Jody Friedman: How to Pitch Your Music for TV and Film (Episode 166)

Make Music Your Business.

Jody Friedman is a songwriter, producer, music supervisor, music publisher and licensing coach. His career started at CNN, where a theme song he wrote in 2004 for the show Nancy Grace became his entry into music publishing. His licensing and supervision company, HD Music Now, has licensed its catalog since 2006, and he co-founded Elite Music Coaching.

Nomad calls music supervisors the new rock stars, because they hold the keys to getting music into TV and film. In Episode 166, Jody explains how sync licensing works, how to pitch music for TV and film without getting deleted, and why the money is in the pennies.

Buyers, sellers and trust

Jody stumbled into supervising in 2008. A college friend asked him to act in his film. Jody asked if he had a music supervisor, offered to do it, and cleared about 12 songs on a $40,000 budget. A sound designer on that project brought him onto the next one, and it spiraled from there.

His way of explaining the business is real estate. A license is more like a lease than a sale: you never sell your rights. The buyers are production companies like Netflix and HBO, and the music supervisor is like the buyer's broker. The sellers are sync agents who represent the copyrights of writers, publishers and labels. Agents spend years building relationships and trust with supervisors. That is why a supervisor won't usually take a chance on a random artist, however good, who might not have every right in order.

Trust is also why freelance supervising gigs are hard to land. For a streamer, a new supervisor is a risk. It builds one credit at a time. Nomad sees the same marathon as a composer chasing his own TV show. Your net worth is directly related to your network, and the biggest variable in that equation is trust.

Pitch to serve, not to kiss up

Nomad shared a story about an artist who sent him a screenshot of his bank balance as proof he deserved a spot on a show. Nobody owes you anything. Jody's approach is the opposite of entitlement.

"It's really the mindset of being of service to that individual, rather than what can you do for me. It's how can I help you."

Jody Friedman, 8:00

An email to "Mrs. Jody Friedman" gets deleted. So does vague flattery about an episode he never worked on. What works: do your homework, find a gap in his catalog, and offer to fill it. Something like, "I noticed you don't have an album of Irish jigs. I can deliver ten in two weeks, exclusive, worldwide, in perpetuity." Use words like one stop and pre-cleared, own 100 percent of the masters, and use no samples. That tells him you know the business. Make Music Your Business.

On follow-ups: don't chase a cold pitch. Jody replies that he'll listen and get in touch if he can market it. Supervisors reach out when there's a quote request. If you don't hear back in a week or so, pitch it somewhere else. It is your copyright.

Respond fast and deliver

Jody and Nomad met when a mutual friend, Jody's business partner Michael Elsner, called late one night: talk to this supervisor about some flamenco guitar. Nomad answered right away, delivered on the turnaround, and was top of mind for the next custom request days later. Jody says few people can do that. On a deadline, if you don't deliver, he has to go to someone else. Reliability beats virtuosity.

Niches are king in sync

Latin is one of Nomad's niches because it is in his blood, and he leans into it. Jody agrees completely.

"Niches are everything right now."

Jody Friedman, 17:09

There is a ton of singer-songwriter, rock, pop, dance and hip-hop. Find a subgenre, or mash up hybrids that sound new, and you grab the ears of people who hear music all day. With streamers making shows across Korea, Latin America, Japan and more, regional niches are huge. The one niche he says doesn't fit sync well is musical theater, though those writers can collaborate in other genres.

The recording matters more than the live show. You could be the greatest live band, but if your records aren't up to snuff, he can't use you. Home recording has raised the bar. Jody didn't produce until around 2014, then decided to learn. If you study and commit, you can do it.

"You don't have to write hit songs for sync. That's the great thing about it."

Jody Friedman, 20:40

Sync supports picture. Unless it's a montage or the main titles, the music isn't the focus. It needs to be well crafted and well produced, and he estimates 75 to 80 percent of what gets used is instrumental.

Exclusive deals, royalties and the pennies

Jody favors exclusive library deals. Non-exclusive is throwing paint at the wall, and like dating while seeing other people, you get less commitment. Exclusive means rarity, and rarity means value for you and the agency. Worried about tying a song up? Write another one. You didn't write your last best song.

On royalties, major US network placements generally pay higher performance royalties than cable, and streaming payouts have been improving. His big earner was an independent Nashville artist's song that landed in Friends with Benefits four times. Another was a deal with a production network whose series air worldwide, paying fractions of a cent that add up.

Nomad calls his royalties his retirement fund, and they carried him through the pandemic. That passive income is part of Diversify or Die.

Jody also explained royalty-free libraries. US writers' agreements with their PRO are typically non-exclusive for direct licenses, which is how those deals work. He is not a fan of that path, but his job is to educate, not judge. You decide when to say yes and when to say no.

The takeaway

Learn the business before you pitch. Serve the person you are pitching. Find a niche, record it like a master, own your rights, and deliver fast. Then chase placements, because the pennies add up. Jody hosts a podcast and offers courses at License Your Music. For the career side of the game, start with the free Get the Gig guide.

Get the gig. Keep the gig. Build the career.

Watch on YouTube or find every episode on the TCM Podcast page.