What Musicians Don't Understand About Music Supervisors

Musicians think I spend my days listening to amazing music and choosing my favorites for TV shows and films. The reality is I spend most of my time solving problems, managing budgets, and putting out fires while music is just one small piece of a much larger puzzle.

And this fundamental misunderstanding is why most musicians approach me completely wrong.

After decades as a music supervisor, I've realized that most musicians have no idea what my job actually involves. They think I'm some kind of music curator who gets to pick songs based on personal taste. But the truth is, I'm more like a project manager who happens to work with music.

In this story, I reveal what music supervisors actually do all day versus what musicians think we do, why I don't have a shortage of good music but a shortage of usable music, how every song choice is a risk management decision that affects my reputation, the budget reality that most musicians never consider, why my personal taste is irrelevant to the music I choose, and how musicians should actually approach working with supervisors to build lasting relationships.

Understanding what I really do would change everything about how musicians pitch to me, work with me, and build relationships in this industry. Because when you understand my actual challenges, you can position yourself as a solution instead of just another person asking for something.

Stop trying to impress supervisors with your music. Start trying to solve their problems with your music.