***How To Get A Placement***

Jackpot ProductionZ

*From The Ground Up*
I posted this in another thread but I don't think it will get any real recognition so I'll re-post it here. Now keep in mind....there's hundeds of ways to get a placement. Sometimes it may take a long time and sometimes it is very quick, sometimes it may be 6-9 months before you get another placement once you've placed, others it could take a few years. Politics & relationships play a big factor as well.......

All of you anti-industry cats who think you're above the system might as well quit today and not even waste your life chasing something you fundamentally aren't even prepared to work for......

For others, this is some insight to answer a few questions on how some placements can happen.......

-SCENARIO-
"Here's a scenario of how a placement can happen."

Let's say it's 2009 right? Let's say you moved to Los Angeles in January and you have no idea what to do and know nobody. You signup with Ascap and they send you some information about up & coming Ascap events coming up. You go to 2 of the Ascap events in February. Now let's say you have your DEMO CD with you when you go, you dress accodrdingly and keep professional at all times.

You meet a person who is managing a couple artists and producers and you present your DEMO to them. They call you back a few days later and tell you they are feeling your music and would like to sit down with you and talk about possible management. So you go sit down with them and details get discussed and after a week of having the contract looked over by your lawyer you sign.

The manager invites you to a few studio sessions at a very well known studio. During those sessions you run into Fergie, Will I Am, JR Rotem, Jasper Cameron & a rep from Interscope. Your manager formally introduces you to these people as they come and go as his new producer, tells them you're hot and that you could be the next big producer. Your manager pays for a couple studio sessions for you over the next couple weeks and you meet more and more people and get your name circulating throughout that studio.

Then one day your manager tells you that Akon is in the room next to yours and him and Akon have a good relationship and that he'd like to invite Akon to listen to a few of your tracks. Akon kindly accepts, your manager pumps you up to Akon to show confidence in your music. You play 5 or 6 tracks for 45 seconds each. Akon tells you he is really feeling the 3rd track you played and if you could send that over to him he'd love to write to it.

Your engineer mixes the track a little and gives it to Akon. 2 weeks later you learn that Akon has demo'd up a song to your track. You're excited and hope he keeps it. During this span you meet more people at events, studio sessions, concerts, etc. 4 months later you learn your song has made the cut for Akon's album and they send over the paperwork, split sheets, etc. Akon's album is released in December of 2009 and goes platinum, you are now getting some nice publishing checks.

Your track gets some mention around Akon's camp and others and the Interscope rep who met you a couple times over the course of 2009 wants to sit down with you and offer you a $75,000 Publishing Deal through Universal Music Group.

You accept after a couple weeks of deliberations over numbers of commitments and percentages. During these couple weeks you learn that a song you wrote to one of your tracks was playing in the studio when Tiffany Evans walked by and she asked if she could have it. You now have more leverage for your offer from UMG and they raise it to $100,000 and 12 commitments. You sign and your manager uses his relationships to try to get you on as many projects as possible.

You get your Pub Check in May of 2010 for $40,000 of your $100,000 for landing 2 placements. You come to find out your song on Tiffany Evans has been chosen for a single.......

And the cycle continues.......

There's millions of ways to get placements, get on, etc, this is just one of many possible scenarios.......
 
Like I said, man, thanks for being humble. This helped a whole damn lot.
 
Good post man! And good to stress that this is just one way...jackpot is one of the most underrated dudes anywhere.
 
Scenario 2:

Polow catches a flat tire outside your house. You ask for him to come to your basement to listen to some tracks and he's with it. He likes your stuff and pays you 500K on the spot.

That's how it happened for me anyway.
 
Keep in mind that placements do not equate having a career. There are a boatload of producers (some you know by name trust me) that have placements under their belts and are living on their last few dollars and/or are living off family members fronting or have quietly slipped back into the 9 to 5 world because they refuse to look at themselves as a business and instead placed their total value on their current 'industry status'. If you dont have hit radio records under your belt then your not seeing any back end money because only a handful of artists can sell enough albums to be recouped because your royalties come from their side not the label (and no new producer is getting Record One royalties PERIOD).

Lets not talk about publishing because almost all these new producers are getting ROBBED of their publishing if they 'luckily' land on a major artist project. Of course you will never hear them admit that because its not sexy to say I'm only getting 15% of the pub after my manager takes his piece, the A&R exec takes his piece and the shadow industry goon takes his. Since the game is for the most part single driven (album format is now forever NICHED) the whole 'i'll make a long term career as a for-hire placement producer is just about over. Do you base your future on a outdated business model or do you set yourself up for the future where the growth is?

Keep in mind the labels will not cut you a dime until the song is certain to go to retail (unless your a A level major player which nobody on this board is) so most of the songs floating around are stuck in 'promotional hopefully the label may cut a check' limbo indefinitely. And how much money are talking? Less than 5k for new jacks and that number is going straight down to ZERO (Some are already operating at a bartering level but I won't call their names out and kill the fantasy...yet lol). If you call 3 OFFICIAL placements a year (at the grand total of 15K before other hands get their piece) financial success I call it poverty unless its just one part of your attack plan.

So the whole point? If you're brand new to the business at this point it makes no sense to put all your hopes on industry success. Instead treat that as ONE part of YOUR equation and start operating as a business brand and develop multiple revenue streams that all lead back to your homefront. That's if your serious. Its 2009, not 2001 and nobody can afford to leave any money on the table.
 
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Brainzzz: now that is some f****** unblievable shyt. Especially the 500K part. Congratulations, man. Talk about right place, right time lol
 
Legal... after reading that bit of info I plan to stop joking on the forum all together. Thank you. And I'm glad someone made sure to inform these new cats to not quite their day jobs.
 
I concur...

There is actually one more scenario I've come across, but I won't post it up; as it may offend the person(s) who acually reads this forum.

But for the most part, this is usually how everything operates.

Jackpot... Legal Dollaz... :cheers:
 
If music is truly your life calling then focus on the long-term, the music industry may come and go but music is here forever. The business is turning from a profit center to a cost center, from the buying of music to the ACCESS of music. If you don't believe me then ask yourself how many hip hop albums have been released from the major labels so far in 2009? (after a VERY quiet 4th quarter 2008). Commercial radio is going through a divorce from the major label system...if you think your performance royalties are guaranteed safe forever your not in touch with the current conditions in congress, the advertisement business and the redefinition of the intellectual copyright. Time to wake up
 
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This is what I want to see here... Intelligent discussion thats relevent to making and pushing music. I'm gaining "e-respect" for some of you.... EXCELLENT THREAD!
 
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Great post. It was fun reading it too. Like a good story or book or something. Especialy since thats probly everyones dream -- play by play. It was like porn. Lol someone should write another scenario.
 
In the last 4 years, this is what I’ve picked up.

So, lets see what we got here:

1. Don't quite you day job
2. Don’t be lazy. (Overcome what ever obstacle that may slowdown progress in your production.
3. Make and complete Unique material
4. Network (talk to people that have the same interest and present you material)

Follow the 3 Ps … Progression Promotion and Production… and you can get placement.

But you got to have good material and you got to put yourself out there so people can be introduced to the material… no matter if this is thru the internet or in person in a club or a BMI awards party…. Got to promote the product …..
 
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