albums
we have released/worked on 
cello-focused film music
entropik MUSIC is a specialist producer of music for the media. Although we cover several film and musical genres, all of our compositions share one thing in common: the beautiful and highly expressive voice of the cello.
Unlike a great deal of music found in royalty-free and stock music libraries, we are able to offer genuine and professionally played cello rather than a midi substitute, which never sounds convincing as a solo instrument. Furthermore, we are able to do this without the costly charges of hiring a session musician.
The cello is often said to have a sound closer to the human voice than any other instrument. This makes it an ideal and increasingly popular choice of instrument to bring poignant moments in film, television or advertising to life. A few examples of the highly effective use of cello music include the hugely popular TV series Lost, True Blood and Flash Forward.
We have composed for numerous projects ranging from animated shorts to feature films – please visit our films page to view some examples of recent projects.
media work
You’ll probably have come across these terms before: royalty-free music, media music, stock music, buyout music, music library, cue sheet… the list goes on! But what precisely do they mean, and what exactly are you getting when you license a music track? Unfortunately the answer is not as simple and concise as we’d like it to be, and confusion surrounding the exact meaning of media music terminology has always been rife.
We’ll do our best to explain a few key facts to give you a better handle on our baffling industry and where we fit into it! If you’re already an old hand at searching for and licensing music for use in your projects, we invite you to sample our wares and
give us a call if you think you’d like us to compose a score especially for your film, video, website or commercial, or follow links to license something from our existing catalogue.
film music
Film and music have gone hand in hand since the very first silent films. Try to imagine your favourite film - or any film for that matter – without music. Not really worth contemplating, is it? Most of us take for granted that films, television programs and the vast majority of adverts use music as a powerful tool to spark feelings, memories and recognition. And for most, there is really no need to give the matter any further thought. However, for those working behind the scenes – directors, producers, writers and music co-ordinators – music must be procured either from existing catalogues or by contracting a media composer to create a score from scratch.
The vast majority of big budget films have their own unique score along with existing music by well-known bands for which they buy licenses allowing them to use said tracks. The same generally applies to medium budget independent films, although the use of high profile music by chart-topping bands is less likely due to the exorbitant cost of the licensing. Small or “micro” budget films never have enough money left in their budget to hire an established media composer, and either cobble together a score made out of royalty-free music or get up-and-coming student composers to compose a score for free (otherwise known as experience) or for a deferred fee – i.e. if the film is released and breaks even or profits, the composer is paid a previously agreed fee.
royalty-free & library music
Royalty-free music is where the confusion kicks in. Contrary to what the term suggests, composers of royalty-free music do (or are generally supposed to) earn royalties if the music is used in any form of broadcast. Why “royalty-free” then? To put it simply, the source of royalties is not the profits of the media project in which the music has been used, but from performance royalties paid to the composer by their performance rights organisation (PRO) and funded by the blanket licensing fees paid to PROs by all broadcasters and venues where copyright music is played. All too frequently, people who purchase royalty-free music licenses neglect to fill out a cue sheet because they assume that if they do there will be additional costs for them to cover at a later date. Cue sheets are forms in which all details surrounding the use of the music are supplied, such as the name of the production, where and when it will be broadcast, the name of the composer along with the PRO they belong to and the name and length of the track being used. The form is then submitted to the relevant PRO, which collects the royalties owed to the composer out of the blanket fee paid by the relevant broadcaster or venue. In short, if no cue sheet is filled out, no royalties can be earned.
Royalty-free music is almost always non-exclusive, which means that it can be used in multiple projects. Consequently, a royalty-free license costs significantly less than an exclusive license. Most royalty-free libraries offer up to three different licenses, the cheapest being a license for personal or non-commercial use and the most expensive for national broadcast, or reproduction of around 5000 copies or more of the project. Royalty-free music libraries are also frequented by media professionals working with tight deadlines, where there is not enough time to wait for a composer to score the project and make any changes required by the director.
All royalty-free music libraries operate as online businesses. The number to choose from is quite overwhelming and the quality of music ranges from outstanding to dire – often on the same site. Having said this, it is worth pointing out that there are a good many libraries which take the trouble to vet every single track submitted by their composers. Whilst these may charge a little more for the time and effort they invest in quality control, they will save a great deal of your time and spare you from the grief of wading through hours of general midi mire. If you’re prepared to spend a little more and wish to be spared the aforementioned nightmare, always check to see whether the library vets its composers or not. This is easily confirmed either by sending them an enquiry, or checking out their composer guidelines. If all and sundry are free to register and upload their life’s work – so long as it is in .wav format, expect a long night ahead of you before you find what you’re looking for, if indeed you do.
entropik MUSIC
So where does Entropik fit into all of this? Simply put, we offer both options. We are professional media composers and fully equipped to score to picture and offer versatility in terms of the range of styles and genres we can comfortably work in. In all of this, the cello is our constant, so if cello music is not your bag we’re probably not the right composers for you.
Given the incredible diversity of the film and media industry, projects vary far too much to enable us to provide a concise list of fees for our work, so if you’re interested in using our services, please contact us to discuss your project. We can say with confidence that once we have assessed the project we will offer you a highly competitive quote.
To license one or more of our existing tracks (examples of which can be heard on our music page), we must redirect you to our catalogue at Yooka Music. We are pleased to add that Yooka Music has an excellent collection of music which meats strict production criteria. We add tracks to this catalogue frequently, so if you haven’t found what you’re looking for you can rest assured that there will be more on offer when you return.
We know how much your project means to you because our music means the world to us. We look forward to discussing the details of your music requirements over a coffee and giving your work a final touch even better than you were hoping for!