You’ve probably heard Right the Stars’ songs without even realizing it. With placements in commercials and television shows for Honda, Target, Xbox, Pixar, Grey’s Anatomy, One Tree Hill and Pretty Little Liars, Right the Stars—namely frontman Rich Jacques—has managed to secure multiple music licensing deals primarily through “being in the right place at the right time.”
Jacques says when he first moved to Los Angeles in 2001, he began teaching guitar and accrued clients that dropped his name around town, which led to gigs coaching Ben Affleck on guitar for Hollywoodland and Emma Stone on bass for The Rocker. A friendship developed with Lynn Grossman of music licensing company Secret Road around the time he released his first solo EP led to licensing deals.
“I think just what I naturally like lends itself to [TV placements],” Jacques says. “I just find a group of players I co-write with, and it’s basically just me writing with other people that I find that I like. By nature, I like diversity, so for me it’s about changing it up, finding new people, new energy, new environment.”
Jacques advises working in places where talented people in the industry work. Artists who do what they love to do tend to organically find doors opening, he says. “If you don’t like it, you shouldn’t do it. If you like it, it’s just about meeting people and working with them. Chasing it doesn’t play out the same way. A lot of it is patience. In any of the arts, the moment you start forcing anything, it’s not the right way to do it.”
Jacques is currently producing and co-writing a children’s record with Renee Stahl, of children’s music group Renee and Jeremy, with contributions from Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket and actor/former SNL star Molly Shannon.
Rich Jacques
Right the Stars
Musician
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://RightTheStars.com
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