Making music is good. Getting it heard is better. There is a simple, free and largely ignored lever for that: offering your music to projects that already have an audience. Podcasts, short films, plays, video channels, documentaries — all of them are permanently looking for original music, for reasons of rights as much as identity.
A real need, and rarely met
A great many people in live performance and the media are looking for original music. There are two reasons for this, and both work in your favour.
The first is legal. Using an existing track means clearances and often payments, with the risk of takedown or demonetisation on the platforms. Original music, licensed within a clear framework, removes the problem.
The second is about identity. A podcast using a stock library pad sounds like a thousand other podcasts. A theme written for it sets it apart immediately. Creators know this, and many simply have no composer to hand.
One order of magnitude puts things in perspective: some podcasts are listened to several thousand times a month. A thirty-second theme will be heard proportionally — a listening volume a track released on a streaming platform sometimes takes years to reach.
The mechanics of a borrowed audience
There is nothing mysterious about the mechanism. The podcaster, the director or the stage director built their audience over years. By supplying the music, you reach that audience straight away — without having walked the same road.
Some of those listeners, if you are credited identifiably, will go and see who you are. The rate is low as a percentage and significant in volume, and above all: these are people who have already heard you, in a context they enjoy. The qualification is far better than any advert’s.
The credit, or nothing
This is the one point not to concede. A credit has to be present (in the description, in the end titles, on the project page), legible (your artist name, spelled as it is on the platforms), and clickable if possible. An uncredited contribution earns you nothing but a line in your private portfolio.
How to pitch without burning yourself
The approach almost always fails for the same reason: it talks about you instead of talking about the project.
- Listen or watch first. Two episodes, a trailer, a recording. Without that, your message will show it immediately.
- Propose something precise. Not « I can compose for you », but « your current theme runs fifteen seconds, here is one written for your show ».
- Make the demo. A thirty-second sketch convinces a thousand times better than a link to your album. The client has to hear themselves, not you.
- Be clear about rights from the first message. What you are licensing, for what use, for how long. Clarity reassures, and it sets you apart from amateurs immediately.
- Aim at projects your size. A niche podcast with three thousand listens will reply; a large production won’t read your message.
The question of working for free
Should you work for free? The honest answer is: sometimes, at the start, and under strict conditions.
Offering a first collaboration without invoicing can be a very good calculation when the project has a real audience, the credit is guaranteed, and the workload stays reasonable. You are trading time for visibility you could not have bought.
Two rules apply, though. First: limit the number of these operations, and set yourself a deadline beyond which you invoice. Second: never work for free on a project that is itself funded — that is where generosity turns into naivety.
Over time these commissions become a revenue stream in their own right. It is exactly the market described in you don’t need to be famous to live from music: less visible, less crowded, and paid through the same copyright mechanisms.
What the video covers
The video above — in French — puts forward this visibility tactic starting from the real need of podcasters, directors and stage directors. I stress two points: that even an unpaid collaboration is a win for you, because you immediately benefit from an audience the creator spent years building; and that this kind of project pushes you to vary the forms your music can take, in line with working across forms.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I find these projects?
- They are everywhere and they communicate: independent podcasts, local theatre companies, film schools, specialist video channels, amateur festivals. Start with what you already consume — you know its tone, which makes the pitch far more accurate.
- What rights should I license?
- License a right of use for a defined purpose, while remaining the author of the work. Avoid total, permanent assignments, especially unpaid ones. If a contract gives you doubts, have your collecting society read it over.
- What if nobody replies?
- That is the norm. Expect one reply per five to ten messages, provided they are personalised. A single follow-up two weeks later is acceptable; beyond that, move on to the next project.
- Is it worth it if the project is small?
- Often more than the big ones. A small project leaves you real freedom, credits you willingly, and sometimes grows with you. Many lasting collaborations begin at that scale.
Going further
- Work across forms — getting ready to answer these commissions.
- Build your team — keeping track of the people you meet along the way.
- YouTube for musicians — the other free distribution channel.
