Composer For Hire: How To Find A Music Composer

Hiring a professional composer is a crucial step in any media project, be it for a film, TV show, ad, movie trailer or video game. But the key is finding the right composer for hire. 

The right composer can elevate your work with a unique soundscape that supports your concept and storyline and perfectly conveys your message. 

Whether you need a haunting film score or an upbeat advertisement jingle, it’s key to find someone who understands your vision.

So far in my career as a composer, songwriter, and music producer, I’ve worked on hundreds of collaborative composing projects. The key to a successful project with a filmmaker, music supervisor, ad agency or video game development team is for the composer to be open-minded, flexible and able to adapt fast. 

However, the most important skill is translating a non-musical description of requirements into music that delivers beyond the client’s expectations.

Not everyone is musically trained, nor do they need to be in order to enjoy and be passionate about music. Music is a universal language; we’re all experts at it in our own way. 

My job as a professional composer is to be able to understand a description in the client’s own words and convert that into a piece of music that hits the target 100%.

Choosing the right composer for hire is about finding a creative partner who aligns with your artistic needs and personal growth goals. 

This partnership often starts with understanding what type of music best suits your project, whether it’s orchestral, electronic, or a hybrid blend of styles. 

With many talented freelancers available, there are many platforms you can explore to find composers with diverse experiences and specializations.

After you find the right composer, the collaborative process should start with clear communication about your expectations. Engaging with a composer for hire is not just about contracting a service; it’s about building a relationship that adds an invaluable dimension to your work and opens up new opportunities for inspiration and expression.

Understanding the Role of a Composer

Varieties of Composers

Composers come with specializations suiting different media. Many composers, like myself, move freely between these different mediums and are able to work in all of them:

Film composers focus on creating scores that align with visual storytelling, enhancing emotions and narrative arcs. 

Game music composers tailor soundtracks that respond dynamically to player actions and game environments.

Orchestral composers typically excel in arranging music for a full orchestra, bringing grand, sweeping sounds to life. Often these composers also write music for media, however their expertise is in creating music for live performances.

Some composers specialize into movie trailers, promo spots or ads.

What Does a Composer Do?

A composer’s main task is to craft original musical pieces that complement and enhance the visual or interactive media. 

The biggest movies in Hollywood often include a full music team where the composer only composes the music, then arrangers, orchestrators, mixing engineers and mastering engineers finish the product.

Most projects nowadays involve a freelance composer that takes care of most, or all, of those steps; the composer might handle everything from conceptualization to final delivery. This requires versatility and creative problem-solving.

They typically have technical skills in orchestration, music production, audio editing, and sound design, and work from a well equipped home studio.

For film scores, the composer’s job is to create music that reflects the emotional tone and pacing of the film. This requires a keen eye for detail and collaboration with the director to capture the desired mood.

In games, the composer creates adaptive scores that change with in-game actions. 

It’s very common for the score to involve combining traditional and digital instruments in a hybrid score. 

Finding the Right Composer

Sourcing Talent

You can search on platforms like Fiverr (Fiverr International Ltd.), which offers a diverse range of composers. These platforms let you explore profiles and listen to samples of their work.

Networking at music industry events and conferences can also help you connect with experienced professionals. Don’t forget to consider recommendations from peers within your industry.

Social media platforms and online communities dedicated to music are also good resources. Engaging with these spaces gives you access to both emerging and established talent.

Assessing Composer Fit and Style

Evaluate whether the composer’s musical style aligns with your project. Listening to a wide range of their work samples helps you understand their versatility and expertise.

Consider the composer’s years of professional experience, as this can vary significantly. An experienced composer may be better suited for complex projects, but newer composers might offer fresh perspectives.

Communicate clearly about your project needs to ensure they can capture the right music style. This dialogue forms the foundation of a successful collaboration.

The Hiring Process

Initiate the process by reaching out with a clear brief describing your project’s requirements and expectations. This includes timelines, budget, and the type of music needed.

After expressing interest, negotiate the terms of work, including deadlines and payment structures. Ensure this is documented in a contract to protect both parties.

Organize a trial project or test piece to further assess how well they fit your vision. This practical step can prevent misunderstandings and ensures the right composer is hired for your project.

Personally I’m big on this step! Doing a quick demo to show my ideas for the project without exception has always convinced the client to work with me. The demo shows my approach to how I work, and also is proof that we’re on the same page when it comes to the creative direction.

The Composition Process

Developing Musical Ideas

When collaborating with a composer, it all begins with a deep dive into the project’s vision. This is by far my favorite part of the process; studying the director or game developer’s vision, hearing their detailed description about the storyline, emotional arch and why they are passionate about the project.

My job as the composer is to support that vision with everything I do.

Modern technology makes the whole process a lot easier and fluid. Composers today typically work directly in a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), and that gives us the ability to make changes or easily check details in the score. Whether the score is using recordings of real instruments or synths, samples and virtual instruments, it’s all easily editable.

Film Scores

For a film project, the director and I would have a spotting session where we can discuss each scene and what music is needed to support the storyline, what are the important hit points, where the music needs to dial it back, where it needs to take more of a leading role.

We would also discuss the overall theme of the music, and any character themes needed.

By the time we’re doing a spotting session I’d already have a pretty good idea what the style of music should be for the finished product, whether it needs to be an orchestral composition or a modern electronic score or somewhere in between.

Some directors like to be very hands on and give the composer detailed instruction on the music and its tone, while others prefer to just let the composer run with it. In my experience, either approach works well. It really comes down to how the director prefers to work. My job is to adapt to their workflow and support it in every way I can.

​Video Games

A game music composer collaborates directly with the game developers to ensure the music enhances gameplay, complementing both the storyline and user interaction.

In the beginning of a game project I often work from storyboards, but sometimes the music composition needs to start before there’s even a full storyboard. That’s when I typically sit down with the dev team in person or via a video call, and we discuss their creative ideas, what kind of original music and sound effects are needed. 

In games, sound design plays a major role, and typically there is a separate sound design team. But smaller games might need the composer to also take care of it. 

Personally I enjoy working in either situation; building all the sound design myself so that it fits in with the score is a great opportunity to show off my sound editor skills! But, working with a talented sound team is also an incredibly enjoyable and rewarding process.

Collaboration and Communication

Communicating your vision with the composer ensures alignment with your cinematic vision. An experienced music composer will listen to feedback, refine ideas, and adapt, using their expertise. This back-and-forth not only refines the music but breathes life into your story, transforming it into a cohesive audio-visual experience.

Editing and Finalizing the Score

As your project evolves, so does the score. During the editing phase, the composer meticulously perfects each note, timing, and nuance. This phase guarantees that the music aligns seamlessly with your film’s emotional arc. 

From subtle percussion instruments to sweeping orchestral music, every element is refined to produce the best result. The finished score is not just a piece of background music but a powerful narrative partner that resonates deeply with your audience, enhancing the visual medium to its fullest potential.

Music in Different Media

Scoring for Film and TV

When you watch a feature film or TV show, the music guides your emotions and enhances storytelling. Composers work closely with directors to create scores that underscore pivotal moments or subtly enhance the atmosphere.

Short films and indie films also rely heavily on music, often showcasing experimental and diverse sounds to differentiate themselves in competitive spaces such as film festivals. TV shows prioritize catchy themes and consistent background tracks to maintain viewer engagement.

Often TV productions will also use stock music. Now, before you think that catalog production music is somehow bad or of lower quality, think again! It’s often supplied to the publishers by the same composers a director might be considering for their film. I’ve composed an incredible amount of production music that’s being used in more than 1,000 episodes of TV shows, ads and promo spots around the world.

Music in Video Games

Creating music for video games involves crafting soundtracks that adapt to player actions and narrative developments. You might find an epic orchestral score for a role-playing game or ambient tracks in puzzle-solving games, providing immersive experiences as the game progresses. 

The dynamic nature of gaming requires music that can loop seamlessly or shift in intensity based on the player’s progress. This is where the importance of musical arrangements, often referred to also as vertical orchestration, comes to play. Often the same piece of music has to be able to adapt from an ambient, calm background feel to an intense action scene. This is all achieved through meticulous planning of how the arrangement layers work together.

Composer for Hire

As a professional musician, composer, songwriter, producer and dedicated collaborator, I’m comfortable writing in a wide range of genres, from classical music to pop, electronic, blues, rock, metal and anything in between. I make sure each project, whether for a movie, video game, ad, trailer or TV show, achieves the best result at competitive prices. 

I strive to offer potential clients the full package: custom music solutions, a seamless creative process, and a commitment to your musical vision.

​I’d love to discuss your project with you so feel free to get in touch.

Conclusion

Choosing the right composer for hire can transform your project, adding a layer of depth and emotional resonance that brings your vision to life. 

Whether your work requires original soundtracks for an action film, a dramatic score reminiscent of famous composers, or an innovative piece for an experimental film, finding a talented composer with years of experience and a passion for a wide range of styles is essential.

The key is to find a composer that truly matches your concept and creative ideas, and can translate your vision to a musical score that supports and elevates your work.