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20h • Music Business 🏢
Recap of LiveCall 17th Feb 2026
I want to give you a quick recap of what we have covered in our live coaching call, so you can get the key insights even if you couldn't make it. Think of these posts as your cheat sheet for each session. Let me know in the comments if you find this helpful!
If you're not part of Audio Artist Rise yet and posts like this make you curious about what we do in the live calls, check out the program. We do multiple live coaching sessions every week covering everything from trailer music production to game music careers, business strategy, and more. You can find all the details on the Audio Artist Rise page.
Now let's get into it!
🎬 MUSIC PRODUCTION FEEDBACK, AI IN MUSIC, AND CLIENT WORK STRATEGIES
This call covered a wide range of topics, from detailed track feedback on hero trailer music and fantasy scores, to practical demo reel optimization, the role of AI in the music industry, setting up professional domains, and how to price your first paid game music gig. Here is everything broken down.
🎛️ MIXING AND MASTERING: CONTEXT MATTERS
Different genres and use cases demand different mastering approaches. A trailer track might sound "hot" to one listener and perfectly punchy to another. The key is understanding your target context.
General guidelines:
- Trailer music can sit around minus 8 to minus 10 LUFS, with peaks hitting harder in finale sections
- Game music, especially ambient or in game tracks, should focus on balance and consistency over raw loudness
- When a track sounds "too hot," it often means the limiting or clipping is too aggressive, making the sound indirect and fatiguing
- Always compare your master to reference tracks in the same genre before making final decisions
🎨 DEMO REEL AND PORTFOLIO OPTIMIZATION
Your demo reel is your first impression, and small details make a huge difference when sending applications to companies.
Profile and branding tips:
- Your profile picture should match your target genre. If you are pitching epic trailer music, a photo with an acoustic guitar sends the wrong signal. Use something that looks cinematic or production focused
- Remove social media links from your demo reel page. Every external link is a distraction that pulls attention away from contacting you
- Keep it simple: demo reel, contact button, done
Writing your bio and description:
- Stop talking about yourself and start talking about benefits to the client
- Instead of listing credentials, gear, or sample libraries, write something like: "Every track is designed to elevate your visuals, captivate your audience, and leave a lasting impression"
- Use AI tools like Claude or ChatGPT to rewrite your bio so it focuses on the company you are sending it to, not on you
- Personalize each application slightly so the recipient feels like you are reaching out specifically to them
Creating video content for your reel:
- Tools like Kling, Higgsfield, and CapCut now make it possible to create impressive trailer style visuals without hiring a video editor
- You can morph characters, add transitions, and generate cinematic footage using AI video tools
- Even a 30 second video reel with AI generated footage looks professional and modern
- Platforms like Envato provide templates for Adobe Premiere and After Effects if you prefer to edit manually
- Start simple. Your first demo reel video does not need to be perfect, it just needs to exist
💡 AI IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY: ADAPT, DON'T PANIC
The conversation around AI keeps coming up, and the key message is clear: AI is not just generative AI. Automation, workflow tools, template scanning, and API integrations are all forms of AI that make you more efficient without replacing your creative work.
Practical points:
- If you know how to use automation and AI tools to get more done, you are automatically ahead of someone who does not
- The people who reject all AI tools are putting themselves at a disadvantage, not a moral high ground
- AI is currently best used for tasks you cannot easily do yourself: scanning sample libraries, generating video content, rewriting text, research, and organization
- Nobody knows what happens in two or three years, but adapting now means you are prepared for whatever comes
- The Two Steps From Hell podcast (Epic Score's interview with Nick Phoenix) is worth listening to for perspective on how careers in this industry actually start: messy, unpredictable, and built on persistence
The "fake it until you make it" reality:
- Almost everyone in this industry started with zero credits and zero experience
- Using AI to help polish your applications, rewrite your bio, or generate video content for your reel is no different from using any other tool to present yourself professionally
- Once you land the gig, the music speaks for itself. The AI just helped you get in the door
🔧 PROFESSIONAL EMAIL AND DOMAIN SETUP
Using a Gmail address when contacting companies signals "hobbyist." A custom domain signals "professional." The investment is minimal and the impact is significant.
How to set it up:
- Purchase your own domain (your name dot com is ideal). Check marketplaces if someone already owns it, prices can drop during sales
- Set up Google Workspace (the Business Starter plan at about 7 dollars per month is enough). It gives you a professional email address that works exactly like Gmail
- Google partners with Squarespace for domain registration during Workspace setup
- Use subdomains for different purposes: one for your demo reel, one for your website, one for courses or other services
- Never point your main domain at a single service. If you switch platforms later, everything breaks. Subdomains protect you from that
- The professional email alone is worth it. First impressions matter, and a custom domain puts you years ahead in perceived credibility
💰 PRICING YOUR FIRST PAID GIG
When a game developer asks "How much do you charge?" and you have never been paid for music before, it is terrifying. Here is how to think about it.
Pricing guidelines:
- A common starting point is 200 dollars per finished minute of delivered music
- For larger projects (60 minutes of game music), you can offer a package deal, for example 9,000 to 10,000 dollars instead of the full per minute rate
- Backing tracks and ambient pieces take less time than main themes, so package pricing works in your favor
- Do not go too low just because it is your first gig. 75 dollars per minute undervalues your work and sets a bad precedent
- If the developer is a small indie team (four or five people), they may have limited budget, so be flexible but fair
- Always ask what the scope is before quoting: two minutes of main theme versus an hour of ambient music are completely different projects
The most important thing: do not overthink it. Throw out a number, see how they respond, and adjust from there. Your first paid gig is about building a relationship and getting a credit, not maximizing revenue.
🎮 DELIVERING GAME MUSIC: TRUST THE PROCESS
When working on game music, especially for a first client, the temptation is to second guess everything. Is the mix good enough? Should the guitar be louder? Is it too modern or not modern enough?
Key principles:
- If the client did not specify a style preference, you have creative freedom. Use it
- Edit and align to the grid for a modern sound. If they want something more raw or old school, they will tell you
- Do not delete tracks you are unsure about. Deliver them and let the client decide
- Ten different audio engineers would give ten different opinions about the same mix. What matters is whether the client is happy
- Your own opinion of your work is the least reliable metric. Tracks you want to delete often become the ones that get placed
The feedback loop:
- Deliver the work
- Listen to what they say
- Adjust if needed
- Move on to the next track
✅ KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Scan your MIDI visually to catch hidden clusters and overtone issues in orchestral arrangements
- Match your mastering approach to the context: trailer music can be loud, game music should prioritize balance
- Your demo reel profile picture and bio should match your target genre and focus on client benefits, not your credentials
- Remove unnecessary links from your demo reel. Every distraction reduces the chance of someone contacting you
- AI video tools like Kling and Higgsfield can create professional demo reel visuals without hiring a video editor
- AI in music is mostly about efficiency tools and automation, not about replacing composers
- Set up a professional domain and Google Workspace email. It costs about 7 dollars per month and instantly boosts your credibility
- Use subdomains for demo reels and services so you never lock your main domain to one platform
- Price game music work at around 200 dollars per finished minute as a starting point, and offer package deals for larger projects
- Deliver your work even if you are not 100 percent satisfied. Let the client tell you what needs to change
- Your harshest critic is yourself. Every experienced composer hates their own mixes. Ship it anyway
Hope this was useful! Drop a comment if you have questions about anything covered here. See you at the next call!
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Recap of LiveCall 17th Feb 2026
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