Five Mistakes Composers Make In Ad Music.

1. They don't listen carefully to their client. 

The road to composing has many paths

It's not unusual for more than one agency creative to be on a "creative call" with the music house/composer, and occasionally there might differing creative directions coming from the agency. Usually, the agency producer will summarize and /or clarify conflicting creative directions. But even when no such summary or clarity is given, it is the composer's job to ask questions and seek clarifications until they have a clear, consistent creative direction from the agency before work on the music begins. 

2. They don't follow the brief. 

"The Brief" is the written or verbally-stated creative objective the agency provides to the composer or music house. This some cases this is also known as "the ask." In simple terms, this is the specific creative direction the agency asks the house/composer to follow with respect to the spot. There are many times a composer may be inspired to try something creatively different than the ask. This is known as "going off-brief" and is fine as long as there are at least a few submitted tracks which specifically adhere to the brief directives. 

Getting directions from creatives can feel a little… overwhelming.

3. They get too close to the reference track. 

Agencies often provide reference tracks to be used as a "musical direction" for the spot. Except in rare exceptions, the agency has not licensed this music and therefore has no legal ability to commission something which sounds demonstrably similar. Clearly, it is never the

goal to infringe on copyright-protected content such as overall sound, melody, lyrics, chord changes or anything that establishes "demonstrable similarity" since to do so puts the agency, their client, (the advertiser) and the music house at substantial risk for being sued. Despite this, agency creatives may occasionally ask the music house to "get as close as possible" but this is dangerous and should be avoided. A gentle reminder that to do so may put the agency at risk for being sued is often enough to table any such direction.

4. They don't fully understand the spot's message. 

It sounds weird, but too often composers don't take the time to carefully watch the spot before they start composing. This usually leads to music which is not working with the picture or in some cases might be horribly off brief. Even with a firm understanding of the brief in mind, composers should ask themselves, what basic message is this spot trying to convey? How should the music help tell that story? Hopefully, these ideas were discussed in the creative call but either way, careful study of the spot is essential before work begins. 

5. They follow the brief TOO CLOSELY. 

If the brief asks for a hot dog with mustard…

This is distinguished from ripping off a reference track and refers to following the brief to the absolute letter where it may begin to lose a sense of authenticity or musical integrity. It's not uncommon for agency creatives to ask for a mash up of musical ideas and sometimes despite good intentions, these mingled musical ideas don't manifest in very compelling music. In such situations, the composer should find another solution that is as close to the brief as possible but maintains musical authenticity and integrity. There may be times when mashing up a Future Bass track with a Bavarian Polka just doesn't work. The composer's job is to do their best but not if rigidly adhering to the brief equates to something which falls flat. Stick to the brief as well as possible but NEVER submit anything which makes you cringe.

It is notable that none of the listed mistakes has to do with the music itself. That's because most mistakes composers make in the ad business have to do with lack of clear communication or inexperience. Listening to the client, following the brief, not infringing on copyrights, and knowing when to not follow the brief too closely have everything to do with cultivating necessary communication and common sense skills. In addition to these, we assume the composer knows to never be late on a deadline, to always be truthful with the client, to be fair as to price and do what he or she says they'll do.

In the interest of brevity, we have left out some other important issues such as cultivating the ability to take criticism and re-direction, gently "selling" one's approach, the importance of being early to the shooting match, etc. These will have to be discussed in a later installment. Have fun!