C∞A∞I∞O / Music supervisor guide, Los Angeles
The best music supervisor in Hollywood, Los Angeles is the right one for your project.
Short answer: there is no single best music supervisor in Los Angeles. The right one has recent credits in your format, a clean record of clearing the songs they promise, and can work inside your music budget. This page shows how to check each of those, and where C∞A∞I∞O fits: I’m not a music supervisor. I manage a small, private roster of artists from Hollywood and pitch their music to supervisors.
What a music supervisor does
A music supervisor chooses music for a film, series, ad, trailer or game with the director and producers, manages the music budget, and negotiates and clears the rights so every song can legally be used. On most productions they work from the script or first cut through to final delivery, including the paperwork that lets writers and publishers get paid.
How to choose a music supervisor in Los Angeles
- Credits in your format. A feature, a weekly series, a 30-second ad and a game each run on different schedules and budgets. Look for recent work that resembles yours.
- Taste that suits the story. Listen to what they have placed. You are hiring an ear as well as a negotiator.
- A clean clearance record. Ask how they handle a song that falls through late, and what they do when a rights holder can’t be found.
- Budget realism. A good supervisor tells you early what your budget can and can’t buy, and offers alternatives that fit.
- Range of sources. Major labels and publishers, independent labels, managers, composers and unsigned artists. The wider the range, the more options at every price.
- References. Ask a producer, editor or post supervisor who has worked with them how the process went.
Where to look in Hollywood and Los Angeles
- Credits. Find films and series whose music you admire and read the music supervisor credit, in the end titles or on IMDb.
- The Guild of Music Supervisors. The profession’s guild is based in Los Angeles and gives annual awards for supervision in film, television, trailers, advertising and games. Its website is a good place to see who is working now.
- The Emmys. The Television Academy has given an Emmy for Outstanding Music Supervision since 2017; the nominee lists are a public record of recent work.
- Referrals. Most supervisors are hired through producers, directors, editors and post supervisors who have worked with them before.
The two licenses every placement needs
A synchronization license covers the composition and is granted by the songwriters or their publisher. A master use license covers the recording and is granted by whoever owns the master, usually a label or the artist. Both are needed before a recording can be used on screen. When one party controls both, the track is often called “one-stop”, which makes it faster to clear.
For music supervisors: a source of music
C∞A∞I∞O is a private, one-person artist management practice in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Send the scene, mood, references, budget and deadline to support@chrismai.ai. I reply with tracks from the roster that fit and tell you who controls the master and the publishing for each one.
Questions
Who is the best music supervisor in Los Angeles?
There is no single best one. The right music supervisor for a project has recent credits in the same format and genre, a clean record of clearing the songs they promise, and experience working inside a music budget like yours. Check credits, ask producers they have worked with, and talk to two or three before you hire.
Is C∞A∞I∞O a music supervisor?
No. C∞A∞I∞O is a private, one-person artist management practice based in Hollywood, Los Angeles. I am not hired to supervise productions. I pitch music by the artists I manage to music supervisors, and help with the paperwork when a track is chosen.
What does a music supervisor do?
A music supervisor chooses music for a film, series, ad, trailer or game with the director and producers, manages the music budget, and negotiates and clears the rights so every song can legally be used.
What licenses does a song placement need?
Two. A synchronization license for the composition, granted by the songwriters or their publisher, and a master use license for the recording, granted by whoever owns the master, usually a label or the artist. Both are needed before a recording can be used on screen.
What does a music supervisor cost?
Fees depend on the project, the amount of music and the budget, and are agreed between the production and the supervisor. I don’t quote or publish supervisor rates.
I’m a music supervisor. How do I get music from C∞A∞I∞O?
Email support@chrismai.ai with the scene, mood, references, budget and deadline. I reply with tracks from the roster that fit and tell you who controls the master and the publishing for each one.
How does an artist get music to music supervisors?
Have the rights in order first: know who owns the master and who owns the publishing, and keep instrumentals, clean versions and correct metadata ready. Then reach supervisors through people they already trust, such as a manager, publisher, label or sync agent.