We run through the latest and greatest in sync licensing and music supervision over the past fortnight, including the latest industry news, advice, and deals.
Film and TV
Detroit: Martha Reeves, Otis Williams, Questlove on Story Behind Film’s Music (Variety)
Rendering an appropriate soundtrack for Detroit was a substantial challenge, not only because the film is mostly set over the span of a couple days but also because Motown songs from the era have been so heavily synced over the years. To tackle that task, Bigelow enlisted veteran music supervisors Randall Poster and George Drakoulias.
Sarah Bridge on the Art of Music Supervision (Soundtracking with Edith Bowman)
As well collaborating with John Ridley on Sky Atlantic’s TV series Guerrilla, Sarah has worked on a host of critically acclaimed productions including X + Y, The Sense Of An Ending and The Theory Of Everything.
Music Is Key to TV’s New Golden Age (Houston Press)
Think of one of your favorite television programs, and you can likely remember the title song of the show as much as your favorite character or plot point. These days, the affinity people have for the music in this golden era of streaming TV is serious.
SDCC Music On TV Panel – Stranger Things And Cool Moms (Bleeding Cool)
In the middle of Comic-Con’s most crowded day, a collection of some of TV’s hottest composers hit the stage to talk all things music and television. Dave Porter, composer of Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and Preacher, Eskmo, from 13 Reasons Why and Billions, Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, the team behind the music in Stranger Things, and Nathalie Bonin, a composer and studio violinist who has played on Game of Thrones, hit the stage to tell the audience about the methods behind their madness.
Top TV Song Last Week: Scared Money by NxWorries (Tunefind)
Kicking off the season 2 premiere of Insecure on HBO, “Scared Money” by NxWorries takes the top spot on Tunefind’s weekly TV music chart. A collaboration between Anderson.Paak and Knxwledge, NxWorries is right in the sweet spot of the authentic L.A. sound of Insecure.
Insecure, The Young Pope, and Music Supervision as Character Development (Pitchfork)
In this golden age of music supervision, Insecure is perhaps the best example of series that use an inspired soundtrackas a tool for character development.
Short Documentary Highlights Lack of Female Composers in Movies and TV (Variety)
“Women Who Score,” a 12-minute film by Sara Nesson, available online, documents a remarkable concert — and a huge dilemma. The concert took place last summer in downtown L.A., where Grand Performances hosted a night of film and TV music by 20 composers — a diverse collection of classical- and jazz-influenced works. What was unusual was that all of the composers were women. And therein lies the dilemma.
An Introduction To The Best Music Supervision on TV (The 405)
As the past few years have proven, the emergence of the “Golden Age of Television” is here to stay – along with an incredibly diverse group of music supervisors. Here are a few examples of the best soundtracks exhibited on TV shows that have aired in the last year.
How composer Ursine Vulpine decides what the year’s biggest movie trailers will sound like (The Verge)
Over the last couple of years, he’s been responsible for the trailer music for some of Hollywood’s biggest films.
Sync Story: Love Island (Music Week)
After enrapturing vast swathes of the nation – a record 2.9 million people watched last week’s final – dating reality series Love Island is over for another year. And while its theme – composed by A-Mnemonic Music Productions – will be etched on viewers’ minds all summer, sync plays a huge part in the show.
Stranger Things Season 2 Trailer Almost Didn’t Include ‘Thriller’ (Screen Rant)
lthough it was an impressive trailer in and of itself, what amplified its intensity was the inclusion of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’. However, series producer Shawn Levy recently told io9 that the song almost wasn’t included.
Christopher Nolan explains the ‘audio illusion’ that created the music in Dunkirk (Business Insider)
“There’s an audio illusion, if you will, in music called a ‘Shepard tone’ and with my composer David Julyan on The Prestige we explored that, and based a lot of the score around that,” Nolan said.
Q&A with David Lynch’s Music Collaborator Dean Hurley – Part 2: Being Open Creatively and Knowing When To Walk Away (Synchblog)
Dean Hurley is a wearer of many hats – in addition to running David Lynch’s Asymmetrical Studios, he is also the director’s longtime musical collaborator and music supervisor. In this two-part feature, he speaks to us about working with Lynch on Twin Peaks: The Return. Missed Part 1? Check it out here.
Daniel Licht, Dexter, Children of the Corn Composer, Dies at 60 (Variety)
Licht scored all eight seasons of Dexter, the Showtime serial-killer drama, from 2006 to 2013. Although he also wrote music for movies and other TV projects, it was his quirky music for Dexter – employing unusual sounds using bones, knives, scissors, duct tape, wine glasses, didgeridoo, Irish harp and other instruments – that became his best-known work.
Soundtrack to our lives: the powerful role of music in films (The National)
With music-led movies Baby Driver and Atomic Blonde currently lighting up the box office, The National examines the soundtrack renaissance.
Meet The Man Behind The Iconic Soundtrack To Wet Hot American Summer (Forward)
You’ve probably heard Craig Wedren’s music, and I’m not just talking about his tenure as frontman of the 1980s post-hardcore band Shudder to Think. He’s the mastermind behind the music of David Wain’s comic empire.
Gaming
Final Fantasy XV — Composers Reflect on Their Work for One of 2016’s Best Games (DualShockers)
DualShockers sits down with Final Fantasy XV composers Shota Nakama and Yoshitaka Suzuki to discuss their work on the game and their approach to composing a few of the tracks.
Berklee students and grads create a noteworthy niche: music for video games (Boston Globe)
Duncan Watt is a professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and the class he is teaching this morning is called Advanced Scoring and Implementation for Video Games.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of War Enlists Composer Garry Schyman (Hollywood Reporter)
Garry Schyman has officially returned to score the upcoming Lord of the Rings video game Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, the composer has announced.
The Madden 18 Soundtrack Features An Evolving List Of Tracks From Kendrick, Action Bronson, More (UPROXX)
The soundtrack of a video game is incredibly important when you pour hours and hours into it, and the Madden 18 lineup does not disappoint. EA Sports announced its first 14 tracks that will be featured in the game, throwing them together in a Spotify playlist that’s sure to get you excited about the latest version of its football video game.
Advertising
Watch Brantley Gilbert’s New Apple Music TV Spot (Billboard)
Brantley Gilbert made the most of an opportunity on July 23, debuting a new, 60-second black-and-white Apple Music commercial during a NASCAR race that bore his name this year, the Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400. The spot will likely appeal to fans of both country and rock, two genres that trail pop and hip-hop in the penetration of streaming services
UK Top Shazamed Ads: July 25 | August 01 (The Drum)
The Drum’s Shazam chart is based on the number of times each ad has been Shazamed over the past week using the music identification app. Here are the charts from the last couple of weeks.
The most Shazamed ads of the week (US): July 17 – July 23 | July 24 – July 30 (Clio)
Every week, Clios.com, in partnership with Shazam, rounds up the most Shazamed ads of the previous week. These are the top spots from July 17th to July 30th.
Wyclef Jean Talks Complex Relationship Between Musicians and Brands (Variety)
Wyclef Jean and Greg Glenday, Shazam’s Chief Revenue Officer, talk about their new branded music partnership. Jean is a fan of technology believing it’s possible to geek out on tech without messing up your creativity.
Interview with music supervisor and founder/author of Get Your Music Licensed, Sarah Gavigan (playitloudmusic)
Sarah Gavigan has placed literally thousands of indie and unsigned artists to TV ads. She has been in the commercial production industry since 1995. In 2000, Gavigan created Ten Music, the first company to represent independent record labels and artists to advertisers for music licensing.
Business and Legal
Music Week Sync Awards: first finalists revealed (Music Week)
The first wave of finalists have been announced for the Music Week Sync Awards, which returns for its fourth year this October.
The dealmaking to pull off the 1980s-soaked Atomic Blonde soundtrack was as intense as the fight scenes (Business Insider)
Sitting alone in a screening room, finishing up the director’s cut of Atomic Blonde, the movie’s music supervisor John Houlihan couldn’t move from his seat. The lights went on and director David Leitch entered the room to see Houlihan sitting there, white as a sheet.
Tips and Tricks
Music Supervision 2: The Complete Guide to Selecting Music for Movies, TV, Games, & New Media.
Want to learn all there is to know about music supervision? Check out Music Supervision 2: The Complete Guide to Selecting Music for Movies, TV, Games, & New Media.
This second edition is the newly revised, definitive book on music supervision, which guides students and professionals through real-world scenarios and legal landmines, explores sound design, and profiles key players in the industry.
Tips for Getting a Gig or Sync Placement (Symphonic blog)
Writing pitch emails take a lot work and effort when trying to promote your music. Whether it be with different venues or between licensing agents, you would need to present yourself well in order to establish a good relationship. After that, there is better chance of you getting gigs or even having your music featured. Here are some tips on getting yourself set up to a yes:
Events
Key Worldwide Music Industry & Sync Events List 2017 – Updated (Synchblog)
We’ve updated this gargantuan list for you yet again! You won’t find a more comprehensive list of music industry events out there, bookmark it now.
Inside Scoop From Music Sups V3 (Nashville, August 14th)
This event, organised by AIMP, puts together top music supervisors in TV, Film, Trailers and Ads with Nashville’s most successful (independent) music publishers. Music supervisors will clue the audience in on their current projects and music needs.
London Sync Sessions (Barcelona, 14/09/17 – 15/09/17)
In the true Glastonbury spirit of “taking a year off to let the grass grow”, 2017 see’s the London Sync Sessions move to Barcelona. In collaboration with Future Music Forum, they will be bringing the same pulsing debate and top tier networking to the sunny streets of Spain’s Catalonian capital.
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