SING OUT: Play Your Song for Music Supervisors

Michael Eames is a trained composer, songwriter and pianist with experience in film scoring who studied music at Cornell University and UCLA Extension; Michael also secured a minor in Business Management from Cornell.  As President of PEN Music Group, Michael oversees all aspects of the operation as well as focuses on pitching the catalogue to all media and business development.  Prior to starting PEN, Michael oversaw the international activities and film and television department of Don Williams Music Group, where he was responsible for song catalogues such as those by Jimi Hendrix, Chicago and Roy Orbison among numerous others. He also worked previously for Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys and the management and music supervision firms The Derek Power Co and Seth Kaplan Entertainment.

 Michael is currently the President of the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) and proudly serves on the Independent Publishers Advisory Council (IPAC) of the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA).  He is also a member of the California Copyright Conference (CCC) and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS).  Michael recently co-authored a book entitled Five Star Music Makeover: The Independent Artist’s Guide for Singers, Songwriters, Bands, Producers and Self Publishers (Hal Leonard) and is a frequent guest speaker in classrooms and panel discussions nationwide.  

Jerome Spence is the V.P. of Film, Television, Advertising Markets and Business Development at Secret Road Music Services. Based in Los Angeles, Spence has many years of experience in licensing, A&R, and management with previous positions at Peermusic, Position Music and Arista Records. He oversees all aspects of the licensing team as well as new development ventures.

In his previous position as Senior Creative Director of Film and Television at Peermusic, Spence was responsible for the day-to-day oversight of sync licensing and promotion for film, TV, trailers, video games, apps and merchandise. One of his most successful catalog placements to date is the usage of “Cups” (From AP Carter’s work, “When I’m Gone’) in the award-winning film, Pitch Perfect.

“I am ecstatic about my new role at Secret Road. For the last ten years, they have been quietly growing as one of the premier licensing companies in the business, while hosting an amazing writer/artist roster,” said Spence. “It’s all about the music at Secret Road. The roster may be filled with many independent artists, but you can bet you’ve heard their music all over TV, Film, and Ads. I am looking forward to advancing that growth and working with such a dynamic team and roster.”

Secret Road has placed songs in successful television shows such as “Girls,” “Nashville,” and “Pretty Little Liars,” and in such films as “Edge of Tomorrow,” “The Last Witch Hunter,” and “This Is Where I Leave You.” Additionally, Secret Road artists and writers have provided music in commercials for Cricket, T-Mobile, TOMS, and Google, among others. Through the efforts of the licensing and publishing divisions, the company is expanding its reach into all genres of music. Secret Road currently has representation in Nashville, New York, and the UK, and agents throughout the world.