Becoming a professional music composer or sound designer for film, television, and new media can be a daunting task. While the licensing and use of custom music for media is evident everywhere, an aspiring audio professional may be overwrought with choices on where to find gigs, how to market themselves, and how to eventually build a profitable business in the world of sound. Following is a simplistic, but tested and true, step by step method of going from a talented and skilled bedroom composer or sound artist to a paid professional.
1. Sift through all of your previous mixes and sounds to create a demo of 30 second clips categorized according to mood, genre etc. to give to prospective clients either on CD or hosted online.
2. Make a website that has demo samples, credits to date, a brief but telling bio, and a video reel if possible.
3. Armed with your demo and website, seek out free or low paying gigs in order to gain credits and experience, build your resume, and establish business relationships for the future.
4. Build a database of prospective paying clients by contacting producers, directors, video editors, animators, and post-production companies for film, tv, and web. Seek out these prospects by asking family and friends, joining professional organizations, finding gigs online, networking through online film forums, and cold emailing aforementioned companies.
5. Reconnect with all of your prospects via email every few months and send out an -e-newsletter with updates on your work, services, and some items relevant or interesting to your audience.
6. Continue to learn different aspects of the audio industry such as audio sweetening and technical skills such as video conversion, FTP use, and sample rate and file conversion.
7. Make sure your music license agreements and invoicing system is ready to go as the clients and inquiries begin to roll in.
Use these steps to build a professional career as a sound effects designer or music composer. Music is licensed all day long throughout the world and with the internet the licensees are at your fingertips. From start to finish, the above steps may take two to three years of focused effort but will result in success if your skills and talents are in good order. The world of music licensing is vast but varied and often elusive. But, when your preparation meets the opportunities you make, your career of choice will be in your grasp.