Production Music - A New Step Into Music Longevity?

Production music is essentially licensed music that is used for TV, film, radio and online broadcasts to name a few.

Many artists have licensed their music for use on these mediums and it provides them with a decent and regular income. A lot of them earn more money this way than they do from selling their own records.

So how do these payments break down? Usually a band will register their licensed music on a production music website like Audio Network, where a production company can then listen and use the music they like, paying a fee in the process. This fee gets split 50/50 between the production music website and the artist.

The level of income received varies depending on which the music is used on. Film soundtracks pay the highest, follow by TV and advertising, radio, internet, games and mobile usage.  

So this all sounds good. However, if you're an up-and-coming musician then it might be a while before your music grabs someone's attention and gets used. Many production companies go for established artists, so you have to make sure your music stands out.

It also creates another problem regarding your direction in acquiring a living from music. Is your customer a production company instead or as well as a dedicated music fan?

Production music offers a great new opportunity for artists, but competition for usage is fierce and it's only going to get fiercer.