This Fortnight in Music Supervision and Sync (15/05/20) – Why the Music of The Last Dance Hits So Hard, What Brands Want in a Pandemic & More

Film and TV

Nostalgia Ultra: Why the Music of The Last Dance Hits So Hard (The Ringer)
The sports documentary event of the year plots the tale of Michael Jordan’s rise alongside hip-hop’s. It also invokes feelings from the past at a time when we need them the most.

Top TV Song Last Week: “Fire For You” by Cannons (Tunefind)
Mindy Kaling’s Never Have I Ever takes top TV song last week with a big moment soundtracked by the band Cannons.

Interview: Music Supervisors Laura Webb and Lindsay Wolfington Discuss Soundtracks and the Musical Magic of To All the Boys: PS I Still Love You (Awards Circuit)
The music supervisors behind the To All the Boys trilogy, Laura Webb (Teen Wolf, Siren, Resident Alien) and Lindsay Wolfington (One Tree Hill, Fuller House, Virgin River, Into the Dark), are two rockstars in the music supervision game.

#WFH Diaries: Rebecca Grierson of SixtyFour Music (Muse by CLIO)
As lockdowns linger in most parts of the world, we’re checking in with creative people to see how they’re faring. Here’s an update from Rebecca Grierson of SixtyFour Music in New York.

The Great Soundtrack Has Some, Well, Great Tunes To Start A Revolution (Refinery29)
The music supervisor, Maggie Phillips, is also responsible for the music that similarly punctuates the end of episodes on The Handmaid’s Tale, and also worked on shows like Legion, Fargo, and Normal People.

Sync Story: Normal People/Billie Marten (Music Week)
Of 81 songs chosen for the show, which is airing via the BBC and Hulu, UK-based publisher Centric Music was responsible for licensing 17. Key among them is Billie Marten’s 2016 song La Lune,

IDK to Serve as Music Supervisor & Composer For Kevin Durant’s Basketball Doc: Exclusive (Billboard)
Along with running the operations on the music side, IDK will also narrate the documentary, which will showcase the talents of hoops stars bred in the DMV area.

Scoob! movie serves up diverse range of sonic snacks (New York Post)
“The theme song is obviously the one that stands out the most,” says music supervisor Gabe Hilfer. “We wanted to modernize the nostalgic original version that everybody has such an affinity for.”

Kamasi Washington on Writing a Score Worthy of Michelle Obama (Rolling Stone)
“I thought, ‘If Michelle was going to write a song, what would it sound like?’ ” saxophonist says of music he wrote for new Becoming doc.

Disney’s Newest Kids’ Music Powerhouse (Billboard)
How the Zombies TV-movie franchise drew inspiration from ’90s hip-hop and power from streaming.

Every Song On The Eddy’s Soundtrack (ScreenRant)
The Eddy features a soundtrack comprised of jazz standards and world music that’s specific to the Parisian setting. Here’s a complete list of songs.

Gaming

Assassin’s Creed Composer Jesper Kyd Returns to Score Valhalla (Variety)
Composer Jesper Kyd is returning to the Assassin’s Creed franchise. He will score the upcoming Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla alongside Sarah Schachner, who worked on Assassin’s Creed: Origins and, more recently, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

Here comes the drop(kick): The sick beats in Streets of Rage (Washington Post)
The Streets of Rage series, one of the quintessential 90s video games, needed an update. Its music never really did.

Are bootleg game soundtracks damaging the industry? (gamesindustry.biz)
The popularity of video game music clashes with its lack of availability in physical formats — we examine both sides of this complex issue

More Than a Game, Minecraft Music Festival Is a Blockbuster (Variety)
The entertainment value lacking in most at-home performances opens the door to a music festival set within a game.

Sony is building a team ‘dedicated to reimagining music through immersive media’ – using Fortnite maker Epic Games’ Unreal Engine (MBW)
MBW has spotted that the music company is in the process of recruiting for a team of technical executives based in Los Angeles “dedicated to reimagining music through immersive media”.

Where Can Virtual Concerts Go After Travis Scott’s Fortnite Extravaganza? (Pitchfork)
On April 23, more than 12 million players of the battle-royale video game Fortnite put down their guns to watch a digital avatar of Travis Scott teleport around a beach, tower against a blood-red sky, and launch audience members into outer space

Business