have worked in composing teams, such as Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh, who
founded the West Hollywood music production company Mutato Muzika, and
Camper Van Beethoven’s Jonathan Segel, who worked at Danetracks.Composing teams have been very popular in the world of animation, since
pretty much right from the beginning. What would Bugs Bunny have done
without Carl Stalling — or Donald Duck without Spike Jones to provide
accompaniment to his pratfalls? Animation features and shorts almost always
have a musical segment included, and because there is such a need for music
in this field, there’s a much better chance of breaking in as a beginner.Check the credits of your favorite animated television show (or your kids’
favorite shows) to see who’s providing the music. If it’s a company name, and
not an individual’s, this is a place you can send your resume. Requirements
for becoming part of a composing team include existing talent and ability in
writing the type/style of music that the team works with, great people skills
(to get along with and work with other team members), and living in an area
where these teams exist.As of yet, long-distance teams that collaborate via the Internet or some other
method are not common, but Web companies such as Rocket Network are
working hard to create extensive online collaboration networks that may
soon change the way composing teams are formed and operated.You can also try and find out if composing teams exist in the city/town you
live in and make yourself known to the people in charge of the teams. Get
your demo to them and emphasize your willingness to work on the team
with the other composers. Once hired, make sure that you’re at least getting
cue sheet credit for ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors &
Publishers), BMI (Broadcast Music Incorporated), and/or SESAC (Society of
European Stage Authors and Composers) royalties for the music you write —
even if you’re not getting screen credit. Without cue sheet credit, you’re only
ghostwriting, which has its own set of challenges, one of which is a flimsy-
looking résumé.Helpful Organizations and Web Sites.........................................................
There is nothing more important when working in the film industry than
being persistent. Talented musicians are born every day, but truly persistent
ones are made, not born.If you aren’t spending most of your time between musical jobs sending out a
stack of résumés and demos and researching possible job opportunities
every single day, then you probably are not going to make it.218 Part IV: Orchestration and Arrangement