# How do you market yourself as a video game composer?



## darcvision (Jun 20, 2020)

hello

i'm struggling how to market myself, at least how to reach a client, especially in video game industry. i tried to reach the developer, like posting an offer in different forum, you know.. shameless promotion and stuff. 

actually someone ask me about the price, so i said 30$ for each track, which is a fair price and cheap because if your track isn't fit, you need to revision. after i said my price, he just simply gone...

also, i heard game jam is a good place to connect with the developer. actually i tried once, i dont know if it has benefit for myself or not, maybe its good for build your portfolio or gain experiece.

there's two question which is stuck in my head after i'm marketing myself,
1. am i doing wrong when i'm marketing myself?
i just using wix and soundcloud to showcasing my portfolio, doesn't very professional enough, but i think music is 


2. am i simply not good enough?


sorry for the bad english
thanks


----------



## jinv (Jun 20, 2020)

I tiktok with my WeChat official account and shake my Tiktok.
我用自己的微信公众号和抖音。


----------



## Henu (Jun 21, 2020)

stefandy31 said:


> 30$ for each track



Try 300 next time.


----------



## Beluga (Jun 21, 2020)

They were probably shocked you were so cheap and thought that can’t be good quality. Try 10-20 times more.


----------



## darcvision (Jun 21, 2020)

Henu said:


> Try 300 next time.


i dont know, i feel like my music doesn't worth 300$, or i'm just very pessimistic man. i wonder if the developer able to pay me 300$ for each track, i'm talking about small developer.


----------



## Manaberry (Jun 21, 2020)

stefandy31 said:


> i dont know, i feel like my music doesn't worth 300$, or i'm just very pessimistic man. i wonder if the developer able to pay me 300$ for each track, i'm talking about small developer.



If you don't value your work. Nobody will.

If you think your music sucks and you cannot put a fair price on your material then just don't try to sell it at all.
Nobody wants to get a $30 TV that looks cool. They want the $999 one discounted to $350.


Value your work. Ask for a much much higher price. Then negotiate.
Let them feel that they are getting something very expensive but because you are cool and they are indies, you are willing to reduce the price 


EDIT: They are multiple ways to get earning from your music. You can deliver for free but ask for sales % for instance.


----------



## MartinH. (Jun 21, 2020)

stefandy31 said:


> actually someone ask me about the price, so i said 30$ for each track, which is a fair price and cheap because if your track isn't fit, you need to revision. after i said my price, he just simply gone...



30$ ?????? 

They may have thought "that's so low, it must be a scam or he must really suck". Don't ever work for a rate that low! I'm a total noob and even I ask for (and get!) way more than 30$ per track.




stefandy31 said:


> i dont know, i feel like my music doesn't worth 300$, or i'm just very pessimistic man. i wonder if the developer able to pay me 300$ for each track, i'm talking about small developer.



You're right that some won't be willing to pay 300$ (but some will!), but that doesn't mean your music isn't "worth" it. I took a quick listen to some tracks on your soundcloud, you definitely can ask for 300$. 



Manaberry said:


> Value your work. Ask for a much much higher price. Then negotiate.
> Let them feel that they are getting something very expensive but because you are cool and they are indies, you are willing to reduce the price



This! 

Maybe read up on some marketing psychology like "anchoring".


----------



## GtrString (Jun 21, 2020)

Lol 30$ is cheaper than the cheapest of royalty free libraries. They probably thought you were unprofessional and didnt want the hassle.

If you try to sell music at 30$ a track you will continue to struggle, and leave the business early, because you dont get anywhere.

Compare your tracks with other game tracks, and if you dont think yours is better, just dont try to sell anything but work to get better. You will ruin your reputation fast with under par tracks, and end up with no place to go.


----------



## darcvision (Jun 21, 2020)

Manaberry said:


> If you don't value your work. Nobody will.
> 
> If you think your music sucks and you cannot put a fair price on your material then just don't try to sell it at all.
> Nobody wants to get a $30 TV that looks cool. They want the $999 one discounted to $350.
> ...


solid advice, thank you. very good idea to ask for higher price then negotiate. also look at their budget would be a good idea too


----------



## darcvision (Jun 21, 2020)

MartinH. said:


> 30$ ??????
> 
> They may have thought "that's so low, it must be a scam or he must really suck". Don't ever work for a rate that low! I'm a total noob and even I ask for (and get!) way more than 30$ per track.
> 
> ...


thank you. anchoring psychology is very interesting. somehow remind me of myself when buying sample library or plugin.


----------



## darcvision (Jun 21, 2020)

thanks for everyone advice, didn't know for starter like me 300$ is a fair price. i live in a third world country where 300$ is a same as average of salaryman, so it means a lot for me. also i learned from this advice that professionalism is very important, so creating first impression to client is really important. maybe i should create my own website with real domain(ex : stefandymusic.com instead of stefandymusic.wix.com), and create demo reel with my new mixes and mastering and maybe post it in bandcamp because i think bandcamp is more tidy rather than soundcloud.


----------



## Cathbad (Jun 26, 2020)

stefandy31 said:


> 2. am i simply not good enough?



I don't like to be the bad guy, but someone has to tell you that the answer to this question is "not yet."

There are some fundamental problems with most of your tracks.* They're not good enough to sell, and certainly not for $300 per track. As a comparison, listen to a few of the tracks here and look at the pricing. OK, they're not specifically for games but it gives an idea.

The good news is that there are some signs of musical ability in some of your examples, mainly the remake tracks. 

My advice would be firstly get together with some game devs or film makers who are just starting out, and work on projects with them. The best way to improve is by writing lots of music, and learning through experience what sounds good or not. You can all get better together and - fingers crossed - go on to success.

Secondly, practical experience is important, but don't jump over basic musical theory and hope that you can manage without it. It might be a bit boring compared to making tunes, but it's time very well spent and will repay you many times in the future. These days there are many free online resources, so there's no excuse for not learning.


*DM if you'd like more details.


----------



## Henu (Jun 27, 2020)

^ I also suggest to read a couple of books on game music in general, because it's a completely different ballpark than linear media- both in adaptivity but also in density, repetition value and aesthetics. 

As an example- while you could easily do it for a game commercial, putting an 1-minute long "epic orchestral track" loop into the actual _game_ is usually doing it more than harm than good.


----------

