Songwriters can certainly make money in synch licensing, but the variables are stacked against the little guy. Well-established or superstar composers are in a different category, but the rest are struggling against an oversupply of content. For them, this has become almost a textbook example of a buyer’s market.

That was the tough takeaway on Friday at the ASCAP “I Create Music” Expo in Los Angeles, where talented writers were pushing their compositions and clawing for tips. But their songs and jingles are now saturating the pipeline, and supervisors slotting music into coveted film, television, videogame, and commercial spots typically have ample choices to work with.

On top of that, music supervisors are usually operating within very tight timeframes and production requirements, a reality that makes longer negotiations and fine-tuned discussions almost impossible.

If the phone does ring, that means ‘saying yes,’ or getting brushed aside for the next piece. “You can say yes or I’ll call the next person who will say yes,” said Brian McNelis, senior vice president of Music & Soundtracks at Lakeshore Entertainment.

McNelis, whose supervisory credits include Fame, Extraordinary Measures, and a long list of others, is no stranger to slotting music into feature films. According to McNelis, bigger content – the “music videos in a film” or “Coldplay moments” – are often supplied by the majors. But major label groups want too much for the smaller interludes, and that opens the door to other players. In fact, a majority of the musical needs within a feature film are “not the big moment,” according to McNelis, and that creates “lots of opportunity for people who say yes” to aspects like price, delivery time, and requested modifications.

But song-readiness, totally availability and complete responsiveness are merely entry-level requirements. “The competition is outrageous,” said Jonathan McHugh, senior vice president of Soundtracks & Supervision at Island Def Jam. “You hesitate for a second, and you’re done.”

Direct-to-supervisor jabs are hopeless attempts. But for those dialed into the right ‘song pluggers,’ music libraries and publishers, opportunities can arise. Typically, supervisors tap into a range of trusted sources, instead of the wilds of the internet.

But even the best-connected writers are at the whim of random requirements. “Whatever you’re good at, I don’t need it, except with it’s Thursday at 4 o’clock. Then I need it right now,” McNelis continued.

This is all about ‘capturing lightning in a bottle,’ in the words of one writer, though surprisingly, lots of attendees had multiple placements under their belts. Granted, this was a fairly targeted audience, but the game does offer its rewards to non-superstar writers, however paltry.

But what happens when something happens? If the song is slotted into a successful film, show, or game, the writer then has some traction. A few more hits, and suddenly the writer profile has changed.

That suggests a longer-term strategy that focuses on hits upfront, and better payouts down the road. “Producers are often enamored with big name movies or games,” related Steve Schnur, worldwide executive of Music at Electronic Arts and president of Artwerk Music Group.