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As mom and pops and national companies alike try to keep a watchful eye on their business expenses, the time to find the perfect, yet affordable custom radio and TV commercial can be challenging at best. With so many would be *producers* and *musicians* out there claiming to be the latest and greatest, while operating out of a bedroom or basement, how do you get that commercial that sizzles both on TV and radio and yet not make you take out a second mortgage to finance the thing?

With the onset of the computer, the ease of creating a website and the affordability of some pretty amazing music and video software out there, it seems that so many loop based or for a better lack of terms, mediocre *companies* have sprung up all claiming of course to give you a fabulous track to your radio or TV spot * Only to find out that the talent is razor thin, with a crumby sounding jingle at best. Luckily, most are either not getting enough work or they have to heavily discount their work so much to get anyone interested that those who embark upon their services might as well have thrown their money away * You do get what you pay for most of the time. And if all you*re after is cheap, then go with one of those types of companies * But cheap usually equals cheap increases in your sales and revenues.

For those who research a little, you will quickly find out that there are a host of music companies out there in a wide range of services and of course with a greatly varying degree of musicianship and quality. So what do you look for in a company to write and produce your next radio or TV commercial?

Your first step when analyzing a music company is to know how long have they been in business, and then how broad are their writing styles. When you listen to a company's music online or more commonly referred to as their reel, look for differentiating styles. Do not go with a company that has all dance style jingles * It's probably all they can do. So many individuals that we were just talking about employ what we call loops and that is that the keyboard or the computer reads or generates the drum, guitar or bass loops. Most of these productions start to sound stagnant after awhile with no real creativity. If you want your company to shine and your commercial to break free from the rest of the crowd, then you better have a music company who can really write, really produce, really guide singers to the end production goals. The dance guy simply won*t be able to do that * It's that simple. You want a great spot then go with really creative people who can truly write.

Listen for every word. So many jingle reels that can be heard online have words that are not understandable. You do want every word of your commercial to be understood don*t you? You bet you do * don*t go with a jingle house where you can not absolutely understand every word.

Listen for the really creative ideas. So many companies use tired musical lines and phrases and you are no more unique and able to get your jingle sung and remembered by the public then a jingle by the low budget folks we were just talking about. Don*t go with a company because they offer an idea *freebie*. Go with a company because you hear and understand every word on their reel, don*t abuse loops or rely totally on them, and show a creative ability that far exceeds the other *companies* out there.