Money 4 Music

By Sean Gordon

The secret to making money in the music industry as a commercial composer. Did you know you could get paid tens-of-thousands of dollars for writing only 30 seconds of simple music, and receive royalty checks every month for the rest of your life? All without having to go to school, or knowing how to read music. A must-have for every songwriter, instrumentalist, composer, and musician.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sean Gordon
• Release date: Jan 2, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310632921

Sean Gordon

Sean Gordon has been working in the music industry professionally for over 15 years and has been composing music for over 20. He has composed and produced music for NBC, Discovery, Nintendo, X-Box, Shell, Bank of New York, Franklin Templeton Investments, Kikkoman, Redd’s Apple Ale, Spy Gear, Bay Club, Philips, Underworld, Wasteland, Urgency, Red Robin... and many more. His earlier years were spent in touring rock band “Burning Tree Project” as the lead guitar player. After four albums and even appearing on MTV, he quit the band to pursue his own music. He then got his big break in licensing via a phone call from an old friend who was working behind the scenes in the music business. As a hobby Sean would record and posts videos on his YouTube channel as "Shonsta". As a result of posting his first video “Simpsons Unplugged” way back when YouTube first started, he was invited to several Simpsons scoring sessions where composer Alf Claussen (Composer for The Simpsons) helped transform him into the composer he is today. He then opened his own recording studio (Digital Dungeon) and began producing bands and artists in North Hollywood, CA. This would lead to film score and the very secretive world of custom commercial cues. In 2011, Sean moved to San Francisco, CA and opened a post audio house with a business partner for several years. He has since been solely composing music for commercials and finally retired from the composing business to pursue his other life passions.

Book preview

Foreword

When I was young I had more drive than anyone I knew. I took action with everything I wanted to learn. However, in hindsight, I realized that drive only goes so far. It took me a very long time to break through to the inner circle of well paid musicians. I could have benefitted greatly from a mentor. This book, and its counterpart "The Commercial Composing Handbook", were created for that one purpose. To give people who have drive, the knowledge and mentorship that I wish I had in the beginning. There are literally zero books on this subject and there seems to be a great deal of secrecy surrounding it so I have taken it upon myself to provide this bridge for you. I am so happy to be in a position to help you with your journey so I would love to hear from you if this book has helped in any way. Just find the contact page on my website money4music.net and send me a message. Happy reading!

—Sean Gordon

Introduction

Every time I have a random conversation with a musician, I hear the same thing over and over. The music industry is dead man, Records don't sell anymore, you have to give away your music for free, touring and merch are the only ways to really make money. I politely hear them out and usually part ways after the Gotta get a million YouTube hits speech. While this book is for both the performer and the song writer, it is designed to transform you into a money-making music machine. My aim is to open your eyes and unravel the mystery and secrecy behind how the commercial music world works and how to make a lot of money from it.

Although I will give you an overview of the industry in whole, the focus of this book is solely on the business of commercial music composing. Why commercial music composing? Well, there are several reasons:

1. It's Easy

Turn on the tv and take a listen to a few commercials. You will likely think to yourself I could have made that, Or I could have done better than that. And that is good! This book will give you the knowledge and resources to prove it!

2. It's Short

Most commercials are only 15 or 30 seconds long. Occasionally you will get a 60 second spot and very rarely something longer. This means you don't even need to make a full song. You just need something simple, short, and fitting. You don't have to be a musical genius.

3. You Get Paid In Gold

Most national commercials pay between $10,000 and $30,000 for an original piece of music. Yep, that's right, you get paid like a rock-star to make a piece of a song (usually with no lyrics) that is only 30 seconds long. If you don't believe me, check out this article on ASCAP's site:

ascap.com/music-career/articles-advice/music-money/money-commercials.aspx

As you can see the 10-30k figure is only the Bottom of the barrel and you are definitely missing out on some serious cash! But don't worry, that's why I wrote this book and that's why you are reading it right? This is probably the only reason you need but I'll continue in case you are insane and aren't sold yet.

4. You Get Residuals

Yep, just like actors, composers get residuals for their craft. I have dedicated a whole chapter to this topic. These checks come in monthly usually for the next two years. Sometimes longer.

5. You Get To Hear Your Art On TV

Nothing is cooler than being on TV. I'll just leave it at that ;)

6. Anyone Can Do It

Pretty much anyone of any age, race, look, weight, or background can become a commercial composer. If you can make music, you can be a professional composer. Simple as that.

7. You Get A Feeling Of Accomplishment

Artists are often very sensitive and there is nothing worse than feeling like you haven't accomplished anything. Getting your song in a commercial is a great self-esteem booster and a really good way to fund whatever other endeavor/s you want to take on. Or to fund your own commercial music powerhouse.

My final thought before jumping into the material is about looking into the future. Sure, being a rich and famous recording artist is becoming more and more impossible, the record industry is indeed floundering, the film industry is seemingly in a similar boat, and who knows where things will be in ten years from now. The one industry that is NOT going anywhere anytime soon is the ADVERTISING industry.

"Even when we figure out how to get to Mars,

you better believe you will be seeing commercials

there, as well as on the spaceship ride."

Why not have your music in those commercials? If not your music, it will be someone else's, and they will be getting paid massively for it. It's the one industry that will probably be with us forever. It is why tv shows, radio, and so much internet content is Free. Advertisers are paying for these companies to stay afloat and continue bringing you entertainment. So choosing to be a commercial composer is a very smart move

Reviews for Money 4 Music

[19808Kp · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent Book !!!!!!!!!!! Excellent Read !!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!! !!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!