Podcast
52 Cues - A Production Music and Sync Podcast
Hosted by Dave Kropf · EN
Hosted by working composer and long-time professor Dave Kropf, the 52 Cues Podcast takes you inside the real world of production music, library music, and sync licensing – breaking down cues, unpacking industry insights, and sharing candid conversations with fellow composers and publishers.
Weekly episodes deliver practical strategies, creative inspiration, and insider information to help you land more placements and build a sustainable career in sync.
32episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Inside a 52 Cues Cue Breakdown
2d ago00:34:00Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Dave pulls back the curtain on 52 Cues with a look inside a cue breakdown, showing how composition, structure, arrangement, and production choices all work together in a finished cue.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YfOLFtiPIigSupport for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues!Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.comIt's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!
Transcribe →Is Using Loops "Lazy?"
1w ago00:51:47Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Dave and Jeff discuss whether loops and samples are lazy, how samples can be transformed into original production music cues, and why legal usage still doesn’t always protect you from Content ID headaches or library concerns.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PFoHpTAsHboSupport for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues!Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.comIt's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!
Transcribe →Brutally Honest Advice from a Library CEO (Chuck Henry, 10 West Music)
2w ago00:49:04Tap to summarizeIn this episode Chuck Henry, founder and CEO of 10 West Music, shares brutally honest advice for production music composers on pitching libraries, preparing clean deliverables, avoiding lazy loop usage, and writing cues that actually serve editors and supervisors.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4m7ZUa0aPawLinks:https://10westmusic.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-henry-22a1bb8/ Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues!Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.comIt's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!
Transcribe →Stop Pitching and Start Building Relationships
3w ago00:53:35Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Dave and community mentor Greg Fellman share five practical networking tips for production music composers, from building real relationships to following up and being ready when opportunities show up.Denver Composers Collective - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1433710441750662Sync Meetup Austin - https://www.facebook.com/syncatxWatch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MAHozCY7fRkSupport for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues!Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.comIt's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!
Transcribe →Can AI Help Get Your Cues Signed? (with Alan Lazar)
May 700:54:05Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I’m joined by composer, library owner, and PMA vice chair Alan Lazar to talk about ethical AI, production music submissions, and whether tools like TrackTrove.ai can help human composers get their cues heard.https://tracktrove.aihttps://alanlazar.comWatch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/FatgvGSr9_sSupport for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues!Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.comIt's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!
Transcribe →Composers, You Need a Second Brain
Apr 3000:39:09Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Dave is joined by 52 Cues mentor Mary Shaw to talk about building a “second brain” for composers, getting ideas and tasks out of your head, and creating systems that help future-you stay focused, organized, and more productive.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/z9xOGoM7CnQBuilding a Second Brain by Tiago Forte: https://amzn.to/42GFZEgSupport for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues!Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.comIt's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!
Transcribe →Why Good Music Isn’t Enough in Sync
Apr 2300:49:36Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Dave and Jeff LaPlante talk about the non-musical skills that can make a huge difference in the sync business.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7ARhc9dohm4Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues!Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.comIt's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!
Transcribe →Stop Using Spreadsheets for Metadata with Cuemonic
Apr 1600:40:23Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Dave is joined by Jesse Carrigan to talk about Cuemonic, the metadata tool he’s building for composers and publishers, and why this unglamorous part of the business matters more than most of us realize. Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lRdh5l8OhxMhttps://cuemonic.comUse code 52CUESPOD and get 1 month free each year you stay subscribed to Cuemonic, which means 12 months for the price of 11.Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues!Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.comIt's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!
Transcribe →Inside the Production Pipeline of Warner Chappell
Apr 900:44:33Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Dave sits down with Warner Chappell Production Music’s Dave Milne to talk about what libraries really look for in composers, how the production pipeline works behind the scenes, and what it takes to turn great cues into truly usable, professional music for clients.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PvFd3b2yT78https://www.davemilnemusic.comhttps://www.imdb.com/name/nm8687247https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-milne-musichttps://www.keenwidget.comSupport for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues!Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.comIt's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!
Transcribe →What It Takes to Score a Network Game Show
Mar 2600:57:58Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I’m talking with Timothy Andrew Edwards and Tim Mosher about how they landed the music for Nate Bargatze’s Greatest Average American and what it really takes to score a network game show.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dP71SNhtENoGreatest Average American on ABC: https://abc.com/show/a0f061ad-bc3e-49f4-926f-40f80f8c7090Evil Genius: https://www.facebook.com/groups/877961207308818Support for the 52 Cues Podcast comes from ReelCrafter, the professional way to pitch your production music and know exactly when your cues are heard.Start your free trial at ReelCrafter.com/52Cues!Join the 52 Cues Community! – https://my.52cues.comIt's free to post your cues for feedback from the community, network with other composers, and ask questions about the industry!Plus, member subscribers get extra perks like workshops, livestreams, cue breakdowns, live feedback sessions, hundreds of hours of video archives, and opportunities to submit to real music libraries.One-on-one coaching sessions and video critiques also available at http://52cues.com/coaching!Note: Links may be affiliate links which generate a small commission but at no extra cost to you!
Transcribe →