So I was talking to good ol ChatGPT earlier tonight and had asked it about strategies for contacting publishers. It mentioned using cut versions of my music and that got me thinking as I don’t think I’ve heard of doing that before. Part of its reasoning was my track are too long (2:30-3:00, doesn’t seem too long to me 😂) and people make their decisions within the first 10-15 seconds. I know that’s true. I recognize it’s a bot so I’m skeptical to put all my eggs in that basket. So naturally I came here to see what people think about sending different versions in a demo reel. Would love to hear any feedback in this area as I’m still working to get my first placement!

I just finished building a website for a composer who wants to focus on video games, and I want to share the thinking behind it. Here's the thing: Video game developers are nerds (in the best way). They spend their days building worlds, characters, and stories. If you want to work with them, you need to fit into that world. So instead of a generic "hire me" composer page, we built something that feels like it belongs in a game. What we did: The headline doesn't say "Professional Composer for Hire." It says: "Your players will pause the game just to listen to this." Instead of a boring bio section, we created a Character Profile — complete with "proficiencies" like Orchestral, Ambience, Combat, Sound Design, Adaptive. You know, like the stat sheets you'd see in an RPG. The call-to-action buttons? "Begin Your Quest" and "Summon Character." The music section is called The Chronicles with a custom player that keeps people ON the page (not sending them off to SoundCloud where they disappear forever). And at the bottom? "Accept the Quest" with a booking calendar. Why this works: When someone clicks a button and starts an action, they psychologically want to finish it. A pop-up form after "Summon Character" feels like the next logical step — not an interruption. Everything stays on ONE page. No maze of subpages. No "click here for film, click here for ads, click here for games, oh and also I do pottery." If you want to work in video games, dress like a video game composer. Go deep into ONE industry instead of spreading yourself thin across everything. If you want a landing page like this - targeted to your specific niche, no monthly fees, no hosting costs, no "powered by" logo anywhere - I will create and set it up for you. $147 one-time. That's it. You own it. Drop a comment, DM me if you're interested, or check out this link to see my services. https://risewithalex.com/ (scroll down to "Your Industry-Specific Landing Page")

Hey everyone! 👋 Hope you all had an amazing Christmas and are getting ready for an incredible 2026! As we close out this year, I wanted to share a quick update about some changes coming in the new year. Starting January 1st, 2026: Courses are going subscription-only Right now you can still grab individual courses or get the full bundle, but from January 1st onwards, courses will only be available through a $27/month subscription. No more one-time purchases. If you've been thinking about picking up any courses, now's the time. I've also put together an all-access bundle at $497 - that's all 11 courses, lifetime access, one payment. (For context, that's 18 months of the subscription price, but you own everything forever.) Audio Artist Rise pricing update for NEW members Current members, you're locked in at your rate forever (nothing changes for you!). But for anyone joining fresh in 2026, the monthly rate will be $197/month instead of the current $97/month. Again, if you're already in Rise - you're good. Your price never changes. This is just for new folks coming in. No pressure, just a heads up! I wanted to make sure the community knew about these changes before they happen. If you want to lock anything in at 2025 pricing, you've got until December 31st. Here's to an amazing 2026 for all of us. Let's make it a breakthrough year! 🚀 Drop a comment and let me know - what's your #1 music goal for 2026?

Hey everyone, I need to address something that's been happening lately. We've been getting hit with spam accounts, AI bots, and people sneaking in just to promote their own services. It's been frustrating watching the quality of our community get diluted by freeloaders who don't actually care about growing as composers. Here's the thing - I spend a lot of time creating videos, tutorials, and answering private message questions entirely for free. And I'll continue doing that because I genuinely want to help you succeed. But to compensate for that time investment and keep this community sustainable, I'm introducing some changes: PLEASE READ CAREFULLY! ⚠️ For EVERYONE ALREADY HERE: If you joined for free, you're staying free. Forever. You're grandfathered in. NOTHING changes for you. ⚠️ ⚠️ If you purchased courses before, they are STAYING YOURS. If you joined the premium tier, EVERYTHING STAYS THE SAME ⚠️ For New Members (as of today, 22th Nov. 2025): - Standard Tier: $7/month or $70/year - Full community access, tutorials, partner deals, and networking resources - Premium Tier: $27/month or $270/year - Everything in Standard PLUS access to ALL courses on the platform (Trailer Music Trailblazers I & II, Game Music Conquerors, etc.) This isn't about making money. It's about protecting what we've built here and ensuring I can keep dedicating time to creating valuable content for you. A small barrier filters out the noise and keeps this community focused on what actually matters - helping serious composers build real careers. You'll see me sharing more valuable content, more actionable strategies, and less tolerance for BS moving forward. Questions? Drop them below. Cheerio, Alex

Most composers don’t struggle because they’re not good enough.They struggle because they lose track of conversations, forget to follow up, or never build a real system around their creative career. We’ve all been there — spending hours on writing, mixing, or polishing tracks, and then realizing we never actually sent them anywhere.Or we send one email and hope it leads somewhere... but never follow up. Here’s something I’ve learned over the years:If you want your music career to grow, you need as much structure in your outreach as you have in your composing. A few simple tips that can make a massive difference: - Create a contact list. Even a simple spreadsheet with who you talked to, when, and what about is a game-changer. - Set follow-up reminders. Most deals and collaborations happen after the second or third message. - Systemize your outreach. Write short, repeatable message templates that you can personalize fast. - Track your opportunities. Know which companies you’ve reached out to, which ones replied, and which ones you want to contact next month. - Keep it human. Don’t turn into a marketer — just be consistent, professional, and helpful. The truth is, once you start treating your composing like a business, things shift dramatically. You suddenly know who to contact, what to send, and when to follow up — without burning out or losing your creative flow. That’s actually one of the reasons I’ve been working on tools that make this whole process easier, so composers can focus on what they do best: writing great music. But for now — I’d love to hear from you:👉 What’s the part of the “business side” that frustrates you most? Emails? Organization? Finding new clients? Let’s talk about it below — maybe I can share a few practical ways to make it easier.