Read time: 3 minutes
vidsyn: old norse for broad vision of creative thinking and forward-looking perspective. How will you unlock your creativity today?
Today I have the privilege of sharing with you my interview with Sally House of Hit House Music. Sally has always been an incredible resource for me throughout my career and invariably seems to be on the cutting edge of where advertising and trailer music is going. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.
Tell us where you work and what you do:
I am the CEO and Founder of the The Hit House, a boutique custom music house with a high end score catalog, as well as a recently-launched indie record label.
How do you go about finding producers/composers to work with?
We find our composing and producing talent in a variety of ways, however the most direct answer is by listening. At least one if not two team members listen to all submissions we are sent, and we follow up on every referral from a client or peer. We have an excellent mentor in our Creative Director, Scott, who can help guide and teach artists and composers the tricks to high-end, contemporary production quality. An ear for melody and theme, however, is often the diamond in the rough we cannot teach.
What makes music for ads unique? trailers?
Music for trailers is an entirely different micro-genre than writing for public consumption. Whether it’s a score, a cover, a song or a remix the music is designed to be cut to, not cut over. The dynamics of advertising music are generally significantly heightened and crafted to grab and retain the users attention for every moment of a 30 to two minute-long cut.
Tell us the process of delivering custom work for agencies? brands?
The Hit House is a human-first company, so every custom job usually begins with a conversation. We love being involved in the process from inception. What are we trying to achieve thematically and emotionally? What response do we want to illicit in the listener? We then go back to our in-house team and discuss how to approach it internally, ideally delivering several different takes on the same idea. From that point on is when every team member gives feedback and direction: agency creative, executives etc. Sometimes everyone loves the first version, and sometimes it is a long process of revisions to get to the finish line.
How have you gone about building your relationships with music supervisors/agencies?
The Hit House is a true boutique small business. We are not in the bulk business of hundreds of clients and churning out mediocre product as fast as possible. Our ultimate goal is to keep our creative team of composers, artists and bands making a living off of what they love. So we rely on the trust and personal relationships of a few dozen clients who know they can count on us for high quality music. They have become our friends and family, because when someone knows their music partner is going to be honest, consistent and fairly priced; a natural human connection beyond work builds organically.
General recommendations for musicians/composers starting out in sync?
Listen, listen, listen. Hear what is syncing. Take note of the production quality, the writing style, the dynamics. And the most important part of working in this business is learn to take notes. A lot of people can deliver an interesting V.1, however when someone starts picking apart your creative work you have to be able to interpret their notes whether you agree with them or not. The perfect custom music finish is the balance of what the client wants and what makes the artist proud.
Key Takeaways
- Keep your ears open – listen to tons of synced music to get a feel for what’s working.
- Pay attention to the nitty-gritty: how’s the production, the writing style, the way it grabs attention?
- Don’t take feedback personally – learn to roll with the punches and interpret what clients really want.
- Find that sweet spot between making the client happy and staying true to your artistic vision.
- Build real relationships with clients – trust is worth its weight in gold in this biz.
- Be reliable and fair with your pricing – it’ll pay off in the long run.
- If you’ve got a knack for catchy melodies, you’re ahead of the game – that’s not something easily taught.
- Buckle up for a process that might involve a few (or many) rounds of tweaks and changes.
Please find The Hit House on Instagram.