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Yes, the Proud Music Library do offer the opportunity to try out free downloads of tracks. The quality of a mp3 file is 56 kpps. To download a track without a sound signal, please get a account for free. The use of a song without a license constitutes copyright infringement and is prohibited. Even though the songs are provided as a free download available, they may only be used in public or online when a license was purchased.
The Proud Music Library was founded in 2004 in Germany (Europe). Currently we have a content of more than 26,000 tracks plus more than 16,000 loops, edits and stingers. We also offer licenses for completely roaylty free tracks, where the composers are not registered with any collecting society. Please feel free to check our new search engine.
Reinhold Poehnl is one of the most versatile composers I have had a chance to interview. All you need to do is search his name, and you come across an array of compositions that range from classical to jazz to hip hop. Every piece is clear and precise. Following, find out what has contributed to shaping this multi-faceted personality.
PM: When did you discover your love for music?
Reinhold: Maybe it was at the age of 5, when my older sister had her first piano lessons and I was allowed to stand next to the piano.
PM: If you were not a musician, what other path would you have taken?
Reinhold: I am excited about photography, and maybe this would have been my alternative choice. I am also interested in mathematics. There are so many fascinating paths other than music! There is: science, physics, computer graphics, parachuting…., but I think, I never would have become a lawyer or a business manager.
PM: Do you have a favorite composer?
Reinhold: There are, first of all, of course, the three greatest of all times: Bach, Beethoven and Mozart. Nevertheless, there is unimaginably much more music now. If somebody is going to buy a luxury car, it is possible to get some kind of market overview before you do, but when it comes to music, several lifetimes are not enough to browse through the existing music. And every day there is new music. So let me name a few artists or composers I like: Astor Piazolla, the Beatles, Prokofiev, Ravel, Debussy, Count Basie, and Skrillex. It might not make sense because they are so many and so different.
PM: How would you describe your style?
Reinhold: My style is varied. I write and produce very different music. Above all, I like colorful harmonies and surprising changes. I enjoy trance and techno, as well as creating a traditional polka, which then takes a not-so-traditional turn. I like experimenting because I’m inquisitive.
PM: Is there a musician who has influenced your style?
Reinhold: There are countless. As with the question regarding a favorite composer, there are too many.
PM: When did you start composing?
Reinhold: I started soon after I began to play the piano. Of course, that could not actually be considered composing.
PM: Do you write, play, and produce all your pieces?
Reinhold: I write, play and produce, and together with other instrumentalists as well. There is also music which I have written for other performers, such as a string quartet, or music for accordion, or short piano pieces for students. There is a great deal of music I have written that has been performed by others, but which has not been recorded yet.
PM: How many pieces have you written?
Reinhold: More than 500 so far, although I’m certain there will be more. I must admit, some pieces are just for mass production, like musical wall paper, but there are some pieces which I consider little jewels and take a little longer to write.
PM: Do you play an instrument? Which one(s)?
Reinhold: My main instrument is the piano, but I have played the viola for many years, I had to play the unavoidable recorder in elementary school, I still play guitar, and I also have some experience with drums. I have tried the accordion, the upright bass, and the timpani. I have played the traditional organ at church service, as well as a Hammond organ when performing jazz and rock. I have yet to master any of those, except maybe the piano. Still, the experience with so many different instruments, in my opinion, has been quite useful.
PM: What is a normal day like for you?
Reinhold: I am lucky, I think. Most days, when I am not traveling, I can just do what I feel like. Apart from writing, creating and producing my own music, I also work as a freelance musician for Yamaha, producing musical content or training new members. Last week I was sent to a place near Marseille to train a French musician on how to create musical content data. My job is to explain the technical details to make that musical data work best on a particular (digital) instrument. Yamaha wants local specialists to create musical data to perfectly fit the local taste and demand. For these projects I have traveled to Turkey, Spain, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and the USA, among other countries. The interaction with musicians from different parts of the world and cultures is very exciting, interesting and inspiring to me. I also love to explore the local cuisines and enjoy trying new food, new spices, and experiencing new impressions.
PM: Do you follow a ritual when you write your music? Do you take special measures?
Reinhold: No. Most of the time, I have music paper and a pencil with me; whether I am on the beach or on a train, and certainly, next to the piano. I take notes, write songs, and I have plenty of music notebooks filled with ideas that have not come to fruition yet. I browse through these notes and check and compare once and again. At times, I just sit and play and I start to develop a piece of music based on a kind of improvisation or a spontaneous idea.
PM: What advice would you give someone who is thinking about becoming a composer?
Reinhold: On the one hand, there is the creativity, the genius, the divine inspiration, the unexplainable, which probably cannot be learned or trained. I am not sure why, it is just so. Then, there is also the basics, the craftsmanship, the knowledge about music theory, harmony and all the stuff found in music books. I think it is a good idea to learn what is learnable, and to hope to just have that special something.
PM: What would you say is the hardest thing about what you do?
Reinhold: After having composed, performed, recorded and produced a piece of music, it is hard for me to find a suitable name for it. I am not good at finding catchy titles, so I share the music with my daughters, or I play the music for my wife and I ask for their feedback and suggestions. Most of the time, they have nice recommendations I would never come up with.
Proud Music continuously updates its music content, and is excited to announce that you may now enjoy over 22,000 music titles from its library!
We offer a wide range of music styles and genres, e.g. rock (1411 songs), pop (1892 songs), jazz (1932 songs), classical (858 songs), metal (712 songs), film (5404 songs), and blues (247 Songs). As were this not enough, Proud Music also licenses production music. Because we are the owner of the copyrights to the music we sell, you will save time and money, with the added bonus of perpetually using an original theme as you please, whether it is as background music for an advertisement on radio or TV, a film, or a video game.
Recently, we had the pleasure to interview Proud Music’s exclusive composer Frank Herrlinger. He spoke with ease and excitement about himself and his work without even once stuttering or doubting, he exhibited a confidence uncommon for a young man his age (Frank is 30 years old).
PM: Thank you for agreeing to this interview, Frank!
Frank: The pleasure is mine. It is so nice to finally meet you! I have always loved music, and I like to talk about music! I guess that I grew up with music. Both of my parents had musical education, so they naturally introduced me to it and offered me the opportunity to learn to play different instruments. This might sound dumbfounding, but the first instrument I picked up was the accordion….Yes, I know. It does not sound like the instrument a young child would want to learn to play, but I actually did. And I stuck to it for three years. Then, an appeal to pop music diverged my interest to church organ and keyboard. I was attracted to the bombastic sound of the instruments and what you could do with them, and I ended up playing both of those for five years. But as a teenager…these are instruments that a teenager does not consider “stylistically right”, so I turned to electric guitar because at the time, I preferred metal and pop rock. It seemed natural to form a band at that age, and some friends and I did. The band existed for ten years, and I played solo guitarist.
PM: Do you have a favorite composer or a composer that you admire?
Frank: Well, that is actually a difficult question because I do not have just one composer that I like, but many.
PM: Really?
Frank: Yes, and they are actually from the film music field. I admire them all for different reasons. One example is Thomas Newman, the composer of American Beauty. He uses many rhythmical and stimulating elements in his music, and he accomplishes it without a loud melody. Now that is admirable! There is also John Powell. He composed the music for How To Train Your Dragon and Ice Age. He is completely different. His melodies are loud and catchy, and you find yourself whistling them. When one of his songs starts, that happens often. It is the kind of music that is written for children because it is repetitive. Another one is Hans Zimmer, who has composed soundtracks for movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean. He has the ability to convey emotions in movies outstandingly well.
PM: And what about musicians?
Frank: Musicians? Not really.
PM: No singer or instrument player…
Frank: No, because I don’t really see myself as a musician, rather as a composer. I have paid more attention to composers. In fact, Frank has enjoyed learning from well-known arrangers in the past, submitting his pieces to them, and asking for their advice. They include David Bloomberg (Jackson 5 and Stevie Wonder), and Glenn Jordan.
PM: When did you start composing?
Frank: I actually started composing while I was still studying, around 2003-2004. I started writing music because I like music, and not because I thought I would be making a living from it. Now, I didn’t follow the classic path, because truth be told, a director and a composer don’t speak the same language. I like composing and I think it is important and good to share what you know. For that matter, I have a blog about music production (http://composerfocus.com/page/6/). Whenever something finally dawns on me, I feel the need to share it with others. It might not offer others an answer, but it might help them find a solution to their particular problem. A person has to be able to modify ideas.
PM: Yes, I know what you mean. There is a great deal of information out there, and yet, there are times when the information we are looking for cannot be found. Luckily, blogs are not only becoming a trend, but also a means of finding that information. Nevertheless, there are cultural differences that keep people from sharing information. Do you think this obstacle could be overcome?
Frank: Of course! As I mentioned, sharing information as a composer does not mean that anybody can plagiarize me. In fact, I work and rework my pieces experimenting also with virtual tones, so I know that my style cannot be imitated. Sharing information is intended to help others find a solution to problems they might encounter when composing themselves.
PM: I have been listening to your work on the Proud Music Library and on YouTube. Your style is often described as “epic”. How would you yourself describe your style?
Frank: Yeah, “epic” is fun, but I would not describe it as “the Frank Herrlinger style”. If I were to play my style, I think that more rock and romantic ballads where you would hear a more emotional devotion with an acoustic guitar would transpire, and not epic music. It is good to have many sides and try different styles, not just one, because music is a craft. Creative phases are always different. It changes constantly, and in this business, it also depends on the client, from the style he requests. Still, it is important to be true to yourself and others. I guess you could say that my style is what I enjoy listening to, what I like right now. And I am certain that it will change in five years, and that is okay.
PM: Do you write, play, and produce all your work?
Frank: I am not always a “one-man show”. I compose my pieces myself, and I often mix and polish them myself, as well, but it also depends on a deadline and how fast I have to produce my work. I sometimes engage the support of other composers who are ready to help. I cannot play every instrument myself, even though I play the guitar and the drums, and program tones on the computer. But live professionals play instruments such as contrabass and ethnic flutes for a fee, of course, and how they play… the sounds that emanate from those instruments! And cooperation is fun! I never work on paid contracts by myself. I always enlist the help of others. The song turns out better when you engage other tone engineers and musicians. And there is never a budget issue. Nobody works for free. May I add something?
PM: Surely!
Frank: One more thing I do and I actually enjoy doing is marketing myself. You attend school and learn about music, about composing, and what nobody tells you is that you will be unemployed after you are finished with your studies. How do you market yourself? Nobody teaches you how to. In my case, I see myself as somewhat of a businessman. It is a game to me, a game where you need to know the rules, where sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. But that is not bad, since there is always a new game to play. Part of the game is finding out what is marketable. Even with licensed music, you have to find a market for it. Nobody tells you what to write; you have to have a feel for it. What is mainstream is fun because it is what sells, and what is not or is too innovative will only be known after one’s death. Those who see themselves as mainstream musicians do what they like, and also what sells. I see myself as a mainstream composer; I am not interested in becoming famous after my death.
PM: Some artists like Hopper kept records of their work. Do you know how many pieces you have composed?
Frank: Let me see… (counts quietly in his head). Licensed pieces about 400 and projects…I would say some 600-700 pieces. Wait: Did I just say 600-700?
PM: Yes, you did.
Frank: It is hard to believe that it has been that many! And now that I think about it, I also keep an Excel table –only for licensed pieces- of how successful or unsuccessful one of my pieces has been. I also know if the piece had edits or loops, in which quarter, and for which license it was sold. So I know exactly which styles do not work. (Laughs) I guess that is the business side of me.
PM: What is a normal day like for you?
Frank: This is a funny question because I think people expect to hear that it’s all party and rock’ n’ roll, and that would be rubbish. I actually sit in front of the computer some ten to fourteen hours a day and compose. I also have office work to do for Proud Music’s A&R, but that occupies me for a couple of hours.
PM: It sounds like a lonely job.
Frank: Yes, it is. Happily, I am self-employed, and I actually have the power to change the situation. To sit alone in a room for the next 20 years, I don’t want that for myself. I am a sociable person and I enjoy interacting with others. How can I change that? I have this idea of furnishing a house and turning it into a composers’ house. It would be a 3-4 room house, and I could sit there and work, and rent the other rooms to other composers. Then we could take breaks and visit each other and exchange ideas and benefit from each other.
PM: What a wonderful idea!
Frank: Yes, it is. I consider Hans Zimmer my paragon. He established a company based on this concept, and he works there and rents rooms to other composers. That is my goal, my career dream.
PM: Best of luck bringing it to fruition.
Frank: Thank you.
PM: My next question is if you follow a ritual when you write your music.
Frank: An actual ritual…no, I do not. I have a short deadline for most work and need to produce music in a couple of days. It’s creativity under pressure. My inspiration comes when I go for a walk. People would probably stare if I took a pen and pad, so I take an MP3 player, and I sing melodies into it (I do not sing very well, by the way), and that way, ideas flow faster. If I sit in front of the computer and wait for ideas to come, it doesn’t work that way. If the weather doesn’t allow me to go outside, I find that walking for 10-15 minutes around my 88m² apartment works as well.
PM: What would you say is the hardest thing about what you do?
Frank: The hardest thing: ending a project. I am always looking for ways to improve a song, but you have to be able to say, “Okay. Enough,” and end the song. The good thing is, that there is a deadline so you are forced to make a decision.
PM: If you were not a composer, what other path would you have taken?
Frank: Hmmm. I cannot imagine my life without music because it has always been a part of it, but I think I can narrow it down to a couple of
possibilities. Are you ready? Ok. The first one is a martial arts teacher.
PM: Really?
Frank: Yes. While I lived in Cologne and Munich, I was practicing Wing Tsjun, a Chinese type of martial arts. Now that I live in Vienna, I couldn’t find a place where they practice the technique, so I am doing Arnis, which is a Philippine type. The second path: a physicist.
PM: You’re not the first person I hear of who relates music to physics.
Frank: Well, I believe that physics and music are connected. Physics can help you determine why something sounds good and something else doesn’t.
PM: Interesting! Now, to end our interview, I was wondering what advice you would give someone who is considering becoming a composer.
Frank: I have thought long and hard about this subject, and I have summarized it as follows: First, learn to support the project (the visions) of others. It is never about the music and the composer being in the limelight. What is important is the project manager’s vision. Second, the hired composer writes music, and this music never stands alone, as is the case with a band or a singer. Therefore, you must be nice and cooperative, and be able to work in a team. That’s it.
PM: Frank, thank you very much for your time. It has been a treat getting to know you.
Frank: Thank you!
The interview ended, and Frank returned to his work on that day: finding tones and sounds to add to a database that already comprises some 8000 30-second audio bits, which in due time will be improved and re-worked.
Corporate films are not a new concept; they have been around since the 1970s. Still, the tools to promote it have changed. Earlier, corporate films were quite expensive to produce, addressed a very selective audience, and were also shown solely to that particular audience. Nowadays, production has become cheaper and more dynamic through faster sources on the web, and corporations are targeting a more varied, widespread audience. Facebook has been key in the dissemination of corporate films because it reaches a greater audience and offers various applications that help carry out this task, so that corporate films have now become the interest of the masses… maybe. It is evident that that the making of corporate films is much easier, but whether on Facebook or any other network, corporations need to redefine their target audience.
Nowadays, children spend much more time in front of the television set and less time playing than they did decades ago. This info trailer is about a campaign LEGO led to encourage children to view less television and play more, while still using the media as a promotional means. With the support of the Nickelodeon.de channel, LEGO accomplished its goal. Nickelodeon television went off the air for six hours on May 28, 2010, and told children to go play. Up to that point, the manufacturer had advertised legally on the channel, giving parents and children the chance to buy their products. The outcome of the campaign exceeded expectations, since parents and children did play, sales for LEGO increased exponentially, and Nickelodeon’s acceptance as a TV channel for children grew among parents. The title of the music used for this trailer is most appropriately called “Got better things to do”, and it is by Frank Herrlinger. You may find it in the Proud Music Library.
The Proud Music Library offers music titles for its use in commercials, such as, for example, in promotional films. A commercial is usually, in a nutshell, a promotional production that advertises a product or service. The target is the end user. This happens generally through media such as TV, radio, websites, and mobile phones, commercial spots on DVD or the like. Data carriers are rarely found.
In this respect, licensing for the use of music titles from the Proud Music Library is paid in lump sum. This means that the use does not depend on the frequency with which a spot is projected or on its length. There are standardized commercial licenses (for example, for TV or online advertising), which limit the use to one year. The Proud Music Library also offers the so called “buyout” licenses. Just send an individual license request indicating the area of use (worldwide, across Europe, or individual territories), the period of use (one or 2 years), and the degree of dissemination or type of use (TV, Websites, third party site, etc.). License combinations are also possible, which, for example, include only TV/radio, TV/Internet, or Internet/radio.
With the use of so called “completely royalty free music” from the Proud Music library there are no charges to pay to any collecting society like ASCAP, BMI, PRS, GEMA, etc.. It means not music for free or gratis music. This is valid also in the case of buyout licenses for royalty-free music! Should the commercial spot be inserted on TV and radio, there would be likewise no charges for the repertoire, as long as the TV or radio station has a flat rate contract with a collecting society. This also proceeds in the case of cinema advertising, depending on whether the movie theater operator also has, in this case, a flat rate contract with a collecting society.
The Proud Music Library has grown again. 1,500 new tracks have been added since July 2011. Right now, there are 17,212 songs online, of which 5,449 are royalty free titles. Through the expansion of production music content, the variety in common genres increased exponentially. In numbers: 1,600 songs in the pop category, round 1,200 tracks in the rock category, or plentiful 2,160 music titles of world music. The subgenre has also gained certain attractiveness. For example, there are currently 171 Christmas songs in the program.
In the meantime, many music titles are delivered with loops and edits. In addition, the different loops and edits (15-60 seconds) are provided for the client as a zip file. Music to be proud of!
The objective: to build a “toothbrush-bot” or a robot made of toothbrushes. This wacky activity took place at the event Ignite Nuremberg at the Zentrifuge Art Gallery in Nuremberg, Germany, in February 2011, where ten teams of members that did not know each other previously had to execute said task in 45 minutes. There were awards for the prettiest, the fastest, and the funniest. Although, not everybody was a winner, everyone had fun, and the activity set the stage for the remaining acts of the conference. The contest was captured on camera by Martin Goldmann (RedGo.Tv) in his vimeo “Battle of the Bristle Bots”, and it is accompanied by music from Frank Herrlinger, available at the Proud Music Library.
Ignite Nürnberg: Battle of the Bristle Bots from Martin Goldmann on Vimeo.