# Do clients even care?



## Beluga (Feb 22, 2019)

I believe this is a very important made by @Daryl and a true statement made in this thread https://vi-control.net/community/threads/is-trailer-music-a-field-too-competitive.78384/page-2. I think it deserves a discussion of its own and I'd be interested and curious to know your experiences and opinions on this.

Of course, as musicians, we would like to believe that the quality of our work is the most important aspect of it and that if we strive for better quality our career will go upwards, that the cream rises to the top. But do they even care? If we face reality, is this really the truth?

When comes a point when it's good enough and clients only look at the price point or the fact that a composer is close to them (family, friend)?



Daryl said:


> That's actually only part of it. You may also have to consider that many clients can't tell good from mediocre (and sometimes bad), or worse, they think their audience can't tell, or don't care, so even if you're "the best", with those clients you have no advantage over the rest of the world. You can only rely on getting regular work from the clients who do not fall into that category.


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## gamma-ut (Feb 22, 2019)

Every creative industry suffers from this. You have clients who want material that presents them in the best light possible or want a quality result; you have clients who see your contribution as stuff that needs to fill in the cracks and must not compete with what they do in their own medium; and you have clients who are just ticking a box because they've been told to.

Any of those can be good for regular work though, especially if you're reliable. It's just a lot more engaging to work with the first category.


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## Ledwick (Feb 22, 2019)

You're talking about the music "industry", which is a business and like most businesses, the answer to your question is no... but it isn't necessarily negative because that's just the industry side of it. There's also the artistic side of it... lot's of people make music, film and art because they enjoy it, without trying to sell it because it's how they express themselves.


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## mikeh-375 (Feb 22, 2019)

It's the producers more than clients who don't give a toss in my experience, especially in advertising when it comes to composers.
There are no ethics or moral business practices at all when music is so cheap to produce and so many are willing to undermine everyone else just to get a tune behind some loo-roll or a can of beans. There is a lot broken in music sadly.

As for clients...this should tell all you need to know....

Client (in recording studio with me and engineer)....'Can you turn down that sound at 20", what is it a drum or an oboe or somethin' "...enough said.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Feb 22, 2019)

mikeh-375 said:


> It's the producers more than clients who don't give a toss in my experience, especially in advertising when it comes to composers.
> There are no ethics or moral business practices at all when music is so cheap to produce and so many are willing to undermine everyone else just to get a tune behind some loo-roll or a can of beans. There is a lot broken in music sadly.
> 
> As for clients...this should tell all you need to know....
> ...



Good one! And a client actually said this to me in my studio once...."Oh, you don't use Pro Tools? Are you sure you can score to picture?".


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## mikeh-375 (Feb 22, 2019)

Wolfie2112 said:


> Good one! And a client actually said this to me in my studio once...."Oh, you don't use Pro Tools? Are you sure you can score to picture?".



Nice. God Wofie don't get me started on client anecdotes. Idiotic requests got so bad we installed a light bulb behind a switch on a 1u plate to make it look as though we where improving mixes when asked to. The unit did bugger all of course, but somehow when the light went on, some clients at least where happy.
Not all clients are (I should say where!) bad. I can remember some wild nights in London after sessions, but that's because the booze and food was on them... and I was fortunate enough to have some repeat clients for a few years.


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## Beluga (Feb 22, 2019)

I used to visit the website "clients from hell" to get some distraction, maybe a good laugh and some consolation from other horrible experiences, but I had to leave the site shaking my head and wishing I had this kind of client. Man, could I make that site look like a Sunday afternoon walk with my stories alone. I guess a "clients from hell - composers only" would be apocalyptic.


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## Desire Inspires (Feb 22, 2019)

No, they don’t care. 

So stop stressing out and do what you do best.


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## mikeh-375 (Feb 22, 2019)

Desire Inspires said:


> No, they don’t care.
> 
> So stop stressing out and do what you do best.



This is good advice.


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## DerGeist (Feb 22, 2019)

mikeh-375 said:


> It's the producers more than clients who don't give a toss in my experience, especially in advertising when it comes to composers.
> There are no ethics or moral business practices at all when music is so cheap to produce and so many are willing to undermine everyone else just to get a tune behind some loo-roll or a can of beans. There is a lot broken in music sadly.
> 
> As for clients...this should tell all you need to know....
> ...


Its probably that new Drumoboe library. From the makers of Guitarinet, Saxanjo, and Glockendjent.


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## Beluga (Feb 22, 2019)

DerGeist said:


> Its probably that new Drumoboe library. From the makers of Guitarinet, Saxanjo, and Glockendjent.


If you take the oboe and hit a snare with it it’s really hard to tell..


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## lux (Feb 22, 2019)

I don't think there's just "clients" out there. It's such an hetherogeneous amount of people you can deal with professionally. Depending on what your career strategy is you'll find yourself more comfortable with clients who don't care or alternatively with those who indeed care. 

Composers who don't care are well suited for clients who don't care. Composers who care would better shop around for clients able to understand a difference.


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## Greg (Feb 22, 2019)

Absolutely true! But you stopped too soon. Now what do we as composers do when we have apathetic clients? Do the least possible to get paid, or strive to retain our passion for music and give it 100% no matter what?


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## lux (Feb 23, 2019)

I think all clients, even the most apathetic, have their secret hype buttons. You can do your own 100% thing and still looking to hit that button using both words and music. Temp references and briefs often help to spot client's preferences. It's no secret sauce, every time is different. 

Imho what counts is balancing client's happiness with our need to create artistically nice works as the breadcrumbs who build our professional profile on the market. If you get apathetic clients happy by just hitting the hype button with cheap tricks, other people will identify you with that work, and that's a no-no (assumed you care). On the other side you cannot just play your thing and f**k the client, as it will easily turn you in the most sterile artist out there. All in all its a cross-media form of art, so we must leave something in the process, we like it or not.


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## ghostnote (Feb 23, 2019)

Without reading any comments. Guys..., because it's more important who you are. Personal relationships or proven relationships are way more worth than talent. Music is no exception, It's business as usual. Same on this forum. You can have 1000 likes, if you're a naive idiot, you won't come very far.


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## NoamL (Feb 23, 2019)

ghostnote said:


> You can have 1000 likes, if you're a naive idiot, you won't come very far.


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## Desire Inspires (Feb 23, 2019)

Greg said:


> Do the least possible to get paid, or


Get paid first. The rest will come together.


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