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
Max Richter’s soundtrack to dystopia (The Atlantic)
The British composer describes how he creates scores for film and television projects like The Leftovers, Black Mirror, and Morgan. (Don’t forget to also check out the 42-song playlist that Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker made for the “San Jupinero” episode.)
Trainspotting 2 trailer updates Ewan McGregor’s choices & music (Billboard)
The first Trainspotting 2 international trailer previews the hotly anticipated onscreen reunion of Ewan McGregor, Johnny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle and Ewen Bremner. Although the track list for the soundtrack has yet to be released, the trailer features “Born Slippy” by Underworld, and “Silk” by Wolf Alice.
Stranger Things have happened: Inside Austin’s synth explosion (Rolling Stone)
The popularity of Stranger Things and Survive has rapidly brought national attention to Austin’s teeming analog synth community, a group of tangled and interconnected artists that have been gurgling and droning in relative obscurity since 2008.
Ennio Morricone sues to regain film score rights (Pitchfork)
Ennio Morricone has filed a lawsuit against Bixio Music Group to regain the copyrights to his film scores for Cosi Come Sei (Stay As You Are), Il Giocattolo (A Dangerous Toy) and Un Sacco Bello (Fun Is Beautiful).
Good Girls Revolt music supervisor transports viewers to the ’60s (Billboard)
Good Girls Revolt, a new Amazon series, centers on the true story of the gender-discrimination lawsuit filed against Newsweek. Set in the late ’60s and early ’70s, Gary Calamar, the show’s music supervisor (Six Feet Under, True Blood, Dexter) was tasked with setting the scene.
How TV is making us hear ’80s music in a whole new way (Vulture)
In the near-decade since Journey featured in The Sopranos series finale , ’80s songs have played an increasingly prominent role on television. As more years have passed and the decade has been put in more nuanced context, the diversity and quality of its pop music has become more widely acknowledged.
Why OutKast’s ‘Elevators’ was the perfect song to end the 1st season of Atlanta (TWP)
Donald Glover’s critically acclaimed FX show “Atlanta” has burnished an understated approach to comedy and social commentary. The last scene featured OutKast’s “Elevators (Me & You),” a classic track from the rap duo’s 1996 album “ATLiens.” The song — a hypnotic mix of blues, bass and percussion — could be viewed as a metaphor for Glover’s show.
HBO comedy Insecure has one of the best soundtracks in the game, thanks to Solange Knowles (Vox)
Insecure’s music is an integral part of the series, from the raps Rae’s character spits at her own reflection in an effort to pump herself up to the soundtrack punctuating scenes with a carefully chosen beat. And it’s all thanks to Insecure’s wildly talented music consultant, Solange Knowles.
Listen to Hans Zimmer’s stunning new music for Planet Earth II (entertainment.ie)
The BBC lined up no other than Hans Zimmer to soundtrack the main theme of the show alongside the series’ original music composers Jacob Shea and Jasha Klebe and goosebumps, oh are they a-coming. Listen to ‘Planet Earth II Suite’ by Hans Zimmer, Jacob Shea and Jasha Klebe here.
The Broad City soundtrack gives you the perfect excuse to revisit these musical moments (Bustle)
The soundtrack was curated by Matt FX, the music supervisor on Broad City, and it’s full of hip hop and electronic music you’ve probably never heard outside of Broad City, including the Comedy Central show’s theme song (“Latino & Proud” by DJ Raff) and two original tracks — “Tigre” by Jarina De Marco and “Dat Gyal” by Tony Quattro. (You can check out Synchblog’s interview with Matt FX here).
Gaming
Microsoft Research helped Gears of War 4 sound so good (endgadget)
The game has sounded thin in the past – a shortcoming of the underlying tech, Unreal Engine, powering it. But Microsoft owns the series now and has far more money to throw at it than former owners/Unreal Engine creators Epic Games did. With help from Microsoft Research, Redmond’s Gears of War factory The Coalition found a high tech way to fix that problem. It’s called Triton.
Hudson Mohawke has scored the soundtrack to Watch Dogs 2 (mixmag)
Hudson Mohawke has been brought on board as the exclusive producer on the soundtrack for Watch Dogs 2. The original soundtrack, titled ‘Dead Sec – Watch Dogs 2 (OST)’ will technically serve as the artist’s third album. With a full body of 15 brand new works, the project follows his 2006 ‘Butter’ and 2015 ‘Lantern’.
Advertising
Laura Mvula to soundtrack House of Fraser Christmas TV ad (Music Week)
Laura Mvula’s new single ‘Ready Or Not’ has been chosen to soundtrack this year’s House Of Fraser Christmas television campaign, Christmas Is Coming For You. The recording is a cover of The Delfonics 1962 original ‘Ready Or Not (Can’t Hide From Love)’ and will be released on November 4.
Christmas ads, John Lewis, and the sync industry: A Q&A with Abi Leland (Synchblog)
As speculation mounts over who will soundtrack this year’s much anticipated John Lewis Christmas advert, we throwback to our conversation with the brand’s music supervisor Abi Leland, founder of Leland Music.
Intel, Netflix, Apple and the power and influence of sonic branding (Forbes)
Twenty-two years ago, three seconds of audio comprised of five musical notes was written to help a tech brand with its marketing. Today, you can’t think of Intel without hearing the iconic “Intel Inside Bong.” You’ve heard it so many times, even with different variations, but the core five note progression is always the same. How can something so simple be so effective?
The Most Shazamed Ads of the Week: Oct. 24 – Oct. 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 last week.
Why the CMAs and country music fans are so appealing to brands right now (AdWeek)
More brands are getting involved with the CMA because they want to tap into the genre’s increasingly diverse, and increasingly urban, fan base, as marketing execs attested at the CMA Marketing Summit in Nashville, ahead of this year’s show.
Business
Bucks Music bulks up sync team with new hires and promotions (MBW)
Congratulations to Synchtank client Bucks Music Group who have expanded their sync division with three new appointments as well as promoting from within. Holly Manners joins from music supervision agency Soho Music, Angus Fulton joins as Senior Licensing Manager, and Tom Frank joins from [PIAS] as Sync Executive.
‘Publishers now pipping labels’, says MPA’s Claire McAuley (Music Week)
In a new interview, MPA Group CEO Jane Dyball and Claire McAuley outline the growing importance of sync deals and brand partnerships for artists, whilst also suggesting that publishers are now creating more money for artists than record labels.
Tips and Tricks
Music industry advice: Music publishing – the new breed (Music Connection)
Kim Nieva of Deep Well Records discusses working with publisher Kobalt on the label’s sync endeavours, and the importance of delivering music through media. The article also features interviews with 3 Ring Circus Music’s Darrell Franklin, and ole’s John Ozier.
Music game plan: Tactics for the video game composer (part three) (Gamasutra)
Games music composer Winifred Phillips has produced four videos to introduce aspiring video game composers to some of the most popular tactics and procedures commonly used by game audio experts in the structuring of musical interactivity for games. In part three, Phillips moves on to another major music interactivity model used by video game composers – Vertical Layering.
The musician’s guide to winning every single legal situation (Digital Music News)
Over the years, Digital Music News have written dozens of articles on virtually every legal entanglement musicians face. Here’s a complete guide to everything you need to be aware of from a legal standpoint, including sync licensing.
Upcoming Events
A2IM SynchUp LA 2016 (2nd November, Los Angeles)
A2IM will return to Los Angeles for their 2nd Annual A2IM LA SynchUp on Wednesday, November 2. They will host Executive One-on-One Sessions between A2IM Members and Music Supervisors throughout the day followed by a Drinks and Light Bites Reception.
AIM’s Sync Licensing to Film, TV, Adverts and Games Conference (14th November, London)
Having sold-out every year for the last 6 years, AIM’s ever-popular Sync Licensing conference returns on Monday 14th November 2016 and will open with a special keynote interview with Nora Felder, music supervisor on hit shows including Californication, Roadies and Stranger Things.
The Pitch: An Evening with Music Supervisors (15th November, Nashville)
WHO KNEW, sponsored by MusicRowSearch and the College of Media and Entertainment at Middle Tennessee State University, will present “The Pitch: An Evening With Music Supervisors” on Tuesday, November 15, at City Winery. The event will mirror last year’s hugely successful Pitch event that featured music supervisors representing television, film, trailers, video games and advertising.
To view our full list of music industry and sync events in 2016 / 2017, head here.
