Cheat Codes For Sync

(Yes, they work...)

Ever wish you had a Game Shark while writing for sync? Like something you could plug into your workflow that instantly connects you to writing the highest value music on the block? Yeah, that would be tight.

For so many composers and artists, writing the music isn’t actually the problem. The nasty, annoying part lies in the way they miss out on positioning their tracks to stand out in music searches. “I write great tracks for sync – Can’t I do something to make them more magnetic?” Yep, you can.

Like any other industry, sync licensing is just a game. All it takes is a firm grasp of the rules in order to play your cards right with every track you write. Unlocking the rules of the sync game is hard, which is exactly why special things happen to people when they finally do it. It can take years of diligence and dedication if you do not actively analyze the moves you’re making in order to fully capitalize on your hard work. Thankfully, there’s a few cheat codes I have learned to use over the years that increase the magnetism of my licensing catalogs and position my tracks for more syncs.

Access cheat codes below. 👇

Cheat Code #1:
Write The Same Song Over & Over

There was a brief moment at the beginning of my music licensing career when I actually thought I could fast-track my success by writing as many different types of songs as possible. You know, the “one-and-done” approach: I’d write one garage rock track for sync and get bored. So I’d move over to Top 40 pop to try my hand at one track for the masses, only for it to turn out nothing like I expected. Okay, Top 40 pop was out, so I moved to writing one minimal acoustic thing… Yeah, that’ll do the trick.

I was all over the place trying to write one holy grail track for every genre and it was exhausting. I had convinced myself that the more variety I had in my catalog, the more value it would have to offer (and I was breaking my back trying to keep up with it). It turns out I was dead wrong.

I actually began to experience more syncs when I practiced writing one particular style or genre multiple times. This means committing to writing one angle and hacking away at it for 3, 5, even 7 tracks. Pick your angle, write your track, and finish it. Write another track in the same pocket that uses different chords, and finish it. Write one more track from the same angle that uses different instruments. Then, you guessed it, write another track by changing or adding something new.

The only way to write a true sync banger is to write the same basic track multiple times in a row, changing up things here and there. It’s important to give yourself enough chances to fully capitalize on your creativity with every genre you try your hand at. This way, you allow space to refine and improve your creative process – An invaluable opportunity you should never waste in this business.

Writing one track per style will simply never be enough. Your bank account will fare much better from creating small, curated batches of an entire genre than from one-off tracks. Which bring us to…👇

Cheat Code #2:
Curate Mini-Catalogs

What? You thought these cheat codes required zero work on your part? Think again – You’re still reading, so I guess I’ll keep typing.

MINI-CATALOGS ARE THE SH*T IN MUSIC LICENSING. Creatives love to see mini-catalogs within an artist’s songography. Why? Mini-catalogs offer options. The most powerful thing you can deliver to someone with buying power is options, though not too few or too many. It’s your goal to find that sweet spot between the “one-and-done” strategy that never worked for me and the “one-trick-pony” strategy that pigeonholes so many artists.

Imagine a filmmaker finds your track in a library, hits play, and thinks:

“Hey, I like this track! It has the driving feel I’m looking for. And the synths hit that cool-factor my project needs. Except…”

Uh oh.

“…Except the chords are way too dark.”

Sh*t.

You almost had ‘em. You almost got a license because you did SO many things right, but left out an important part in your workflow: You failed to present options to the filmmaker. And now they’re about to pass on your track and license someone else’s. All because you didn’t take the time to write that same basic track in multiple different ways, using multiple different angles. Ouch.

Options are key when composing for music licensing. It only takes one song to hook a creative, but that doesn’t always mean you’re going to make money from it. Your track’s power lies in it’s ability to sell people by offering a multitude of angles, emotional tones, and outcomes in one small catalog. Example:

“My brash, summertime garage rock project needs to hit multiple angles that nail different needs for someone looking to license garage rock for their project. I’m going to write down all of the possible moods and feelings my project could offer, then combine a couple at a time to curate my project into a mini-catalog.” ✅

WRITE:

COMBINE:

Behold: My 5-track high-value sync project. ✨ Complete with styles and sounds distinct from one another, yet all can exist within the same garage rock universe. They’re all different flavors of brash, garage rock that I could totally pull off in a big way so long as I group angles together to fulfill one specific need at a time. If a creative comes across my “Surfy Minor” track but wants something brighter and lighter? They can find what they need with my “Major Mellotron” track from the same project. If they want something totally out of control because the first track they heard was fun but not vintage enough, then they could go with my “Blown-out 80s” direction to float their boat.

One track hooks them, another track sells them. It doesn’t matter which because you’re getting paid either way. You must learn to expect this type of scenario in every single music search. You have to position your tracks for the most syncs by offering a menu of items anybody can choose from to enhance their project. Creatives aren’t after the “perfect track”. There is no such thing. Instead, they throw their money at the purpose your track serves, ie: The Outcome. 👇

Cheat Code #3:
Name Tracks Based On Outcome

The people searching for your music need to know what to expect as soon as they read your song titles. Since you’re in the business of writing music that fulfills a specific need, your song titles must clearly communicate an outcome in order to entice creatives to select your track.

At first glance, your tracks should invite people to click and listen. The easiest way to do that is by naming your tracks based on the outcome they provide:

If your track climbs steadily, increasing in power and brightness, then make sure the title paints that picture in no more than three words.

• “Revealing Dawn”

• “Approaching The Crest”

• “Rise Without Limits”

If your track leans toward a smaller, intimate sound with live instruments and organic elements, then make sure the title matches the sound by communicating it the outcome clearly.

• “Heart In Hand”

• “Nightingale And Birch”

• “Family First”

Notice how the title “Family First” communicates exactly what you can expect from this make-believe track. “Family” implies there are themes of warmth, togetherness, and nostalgia. “First” implies a decision, value, and lifestyle.

Track titles that describe a person, story, feeling, and moment in this way outperform any other song title. Titling tracks with this intentionality is what grabs eyes and locks them in. Without clearly communicating the outcome your tracks deliver, you miss out on all sorts of opportunities to stop creatives in their tracks and keep them hooked on your mini-catalog.

R1, R2, L1, R2, ←, ↓, →, ↑, ←, ↓, ↓, ←

Not all tracks are created equal. It’s not because some are better than others. It’s not because some are more ear-wormy than others. A track’s value doesn’t always come down to its production or performance. What does matter is the purpose it serves. A track you find “boring” might perfectly compliment a project with a 5-figure budget. 🤷‍♂️

Which is why you must be willing to write and re-write the same style track over and over. The more versions and angles of a track you can fill your catalog with, the better. After all, it takes one track to hook someone and another to sell them. These cheat codes we covered today are part of the strategies that I use everyday to grow and maintain my 6-figure sync catalog.

Creating a mini-catalog of three peppy, acoustic tracks increases your chances of getting placed in big brand advertisements. Since all three tracks are strategic clones of one another, yet still serve distinct purposes, they create options for creatives to explore in music searches. This increases your pull and ability to stand out in music searches. Paired with the fact each tracks communicates the outcome they deliver, you actually make the creative’s job easier to pick one your tracks out of a sea of poorly positioned library tracks.

If you make it easier for creatives to choose your tracks, then you get paid easier in music licensing. 🔥

All my best,

Graham Barton
Composer · Mentor · Imperfectionst
@syncbeast.co