How to Become a Music Composer or Sound Effects Designer
It is a daunting task to try and become a professional sound designer or music composer for television, film, and new media. A hopeful audio professional can face choice anxiety on how and where to find work, promote their art, and create a paying business even though music in media is clearly everywhere. The following step by step method is very simple but absolutely effective in moving from a bedroom musician or studio rat to a independent professionally paid music composer or sound designer.
1. Take the totality of your mixes and sounds and create a demo CD or online posting of 30 second clips organized by mood, genre, etc. to hand out to interested producers who need audio.
2. Make a website that has demo samples, credits to date, a brief but telling bio, and a video reel if possible.
3. With demo in hand and website online, find free or low paying gigs to gain experience, get credits, build business relationships, and grow your resume.
4. Build a database of prospective paying clients by contacting producers, directors, video editors, animators, and post-production companies for film, tv, and web. Seek out these prospects by asking family and friends, joining professional organizations, finding gigs online, networking through online film forums, and cold emailing aforementioned companies.
5. Follow up on prospects and check in every few months via email and send out a periodic e-newsletter regarding your work, your services, and interesting industry information or tips.
6. Continue to learn different aspects of the audio industry such as audio sweetening and technical skills such as video conversion, FTP use, and sample rate and file conversion.
7. Have contracts at the ready for music licensing and invoice templates for billing.
Follow the above 7 steps to create a career as a music composer and sound effects designer out of thin air. The clients are out there in all forms and music is needed everywhere and with the world wide web the entire world is literally at your fingertips. The above process from start to finish may take two to three years of determined effort, but it will work if your talent and skills are up to par. The demand for music and audio is great but elusive. However, when your preparation meets the opportunities you create, your career will catapult.