Dos and Don’ts of Sync Submissions: Advice from 411 Music Group

Trying to catch a sync agent’s attention to get more placements?

Check out this advice from 411 Music Group.

411 Music Group is a creative, award-winning, woman-owned sync and licensing house specializing in music for visual media.

They have thousands of placements in films, TV shows, advertisements, and video games.

This interview is with Brad Cryan, the Director of A&R and marketing at 411 Music Group.

What makes an artist stand out to you?

We generally balance three factors:

1. Our team has to be into an artist's sound and feel great about what we're listening to. This starts with solid songwriting and production, with professional-quality mixing and mastering, but there's an indefinable quality to it, too… we just know it when we hear it!
2. It has to make sense for our market and align with the kinds of briefs we see from clients. Clients needs can be eclectic, so many styles can work, but some are especially in demand, and those become priorities for us.
3. Ideally, it should bring something new to our catalog. We get excited when we hear an artist that doesn't sound like someone we already represent.

How important is social media?

It depends on what we're pitching for.

A higher-budget ad will want an artist with some following; the numbers don't necessarily have to be huge, but those clients at least want to see some forward momentum and feel like they're onto something cool and up-and-coming.

This can also be important for some of the more popular TV shows, especially if we're pitching for a prominent placement.

On the other hand, there are still many opportunities for artists without a social media following—be it for background uses, lower-budget social spots, less popular TV series, etc.

We generally can't command as high a fee for these, but they make up a considerable part of what we pitch for, so we're delighted to take on the right artist at any level.

What’s the biggest demo submission mistake?

The first one that comes to mind—often (much more than you'd think), an artist or composer will send us a link to check out, and it won't be clear what we're meant to be listening to.

For example, a composer will link us to their website, but there is no playlist, and we're left wondering what exactly we were meant to check out.

Send a clean playlist and clarify what you want to do with the songs.

How do you balance originality vs. marketability?

I don't know if there is one easy way to think about this or a simple guide to get us through every situation. But the closest I have is that generally when an artist is genuinely expressing themselves and truly psyched about their music, that feeling comes through in the song.

We are after this feeling!

When artists chase trends and don't have their heart in something, it can fall flat. Of course, it's always helpful when an artist's muse leads them to something marketable!

But I think it's often possible to examine the market and find something to get excited about.

Originality is sometimes very marketable, so it doesn't necessarily have to be a dichotomy.

What trends should musicians watch in 2024 and 2025?

I have my eye on the continued rise of Country music. Artists like Beyonce, Shaboozey, and Post Malone are bringing a lot of enthusiasm to the genre, and I can see that being reflected more and more in the synch world.

The Brat era will also be with us for a little while.

Latin music continues to be huge, as well. I've seen more demand lately for artists who sing in Spanish and align with current pop trends (and some evergreen ones—Pharrell's "Happy" is still getting referenced 10+ years later).

How does live performance impact decisions?

It's not a massive factor for us, but when we see that an artist is touring, it gives us another thing we can point to to show clients that an artist has some momentum behind them.

Can you share a success story?

Some of the most remarkable successes come from the writer pairings we set up.

We have a producer with whom we've done a couple of projects. He specializes in epic, dynamic music that works super well for sports clients. His mixes and arrangements are impeccable, and he understands that world.

At the same time, one of our artists, whose main genres are Pop and R&B, reached out to us and expressed an interest in writing new music with new collaborators.

He had one older song in our catalog that leaned dramatic and badass, which sparked the idea to pair him with the aforementioned producer. They were such a good fit for each other, and the song turned out AMAZING. It brought our artist into a new lane.

It made me happy to see a decent budget placement for their music.

Advice for artists feeling stuck?

It depends on why you're feeling stuck, but something that helps me is maintaining a few ways of engaging with music that has nothing to do with business.

Going to concerts and following local jazz musicians has been nourishing for me. Even though I know very little about jazz, I get to turn off the analytical part of my brain and be reminded why I fell in love with music in the first place.

Find what does this for you. It may bring a new energy to your practice.

What’s your favorite LA coffee shop?

Coffee Commissary is up there! I've been to a few locations & they're all good.