In this episode, I talk about why SoundCloud just might be too risky for production music composers. From AI policy concerns to publishers turning away cues hosted there, is it time to pull the plug? Plus, I share Optimist Prime – a dramedy cue written without a single pizzicato string.

Watch this episode on YouTube

https://youtu.be/y7BWQ5ZiuIc

Other links:

https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/09/soundcloud-changes-policies-to-allow-ai-training-on-user-content
https://www.youtube.com/@TopMusicAttorney
https://press.soundcloud.com/249951-a-letter-from-our-ceo-clarifying-our-terms-of-use
https://soundcloud.com/terms-of-use

 Join the 52 Cues Album Accelerator – a self-paced program with over 6.5 hours of video content, discussion threads, articles, and resources which  guides you through the entire process of creating a production music album. Plus you’ll receive a 90-minute, one-on-one session to listen through your album and discuss strategies for library placement. Head over to 52cues.com/accelerator to sign up today!

Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!

In this episode, I’m answering your questions live – from piano mixing and cue layering strategies to how many libraries you should pitch to at once. We also cover reversion clauses, B sections in dramedy and sports cues, and pitching etiquette.

Watch this episode on YouTube

https://youtu.be/OOW6O_b9ims

 Join the 52 Cues Album Accelerator – a self-paced program with over 6.5 hours of video content, discussion threads, articles, and resources which  guides you through the entire process of creating a production music album. Plus you’ll receive a 90-minute, one-on-one session to listen through your album and discuss strategies for library placement. Head over to 52cues.com/accelerator to sign up today!

Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!

In this episode, I’m joined by Mrs. 52 Cues (Shannon Kropf) to talk about the one thing composers love to avoid: metadata. We’ll unpack why it matters, where we go wrong, and how to stop sabotaging our own discoverability.

Plus I feature a brand new playful dramedy cue with no pizzicato strings!

Watch this episode on YouTube
https://youtu.be/Rqhy-npPH0k

 Join the 52 Cues Album Accelerator – a self-paced program with over 6.5 hours of video content, discussion threads, articles, and resources which  guides you through the entire process of creating a production music album. Plus you’ll receive a 90-minute, one-on-one session to listen through your album and discuss strategies for library placement. Head over to 52cues.com/accelerator to sign up today!

Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!

In this episode, we host a live listening party for our latest Composer Quest: Pomp and Circumstance, where 52 Cues community members were challenged to reimagine the classic graduation march in any genre they wanted – from orchestral to ska, cinematic trailer to chipmunk glitchcore.

Vote for your favorites at https://52cues.com/vote!

Watch this episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/Mj_xxGFzjn8

 Join the 52 Cues Album Accelerator – a self-paced program with over 6.5 hours of video content, discussion threads, articles, and resources which  guides you through the entire process of creating a production music album. Plus you’ll receive a 90-minute, one-on-one session to listen through your album and discuss strategies for library placement. Head over to 52cues.com/accelerator to sign up today!

Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!

From rejection to relationships, I unpack five more hard truths every production music composer needs to hear, but probably hasn’t. Plus I feature a recent Indian-infused world hip-hop cue!

Watch this episode on YouTube
https://youtu.be/ef1lMcXViHo

 Join the 52 Cues Album Accelerator – a self-paced program with over 6.5 hours of video content, discussion threads, articles, and resources which  guides you through the entire process of creating a production music album. Plus you’ll receive a 90-minute, one-on-one session to listen through your album and discuss strategies for library placement. Head over to 52cues.com/accelerator to sign up today!

Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!

In this episode, I break down the Four C’s of Success – a practical framework to help composers stay clear, creative, and on track from start to finish.

Plus I feature a new investigation tension cue and give my thoughts on a psychedelic rock cue from 52 Cues member, Fraser Macdermid.

Watch this episode on YouTube!
https://youtu.be/9tmb-sy3Qps

 Join the 52 Cues Album Accelerator – a self-paced program with over 6.5 hours of video content, discussion threads, articles, and resources which  guides you through the entire process of creating a production music album. Plus you’ll receive a 90-minute, one-on-one session to listen through your album and discuss strategies for library placement. Head over to 52cues.com/accelerator to sign up today!

Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!

In this episode, I’m sharing five small daily choices, plus a bonus one, that can quietly shape your growth and long-term success as a production music composer.

Plus I feature one of my cues that I KNOW you've heard before, and I give my thoughts on a soft tension cue from 52 Cues member, keschkau.

Watch this episode on YouTube!
https://youtu.be/MTUbptGy5R0

 Join the 52 Cues Album Accelerator – a self-paced program with over 6.5 hours of video content, discussion threads, articles, and resources which  guides you through the entire process of creating a production music album. Plus you’ll receive a 90-minute, one-on-one session to listen through your album and discuss strategies for library placement. Head over to 52cues.com/accelerator to sign up today!

Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!

In this episode, veteran TV producer and editor Biagio Messina joins me to talk about how cues actually get used in real-world productions – and what composers can do to make their music easier to work with.

Plus I feature a new uplifting corporate rock cue and give my thoughts on a TV Drama cue from 52 Cues member, James Oakden.

Watch this episode on YouTube!
https://youtu.be/aJPTw3zD4yc

Joke Productions
https://jokeproductions.com/biagio-messina/

IMDB
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0582144/

 Join the 52 Cues Album Accelerator – a self-paced program with over 6.5 hours of video content, discussion threads, articles, and resources which  guides you through the entire process of creating a production music album. Plus you’ll receive a 90-minute, one-on-one session to listen through your album and discuss strategies for library placement. Head over to 52cues.com/accelerator to sign up today!

Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!

In this episode, I’m joined by composers who completed the 2024 Expedition 52 composer quest – a year-long challenge to write one cue and give one piece of feedback every single week. We talk about what they learned, how they stayed motivated, and how consistency helped them grow!

Plus, I’m sharing a new positive ambient drone cue and I'm reviewing a dark tension cue from 52 Cues family member, George Cicci! 

Watch this episode on YouTube!
https://youtu.be/VC0QnRG0rT0

 Join the 52 Cues Album Accelerator – a self-paced program with over 6.5 hours of video content, discussion threads, articles, and resources which  guides you through the entire process of creating a production music album. Plus you’ll receive a 90-minute, one-on-one session to listen through your album and discuss strategies for library placement. Head over to 52cues.com/accelerator to sign up today!

Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!

Michael and Yuka Reschke were doing everything right… but still felt stuck. In this episode, we talk about what changed, how they found their lane, and how they pushed through when quitting seemed easier.

Plus, I’m sharing a new epic rock collaboration and I'm reviewing an emotional cinematic cue from 52 Cues member, Simon Armitage.

Watch this episode on YouTube!
https://youtu.be/CbSzsfqpVEs

 Join the 52 Cues Album Accelerator – a self-paced program with over 6.5 hours of video content, discussion threads, articles, and resources which  guides you through the entire process of creating a production music album. Plus you’ll receive a 90-minute, one-on-one session to listen through your album and discuss strategies for library placement. Head over to 52cues.com/accelerator to sign up today!

Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.com
It's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!

Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.

One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!

Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!