Want Your Music Featured on Netflix? Having a Major Label Helps

Bagging on major labels is a music industry pastime. But being signed to a major definitely has its perks — like access to Netflix’s all-important music team.

How do we know that?

The super-secret intel came from five different Netflix music executives who gathered in Los Angeles on Tuesday for a rare platform-focused discussion. The Netflix panel, coordinated by Musexpo (check out this conference if you’re unfamiliar), was emcee’d by Ritch Esra, who quickly plunged into the inner workings of Netflix’s music programming.

“It was a rare opportunity to hear a music team, spanning film, television, animation, and marketing from a major streamer like Netflix discuss their creative philosophy and selection criteria for integrating music across their programming,” Esra told DMN.

And what was one of the biggest takeaways?

In terms of who gets their music onto Netflix, these guys are wide open to sourcing new music and composers. As you’d guess, they’re all music lovers with tons of experience in synch, and they’re all ears on pitches. They go to shows and listen to lots of new music.

But they’re also getting pitched by the largest labels in the world, who are smartly rolling out one red carpet after another to get Netflix’s ear.

One name that popped up was Chad Brown at Capitol Records/UMG, who was diligently pushing Sienna Spiro early on with Netflix heavyweights. According to Netflix Music Creative + Production exec Samantha Hilscher, Brown was ardently advocating the Spiro story before things popped.

“[Chad said] I’m telling you right now, Sienna Spiro next year, the machine is behind her, and it’s going, going, going. And we did a general meeting with her, got to some shows, and we’re like, ‘Oh, we love her.’”

“And so we’ve identified a few spaces where we’re like, ‘I think we want an original song.’”

Nice win-win, though Netflix execs said majors are constantly pitching — with Friday a particularly important day for pushing up-and-coming artists and songs.

For those lucky enough to be powered by the major label ‘machine,’ that level of promotion is also common across other power nodes like Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, Amazon Music, SiriusXM, and iHeartRadio. But after the Netflix confab on Tuesday, we didn’t realize that labels are also throwing entire private events and destination getaways to generate excitement around their artists among major platform gatekeepers.

Welcome to ‘Live In the Vineyard’

That includes “Live In the Vineyard,” a swanky, invite-only event in Napa Valley coordinated by Atlantic Records/WMG and other majors alongside Forefront Networks. This is an invite-only affair that features top-shelf wines, superb chefs for the pairings, and plenty of artist showcases from a range of labels — many of them major labels.

There’s even a country-themed version called ‘Live In the Vineyard Goes Country’.

And who are the esteemed invitees? Scan the assembled, and you’ll spot label executives, music supervisors, streaming platform curators, and yes — supervisors from video platforms like Netflix.

See how this game works?

Digging a bit further, and a related event called ‘Elevation’ emerges — with Netflix also on the VIP invite list.

Elevation, located in picturesque Beaver Creek, Colorado, is organized by the same core group with a similar idea. This one’s also about country, with a ‘breakfast, lunch, and dinner’ schedule of showcases featuring up-and-coming (and often freshly-signed) artists.

(Incidentally, this one’s not to be confused with the recently shuttered Elevated Music Festival, which was also situated in an ‘elevated’ locale.)

“Elevation in Colorado is essentially a weekend of just listening to country music acts from different states, and you’re listening to music breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” Hilscher explained. “And I had a film called The Wrong Paris, and a lot of the music in that film came from that trip, Elevation in Colorado.”

Access: it has its perks!