Over the years, as a songwriter myself, I have written tunes on spec for film and TV pitches. Many times, despite my hard work, I did not get the placement.
But over the years, those songs written for a specific scene with a particular genre, vibe, lyric etc, have ended up getting placed later. Why is that, I wondered?
It’s because a greyhound chases a rabbit harder than he would running for fun after a a ball tossed in an open field.
And the lesson here is that songwriting for film, tv placement is about being in support of the scene, yet not having the music or lyrics so on-the-nose that they won’t apply later to other emotional moments.
Writing and recording is never a waste of time if done with artistry and passion. Great music finds a home eventually!