In part 1 of our Halloween special we go behind the business of horror music releases with Silva Screen Records, WaterTower Music and Cutting Edge Group. Check out part 2 where we speak to execs from Mondo and Sacred Bones Records.
David Stoner – Licensing Director, Silva Screen Records
What are some of the horror scores that you represent at Silva Screen?
We cover a pretty broad range from all decades of cinema. One of the earliest classics of the genre is the 1922 German film, Nosferatu. In 1997, a new restoration of the film was presented as a Live Cinema event and we were involved in the commissioning of a new score from Hammer Horror veteran James Bernard. From the 1930s, we released a complete recording of Franz Waxman’s Bride of Frankenstein and we have covered many of the Hammer Horror scores from the 1950s and 1960s.
More recent themes in our catalogue include Halloween, The Omen, Rosemary’s Baby, Suspiria, and Saw amongst many others.
What’s the process when you release a horror score? What does the release strategy look like?
A horror score is more likely to be subject to more extravagant packaging than normal. Graphic imagery plays a big part in the appeal of this type of score – a vinyl release is more likely to sell better than a digital only one so we would always consider physical formats first.
How important is Halloween as a time of year for sales/streams?
Having said that, we always notice an uplift in streaming revenue for genre tracks at this time of year. The abundance of Halloween-themed parties makes the inclusion of a claw-full of scary themes an absolute must in the party playlist.
How has the vinyl resurgence in general affected these releases? How important is it to serve fans of horror scores with an amazing physical product?
Very much so. To the point where even very obscure genre scores, particularly from the 1980s, can be resurrected, dusted off and given a new lease of life on vinyl. The more synth-y and drone-like the better.
Have you had any horror/Halloween themed sync placements? Do you see a lot of briefs for these?
Not as much as you may think. But certainly we see a lot of use of key tracks under the UK blanket licensing agreements with broadcasters.
Can you talk us through any horror-related new releases?
Three projects currently at various stages – a little-known, but classic, BBC anthology series from the 1960s – Out of the Unknown – this will be a first release of archive recordings from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. One of the earliest films from the pen of Clive Barker is Rawhead Rex (1986). We are working with composer Colin Towns to get his epic orchestral music released for the first time. And next year there will be a new TV series Dracula from the makers of Sherlock – so watch this space!
What’s your personal favourite horror score?
There are so many but the best examples are where the music is absolutely right for the film – whether score or licensed. For score, Halloween obviously but they really don’t come much better than Psycho. 60 years on and the music from the shower murder is still used to signify moments of extreme terror.
But top pick would have to be The Shining – a superb mix of score, Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind’s creepy re-purposing of the ancient ‘Dies irae’ Gregorian chant over the opening credits sitting alongside sections of equally unsettling modern classical music from Bartok, Ligeti and Penderecki.
And then to end the onslaught with the warm nostalgia of a 1930s Al Bowlly track!
Stanley Kubrick – the compete film-maker at his inspired best.
Check out this London Music Works playlist of tracks represented by Silva Screen:
Genevieve Morris – Vice President Sales & Product Development, WaterTower Music
What are some of the horror scores that you represent at WaterTower Music?
We are about to release the score for Doctor Sleep by The Newton Brothers and we recently released Benjamin Wallfisch’s score to It Chapter Two and Joseph Bishara’s score for The Curse of La Llorona. Some of my favorite gems from our catalog include A Nightmare on Elm Street (Charles Bernstein), everything from The Conjuring Universe (Joseph Bishara), Poltergeist, Salem’s Lot, and Trick r Treat.
What’s the process when you release a horror score? What does the release strategy look like?
We typically release the score to digital platforms when the film is released and sometimes make specialty vinyl for certain projects later on. We made fun picture discs for It, The Conjuring and Batman: The Killing Joker. We’re starting to create artist profiles on streaming platforms for some characters from our horror films like Pennywise and Freddy Krueger and make playlists that live on their profiles.
How important is Halloween as a time of year for sales/licenses? Do you see a big uptick in sales/streaming of horror scores?
We definitely see an increase in consumption around Halloween, but really horror is a 365 day affair around here because of our strong properties like those within The Conjuring Universe, IT, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, etc. We worked with Hot Topic on a Valentine’s Day horror promotion this year so it is all horror all the time for us now.
How important is it to serve fans of horror scores with an amazing physical product?
Visuals are so important in vinyl packaging and I think horror properties are a perfect fit for that reason.
Who are some horror score composers that you’re excited about at WaterTower?
We work with so many incredible composers that it is tough to select only a few, but definitely Benjamin Wallfisch, Joseph Bishara, Adam Taylor, and The Newton Brothers.
What’s your personal favourite horror score?
Hmmmmmm. I might have to go with A Nightmare on Elm Street because I love the heavy synth, but I’m really enjoying the Doctor Sleep score with so many call backs to The Shining. I got the mono mix from Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? recently and would love to release that because it is fantastic and special.
Check out WaterTower Music’s Pennywise Halloween playlist:
Michael Kurtz – Head of Music, Cutting Edge Group
What are some of the horror scores that you represent at Cutting Edge/Music.Film?
Our most popular horror scores are Oculus by The Newton Brothers, Let Me In by Michael Giacchino, Orphan by John Ottman, The Boy by Bear McCreary, The Woman In Black by Marco Beltrami, The Gift by Christopher Young, I, Frankenstein by Reinhold Heil and Johnny Klimek, Sinister 2 and 47 Meters Down by tomandandy, and the Underworld series.
How important is Halloween as a time of year for sales/licenses? Do you see a big uptick in sales/streaming of horror scores and license requests?
Horror scores are licensed year-round! We don’t notice a particularly big uptick during Halloween for licenses, because projects that need horror cues can present themselves at any given point. We do sometimes notice an uptick around conventions like Comic-Con, where horror plays a role.
Have you had any horror/Halloween themed sync placements? Do you see a lot of briefs for these?
We recently placed several horror cues in Night Terrors (an AR horror game from the creator of Paranormal Activity). I also produced a custom track for a promo for one of the Paranormal Activity films – the theme was “New Year, New Fear”, so we recorded a creepy version of Auld Lang Syne. We do see a good amount of briefs come in for horror, and we have a lot of cues to offer!
What’s your personal favourite horror score?
I loved Mica Levi’s score for Under The Skin. At the risk of sounding redundant, it really got under my skin!
Check out Music.Film’s Horror + Beats playlist for horror aesthetics combined with frightfully dope beats:
Enjoyed this article? Why not check out:
- Behind the Business of Horror Music: Part 2 – Mondo, Sacred Bones Execs Talk Halloween Franchise, Creative Packaging & More
- Songs to Die For: Rob Lowry Reveals the Secrets of Horror Music Supervision
- The Life Cycle of a Cutting Edge Score: From Inception to Secondary Exploitation
- Behind the Business of Film Music: A Q&A with Silva Screen’s Rick Clark
