Oh there are tons of video game composers looking for games to make music for!
You can find a whole bunch of them right here on Itch.
I found the composer for my game on Instagram.
So here's basically how the process worked:
First, we worked out the scope of the project. I told him that I needed 5 one-minute tracks that were loopable (meaning that the end of the track seamlessly allows the music to start over). I also told him what my timeline for completion was.
Then we agreed on a price. He even had an invoice that was filled out. Two other conditions he had were:
He wanted his name in the credits (of the same font size and on-screen duration as mine).
He would adjust the music up to 3 times.
If I remember correctly, I paid for half of the music up front and then paid the rest upon completion.
As far as the creative side of it, here are my tips for that:
1) Give them a free demo or copy of your game so they can better see what they're working with. At the very least, send them a link to a playthrough video.
2) Listen to other tracks of theirs and tell them which tracks you like and specifically what parts of those tracks you like. This helps them narrow down the kind of sound you're looking for.
3) Send them samples or links of other tracks you have in mind for different parts of the game. They can use these as inspiration for the original work they'll be making.
4) Tell them what emotions you want the player to feel with each track. If it's a boss fight, should it feel fast and furious or slow and grueling?
After that, just sit back and wait. It's a huge rush to hear original music for your game!
Finally, don't be afraid to ask for edits or adjustments -- especially if you're paying for it! You can usually get them to change things up to 3 times.
If you do ask for edits/adjustments, be specific as to why you want something changed. I remember on one track, I told him that a certain instrument was too prominent at one point and needed to be cut out or lowered in volume. The more specific you are, the better they can fix it for you -- and a lot less grudgingly, too. If you say something like, "This sucks, please fix it," the next edit might be even more unexpected.
Hope this helps!
As someone who has both played in a band and composed video game music, I can tell you that describing music to others is quite difficult. Or more specifically, describing something and then having the other person try to play or write it. Musical adjectives can be really vague... words like "warm", "funky". "plodding", and "crunchy" might be used, but their meaning hits a little different for every listener. Even among trained musicians, interpretations can be wildly different. I once asked a sound engineer to make my bass track "crunchy," but what he came back with just sounded "thin" to me. And I realized, I had given him this word that could make him think of something very different than what I would think.
The point is, you will never be able to perfectly describe the sound you want. Just give it your best shot and like others said, provide images and other reference material. The revision period is really important to get what is hopefully a decent track, closer to your ideal track.
It might help you to read a little bit about technical music terms, which will mostly be lost on non-musicians. Basic knowledge of things like wet vs dry, compression, dynamics, and harmony will make understanding each other easier. But, it's not absolutely necessary. Just know that you'll need some trial and error to get results that both parties are happy with. And at the end of the day, if you are paying for the work, you get the final word on what is acceptable. I worked with someone who thought a specific sound was not fitting right. To me it was just a background noise and I didn't see why it was inappropriate for the game. But, they insisted on its removal and so I did with no further argument. You should expect the same from your composer.
