How To Pitch for Ad Briefs
A lot of sync licenses start out with a brief. Briefs outline music needs for a piece of media, whether it’s an ad spot, film, TV show, trailer, 6 second pre-roll or video game. An effective brief outlines key details such as genre, terms/rights, budget, turnaround time, the length of the placement, what’s happening in it, and suggestions for what music is needed.
In this blog, we’ll focus on how to respond to advertising briefs, which often pay the highest license fees.
Who gets advertising briefs?
Music supervisors often receive briefs from an ad agency or a brand if the ad is developed in-house. Music supervisors will also brief out to rights holders, who will pitch relevant tracks for the project.
We spoke to music supervisors Hugh Owens and Marcus Brooke-Smith from Level Two Music, the Melbourne music supervision company that originally created DISCO. Hugh and Marcus told us about common briefs they see from ad agencies and how to interpret them, and offer some tips for rights holders on how to submit for briefs.
The ideal brief
A great brief covers the business specifics (budget, territories and length) along with the key creative details: the theme, tone, mood and what the script involves (i.e., a family getting together in a backyard), plus any lyrical themes (i..e together, home).
“The more original a brief is, the better,” Marcus says.” I want to know why a lyric would resonate, what genres make sense to them and why.”
The vague brief
Some briefs are far from ideal. Briefs can be vague, using broad terms that could mean anything. Vague briefs can also be short, offering little information about the project. Common examples are “we want something upbeat with loads of swagger” or “something contemporary with a build.”
A brief might also ask for something “unexpected,” which can mean that the brand is hoping for a hidden gem, or the next viral hit. Hugh says that if the brief points to Apple or Samsung ads for inspiration, those references are typically requests for a vibrant, energetic, and percussive track, or something that cross-pollinates different genres — like an old classic, remixed.
He adds: “The paradox of ‘unexpected’ is that the client wants something that’s actually expected. It’s shorthand for wanting to surprise their audience with their music choice in the same way a Tarantino or Guy Richie film does. They want the ‘oh wow’ factor but within the parameters of their brand.”
Other times, “unexpected” means finding something that will take audiences by surprise. Occasionally, a truly unexpected song lands in a campaign, as in the case of Hyundai Australia’s use of the heavy metal band Dio’s “Holy Diver”.
Hugh and Marcus interpret “upbeat with a build” — another common vague brief ask — as wanting a highly syncable track. They’ll ask their network of rights holders for top-earning tracks that would fit with a lot of campaigns — songs that have a solid history of being chosen for syncs.
For a recent brief that called for a track with swagger, the Level Two team put together an introductory playlist with old-school hip-hop, 1960s freakbeat tracks, straightforward rock songs, soul and funk songs, and jazz tracks.
If you’re working in DISCO, you can use the playlist stats to see what songs are being favored and start searching further in that direction.
It’s also helpful to ask clarifying questions when you receive a vague brief, such as:
- Are there any lyrical themes that you’d like? Or are you looking for instrumentals only?
- What are you not gravitating toward sound-wise that you’ve heard?
- Does the song need a build?
- Is there a tempo range you need?
- Do you have any genres in mind? Or a song reference ?
- Are there budget limitations or is the fee open?
The overly specific brief
Very specific briefs often arise when a brand or agency is attached to a track they can’t clear or afford. It’s not uncommon for a brief to ask for Prince’s “Purple Rain” when there’s only a budget of $3k.
“I don’t mind a specific brief,” Hugh says. “Usually it’s ‘here’s a reference track, we’ve edited the whole ad to this track we can’t afford,’ and it’s our job to find something to replace that. It becomes too specific when they’re not open to finding alternatives to that track. They’ve become too attached to a song they can’t afford or they’ve sold a whole concept to a client with a track that can’t be licensed.”
If a reference track is too specific and the agency is stuck on it, it can be difficult to replace. Hugh adds: “You have to be hyper-vigilant about sound-alikes with reference tracks too, they can be a bit on the nose.”
When a sound-alike is too close to the original, you run the risk of legal action, as seen in the infamous case when Eminem won half a million dollars after a New Zealand political party breached his copyright.
Marcus adds that a brief can also be too specific when there are too many parameters. “Sometimes they’ll want ‘a song that will clear with an indie budget that everyone knows from the ’60s about coming home in a man/woman duet,” he says. “In that case, you might find something close but not exact. It’s a matter of having a conversation about where the compromise is or if the brief needs to open up.”
Tips for rights holders pitching their tracks to supes
Building strong relationships with music supervisors is essential to getting tracks placed. That means being thoughtful about what you’re sending. If you consistently send quality music, supervisors will most likely keep coming back to you.
Here’s some tips for submitting music for TV, film, video games, and advertising:
- Read the entire brief, even if it’s on the long side. You never know what you’ll miss.
- Listen to the reference track(s), even if you’ve heard them before. Immerse yourself and keep in mind what’s working about those tracks and the qualities they share with music you might have.
- If it’s a project with a smaller budget or if the brief specifically calls for an indie release, don’t send a song from a major label or publisher — you will risk the supervisor and their client getting excited about a track they can’t afford and burning the trust between you.
- Have your splits worked out ahead of time. There’s nothing worse than a writer with a surprise percentage owned by a major rights-holder.
- Many supervisors’ pet peeve is when rights holders pitch their priority or latest track, whether or not they fit the brief. Sending a song regardless of relevance can compromise your reputation with a supervisor, who only wants to hear relevant tracks that will fit the brief.
- Similarly, don’t send the same tracks in response to every brief. They’ll save what they think is good. If you don’t have a track that fits the brief, just skip it.
- Only pitch what you know you can clear. Try to know what industries and brands are off-limits for your artists so you don’t pitch their music for placements they won’t want to be involved in.
- Have your metadata in great shape, especially licensing and clearance information. Don’t say a song is a one-stop if it’s not and be sure to include all relevant contact information for clearing the track (which may include other rights-holders — be as clear as possible). Lyrics are also super helpful, especially when there is a strong thematic tie-in. Or an English translation at the ready. Here are more ways to optimize your metadata for sync placement.
- Automatically include an instrumental version if you have one on hand. (If you’re on DISCO, use nesting to do this). And be ready to provide one within 24 hours, if requested.
- Don’t repeatedly follow up on your pitches. If you did an excellent job in your metadata, the supervisor will reach out to you to license or to request another round. Relationships are the long-game and if it’s not this project, you’ll have a chance at the next one.
When you receive a brief, unless you’re told it’s ok to, don’t post it publicly or share it outside of your company. Often, there’s proprietary information that brands and agencies don’t want publicized. Also, it’s puzzling when a supervisor receives music from someone they didn’t brief out to. By being professional and discreet, you’ll earn and keep the trust of the supervisors you work with.
Ultimately, responding to briefs is about quality over quantity.
It’s better to send 10 stand-out tracks than 30 filler tracks just because they’re on your roster. If the first 10 tracks don’t hit, Hugh will tune out and move on. “As music supervisors, we do a lot of listening and sorting behind the scenes in DISCO,” Hugh says. “It helps us keep abreast of new releases and catalog highlights regardless of the jobs at hand. It’s a never-ending task but essential.”
Marcus also encourages rights holders to occasionally send samplers without a brief. He adds, “If a rights holder spots a trend of certain sounds, lyrical themes, or references from a supe, then it’s great to send a sampler of their catalog for a supe to have on hand. Just as many songs get placed from proactive pitching like this as they do from job-specific brief-outs.”
If you want to start creating playlists or using stats in DISCO, the preferred platform of music supervisors, start a free trial here.
