrote: ↑
28 Aug 2019
What's up folks! I've been taking notes and I wonder how people are doing with this?
I've pretty much lost interest I must admit.

I've got about 6 things I purposely arranged for this that I could quickly prep for upload but when I see the sheer volume of sounds being uploaded I just feel that's still way way short of what I would need to upload to get any chance of my stuff getting previewed let alone purchased. I'm talking pond5 here.

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