So David Mellor - just how did you get started in music?

An Audio Masterclass visitor wonders how David Mellor, Publisher of Audio Masterclass, got started in music. Here is his message...

hey David,
thanks for the reply!
how did you go about getting your tracks published, the music industry tends to brick wall people, would you recommend starting a production company and licensing tracks to them instead?
regards
Phil

David Mellor responds...

Do you want the long answer...?

My business is in production music, mainly for television.

I started many years ago by sending out demo tapes to anyone and everyone who would listen to them.

Eventually I came across a publisher that was expanding its library and needed a lot of music very quickly, so it needed to recruit new composers.

I found I had an ability for writing and recording the kind of music that the publisher needed, so contracts were signed - just 'single song deals', so I didn't sign my life away. I got a couple of hundred tracks published this way.

Remarkably, they are still earning royalties even now!

A while later I began to realize that I probably wasn't the most talented composer that the publisher had in its stable. So other guys were getting the plum work, and I was getting what I perceived at the time as being the 'low end'.

So I decided to start publishing my own music.

If I had known at the time how difficult this is, I wouldn't have bothered. However, I persevered at this and eventually reached a point where I could publish the work of other composers too.

If I had my time again however, I would have done two things. Firstly, I would have realized that there is no shame in producing beds, links, stings etc. Not everyone can be writing theme tunes.

Secondly, I would have spent my energy improving as a composer, instead of learning the publishing business. Although I love my work, I suspect I would have loved even more to develop my ability and eventually become a top composer working for a top publisher.

So there is my advice - work on your music first and foremost. Production skills second, engineering third. And on top of all that make sure that you get your work heard by people who matter.