Basically, he's been trying to get music gigs for years as a composer, but coulnd't land any, so he asked me for help. Here's my answer:
Hey Sam,
I feel the struggle man!
The thing is: as an artist it's your responsibility, and no one else's, to get your music recognized and heard. Simply being able to compose good music is no more impressive nowadays: anyone can do that.
That is why it's hard to find good gigs as a composer. We're easily replaceable.
What can you do about this is: be remarkable.
- Are you a composer who's decent at all genres, but amazing at none... Or can you write only a few genres but with a very remarkable style and insane skill level?
- Or maybe, if you're a jack of all trades, do you have a remarkable work ethic / insane amount of creative output that makes you stand out compared to your competition?
The thing you should ask yourself is: why should those companies hire you instead of all the other composers?
If your art and the way you're promoting it answer those questions in a very bold and clear way, then you're doing it right. If not, you should definitely re-work your portfolio and credits in such a way to build an impressive artistic persona that will make you stand out from the rest.
A good way to do that, other than being remarkable, is social proof.
Make your name more notorious by sending your art to influencers.
YouTubers, Music Promotion Channels, Podcasts.. find those guys's emails. Contact them, and let them use your music for free in their videos in exchange for, well, influence.
Having a track featured on a Promotion channnel that fits your niche will lead thousands of people to stumble upon your name, while being credited in a huge YouTuber's video will give you heaps of social proof if that person or channel is famous (or, if that particular video becomes Viral).
Do both.
Now, I know that giving away stuff for free like that doesn't help paying the bills at first, but trust me when I say it definitely builds up to the point you start landing cool gigs and earning out of your art.
That's how you draw the attention of people, companies and find gigs nowadays. By playing it smart, paying it forwards and reaping the rewards later.
Be willing to be more than just "good", and gain social proof by giving value.
Eventually, that will lead you to interesting gigs as it has done for me!
Hope that helps.
-Alex