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When I was head of production at a commercial company, I took meetings like this. For me, the best way to proceed included transparency and of course scheduling.
I was always transparent in making it known that I personally did not select the music libraries (or sometimes even the post house, etc) for our jobs, but I was in the position to volunteer your company to the decision makers for their consideration. And also I could try to connect you with others better positioned than I was.
Then, scheduling an in-person sitdown as you propose -- I liked doing this outside the office hours if that was possible. Drinks after work or coffee before work made a lot of sense as long as we didn't have to drag across town . . . it was hard for me to have office meetings in the midst of ongoing productions and preparing bids etc -- it was better if I could land these meetings outside the office at the times I was less likely to be interrupted by those duties.
Big thanks for taking the time to share your insight! Your mention of before/after work meetups is helpful, as understanding how crazy busy your days can get is something I certainly want to be mindful of. Noted on the part about location-convenience as well. I always try to pick a place that’s close to my client to ensure we go to their local favorite spot or go somewhere new they’ve been wanting to try.
I love my job and the musicians I represent, and I try not to get annoying with my outreach, but I swear sometimes I just want to email production and creatives and say, “I’m a fun hang, I’m required to spend thousands a month on my corporate card, I rep a phenomenal music catalog and while I hope you’ll eventually use our music, let’s just meet up in the meantime!” :-)
Thanks again for sharing your perspective! It’s so helpful.
I get hit up a lot by music companies and I don’t mind receiving emails / LinkedIn messages but I have all couple of strong don’ts : if I’m busy and don’t respond right way, please don’t follow up multiple times that same week. Also while I do understand that sometimes outreach emails are schedule sent, please be mindful. I had one music producer email me on Christmas Day and then a couple weeks later on a Sunday night. This sort of thing immediately made me not want to work with them.
@ senior producer 😂
This is a good question! My favorite music producers stay in touch with emails, coffees, and sometimes shows. The thing that really gets me to reply though is when we talk about music like what they are listening to personally or sharing a playlist. One thing I don’t love is cold calls but I think that’s just how everyone feels.
I’d be happy to connect if you want to send a DM!
Oooh I love this and appreciate that there are some producers that value when I’ve taken the time to share music that I’m personally excited about, but could also apply to their projects (I always do my research!🙂). After all, I got into this role because of my love of music and enthusiasm about the artists I get to represent. :) I’ll DM you for sure!
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I love my job and the musicians I represent, and I try not to get annoying with my outreach, but I swear sometimes I just want to email production and creatives and say, “I’m a fun hang, I’m required to spend thousands a month on my corporate card, I rep a phenomenal music catalog and while I hope you’ll eventually use our music, let’s just meet up in the meantime!” :-)
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So yes, if the request came to me like this I would likely say great, let's meet up, when / where / etc.
But some people can be a little more guarded. I'd say it would be best to have a referral to mention in your first outreach -- so-and-so suggested I reach you, or similar . . . and then see by the recipient's reply how you might best approach them.
Love this feedback and I totally hear you on how differently everyone approaches things. Thanks for this reminder! I love a good referral when I have one in my pocket, and the rest of the time I cold email, cross my fingers, and hope for the best!
I would add to these other suggestions that perhaps you could offer to send a few suggestions of music tracks for whatever projects the producer currently has going. Producer can pass those onto the editor to help out and everyone is happy : )
Thank you! It’s great to hear that what I call “proactive playlists” are appreciated. 9 out of 10 times I will spend a good amount of time curating a playlist that’s tailored to the producer’s projects, only to email it and have it drop into the abyss - never to be listened to. Soul crushing, but I get totally it, and I carry on anyway, haha. 🙃🎶
write a little more personal (like an old friend asking to catch up) rather than an AI sounding generic email where we can tell you copied and wasted to a hundred other producers.
Come to me with some plans or suggestions (like happy hour ideas next Friday or something). Just like making plans with friends, anything too generic (“let’s hangout sometimes soon”) usually = never happens.
Also personally it’s always hard to turn down a happy hour opportunities lol especially working from home full time nowadays
One thing I always appreciated from music reps were showcases in the agency. “Here’s an exciting artist we rep, and they’ll come in at lunch and do a short set.” Understood that you rep a library, but maybe something similar? Take an ad for a category the agency has, and come in with 10 killer library tracks/-approaches? Also appreciated tickets to new artist performances, people I might not have heard of.