Let me share something I wish more creators understood earlier in this "visual media" industry. The moment you decide you are going to take this career seriously, whether that is composing, producing, or creating in any lane, you are already stepping into a long game. There is no version of this where it happens fast. What most people see is the main road. The obvious path. The one tied to upfront money, quick wins, and immediate results. That path is real. You should be on it. But there is another road running alongside it. Less obvious. Slower at first. No big upfront payoff. Just work that builds over time. Same destination. Same goal. A different way of getting there. Early on, I made the decision to take both. I stayed on the main (one) road. But I also took opportunities that did not always pay upfront. I focused on building something, not just earning something. I said yes to work that gave me ownership, gained experience, and volume in the form of a writer’s share. I treated every piece like it mattered, even when it felt small. Why? ...... Because that work does not disappear. It compounds. It stacks. One piece turns into ten.Ten turns into a hundred. A hundred turns into something that starts working for you long after the work is done. For me, that window was 2012 to 2015. During that time, I was still on my main path, building my career as a composer. But alongside that, I was contributing to catalogs every chance I got. Some of it went directly into catalogs.Most of it went through publishers who had direct relationships with working music supervisors. So the pipeline was simple. From my DAW to the publisher to the music supervisor to the editor that placed it directly into picture That was it. No middle confusion. No waiting around. Just consistent output going straight into real opportunities to be placed. That is when everything shifts. You stop chasing every dollar. You start collecting from the work you already did. That is how I built.

We’re opening up the first Brief Room session. This one is focused on trailer music. Wednesday, April 15th @ 7pm - 8:30pm (Link coming soon) This is where your ability to read direction, respond to it, and deliver with intent gets tested in real time. We listen together, break it down, and react through one lens: Does it serve the brief, while still making it yours. GUEST HOST We’re welcoming our first guest host, trailer composer @Brandon Lau whose work includes Scream, Destiny 2, and Arcane, along with campaigns for titles like League of Legends and Call of Duty. He’ll be running the session alongside PTN's @Nate Michalic and @Gilde Flores , listening, giving feedback, and breaking down what’s working, what’s not, and how to push it further. This is direct insight from someone actively creating at a high level in this space. WHAT WE’RE LISTENING FOR StructureHooksExecution within the genre If it hits, we elevate it.If it misses, we fix it. If you’re into trailer music, or want to sharpen your approach, this is where you do it. Submit your work. Show up. Be in the room. You don’t know where this leads. INSTRUCTIONS TO DOWNLOAD + STEP IN Download the attached briefs. Pick your lane and commit. This is where you read direction, respond, and deliver. NO REFERENCES PROVIDED Part of this process is learning how to find your own direction. In the real world, some briefs come with references, and some don’t. This is one of those moments where you get to develop that skill. If you need guidance, take the time to explore what fits. Listen, study, and understand why something works. If you already have a clear instinct, trust it and build from there. Either way, the goal is the same, create something that serves the brief with intention. Have at it!!!! SUBMIT [email protected] Taking submissions up until - Tuesday, April 14th, cutoff at 7pm CST -

📍 SIGNAL Federal prosecutors just secured a guilty plea in the first-ever U.S. criminal case involving AI-assisted music streaming fraud. (Music Business Worldwide) A North Carolina man, Michael Smith, admitted to running a scheme where he used AI to generate hundreds of thousands of songs, then deployed bot networks to stream them billions of times across platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music. (Department of Justice) The result: over $8 million in stolen royalties that should have gone to real artists. (Music Business Worldwide) This is not theory anymore. AI was used to mass-produce music at scale, and automation was used to simulate listeners. The system paid out as if it were real demand. 📂 PATTERN We have now seen three layers of the same shift: 1. AI trains on music without permission 2. AI generates music at scale 3. AI + bots exploit payout systems This case is the first time all three collided into a criminal conviction path. Streaming platforms operate on a shared royalty pool, meaning fake streams do not just create fake success - they pull money away from real creators. (Lewis Silkin) 🚨 PRESSURE POINTS (PROBLEMS BEING OVERLOOKED) - Royalty dilution at scale. Fraud does not just inflate numbers; it redistributes income away from legitimate creators. - AI volume abuse. The scheme only worked because AI could generate a massive catalog volume fast. - Detection limits. Fraud was spread across thousands of songs to avoid triggering platform alarms. (Department of Justice) - System vulnerability. Streaming payouts are not built for a world where content and consumption can both be automated.

Wednesday, March 11th @ 7pm Hosted by @Nate Michalic Focused on music for visual media, film, TV, trailers, and branded content. Submit purpose-driven cues built for picture/visual media. JOIN US AT 7 pm TONIGHT! See you There https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89476999781 -

Wednesday, Feb 18 at 7 PM CST, All current submissions are carried over. I SEE you SOON! See you next week.