Meet 'What Up Pitches', a unique music licensing agency based in LA.
They’re a team of music producers, composers, and songwriters with dozens of high-profile sync placements in films, TV shows, video games, advertisements, and modern media.
In this blog post, the founders of What Up Pitches share their wisdom for other songwriters and producers about founding and growing a sync licensing and publishing agency.
Together, they produce custom songs and original scores, and curate syncable songs from a diverse library of artists.
Follow What Up Pitches on Instagram to hear about their events and recent placements.
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Starting a Music Licensing Agency
LAM: Can you share your experience of launching a music licensing agency? What inspired you, and how has the industry evolved since then?
WUP: We were each pitching our music through different agencies at the time, networking a lot, and learning about the various deals that were being offered.
We decided to team up and work directly with music supervisors so we could have better control over our catalog of music.
The industry has evolved in some positive ways in that indie artists are learning that they have options. There are a lot of great agencies out there who are offering fair deals and we’re happy to be one of them.
Standing Out to Music Supervisors
LAM: What qualities do you believe make an artist's work stand out to music supervisors? Are there specific genres or trends that are currently popular?
WUP: Authenticity is key. The singer's performance needs to sell the song, along with high-quality production.
Even if it's a minimal ballad, the standards are high and the competition is tight, so the song has to move you. Every part of the song has to be excellent: writing, vocal performance, arrangement, production, mix.
We're getting asked for upbeat hip-hop that's clean with no uncleared samples. We're also asked for various genres of pop, dark pop, pop punk, r&b.
There really aren't specific trends; our briefs are fairly diverse and change all the time!
Getting More Sync Placements
LAM: What advice do you have for artists seeking their first sync placements? Any tips for those with some placements but aiming for more?
WUP: Listen to the songs that are being placed and compare/contrast them with your music.
If you feel like your song would work well for a specific show, then do the research to see which agencies are getting music placed on those shows and reach out to them.
If you're aiming for more placements, the key is always to keep creating more music and to do the same research again.
Collaborate with different people because that will widen your catalog and help your network grow.
Building Relationships
LAM: How do you establish connections with music supervisors, production companies, and decision-makers? How crucial are these relationships in your experience?
WUP: We go to various events to meet them and get to know them personally. We find that’s the best way to build a relationship. These relationships are the backbone of our company so we aim to keep up with them and stay on top of what’s new.
Submitting to Libraries
LAM: How can artists make their submissions to supervisors or agencies stand out?
WUP: Make it timely! If we need your type of music when you reach out, we'll sign your songs immediately. However, if we don't urgently need it, we might pass since we're so busy with other things.
Ensure your lyrics are visible (turn them on in DISCO or add to the comments on other platforms).
When you reach out, ensure it's a professional email that includes a streamable link to hear your music (no attachments!) and let them know if it's one-stop or if there's a publisher or label involved.
Even if we urgently need a song, we won't sign it if you don't seem clear on the splits.
So, prove to us that you're a trustworthy partner and that you understand the business side of sync licensing and have everything in order.
Essential Sync Tools
LAM: What tools or software are indispensable for your business?
WUP: We currently use DISCO and Airtable. Reelcrafter is also a great resource and we use Box for some projects as well.
Song Quantity and Quality
LAM: Is there a general rule of thumb of how many songs an artist should have to increase their chances of sync placement?
WUP: Nope! They should just keep creating new songs and that will increase their chances. Just keep thinking that your best song is always in front of you!
Sometimes it’s an old one that gets placed, so don’t give up on those, but if you keep presenting new material, your name will be top of mind and then both your old and new material will be more likely to get heard.
Also, don’t worry about keeping songs unreleased. Just make more music! That way you’ll always have released and unreleased tracks.
Writers’ Strike and SAG Strike
LAM: After last year’s strikes that slowed down production, how is 2024 feeling so far?
WUP: We’re cautiously optimistic! We’re starting to see projects pick up again and we hope that everything gets back up to speed soon.
LA Favorites
LAM: What other LA businesses or events should more artists know about? They don’t have to be related to music.
One of our favorite events is the Guild of Music Supervisors Conference!
Also, keep an eye out for What Up Pitches’ sync event “WUP It Up” which will happen June 7th & 8th in Chicago and possibly towards the end of 2024 in LA.
Follow us on social media to learn about our next online Listening Fiestas and panels.
- 🎧 Listen to songs that have been placed in sync and compare them to your own music. Reach out to agencies that are successful in getting their music placed in your target shows.
- 💼 Be professional when you reach out to agencies or supervisors. Include a streamable link to your music and ensure your lyrics are visible.
- 🎵 Keep creating new music. Don't worry about keeping songs unreleased, just continue to produce more. This keeps your name top of mind and increases your chances of getting your music heard.
- 🤝 Network and build relationships with music supervisors and production companies. Attend events and get to know them personally.
- 🛠️ Make use of tools like DISCO, Airtable, and Reelcrafter for organization and seamless music submissions.