If anyone tries to tell you that Indies can’t compete, respond with, "Hey, you… 
Get off of my cloud!" and strut away from them rooster-style ala Mick. Here’s the reality: Unlike so many other aspects of the music business (distribution, marketing, promotion, contacts, etc.), music licensing is one of those few places where the playing field is relatively level. "The deck is absolutely not stacked against Indie artists and labels," says Music Supervisor, Brian Ross whose resume includes the 2004 Kurt Russell film Miracle and the upcoming 2006 film Running Scared with Paul Walker & Chazz Palminteri. "The fees for licensing artists on major labels are climbing sky high, which opens the doors for other labels to bring their artists to the Supervisors. I have been listening to lots of Indie-label artists lately as I try to keep these films on budget."

Indeed, Music Supervisor Anastasia Brown, who did music for Steven Spielberg’s 2002 HBO mini-series, Taken, and is now working on the Quentin Tarantino-produced flick, Daltry Calhoun (due out this year), says Indies have a great opportunity to undercut the often lofty demands of major artists and labels. "We don’t have a hundred thousand dollars to offer up front," she says. "Independent artists have more opportunities to get into TV and movies than there has ever been."

Even unsigned schmoes like me can break in occasionally, and that’s saying a lot. Case in point: A while back, a band I was in called Oddbox managed to get a couple of songs in MTV’s "The Real World." How did we do it? Well, we had a song with a sort of Las Vegas theme (I think I mentioned Elvis or something). Anyway, we heard the next season of "The Real World" was going to be in Vegas, so our bass player (the self-promotional workhorse of the band) tracked down the guy who was placing music for the show and emailed a rough demo MP3 of our song, "Right," to him. In no time at all, he emailed us back to let us know he wanted to license the whole album for the show. That song, along with a snippet of another one off the CD, made it onto two episodes. It didn’t pay any money or make us famous, but I wrote up a big press release for the band about it complete with quote from the MTV music supervisor. In the ensuing months, several local press guys who wrote about us mentioned later that the MTV release in our press kit really helped peak their interest. When you’re up against a hundred other bands all trying to get a little mention in the press, any little edge helps. Believe me.

Everybody knows that a big placement in a big movie, TV show or commercial can amount to thousands of dollars for a band and/or label up front, not to mention potentially steady royalties after the fact (more about that in part two of this series). Did anyone really know Elliot Smith before the movie Good Will Hunting? How about Vonda Shepard before the TV show "Allie McBeal?" And would the band Jet be on national radio right now if they hadn’t gotten that iPod commercial?

A resounding No on all counts. But at the same time, you should be realistic. Licensing your songs to movies, TV shows and commercials probably won’t turn you into the next Jet or even pay the bills on a consistent basis. While some placements could pay thousands of dollars, you’ll be lucky to get $100 in many cases. Some of the smaller Indie films pay nothing (although you should always ask for something on the back end just in case the movie ends up as the next Blair Witch Project). Nonetheless, the main allure of licensing is the "exposure." Wanna get your songs heard? No better way than to ride someone else’s marketing wave.

Even among Indie artists and labels, the competition is fierce. "I get inundated with independent artists sending me CDs," says Jon Ernst music supervisor for the MTV show "Laguna Beach: The Real OC," and lots of other TV projects such as "Family Forensics," a one-hour reality show for A&E, and the upcoming syndicated show "Live Like A Star." But Ernst and other music supervisors tell me that they do make a real effort to review everything they receive. Of course, don’t expect them to spend an hour in a dark room, candles lit, repeatedly listening to your masterpiece. "I listen to everything that comes across my desk—at least for a few seconds," Ernst says. That’s often plenty of time to determine whether a song fits a scene. And the best part about all of this is that even if you don’t get picked, your CD could end up on a shelf for future reference. Two years later, you may get an unexpected call telling you that your music fits a new project.

Of course music supervisors (like everyone else you're trying to impress) are pressed for time, so don’t blow your chances by sending incomplete contact info or a CD that’s a pain in the ass to get open! Making the music supervisor’s life easier, not harder will only work to your advantage, simple things like providing a streamlined, easy-to-open package with songs and contact info clearly marked, will put you on top of the pile.

"One of the things I always stress," says Ernst, "is shrink wrap. Some of these packages are so tightly wound up, I can’t even get to it." Another tip: Affix a sticker to your CD with contact info (that’s a sticker—NOT a post-it note, which will get lost or thrown away). "I got a lot of CDs where they don’t bother to put anything on the CD itself," Ernst says. "Those things can get misplaced." Ross suggests that stickers include the musical genre. Oh, and do Mother Earth a favor: Don’t enclose glossy photos or bulky press kits. It will end up in the trash.

And, provided that the music fits the project, you can increase your chances of success simply by including info about rights clearances with your package. Something like "easy master and publishing clearance" says Brown, gives the supervisor the confidence that a deal can happen quickly, which actually puts you at an advantage over major labels since it generally takes the majors two months to approve a licensing deal. So in addition to lower costs, the ability to avoid extended legal negotiations is another point in the Indies favor.

Since you'll improve your chances of success by developing good relationships with dozens of Music Supervisors, it's worth the time and effort to do your research and send out numerous (and well labeled, hassle-free packages). So how do you find Supervisors and their contact info? The Musicians Atlas and the interactive AtlasOnline are obviously great resources and Brown suggests poking around www.IMDB.com, a popular show biz Web site that catalogs all the people working in the industry from actors to production designers to, yes… music supervisors.

Another great resource is Soundpost, a brand new service that helps Music Supervisors find talent for their projects. The easy-to-navigate site enables Supervisors to search for music using Soundpost's online database, where they can search for specifics such as a Rock song about love with a female vocalist, and etc. The service even makes it easy for Supervisors to contact an artist and commission an original song for a project! "It’s all about giving Indies a shot at it," says says Nick DeBiase, president of Soundpost.

Music Supervisors can search for music using Soundpost's online database. Artists can post their material for free or pay up to $99 for more comprehensive posting privileges. Atlas customers can get a special discount

One word of caution, though: While follow-up calls and emails are always smart, going overboard can be the kiss of death. "The biggest mistake many people make is to relentlessly follow up with phone calls to see if we’ve listened or might have a placement for their music," says Ross. "I try to listen to most music, and if I am looking for a specific kind of cue I will listen to everything. Calling relentlessly will not encourage me to use your music." Indeed, music supervisors are always looking for the perfect song that goes with a particular scene. If your song doesn’t fit, don’t take it personally. It may just be that your song wasn’t appropriate for the scene. There will be other opportunities. Don’t give up, and your day just may come sooner than you think.

(EDITORS NOTE: Next month, we’ll explore royalties and other licensing issues in part 2 of this series. If you are an artist or label with a licensing success or horror story, let us know by emailing Mike at mike.grebb@musiciansatlas.com)

(Mike Grebb is a writer, journalist and singer/songwriter based in Washington, D.C. He has written for numerous publications, including Wired and Billboard. He just completed his debut solo record, Resolution, which is available at www.mikegrebb.com).