We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Patrick McArthur. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Patrick below.
Hi Patrick, thanks for joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
An internship at a larger music house really launched me into the world of composing music to picture. After landing a large campaign for Chrysler, one thing led to the next and I was doing it. Working in-house, I was able to absorb a lot about how the industry worked, and take the necessary time to hone my craft. Finding my own voice was essential in standing out. Being open to learn, stay interested and excited about music, and accepting rejection and revisions as part of the process and not something to take personally, have all made me stick with it. After about 7 years working for other companies, I felt ready to go freelance and start my own thing. Starting right as the pandemic hit with zero clients was a pretty scary thing, but with some persistent outreach, work started rolling in. As long as I am satisfied with my work and feel ready to pass it on, I am happy, and I hope the client feels the same way and will keep coming back. If the music I write does not sell for a particular project, it goes into my library and chances are it will find a home somewhere else down the line. The other thing I have had to learn and continue to improve upon is the business side. Pricing, negotiating fair deals, and understanding ownership are right up there with the creative side of things.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I grew up playing jazz piano, and went to Berklee College of Music thinking that was what I was going to be doing–which I did at first, then realized it would be a great thing to learn a totally new craft, but music related. That’s when I discovered the Berklee film scoring program. A lover of film too, this was the perfect thing. Years later, I’m still using some of those foundational techniques I learned there. As a self-employed composer, I’m providing custom music mainly for advertising. Each project is a different challenge, but the approach is the same—to create unique and hopefully compelling music to tell a story. My clients know me for my modern cinematic style, usually incorporating electronic and orchestral textures. I’m more on the experimental side, maybe it’s my jazz improvisational background. Yes I can do the epic Hans Zimmer style, but that already exists and a million other composers do that too and probably better than me, so I strive to make things a little different and with my personal touch.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
Luckily I can make music anywhere on anything, and I’m the only one operating my business. When I left my former company, I grabbed a computer, interface, speakers, and some software with pretty minimal funds, and got to work. The most important tool is not technology (though necessary for the modern composer), but my ears. As I gained more clientele and won more jobs, I was able to build bit by bit from there, purchasing tools that enhanced my product. I prefer to really learn each one of my instruments or software plugins before I deem another necessary and spend that money. I also know the value of hiring specialized session musicians to enhance a project and make that work stand out.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
There have been months that have been really quiet for me as far as projects coming in, and crazy busy times where music I had worked hard on fell through, but confidence has allowed me to get through those challenging times. There will be wins and losses, and I’ve had to learn to ride though the ebbs and flows. Accepting what is out of your control and working on improving what you can are ever important skills. Earlier this year I landed a Google spot that aired during the Super Bowl. I remind myself that if I can do that, I must be doing something right.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mcarthurmusicsound.com
- Instagram: @patmcarthurmusic
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-mcarthur-4086211a2/
- Other: https://vimeo.com/patrickmcarthur
