In today's media landscape, there have never been more opportunities for music producers to get their music placed in films, commercials, and TV shows. Nobody knows this better than Pablo Nouvelle, whose love of music production comes second only to his artistic talents behind the camera lens.
Not only has Pablo Nouvelle wracked up some truly impressive releases this year on top labels like Armada, but he also came within a hair's breadth of winning an Oscar for one of his short films.
So to congratulate him on his myriad accomplishments throughout the year, the most recent one being the release of his studio album Vulnerability, we invited Pablo to sit down and chat with us about the best ways electronic music producers can get their original productions and music placed in film and other media.
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I love to collaborate with other producers or also with directors for the film. It’s actually quite similar once I start composing to fit into someone else’s vision
I really love that and at that point, I see myself as a service provider. When doing music for myself is tough, all the freedom that comes with being a solo artist makes it much harder to define everything. and when I’m producing music for a club then it also offers other challenges than writing a pop song; the club needs a dynamic arc with build and drop over a longer period vs. the clear and short structure of a pop song.
Being a professional producer, it is good to have both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations to use your craft, and writing music both as a service and as a passion keeps things fresh every day.
Learn How Tim Green Adds Elements Of Songwriting Into His Dance Music Here
Armada
Having to fit into a clear frame can help a lot. It wasn't until I started writing music for film and TV that I really came to value the notion of how creativity thrives on limitations. There is nothing more limiting than a cue you need to hit in a film at the exact right millisecond or else the entire emotional impact of the moment will be ruined!
Maybe try to set that frame for your self too. If you're writing club music, try having your breakdown by the length of a TV commercial or background video. The majority of the time, ad spots are 30 seconds or one minute long, which at usual club-tempos will be almost 16 bars or 32 bars. The trick is that it won't line up perfectly with the timing, so you'll have to build your breakdown around the cues in the advertisement.
It's a fun creative exercise that helps you think outside the box.
What helps is that all the different movie and tv streaming services like Netflix, Apple, Amazon, Disney plus, etc offer an endless stream of TV content that needs music. There is an almost endless demand for music of almost all genres. And with the rise in popularity of club music, a lot of reality shows and more modern programming loves having electronic music in it, which means you might not have to diverge too far from the sound you're comfortable producing to get placed.
There are also even shorter-form content creators, like YouTubers and TikTok'ers that need original music in their own videos too. The options are out there, you just need to be resourceful and creative in finding ways to get your music into their hands.
If you keep doing what you’re doing as a producer, artist, musician, and DJ, and diversify, persevere and be tenacious – That certainly helps.
Music is never about overnight success, and the more you continue grinding and pursuing what you love you are sure to start making connections and meeting the right people.
The bottom rungs of the music industry can feel competitive, but once you have mastered your art and have been chasing your dreams for a while you might find that there are fewer people dedicated to making music actually apart of their lives as you think. Just keep pushing! You will get there.
Be diverse and always try to surprise yourself!
While there have never been more opportunities to get your music placed, there also have never been more producers making music. The silver lining is that the majority of these producers are only wanting to replicate the success of other artists they see crushing it.
But if you seek to separate yourself from the crowd and find what makes you unique, you will have a skillset, sound, or service that film producers and music programming directors can't find anywhere else.
Managing Editor at Magnetic Magazine – Former Marketing Manager at the Hyperbits Masterclass – Writer, Content Strategist, Music Producer, and Record Label Manager
