Production Music (Bang for the buck)

[Jesser]

Okay, so we all know that you pretty much get what you pay for when it comes to production music. What I'm looking for is the best value - i.e. the lowest price for quality music. I'm not talking the best steak in town, but not Big Macs either. More like Applebees. Where have you found the sweet spot?

[Etch-A-Sketch]

Originally Posted by Jesser

Okay, so we all know that you pretty much get what you pay for when it comes to production music. What I'm looking for is the best value - i.e. the lowest price for quality music. I'm not talking the best steak in town, but not Big Macs either. More like Applebees. Where have you found the sweet spot?

Well that's a tough question to answer... what do you define as "quality"? And actually it's an answer I'm really interested in. This is a question I raise quite often, what do customers feel is more important and what constitutes "quality".

As many say, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". So, what do you consider quality? Is it the composition? The Fidelity? The production itself? Would you rather have a poorly written song that is well produced or a great piece of music that is poorly produced? What in your opinion gives the music "value"?

[Jesser]

You make a good point. To clarify: To me, production is the primary concern when I consider a music bed "good" or not. A lot of this music is meant to sit under an ad and not call a ton of attention to itself, so composition is not as important. It's definitely noticeable when the production sounds dull, however.

Of course composition should be considered important in any type of music, but I want to be able to find a dumb, piece of trash bed with not much merit and still have it sound full of life.

To me, a good litmus test is tracks that have drum machines. In good libraries, they sound good. In bad libraries, they scream "I PUKED OUT A SONG FOR YA! HOPE IT'LL DO!"

Of course, my employer and clients expect great music to appear magically and cost next to nothing. But some new owners came on board and we're receiving a cash infusion + seeking a more elite clientele, so I'm looking for music that comes reasonably close to top-of-the-line for as cheap as I can get it. The magic ratio varies from place to place... I'm interested in finding out what has worked for others in my quest to find what will work for us.

[Bill@AudioVision]

Production music libraries are just that.. libraries. There's going to some great stuff and some not so great. Ask to review discs or check online samples from different libraries. Almost all will let you 'a la cart' your selections, so you can get what you like and not be faced with a bunch of harmonica and tuba duets that you don't have use for. (Not that there's anything wrong with harmonica and tuba duets!)

[Etch-A-Sketch]

Originally Posted by Jesser

You make a good point. To clarify: To me, production is the primary concern when I consider a music bed "good" or not. A lot of this music is meant to sit under an ad and not call a ton of attention to itself, so composition is not as important. It's definitely noticeable when the production sounds dull, however.

Of course composition should be considered important in any type of music, but I want to be able to find a dumb, piece of trash bed with not much merit and still have it sound full of life.

To me, a good litmus test is tracks that have drum machines. In good libraries, they sound good. In bad libraries, they scream "I PUKED OUT A SONG FOR YA! HOPE IT'LL DO!"

Of course, my employer and clients expect great music to appear magically and cost next to nothing. But some new owners came on board and we're receiving a cash infusion + seeking a more elite clientele, so I'm looking for music that comes reasonably close to top-of-the-line for as cheap as I can get it. The magic ratio varies from place to place... I'm interested in finding out what has worked for others in my quest to find what will work for us.

Well, I do a lot of work for one, and so I can be somewhat biased when it comes to this topic. Obviously the one I work for is the best!!! ehe ...But in fairness I'll list a couple good ones for you to check out. You can browse all the music online. As with everything else, rates are negotiable depending on the type of use.

MusicBox - Production Music Library
megatrax
615 Music - Production Music Libraries, News Music Packages, Custom Music
Killer Tracks

As Bill mentioned you can do "needledrop" which is buying licenses on an individual track by track basis. But there are also other licensing options as well. Pick a couple and call them up. It never hurts to ask what the rates are.

Also, if you are trying to find different libraries, you can always go to the PMA (Production Music Association) website and browse the list of libraries there. Production Music Association

[BeK$]

Yea most production music companies would love to and strive to get in contact with people like you. All you have to do is call up and give them a detailed idea of what your looking for and they will do the rest free of charge. Needledrop normally is pretty cheap for in perpetuity. Actually strike that, ALL of those companys want to beat your door down and get their music heard.

[Rick Sanchez]

I've found no "bang for the buck" library. Almost all libraries have some great stuff and a lot of crap. You just have to go through them and see what strikes you, then negotiate a deal.

If you use a lot of music, you can usually negotiate a fairly decent rate, and that my friend is the key. What do you consider a fairly decent rate?

I've heard of people wanting "quality" music for $100 per cue. Good luck. I'd say if you want a library with a fair amount of consistently well recorded and produced music, you'll be paying around $2000-$3000 per cue.

Below that, it's a complete crap shoot, but you'll find plenty of producers who are willing to go there...and not give a hoot about quality.