# Getting feet wet in stock music business



## mnp.fede (Jun 8, 2019)

Good evening guys,

i am really interested in starting off writing stock music for libraries. I looked for info on the web and found lots of, but i want to ask you guys, just to be sure 

My main goal now as a music student is to just earn some modest cash out of this. You know, just the necessary to buy some new books/gear/sample library without crying at my empty wallet for weeks... So i basically have three questions:


My sample libraries at the moment are the Komplete 12 standard bundle (and nearly any kontakt freebie i could find in the web), all of the Spitfire LABS and the Epic Orchestra 2.0 which came with Vienna Ensemble Pro 7 (also, I have 2 great guitars, Fractal AX8 and a Bachelor in guitar covered in dust which i'd like to use at my advantage. I use Cubase Pro 10 as my DAW. Now, I would like to setup a template for all of this, obviously using VEP, so i can just sit and create some simple music to submit to the libraries. Any suggestions about this?
How much time should i spend on a single track? I estimated, considering a working template, 2/3 hours a day should be enough for the type of music i'd like to write (mainly orchestral stuff) in order to don't steal too much time from my studies and be able to produce 1/2 tracks a week.
REALISTICALLY speaking: how much money could i make from this? Is buying albion ONE in a time span of 2/3 months with the libraries revenue daydreaming?? 

Thanks in advance


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## MatFluor (Jun 8, 2019)

mnp.fede said:


> REALISTICALLY speaking: how much money could i make from this? Is buying albion ONE in a time span of 2/3 months with the libraries revenue daydreaming??



Depends entirely on placements. The more tracks you have, the higher the probability of a placement.
And after a placement, you wait one quarter (at least) for your royalties. As most sayings for library music go - it's the long game. 1-3 years until some (maybe good) money comes in.


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## Desire Inspires (Jun 8, 2019)

This is my opinion, not absolute facts:

You need hundreds of tracks out there. You need to write music, write it fast, write it good, and put it into the marketplace. You should not be too creative or detailed with your music. You just need to write a lot of good music and get it into music libraries. You should be able to make at least 10 tracks a week since you are just a student.


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## michal (Jun 8, 2019)

Desire Inspires said:


> You should be able to make at least 10 tracks a week since you are just a student.


Not sure how this is realistic, especially when the OP surely needs to devote a lot of time to school stuff as well. I mean, if he can do it, great! But if not, let's not discourage him.  I agree with the rest.


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## VinRice (Jun 8, 2019)

Sorry to tell you but you are being completely unrealistic. Assume a year before achieving any placements, more likely two. You need plenty of tracks and good relationship with a library. Oh, and your tracks need to be GOOD. You are in competition with thousands and thousands of experienced composers. This is not something you just dabble with - you have to commit to it long term. The good news is that most people just don't have the staying power so if you can stick with it for five years or more, you will start to make a living. I suggest following this guy https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClTplWVy34IWxzL-p_kxaGA/featured
He's very good at laying out the reality of the business.


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## chillbot (Jun 8, 2019)

Working backwards: #3, in 2-3 months? No, unrealistic. 2-3 months just to write enough tracks, another 2-3 months hoping to get tracks into libraries, another 2-3 months hoping for placements or downloads/purchases, another 8-9 months to generate any royalties, which might amount to 20 bucks or so at first. All that if you're lucky and your tracks are decent enough. Desire Inspires likes to spew misinformation wildly and without regard for tact but occasionally, presumably by coincidence, he will actually say something that could be reasonably interpreted as correct and in this instance, yes, 100 tracks would be a good goal. 10 tracks per week is not unrealistic but I would aim a bit lower to start. It's a tough business and there's thousands more of you out there who heard about this supposed goldmine and want in on it. It's spread pretty thin by now.

Regarding sample libraries, you're thinking about it wrong. You can make good tracks with any libraries you have available and know how to use well. What is infinitely more important for library music is knowing proper form and structure, followed closely by production skills.

EDIT: Oops looks like I just said pretty much the same thing as the above two posters oh well.


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## VinRice (Jun 8, 2019)

Chillin' with the chillbot...


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## Alex Fraser (Jun 8, 2019)

If what you want is immediate income, make some "beats" or urban style instrumentals. I know it's not the "done thing" on VI control, but the ROI is _much_ quicker. It probably isn't a long term career path (though it's paid my mortgage for 12 years..) but there is an active market of artists with PayPal accounts who are willing to pay for your work. That's more than can be said for entire areas of the biz.

DM if you want more info.


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## Desire Inspires (Jun 8, 2019)

Alex Fraser said:


> If what you want is immediate income, make some "beats" or urban style instrumentals. I know it's not the "done thing" on VI control, but the ROI is _much_ quicker. It probably isn't a long term career path (though it's paid my mortgage for 12 years..) but there is an active market of artists with PayPal accounts who are willing to pay for your work. That's more than can be said for entire areas of the biz.
> 
> DM if you want more info.



Do you sell on Beatstars?


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## Alex Fraser (Jun 8, 2019)

Desire Inspires said:


> Do you sell on Beatstars?


Actually, no. Although it's on my list of things to do. I started years ago on sites that have long gone, but ended up building my own. I'm small potatoes though. Some of the younger guys make money that'll make you cry.


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## Desire Inspires (Jun 8, 2019)




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## mnp.fede (Jun 9, 2019)

Wow guys, thank you for all of your answers.

Of course I know it's not a goldmine and that the market is already fullfilled from highly skilled composers out there, but I think i'll give this a shot. I admit that the 2-3 months timespan was unrealistic, anyway i learned from you that if I dedicate myself enough I'll be able to buy some beer in May 2020 :D . I'll let you know... 

No one actually answered the first question anyway... Come on 

Thank you


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## Loïc D (Jun 9, 2019)

Desire Inspires said:


>



Sounds so daunting and uninteresting.

Where is the time when playing golf with a PR was enough to get a business ?


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## Jeremy Spencer (Jun 9, 2019)

mnp.fede said:


> Wow guys, thank you for all of your answers.
> 
> Of course I know it's not a goldmine and that the market is already fullfilled from highly skilled composers out there, but I think i'll give this a shot. I admit that the 2-3 months timespan was unrealistic, anyway i learned from you that if I dedicate myself enough I'll be able to buy some beer in May 2020 :D . I'll let you know...
> 
> ...



If you’re going to focus on orchestral work, you’ll need some higher end libraries IMO. You can produce some good stuff with the K 12 standard bundle, especially electronic music, but it lacks realistic orchestral elements. Epic Orchestra 2.0 is ok, but more of a “demo” for the full VSL libraries. If you are serious about this, start putting aside some funds for some professional libraries. There are many, but you’ll need do some research and find what you’re after. And avoid posting those classic threads like “What are the best string libraries, and which ones should I buy?”. Dig deep into this forum, check out developers website demos, search YouTube.


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## Desire Inspires (Jun 9, 2019)

LowweeK said:


> Sounds so daunting and uninteresting.
> 
> Where is the time when playing golf with a PR was enough to get a business ?



You can still do it that way, but you eventually end up making less money and having less control.


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## mnp.fede (Jun 10, 2019)

Wolfie2112 said:


> If you’re going to focus on orchestral work, you’ll need some higher end libraries IMO. You can produce some good stuff with the K 12 standard bundle, especially electronic music, but it lacks realistic orchestral elements. Epic Orchestra 2.0 is ok, but more of a “demo” for the full VSL libraries. If you are serious about this, start putting aside some funds for some professional libraries. There are many, but you’ll need do some research and find what you’re after. And avoid posting those classic threads like “What are the best string libraries, and which ones should I buy?”. Dig deep into this forum, check out developers website demos, search YouTube.


Wasn't my intention to ask about best stuff out there, I already looked lots of videos and did lots of research about this thread. I also compiled some sort of "libraries wishlist" with priorities so i'm already on my way of saving for them. Thank you anyway for your tips.


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## Desire Inspires (Jun 10, 2019)

So yeah, start cranking out those songs and putting them on sites like AudioJungle, Pond5, Shutterstock, etc.

You have to put out a lot of music and get it in the marketplace so you can make money. Don’t even worry about “quality”. Just keep making music and releasing it. You will get better and quicker the more work you do.


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