Imagine that months after its release, you scroll through your phone and find your track on a global advert. But your account is not credited for it. Not even a “thank you for making magic.”
The moment you finish that track in the studio, the fate of the song is no longer in your hands. But while you can’t determine its fate, you can influence it in ways that pay you when it reaches the ears that find it useful.
This is something you have to ensure from the first take in that studio session, and we’re about to take it through the steps.
But first, let’s clarify one misconception you may have.
Licensing deals are not for major labels and big artists only. You can make it happen, too. And it’s not a lotto jackpot; it’s a game you can play to win — but only if you load your arsenal with the right tools at the recording stage.
The question is how do you do it. To answer that, let’s take you through the simple but easy-to-overlook steps.
First Step, Write Down Your Lyrics.
Yea, this is normal, but we’re getting to something you have never thought of — which is costly. So, follow through.
Don’t just keep your lyrics in your head or a WhatsApp chat. Write it down. Type and save it as a document in your storage device — which may be your hard drive or cloud.
When you have lyrics properly saved, you can respond fast when a music supervisor or brand comes knocking. It tells them you’re a professional. And you may not know this, but everyone wants to work with an artist who’s organized.
Clean lyric sheets help get your songs into international stores and graded for explicit content (more places = more opportunities).
Step Two, Create Multiple Versions.
A true hustler knows you don’t sell groundnuts in just one bag. Same goes for your music.
Always export the full mix and the instrumental separately. Then create the Acapella version. And finally, (and perhaps the most important part), create and export a clean version — no cursing or explicit words (more doors open).
Having all these versions stacked up means you’ll never miss a chance because you can’t deliver the right format. Your song becomes remixable, adaptable, and — most of all — licensable.
Step Three, Export in Multiple Formats
This is important too because different clients may want different formats. For an ad, an MP3 may be requested for; a music supervisor may ask for WAV for a movie sync deal.
It is also important to maintain the same quality across all formats
Show professionalism and never be caught unawares and lose opportunities.
Step Four, Accurate Title & Metadata
Give your track a “government name” and fill out your metadata. That means everything from song title, contributor credit, ISRC code must all be imputed correctly.
This info travels with your song like a passport. When it gets to streaming platforms, radio, or in the hands of music scouts, they know who you are. No confusion, no lost credit.
Step Five, Sort Out Your Rights
This might sound boring, but your paperwork is your power. Take it seriously — unless you want to remain stuck in the hustler phase and not graduate to business.
Getting your rights sorted means you’ll collect EVERY royalty you deserve. Also, you’re able to avoid future beef or drama that can block big money placements.
Step Six, Backup and Organize
Don’t let your only instrumental exist on one dying laptop in your cousin’s room. Upload every file you need (audio, lyrics, agreements) to the cloud or a hard drive. When opportunity calls, you answer immediately without “let me find it” excuses.
Preparing your music is one of the ways you build a reputation as an artist who is ready for the big leagues. It doesn’t matter where you are not because every master in the game started out somewhere somehow — with a rough beat, fire lyrics, and a vision.
If you’re ready to move smart and secure the future with success-ready songs, HIGHVIBES is ready with the passion and the tools. A few weeks ago, we partnered with sync lodge to make global sync licensing opportunities closer to our artists, and you can be the next beneficiary of that.
If you’re ready to step up, sign up with us and let’s get your next track prepped for greatness.
