I was thinking how sometimes I (and possibly you too?) develop loops, beats, ambient patterns and such that don’t really evolve any further.
I was thinking how easy it actually is to just make a loop (especially on Elektron boxes!) and what if I could sell it to some independent film or game programmer on Fiverr?
I searched around and found not tons but a good amount of people who seem to offer these types of musical services aimed at game makers particularly.
It got me feeling sort of excited and motivated to make little tracks for game sequences…
One thing that halted me in my tracks though…
People often offered stems, and multiple redo tracks if the first few didn’t quite hit the mark.
I don’t do stems and I don’t compromise
So I guess I could be potentially difficult to work with? Also I actually have a family and work full time so I can’t just pop out a loop at a moments notice.
Back when I first graduated from SAE I was trying to do the same thing (for both games and film). Neither of them allowed me to just hand over a piece of music and say it’s good enough. Music for film required multiple edits or partial rewrites before the person in charge was happy with it’s ability to support his creative vision. Same goes for game music. In some cases multiple stems might not be such a big deal, but in others the music might be interactively tied to game play. For example, slowly bringing in newer elements as you get further into a level can help build tension.
Creative industries can be pretty difficult to break into if you don’t know anyone. These guys on Fiverr are likely in the process of establishing their portfolios and trying to build business relationships that will lead to more steady work in the future. As such, they have a lot more skin in the game than someone who wants to make a few $$ but is primarily engaged elsewhere; and will be willing to do whatever it takes to get a foot in the door.
Hopefully this hasn’t come off as an overly harsh response. Not saying don’t give it a go. But if you’re not offering the same level of service as those other guys then I honestly can’t see you getting very far with it. If you’re not willing to compromise then there’s probably no point in trying - those potential customers may as well buy a few sample packs online and call it a day.
What you might be better at is taking full tracks and putting them up for licensing. Chris Randall had a lot of posts about that, though currently there are not as many demands for backing tracks to license as there aren’t as many shows being produced.
That’s a nice idea, I just wonder if my output is too left field, and if I should consider challenging myself to make “normal” music simply for profit.
I have a bandcamp and I sell a few presets and samples but I’ve hardly made any money from it. So I was just trying to think of other ways to be creative and draw a passive income. It’s quite difficult for someone like me who naturally creates weirdo idm and modular soundscapes.
I recently discovered a link on this thread to a site called TRAXX.space where, similar to bandcamp, you self realease music, but here they also distribute your album to all major streaming services. It’s free and I released an album there a few days ago.
Just waiting now for my 50 cents to drop in my paypal
Knowing the fiverr crowd, I can guarantee you it’s going to be a lot of hassle and time. Lots of back and forths and revisions etc to make $4 (fiverr keeps 20%). Remember, you’re dealing with customers who tend to have very little money or not be experienced in business. So I’d expect a lot of emails and unprofessionalism.
You can calculate the hourly salary of your full time job and compare it with the hourly salary making loops on Fiverr, remember to include both the time making the music and the time doing administrative work (emails, etc).
yeah i wouldn’t sell yourself short like that. don’t expect people looking for workers on a site literally called fiver to have any respect for you whatsoever. you’d be better off interacting with an online community like here. I see people sell patches and sample packs and stuff occasionally. the fact is though you’re not going to make real money selling samples and such unless you have more money than you’ll ever make back in vintage gear etc or youre hired by native instruments. dont let that stop you doing it though, just know its not a money maker
