By enjoying the journey and learning how to turn road blocks into hurdles this created something that I had never had before. I was always waiting for the industry to come to me, waiting for inspiration or waiting for a deal. None of those things were ever going to land on my doorstep, I had to put myself out there and follow the open doors to find my path. When I finally broke the invisible chains and went to my first industry workshop/conference, called Songstudio in Toronto just before I went to Nashville for the first time, I realized the power of showing up and having the courage to start getting feedback on my songs from others that were a lot further ahead on the road than I was. It was the beginning of learning how to be coachable and teachable and even though I was a decent cover artist and songwriter at that point, there was nothing more gratifying for me to humble myself, get out of my own way and go back to being a student again. The growth was incredible and exactly what I needed at the right time. The fact that you are here reading this says a lot about you too, and putting yourself here to learn from a new coach and mentor like myself speaks volumes about you. This is why I am now going to show you how I implemented everything I have learned in the past 10 years so I can help you, as my coaches and mentors helped me to get better at sync licensing, get more deals and placements and earn more money.
One of the first things I can pass on to you is to remind you that the sync game is definitely a marathon and can take years to get your first deals, then more years for placements and even MORE to see the income streams get to your PRO (performing rights organization). There are many different avenues you can take if you want to sync your music to Film, TV, Ads, Documentaries, Video games and other media, and there is always one thing that successful sync musicians have in common. They are kind, genuine, authentic AND have great music that they put out with quality at quantity. That with drive, determination and a lot of patience will get you where you want to be. So surround yourself with good people that are great songwriters, composers and artists and do the work. The payoff can be amazing, I promise you. It is not just about the money. Trust relationships are a HUGE part of this path for sync and in life.
There is no defined path that you can take to achieve what you want in sync licensing but there are definitely some steps you can take to help get you there faster. Here are a few of them that I have learned along the way that might help you stay the course.
1. Ladders - Try and think about the different stages of sync as several ladders and rungs you need to climb to get to the next steps. This can really help things not be so overwhelming especially in the beginning to help you keep climbing the ladders consistently. For example: Ladder 1 is pitching your music to Music Libraries, Publishers, Music Supervisors, Sync Agents. Ladder 2 is signing deals with these Libraries/companies etc. and learning the business side of getting your music through those doors including delivering your music to spec, making sure it is pre-cleared/One stop etc. Ladder 3 is getting your music placed. Ladder 4 is earning royalties and sync fees and so on ...
2. Faith - You have to have faith in the system and realize it is not a sprint and the first couple of years you are going to be tough and you are not going to make any money and be ok with that. My 1st couple of years were exactly that and after 2 years of hard work I saw my first placement on the DIY network and 9 months after that I got paid for it. I was a whopping $5.38! (I just looked it up). That's all that was on that first statement in August of 2016. I wanted to celebrate and ran around the room with my fist in the air, but also cried because it wasn't even enough to buy a latte! :(. Nevertheless I endured, with the encouragement of my successful friends ahead of me and my mentors I am so glad I kept going. I am currently well into a 5 figure income from sync licensing and I have got my sites on 6. If I can do it, so can you.
3. Do the work. Sorry but there is no way around this one, especially in the beginning. "You are in the trenches now like the rest of us, you have to keep your head down, work hard and take care of yourself in the meantime". Sage advice from my friend and mentor Andy Gabrys back in 2014 to keep going. I had that printed off on my wall for years. Thanks Andy!
Those are the big ones and there are plenty more diamonds and nuggets I have picked up over the years that I am sure you will hear from me if we spend any amount of time together.
I have worked with hundreds of clients over the years, mostly songwriters and solo artists that need me to engineer and produce their songs to broadcast quality ready to pitch to the industry. Many of them have had success in the music industry through songs I have produced from my studio and I love it when that happens! It's often just as exciting as getting my own songs through the doors and synced. An example of this is Bill Perry. He recently landed his song "Sunshine Eyes' ' on an episode of "Young and the Restless" that I produced and engineered. Way to go Bill! I mention Bill because I have known him for as long as I have been at the sync game and I have watched him grow and work hard over the years and was pleased when he decided to choose me as his producer. Bill did the work and was incredibly easy to work with on his songs, not only with suggestions in pre production on the songwriting process and editing, but generally patient, professional and kind. You can check out Bill's song and other clients that have been successful here .
more deeper levels (offer)
So by diving deeper into my own journey, putting in the effort and work to learn music production, (I could definitely only press record in 2012 and had no idea what a DAW was, contemporary or broadcast quality lol) I not only started becoming successful with my own music and with collaborators, but I also realized that I could help others too that needed it over the years and pass on and pay forward the things I learned to help others become successful too. I can't even tell you how gratifying that is to have something so unexpected come out of the journey. Yes I am enjoying it! It's a beautiful thing.
Those of you that know me, know I don't do courses. Many of them are way overpriced and a lot of the time the people that run them don't have the credits to back it up or they don't show up at all. I do have friends that run them, so I don't bash them or even mention the ones I know are shady, and heck maybe someday I will have one too but you can bet your boots the value will be there and I will always be available.
What I do do (I said do do haha) is produce songs. I love it, and I am very good at it. Not only for my own music but for others too. I am also a good coach and mentor. I have been doing that a lot over the years too and I helped clients set up their DIY studios, record vocals, teach the business side of sync, help craft and guide lyrics to emotion and be more universal, help with album release and distribution, design album cover art, help navigate first deals and placements and help coach and mentor those that want the music life get close to those goals and dreams. I am very honest, especially when it comes to feedback. There is no other way to help get your songs to be as strong as they can be before you pitch them.
So I am offering something to you and only for those on this email list if you feel that we can work together on your songs, your studios and/or your music life. This is only for those on this list and I hope you consider taking advantage of it. If you feel this is for you then please purchase below or message me to get started. Please let me know if you have any questions. I would be more than happy to give you a FREE 15 minute zoom to discuss your goals and plans. I look forward to working with you.
Robbie Hancock
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