Working as a Freelance Composer
In this essay I will explore an area of the music industry that I am interested in, but have no professional experience in. Composition has been a passion of mine of mine ever since I began writing music for my high school band, developing from an activity I exclusively associated with my guitar, to a musical practice I am beginning to expand upon more broadly, explore, and find my voice through. As composition becomes ever more central to my musical practice, I aim to use this assignment as an opportunity to research and evaluate the possibility of music composition as a career path, analyzing the potential day-to-day challenges, long term goals, legal duties and financial challenges associated with this role, evaluating my feasibility for this role. By the end, I hope to have an accurate understanding of the ins and outs of being a freelance music composer.
One of the trends seen in many industries all over the world is that technological and manufacturing improvements, for the most part, are eventually consequential to availability within that industry. The music industry, and by extension the freelance composition industry, is no exception to this. Technological improvements have helped overcome some ‘entry requirements’ to the industry: the availability of recording equipment, recording software and information/teachings. English film and television composer Guy Michelmore is very open about this in his educational video Composer Chat: Can You Make a Living as a Composer. Michelmore explains how the effects of technological availability over the years have made way for new dynamics and ‘entry requirements’ for those looking to make a name for themselves in the industry, and that it “is no longer down to tens of thousands of pounds worth of kit” (Guy Michelmore, 2024). However, although this initially seems like a circumstance of no grievances, Michelmore makes an interesting argument about how technological availability within the industry has placed an emphasis on “ability and knowledge” rather than “kit”. Therefore, whilst many people now have access to the tools needed, and this seems like a ‘win-win’ situation, the availability for work appears not to have been affected proportionally: “Is it easy to get this work? No; it’s extremely competitive” (Guy Michelmore, 2024). This seems to suggest that whilst there are no specific or formal entry requirements, and access to equipment and information is plentiful, making a name for yourself in the composition industry is highly competitive and takes time as well as experience and reputation.
The variety of skills needed for this role are consequential to the “extremely competitive” music composition industry achieved by a freelance dynamic. In fact, this freelance dynamic is constantly shaping the music industry. In Stephen Cottrell’s journal article Bimusicality Among London’s Freelance Musicians, Cottrell explores the dynamics and history of a freelance work environment, touching upon the importance in the “1950s and ’60s for Mexican orquesta players to switch between ‘modern’ American and ‘traditional’ Latin/Mexican styles, an expansion of music skills which was similarly predicated upon the increasing biculturalism and urbanization of middle class Texas-Mexicans” (Cottrell, 2007). Whilst this example seems dated, the competitive nature of the musical freelance setting is still demonstrated, and comparisons can be drawn between the “expansion of musical skills” which was “predicated” upon wider musicians in the 50s and 60s, and the modern day; this dynamic is exactly what has been at play in shaping the role of music composers in the last decades. This brings us back to Michelmore: “the difference for those who do well and those who don’t do well is no longer down to tens of thousands of pounds worth of kit, it’s down to ability and knowledge”. All of this is to say, that the skills required for the profession of freelance composer are dictated both by the specialism of composition (the ability to compose, ability to understand music theory etc.) and the freelance market dynamics (how the variety of your skills helps you adapt with the competition created by a freelance work environment). For this reason, it is important to have a varied skill set as well as being able to enshrine and display the strengths you already have at hand. Crucial skills for this profession include fluency and understanding of modern music making tools (DAWs, sampling, recording equipment), music theory/composition and familiarity with social media for marketing/networking reasons. Other skills such as a specialization in a genre of music, proficiency in an instrument or knowledge of film/video making are important to capitalize on, will enrich your craft and will help you stand out, but won’t hold you back if not in your arsenal. Amongst all of this, arguably the key is variety and flexibility.
Developing on the requirement to have a variety of skills in a competitive work environment, it is equally important as a freelance worker to know how, and where, to market and promote these skills; as a freelance worker, nobody is going to do it for you. As mentioned previously, whilst it is important to have a variety of skills, it also vital to understand that marketing them in a nonspecific way can be more damaging than useful, diluting your chances of reaching a target market audience. For this reason, it would be useful to identify the specific areas of the industry you want to tune your marketing towards in order to develop your ‘brand’ and reputation. This may be determined by your own personal goals in the industry, by an artistic pursuit or perhaps financial reasons. Whatever the case, it is important to balance these factors. For example, the TV and Radio industry is experiencing steady and regular growth of “$475 billion in 2024 to $505 billion in 2025. Growth rate of 6.4%. Expected to carry on growing in the next decade”, and thus it could be a worthwhile investment to target your brand for financial reasons to a stable area of the industry which has potential for more work opportunities (The Business Research Company, 2025). The Videogame industry, whilst not as booming as TV and Radio “grow at an annual rate of 7.82% between 2025 and 2027, resulting in a projected market volume of US$363.20bn by 2027”, and thus is another stable sector for work in the freelance composition industry (Statista, 2024). The Film industry however, the area I am interested in, displays the opposite trend, a survey of 4,160 film and TV workers carried out in 2024 found that 68% report their employment was effected by industry slowdown (Bectu, 2024). This follows a previous decline rate of 7.7% per year from 2018-23 (Guy Michelmore, 2024). As someone like myself who is looking to start out in the industry, my initially marketing efforts may be better invested in more stable industry areas such as composition for TV/Radio or Videogames, at least in the short-run to secure work, with a later career development into Film. Not to base my whole argument for this over Michelmore’s Can You Make a Living as a Composer, but he does also recognize this: “a lot of people who think about making a living as a composer assume that that is going to be a film composer. That’s completely wrong”… “the majority of the profession, media composers, are working on Television and Games”… “Film tends to be something people do for passion projects rather than for living”.
With the factors of where to market towards kept in mind, the question now moves onto the how. There are many marketing and promotional tools out there for freelance musicians, especially in the recent years with the age of social media. Nowadays, promoting oneself is achieved, most commonly, with online/electronic tools alongside practical work in the industry, and word of mouth. As a musician, an online presence in the modern age can be just as impactful as the craft itself, many musicians having found success initially though discovery on social media. Examples include Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, and the Artic Monkeys, discovered on social media such as YouTube or Myspace, with more contemporary artists owing a lot of their success through becoming viral on apps such as TikTok, including Jack Harlow, Lil Nas X and Olivia Rodrigo. Whilst these are all examples of performing musicians, social media can be a useful tool for anyone attempting to reach a target audience, and as a freelance worker, the absence of a marketing team can be somewhat filled with the aid of social media. In any case, if not pushing for content on social media, it is still vital to have some sort of page, website or profile online as a showcase of your craft. The first place agents or potential work partners look is a website or online profile. Everything must be “clear, crisp and compelling”, “find the best examples of your superpower”, explains Tommy Zee on his educational video How to present your work as a freelance composer. Another potential source of discovery for many composers online is through music libraries, or any employment opportunity where you have to apply. This is another reason why a tidy and clear online profile, website or playlist is so important; it helps you stand out and be able to succinctly communicate your suitability or compatibility to a work opportunity very quickly.
Work opportunities/sources in the freelance composition industry aren’t always financially consistent; the amount of money a freelance composer earns from a particular project or opportunity often varies due being self-employed, but also from the type of payment you may negotiate or receive from employers/customers. For example, as explained on the Berklee website on music composers: “the most lucrative source of business for a freelance composer is something else entirely: synchronization (or “sync”) placements, where a composer’s music is synchronized to a film, TV show, video game, or advertisement” (Berklee, 2025). Whilst this is a common source of income for composers, in many of the work placements that involve sync fees, the employer may offer a choice between an upfront payment for your tracks, or your share of the sync fees associated with the usage of your tracks. This immediately achieves financial instability for freelance composers due to the compromise between secure, but less, payment in the short term, or, less money in the short term, but, if your music is successful, an income for the long term. Pierre, Michel-Menger talks about his in his journal article Artistic Labour Markets and Careers, opening by stating: “Artistic labour markets are puzzling ones. Employment as well as unemployment are increasing simultaneously. Uncertainty acts not only as a substantive condition of innovation and self-achievement, but also as a lure.”, which perfectly summarizes this instable, and compromise-laden work dynamic (Menger P.M, 1999). It is not difficult to understand why “successful freelance composers might switch over entirely to permanent in-house positions” (Berklee, 2025). Menger develops on this by specifying how “stable employment through long-term contracts exists for artists and craftworkers, it is to be found almost exclusively in large organizations operating on a pluri-annual basis-permanent organizations like symphony orchestras, opera houses, conservatories, or architecture firms.”, “Temporary organizations or small cultural organizations use mainly or exclusively short term contracts”. This is reflected in composition through the financially stable work (found in TV/Radio placements or being hired for a long-term film project) being less abundant but fruitful, whilst the more common work (such as music library placements, or local business opportunities) usually incentivizing upfront fees due to a smaller audience or less certainty of wider commercial recognition.
In conclusion, being a freelance composer is a line of work I would be interested in pursuing, but definitely comes with its challenges. With my research in mind, for me, an initial path into the industry would take time, having to supplement my finances with other work, with the goal of eventually building enough reputation and experience to be financially stable. This would allow me to choose my work projects, and therefore priorities the craft itself over the uncertainty caused by financial complications.
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