Music composition: what to know

What the job involves, what changes the price, and what to ask a pro.

What music composition is

A composer writes original music for film, games, ads or performances, delivering scores, recordings or stems tailored to your project. The music is shaped to the picture, the story or the brand, so it supports what the audience sees and feels.

Signs you need it

  • You are making a film, a short or a series and need original music that fits the scenes.
  • You are making a game and need music for levels, menus or specific moments.
  • You need a theme or a jingle for an advertisement or a brand.
  • You are staging a performance and need a score written for the players or singers.
  • You have a video with temporary music you cannot use, and need an original replacement.
  • You want a piece of music for an event, a ceremony or a presentation, written to a specific length.

What the pro does

  • Talks through the picture, the story, the mood and the moments where the music must work.
  • Writes sketches or themes for you to approve before the full score is written.
  • Composes the full music to the timings, and records it with instruments or with a virtual sound library.
  • Delivers the recordings, the score or the stems in the formats you need for the project.
  • Revises the music to fit the final picture or the final cut, with the timings checked against it.

What changes the price

Every job is different, so we do not publish prices. These are the things that move the quote up or down.

  • Total length of the music and the number of cues, themes or tracks.
  • Number of versions, such as a full mix, a stripped version and stems.
  • Whether the music is recorded with live musicians or made with a sound library.
  • Complexity of the orchestration and the number of instruments.
  • Number of revision rounds and the need to fit music to a changing picture.
  • Deadline and the schedule for picture changes.

What a written quote should spell out

  • The number of cues or tracks, their lengths and the timings they must fit.
  • The versions delivered, such as the full mix, the stems or the score.
  • Whether live musicians are recorded, and who books them.
  • The number of revision rounds and the points where you approve the music.
  • Who owns the music and any rights for the project, and how the music may be used.

Questions to ask before you hire

  • Can you share music you wrote for a project like mine?
  • Will you deliver stems, and how will they be labeled?
  • How do you fit the music to the picture, and how many revisions are included?
  • Who owns the music, and what rights do I get for each use?
  • Will you use live musicians or a sound library, and how does that affect the sound?
  • How do you handle changes if the picture is edited after the music is written?

Red flags

  • Copies or closely imitates existing music, and does not say so.
  • Promises that the music will be placed in a film or a game or get awards.
  • Will not share examples or explain how the music will fit the picture.
  • Keeps the rights to your music without saying so in the agreement.
  • Asks for full payment before the cues and the usage rights are agreed.

What you can do yourself

You can choose existing music that has clear licensing terms for your project, and mark the timings you need so the choice fits the picture. Hire a composer when the project needs original music, when the music must fit a picture closely, or when you need the rights to use the music in a way that licensed tracks do not allow.

Licenses and permits

Music composition is not commonly licensed, so a license is usually not required for this work. Check with your state or local licensing agency about business rules that apply to you, and agree in writing who owns the music and what rights you have for each use, since the rights terms matter more than any license.

Music composition questions

What are stems?

Stems are separate audio files for groups of instruments, such as strings, percussion or vocals. They let an editor mix the music to the picture or adjust it later, so ask whether they are included.

Can I own the music outright?

Possibly, if the agreement says so. Ownership of the composition and the recording can be separate, so confirm both in writing and say how the music may be used.

What if the picture changes after the music is written?

Agree in advance how changes are handled. Small timing changes are often part of the work, while a new cue or a new theme may be quoted separately.

About this guide

This national guide is written and checked by infinibell. Rules and conditions differ by place, so local pros are credited on guides for the cities they serve, not on national ones.

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