Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jonathan Lane. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jonathan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Innovation comes in all shapes, sizes and across all industries, so we’d love to hear about something you’ve done that you feel was particularly innovative.

This isn’t something that directly impacts my company revenue but, a couple of years ago, I launched an offering that’s accessible to folks who follow me on Instagram (@MusicClearly) called OFFICE HOURS. Office Hours are one-on-one Zoom sessions that I offer on a weekly basis to create meaningful connections with the songwriter / artist / producer / music business community, completely for FREE. As someone who historically has spoken frequently on various conference panels or been an industry guest for various online courses, I caught wind that many of these courses and conferences cost an exorbitant amount of money for guests to attend, with the promise that they’ll be on their way to getting their music licensed for TV / Film / Advertising / Etc. I began to feel uneasy that these courses and conferences are praying upon the desperation of artists, songwriters and producers who are trying to gleam some insights into the world of music-for-media and I started to feel uncomfortable with it. It’s almost as though you need to be rich, come from great means or have a wealthy family to have access to information to move your career forward. That’s fine for some but not for the vast majority of talent that exists in the creative community. As a Music Supervisor, I also didn’t find conferences to be an effective way to make genuine connections with the attendees while we sit on a stage and speak to potentially 100+ people.

Office Hours was launched in protest of these events and courses and also as an endeavor to forge real relationships with the creative community who I might not otherwise be able to connect with. I figured that I would offer a few 30-minute slots a week that can be reserved by anybody and I can give the information away for free. So far, I’ve met with (and helped) over 250 artists / composers / producers / songwriters / music business professionals from all around the world! It’s been the most rewarding thing that I’ve done in my career and it’s something that I don’t make a dime from. It’s my way of being of service to an industry that has given me everything.

Jonathan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Jonathan Lane. I’m a Music Supervisor and Music Executive with over 15 years in the music-for-media industry. I operate my own music supervision company called Clearly Music Services while simultaneously serving as the VP, Head of TV & Film at Audio Network (one of the largest global music for TV / film / advertising companies in the world).

I’ll save you the long winded story about my journey to get where I am today and give you the short-ish version. I got my start in this business at Atrium Music in Pasadena, CA. Atrium Music is a company that represents independent artists for TV and Film. At the time, I was working at Warner Bros. and my good friend Josh Young (the founder of Atrium) approached me with an opportunity to work with him, pitching artists to productions. I left my job at WB and hit the ground running, learning everything that I could learn, simply by doing. Learning how to pitch artists, research music needs, understand what was going into production (and post production), forging relationships, prospecting new opportunities, etc. After a few years and some great experience, I started working at Audio Network as one of their very first employees in Los Angeles (they’re a UK based company). I learned a great deal and continued to make a lot more connections at Audio Network, who had already been in the market for quite some time. In 2015, I launched a music supervision company with my then partner that I now call Clearly Music Services. After being at Audio Network for quite some time, I took a role at 5 Alarm Music (another great music-for-media company) where I looked after the TV and Film licensing strategy. After 6 years, I went BACK to Audio Network where I’m now a VP and help to oversee and grow the US business on the West Coast. Throughout that journey, I always continued to grow my company Clearly Music Services where I mostly music supervise film marketing campaigns (along with podcast content and some feature films).

Clearly Music Services is built to deliver the overall musical vision that our clients have for the content that they produce. We handle creative music sourcing (finding great music!), developing and managing music budgets, obtaining clearances / approvals on music that the production is interested in using in their content, negotiating and gathering licenses from all parties, and helping to make sure everyone gets paid. We also put together cue sheets, review cue sheets, and act as a creative resource for the production when it comes to all things music. The world of music licensing and music rights can be super complicated and complex. The production often finds the whole process to be a bit of a mystery…that’s where Clearly Music Services comes in!

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

My clientele at Clearly Music Services grew rather organically and I’m very grateful that I haven’t had to do much work to bring in new clients. My best friends work in the trailer / film marketing world and gave me my first opportunity in 2015, working as the music supervisor for a trailer house called Herzog in North Hollywood, CA. From there, my network continued to grow as I met new producers and they went to work at different agencies, where they would hire me. This cycle has continued for years and I’ve been fortunate to keep meeting more and more people to work with! I’ve also been recommended by clients to lots of folks, which has driven a lot of new business my way. On a personal level, I owe a lot of my success in growing my business to: Luck, my friends, being a fun person to hang out with, and doing a good job.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I LOVE the feeling of locking a song for an independent artist in a piece of content and delivering the awesome news that the production went with their track! They get so excited and for lots of artists, it’s pretty life changing. It also gives them a new success to shout about to their friends, family and fans while also getting paid. It’s very rewarding for me and it’s really what drives me in my career.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/musicclearly
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-lane-34231259
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/uprootedjon