Song Pitching

Song pitching is the marketing of songs to others who will use the song. Sometimes the song will be performed by the artist that wrote it. However, other times, the song will be performed by an artist to whom it is pitched or some artists for the medium in which the song will be used.

Some people may consider pitching a song as part of the publishing process. Before pitching a song, it is important to know about the publishing process. Your goal as the author and perhaps artist of the song, is to make it easy for others who are looking for a song.

In order to understand the publishing process, it is important to research everything you can about it. If you have a certain artists in mind for song pitching, make sure that you listen to the music by that artist. You need to be certain that your song would fit with the artist's musical style.

If pitching a song for a movie or TV show, it is important to know what types of songs are needed for the movie or the show. Obviously, a song that does not fit will not be picked by producers.

A few websites that can help you learn all about song pitching and what is needed by different artists and producers are Yahoo Movies (http://movies.yahoo.com/), Variety (http://www.variety.com/), A and R online (http://www.aandronline.com/), and IMDbPro (https://secure.imdb.com/signup/v4/signup). IMDbPro is a service that requires a paid subscription. If you are serious about song pitching, this should not be a problem.

Also, read music magazines. Examples of these magazines are Billboard, Hollywood Report, and Variety.

When song pitching, it is important to have a credit sheet. This is the equivalent of a resume in job searching. The music that you have made and the type of music you make should be described. It should also list previous jobs or offers and list where the songs were used or who sang the songs. It is important for artists and producers to know the past work beofore pitching is initiated.

When song pitching for TV shows and movies, make sure to send an e-mail asking, "What do you need?" It will help you to know what type of music is wanted. A sample MP3 should then be sent to the producer. A sample MP3 should also be sent to any record companies.

It is important to know that while song pitching, that you need to get your music out into the community and into the world. The only way to do this is to spend money and get your music heard. If you are a performing artist, it is good to start with local performances. If not, it is good if some local bands use your music, as long as they have a bigger goal than being a small local band (as this is all that is wanted by some bands). It is also important to use a pitching service. There are many pitching services on the Internet. These include Roots Music Report (http://www.rootsmusicreport.com/), Nashville Songwriters Association International or NSAI (http://www.nashvillesongwriters.com/), My Hit Online (http://www.myhitonline.com/default.aspx), SongLink International (http://songlink.com/), and Song Quarters (http://songquarters.com/). Some of these are local organizations. If they do not allow members who are not local to join, do not force the issue. However, if they do, give them a try.

Lastly, when song pitching, make sure to follow up with those to whom you have pitched songs. They may not always get back right away or ever. Sometimes other situations arise and the songs get pushed back so they are no longer priorities. Do not be afraid to ask if your song is the one that is wanted. If it is not, do not get angry. Simply thank the person for considering your song and move on to pitching a song elsewhere.