Music Supervision

Music supervision stands at the center of two very powerful groups in the music industry: the creators of the music and the film and TV productions that rely on music to help tell and sell their story to the public. This course explores the ins and outs of music supervision, so that you will be able to function effectively on either side of a licensing transaction. The course begins with an overview of the many aspects of a music supervisor's job and then delves into the history, theory, and application of combining music and media. It provides an overview of the tools used by production teams, in addition to creative approaches, negotiation techniques, and licensing practices— essential information for artists who are interested in generating income from film or TV placements or students who want a career in music licensing.

The course contains exclusive interviews with music supervisors, sound and music editors, publishers, producers, engineers, and other music industry executives, including music supervisor Alex Patsavas, who has worked on over 60 films and television series (e.g., Grey's Anatomy, Gossip Girl, and The O.C.), and vice president of music for 20th Century Fox Television, Ward Hake (Glee, Modern Family, 24, The Simpsons, Family Guy, How I Met Your Mother, Sons of Anarchy, and Bones). Exercises, discussions, and assignments will be "real world," using materials from feature films, TV, ads, radio, and video games.

You will learn how to work effectively on a production team, locate resources for licensable music, offer creative options, select and license appropriate music, combine music with a variety of media, negotiate with a variety of rights holders, and generate detailed license requests, agreements, and cue sheets. The goal of the course is to give you a thorough understanding of the elements that make a piece of music a "perfect fit" for a production, in addition to an understanding of the needs of both the project (directors and producers) and the rights holders (writers, publishers, and master owners). Whether you are a publisher, songwriter / composer, master owner, or executive producer, you will gain skills needed to effectively work with the creative and budgetary aspects of combining music and other media.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• analyze and satisfy the criteria for an effective music placement
• understand rights holders' concerns
• operate within a budget
• negotiate effectively with anyone
• communicate with a production team
• establish familiarity with production workflow
• discover resources for licensing music
• customize licenses and create cue sheets
• discover unique opportunities for music supervisors
• get started as a music supervisor

• Yes, I'm ready to enroll
• I'm interested and have a few questions