Crucial Music


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About

The world is full of great music. More people are cranking out more music of higher quality than ever before. Some catalogs have millions of cuts. But if you’re an artist, do you really want to be a needle in a haystack? And if you’re a supervisor, do you really ...

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Publicist
Samantha Brickler
(812) 339-1195

Current News

  • 05/16/201605/16/2016

CrucialCustom Lets Advertisers Design Soundtracks—Not Just Ads

"Disruption in music is not about doing something better and bigger than everyone else, it’s about doing something better and smaller,” wrote Bas Grasmeyer in a February post on MUSIC X TECH X FUTURE. TechCrunch’s Mary Meeker likewise affirmed, in a 2015 trends report, that success in music tech comes from designing platforms “to let you do things differently, not just faster.” That’s the goal of a new, simple-to-use platform delivering...

Press

  • All Access Music Group, Feature story, 02/02/2016, CrucialMusic Launches CrucialCustom Platform Text
  • Music Asia, Article, 02/26/2016, CrucialCustom to create extra revenue for musicians Text
  • Music Asia, Feature story, 03/21/2016, Tanvi Patel on the idea behind CrucialCustom Text
  • Hypebot, Feature story, 04/08/2016, 5 Tips On Composing Music For Placement In Internet Spots Text
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News

05/16/2016, CrucialCustom Lets Advertisers Design Soundtracks—Not Just Ads
05/16/201605/16/2016, CrucialCustom Lets Advertisers Design Soundtracks—Not Just Ads
Announcement
05/16/2016
Announcement
05/16/2016
TechCrunch’s Mary Meeker affirmed that success in music tech comes from designing platforms “to let you do things differently, not just faster.” That’s the goal of a new, simple-to-use platform delivering custom music specifically for advertisements. CrucialCustom doesn’t try to be all things to all music buyers and sellers. MORE» More»

"Disruption in music is not about doing something better and bigger than everyone else, it’s about doing something better and smaller,” wrote Bas Grasmeyer in a February post on MUSIC X TECH X FUTURE. TechCrunch’s Mary Meeker likewise affirmed, in a 2015 trends report, that success in music tech comes from designing platforms “to let you do things differently, not just faster.” That’s the goal of a new, simple-to-use platform delivering custom music specifically for advertisements. CrucialCustom doesn’t try to be all things to all music buyers and sellers.

And Grasmeyer wrote, “In the online music market, we generally see people competing for bulk behaviors, not specific behaviors. Spotify is a good product, but it’s not amazing for any particular use.” This is why experienced music supervisors designed CrucialCustom to be amazing for one particular use: finding and crafting the most fitting music for sync.

Digital advertising has changed how music works in ads and how advertisers work on music. CrucialCustom co-founder Jim Long explains, “In today’s pricing market, advertisers have less financial leeway, but they have a lot of technological savvy. Ads move quickly and involve lots of editing, and advertisers want to tie the images to something unique— something made just for the occasion.” The company understands and embraces its niche, which means providing advanced expertise and smooth execution.

CrucialCustom hits the sweet spot between tech and the human touch to supply fresh music to exact specs. Project managers can use the website to upload video of a spot and create a profile with licensing terms, deadline, budget, and other details. Then CrucialCustom finds the right artists to fill the bill, and the artists provide demos synched to picture.

This means more than just culling music from a pre-existing library. It puts ad designers in the middle of the creative process, collaborating on soundtracks with skilled songwriters. Co-founder and CEO Tanvi Patel, a 20-year veteran in commercial music, and her team vet proposed tunes to make sure they meet high standards. Next, CrucialCustom facilitates the advertiser-artist relationship to sharpen tracks and choose a winner. The client then downloads the song with its executed license.

Patel’s proven track record and her focus on indie offerings brought client Malia Hall of Mothlight to CrucialCustom. Hall said, “After doing some research, we found there weren’t that many options for the sound we were looking for. That’s how we got involved in the custom world.” CrucialCustom’s platform got her what she asked for within 24 hours for an Old Navy Christmas commercial.

The demand for independent, inventive music is growing, as imaginative project managers refuse to settle for “close enough.” And CrucialCustom empowers them to bring their ideas to life, affordably and on time.

About CrucialCustom:

CrucialCustom finds, creates, and licenses budget-friendly custom music for internet advertisements. Advertisers choose licensing terms, provide project specifications, and upload videos needing music. CrucialCustom’s experienced music aficionados search a global pool of premium talent to match projects with songwriters, who upload original demos synched to picture. Video creators choose tracks they love, then work directly with songwriters to tailor music till it fits just right.  Buyers pay reasonable rates and swiftly download finished music along with instantaneously executed licenses. CrucialCustom’s exceptional curation and personalized service generate the perfect sound for every spot.

Announcement
05/16/2016

04/26/2016, Five Reasons Custom Music is Better for Ads
04/26/201604/26/2016, Five Reasons Custom Music is Better for Ads
Announcement
04/26/2016
Announcement
04/26/2016
As CEO of CrucialCustom, Tanvi Patel finds, creates, hones, and licenses custom music for Internet advertisements. Revenue from music for video is surging, and savvy composers diversify— pursuing placement in ads, films, TV, video games, and countless other opportunities. MORE» More»

As CEO of CrucialCustom, Tanvi Patel finds, creates, hones, and licenses custom music for Internet advertisements. Revenue from music for video is surging, and savvy composers diversify— pursuing placement in ads, films, TV, video games, and countless other opportunities. Ms. Patel recommends against using generic, pre-recorded tunes from music libraries—the fast food of the music supervision world—and shares why commissioning custom music—gourmet, free-trade fare—better meets video creators’ distinct specifications:

  1. No one else has used or even heard the music. How many times have you heard the song “Home” by Phillip Phillips in a commercial or promo? For a very long minute it felt like it was used everywhere. Do you remember the brands? No, but Phillip Phillips’ label and publisher walked away with hundreds of thousands of dollars in sync licensing fees. And target buyers thought, “I’ve heard that somewhere before,” rather than, “I want that product.” When you commission custom music, it’s fresh to everyone. If it’s a great song, it will be forever locked in your target audience’s collective memory as the brand’s calling card—like Oscar Meyer’s 1973 bologna spot (we can all spell it to that melody, can’t we?) and late-70’s McDonald’s and Sugar Free Dr. Pepper campaigns, which re-used the same infectious jingles over and over.
          
  2. It’s affordable and accessible. There was a time when technology and geography limited music house alternatives. Some music houses charged tens of thousands of dollars, because they knew options were few, and they had more overhead costs than they do today. But now with creative crowdsourcing sites, agencies can affordably source everything from voice talent to briefs to directors. Crowdsourcing custom music sites, such as CrucialCustom.com, ScoreAScore.com, and Audiodraft.com offer budget-friendly choices. With little or no up-front demo fees, agencies can choose from hundreds of great online submissions from around the world and license custom music for up to 70% less than traditional music house pricing. 
     
  3. It fits your ad perfectly. The goal of an ad is to leave a lasting visual and audible impression. Either can be lost with a mediocre music bed. When a composer creates something to picture, it fits like a glove. Every edit is powerful, and emotions are intensified, note after note. And if you need lyrics to enhance a spot without voiceover, nothing delivers your message better than poetic, tailor-made lyrics to a strong hook. For example, the University of Phoenix’s new campaign “More Than Brains” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2IkZZmd6RA features new lyrics to the familiar melody of Wizard of Oz’s “If I Only Had a Brain.” It spins a poignant and memorable tale of what a college education can do for the ad’s target audience.
     
  4. You can get creative. Need Tibetan throat singing? No problem. Need a classical track infused with dubstep? Say no more. Need the first 10 seconds of the track to be understated, with a resonating bassline building into an exciting, driving beat, climaxing into a rock orchestral masterpiece? Easy-peasy. You can direct the composer to think outside the box and deliver your vision, no matter how outrageous it may be.
     
  5. You’re a rock star instead of the messenger. You never have to say the artist denied clearance…or you can’t afford a track…or what you are looking for doesn’t exist…or what you’ve found is close enough. With custom music, you always deliver precisely what the client wants to hear.  

Learn more about commissioning custom music for video and TV at CrucialCustom.com.

Announcement
04/26/2016

03/11/2016, BIOGRAPHY: Tanvi Patel, CEO of CrucialMusic and CrucialCustom
03/11/201603/11/2016, BIOGRAPHY: Tanvi Patel, CEO of CrucialMusic and CrucialCustom
Announcement
03/11/2016
Announcement
03/11/2016
“I don't consider myself an innovator or inventor; I'm more of an identifier of opportunities,” states Tanvi Patel, the CEO of CrucialMusic, whose February launch of CrucialCustom brings a marketplace of composers to advertising agencies who need music for their ads. MORE» More»

“I don't consider myself an innovator or inventor; I'm more of an identifier of opportunities,” states Tanvi Patel, the CEO of CrucialMusic, whose February launch of CrucialCustom brings a marketplace of composers to advertising agencies who need music for their ads. “I saw ways to improve the music house model bolstered by technology without the limitations of space, and the benefit of minimal, quality crowdsourced suppliers.”

This ability helped Patel build a career in one of the most highly competitive spaces in the music business, piece by piece, by learning all sides of the industry firsthand, from publicity to licensing.

Growing up in a family originally from Gujarat, India, Patel learned what hard work and diverse experience could mean. She watched her dedicated parents move from poverty to prosperity in the US, thanks in part to her enterprising father who balanced several small businesses with his full-time medical practice. “His example always guided my career,” she explains, “It urged me to love what I do, which led me down many paths, all compounding my experience, and to aspire to work for myself.”

Patel thought she’d become a doctor like her father, one of the professional paths advocated by her family. But as she got to college and began signing up for the requisite biology classes, she began to move in other directions. “After I floated around with no major for a while, I realized I loved broadcasting,” recalls Patel.

That desire, coupled with a love of music, drew Patel to radio. Her road eventually led from a public radio station in Cincinnati to Nashville, where she worked as a publicist at a label and for world-famous maker of electric guitars, Gibson. Then one day, she found herself in an interview with Jim Long, an established broadcast and music industry entrepreneur/innovator. He hired her on the spot. “She impressed me incredibly,” Long remembers. “And in Nashville, she didn’t have it easy. Even with an MBA, as a woman of color, she had to push to get into some of the good old boy networks.”

With Long’s mentorship, Patel managed to do just that. She learned the ropes of everything from radio promo to ringtone deals, and, with time, moved into the music library business and scored placements in major films (Brokeback Mountain) and television series (The Simpsons). As her career developed, she saw an opportunity. The market for music for images was changing dramatically, and Patel knew what to do about it.

Part of the field’s transformation lay in improved recording technology for nontraditional studios, and part in the shifting tastes of viewers. “Home recording had reached such a level that musicians could create great home recordings that sounded pro,” recounts Patel. “At the same time, supervisors started looking more and more frequently for something other than a library vocal or instrumental. There’s magic, there’s soul to an independent song. I saw that trend, that the supervisors coming for classical music were also asking for indie artists.”

Patel saw that she needed to focus on quality, on musicians with distinct voices and strong production quality. She decided to attract this kind of independent artist by offering a non-exclusive license with a generous split, a deal type still in its infancy. It was a model that gave artists more flexibility and allowed them to work with several companies at once for maximum revenue opportunities--and it was a model that did not sit well with established large publishers and music libraries.

“The non-exclusive model is the key to great music,” she notes. “The artist has the ability to place their songs with a variety of companies, providing the artist the opportunity to make money in multiple markets, capitalizing on the strengths of many rather than one.”

Patel started out with 200 songs. Then word got out, and artists began flocking to CrucialMusic. They built a reputation for being highly selective and highly effective. “Word of mouth helped spread the Crucial story of 200 songs to over 12,000 carefully selected tracks today,” Patel says. “Submissions grew from 2 to 3 a day to hundreds each week, creating a 3-month backlog for our selection process.”

That was ten years ago. Crucial’s approach faced some bumps, as the company figured out how to curate efficiently and how to be sustainable in an environment of large-scale blanket arrangements and massive libraries. Patel faced these obstacles and unknowns with remarkable energy and intelligence. “She’s got a laser focus,” says Long. “I can’t tell you how strong she is in the way she works with people. The money is secondary to her. She loves repping indie artists, shielding them from all the problems inherent in this business.” This intensity led to a placement record that reads like a best-of list for contemporary television and film: Orange Is the New Black, Gravity, Scandal, and Boardwalk Empire, among many others.

The music for image world is shifting again, with the ongoing evolution of digital advertising. Patel saw yet another opportunity, this time in the custom music realm. Instead of low prices (and often concurrent low quality) or high-profile but budget-busting composers, Patel is working with a trusted stable of artists to bring that same artist-friendly, high-quality approach to work-for-hire. It turns out CrucialMusic was just the beginning. With CrucialCustom, Tanvi Patel is taking the lead once again.

Announcement
03/11/2016

02/22/2016, CrucialCustom's first placement: Old Navy
02/22/201602/22/2016, CrucialCustom's first placement: Old Navy
Announcement
02/22/2016
Announcement
02/22/2016
CrucialCustom had quite a debut: Music supervisors working with the team at Old Navy needed some music for a holiday ad, one featuring the duo behind Portlandia engaged in an uproarious argument with themselves. The music had to be something old-school, a Burl Ives-esque rendition of one of a handful of Christmas carols. MORE» More»

CrucialCustom had quite a debut: Music supervisors working with the team at Old Navy needed some music for a holiday ad, one featuring the duo behind Portlandia engaged in an uproarious argument with themselves. The music had to be something old-school, a Burl Ives-esque rendition of one of a handful of Christmas carols.

“After doing some research, we found there weren’t that many options for the sound we were looking for. That’s how we got involved in the custom world,” explains Malia Hall of Mothlight, one of the music supervisors on the project. They turned to CrucialMusic as they had extensive past experience with their indie-focused offerings.

And there was one catch: a 24-hour turnaround, not an unusual timeframe for holiday ads.

The CrucialCustom team helped Mothlight create an online project with all the specs. Composers had a strong reference track to go on, but no visuals to guide them.

That didn’t matter to David Choi, a prolific indie artist who left a successful songwriting stint at Warner/Chappell to launch his own YouTube-powered career. Choi had connected with CrucialMusic, the parent company of CrucialCustom, because of the catalog’s emphasis on indie artists and high-caliber tracks. He was game to try CrucialCustom and this first email opportunity was a perfect fit.

“I’m always into challenges,” reflects Choi. “I did go through a long period when I was really interested in writing music that people needed. Library music was part of that. I see it as a challenge. During my Warner/Chappell days, my job was to craft songs. It’s a good exercise for me to push my boundaries and what I’m comfortable with. Plus, I love Christmas music.” He gave it shot and submitted a demo.

“The turnaround time made it almost like a contest. I’m not that competitive, but it did force me to be as creative as possible in a short amount of time,” says Choi. “It was a good exercise for me. This was the first listing, the first opportunity from Crucial. It went really smoothly.”

He wasn’t alone; many other composers did the same. The results impressed the team at Mothlight: “It was the first time I’ve done custom work with Crucial. It was nice to hear the quality of the demos. Some really good songs came in. That’s always refreshing,” Hall notes. “They came in really fast, which is good because holiday ads work very, very fast.”

CrucialCustom’s platform helped get that work done at the required speed. “There’s a lot of info that has to get passed along from us: the terms, the territory and license info, the creative direction,” says Hall. “The website allows you to input all of that, instead of throwing it into a series of emails. It allowed us to translate what we needed to composers very quickly.”

They selected Choi’s version of “Deck The Halls” This track will now go into Crucial’s catalog , for future carol-seeking music supervisors, while Choi benefits from the artist-friendly agreements, an approach long part of Crucial’s work with composers.

Announcement
02/22/2016

01/22/2016, The Explosion of New Music in Advertising: CrucialCustom Meets Ad Agency Needs with International Composers and Custom Music Tracks
01/22/201601/22/2016, The Explosion of New Music in Advertising: CrucialCustom Meets Ad Agency Needs with International Composers and Custom Music Tracks
Announcement
01/22/2016
Announcement
01/22/2016
CrucialCustom:where curation meets crowdsourcing. The platform, www.crucialcustom.com, is the latest venture from established indie artist sync house CrucialMusic, makes it simple for advertisers to find, work with, and sync tracks from a wide range of musicians and composers, benefitting everyone involved. MORE» More»

Digital advertising has blown open the market for music, and advertisers of all sizes and media have opened up to a whole new range of artists and sounds. CrucialCustom, where curation meets crowdsourcing to create seamless custom tracks for images, is riding this wave of fascination with music discovery and diversity. The platform, www.crucialcustom.com, the latest venture from established indie artist sync house CrucialMusic, makes it simple for advertisers to find, work with, and sync tracks from a wide range of musicians and composers, benefitting everyone involved.

“The general trend in advertising, across media and platforms, is that advertisers want to discover something new and fresh, a fresh take on old idea or the latest band and sounds,  something hard to duplicate, ,” says CrucialMusic CEO Tanvi Patel. “There is still space for pre-composed tracks offered by music libraries, but there’s a growing demand for independent, novel, intriguing music.”

CrucialCustom facilitates the search for the unique and fresh, connecting ad pros and skilled musicians. Music supervisors or other project managers create a profile for their project on the site explaining the specs, turnaround time, and other details required. If available, clients can upload a video of their ad or project and receive made-to-order soundtracks from Crucial’s stable of vetted international artists and composers.

Crucial has gathered a significant number of talented independent artists, people who can respond in a matter of hours thanks to huge strides forward in home recording technology. “The technology has allowed people to monetize their creativity in ways unimaginable 15 years ago,” Patel notes. “For indie artists who make a living from their music, they can create all the time, they don’t have to book an outside studio. For musicians who balance multiple professions, it’s equally empowering. They come home, they write a song, upload it to a distributor, and bam! Access to the market has really exploded, and it makes CrucialCustom the channel for this exploration...”

Once composers have submitted their tracks, Crucial does something singular and uniquely suited to the business: A team of curators, including several longtime commercial music veterans, listen to each and every proposed track, to make sure it fits the project and meets Crucial’s high standards for production quality.

“We listen to make sure the track fills the need of the spec provided,” Patel explains. “Then we take a look at the elements: Are the vocals in tune? Do they match what they were looking for? Is there movement? Is the production quality good? Are there elements that could be copyright problems, like the bass riffs or guitar licks?”

CrucialCustom sought the sweet spot between automation and tech solutions, and the need for human ears. It reflects the hard-won experience of Patel and her partner in CrucialMusic, Jim Long, both with decades of production music creation and distribution, broadcast, and licensing under their belts. When a company crowdsources a logo on 99designs.com, for example, it takes little time to evaluate the submissions, a mere glance or two. For sync, that process is more involved and time consuming.

CrucialCustom has created tools to streamline the process at lightening-speed to perfect the track. Clients can make notes on a composer’s track at the exact point on a waveform where they need a change. They can send instantaneous messages and even see exactly how the music works with the picture, as composers can sync to the video clients upload.

“For the most part the days of the big commercials are gone,” Long adds. “We’re in a pricing market where advertisers just don’t have the budgets they once did, but they do have a lot of technology and technological savvy. Ads move quickly and involve lots of editing, and advertisers want to tie the images to something unique- something made just for the occasion, something that sounds just right.”

That’s what CrucialCustom is all about.

Announcement
01/22/2016