Film and TV
Danny Elfman Broke His Cardinal Rule for Dumbo’s Bittersweet Score (Variety)
Composer Danny Elfman broke his cardinal rule for Disney’s remake of Dumbo: He wrote music ahead of time, long before shooting began and without even seeing a script.
How Composer Ramin Djawadi Defined the Sound of Game of Thrones (The Ringer)
Composer Ramin Djawadi will gladly talk about how he wrote the HBO blockbuster’s theme and how music can help shape a character like Arya. Just don’t ask him for spoilers.
Benjamin Wallfisch and Hans Zimmer: A Scoring Bromance (Variety)
A few years ago, Hans Zimmer wrote Ben Wallfisch a fan letter. Zimmer had just seen The Escapist, a film he didn’t like but whose music he admired. He never received a reply.
How Female Composers are Pushing the Boundaries to Change the Music and Film Industry (Billboard)
Make yourself aware of the film industry, take initiative, and love what you’re doing. Those were some of the expert tips shared at the speaker series panel hosted by the Women in Film (WIF) advocacy group.
How Metallica’s Lars Ulrich Landed a New Gig: Soundtrack ‘Thunder’ Drummer (Rolling Stone)
He got involved with Triple Frontier — a movie about five ex-military men attempting to rob a Colombian drug lord — last fall when director J.C. Chandor called him out of the blue with the offer of drumming on the movie’s soundtrack.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Used Music To Capture The Inner Lives Of Women & TV Musicals Will Never Be The Same (Bustle)
From Glee to Rise, from Nashville to Empire, the tradition of the musical TV show is a rich one. It’s something that Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has been explicitly aware of from the get-go, and its on-point parodies of musical genres and tropes have been part of the show’s calling card from day one.
Top TV Song: Lost Without You by Freya Ridings (Tunefind)
Grey’s Anatomy takes Top TV Song last week with an emotional scene soundtracked by an evocative song from artist-to-watch Freya Ridings.
Best TV Shows to Discover New Music (Pop Dust)
These five series range from dramatic to absurd. Largely foregoing established acts and major labels, they’ve even introduced new or underground artists before launching some of them to fame.
The Man Who Set Clint Eastwood to Music (WSJ)
In a new book, Ennio Morricone, the composer best known for scoring Sergio Leone’s ‘spaghetti Westerns,’ explores the art of crafting film music.
How Us Breakout Song ‘I Got 5 on It’ Almost Appeared on The Wire (IndieWire)
The 1995 Luniz track, revived by Jordan Peele’s blockbuster horror movie, was highly sought after on multiple occasions for HBO’s acclaimed series.
Behind the Breakthrough Soundtrack, Featuring New Music from Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Lauren Alaina & More (Billboard)
After watching a screening of Breakthrough, 20th Century Fox’s faith-based theatrical release that tells the true story of a young man who survived 45 minutes without a pulse after being submerged in an icy lake, UMG Nashville president Cindy Mabe was so touched by the subject matter that she wanted to support the film in any way that she could.
Hear Starcrawler’s reverent cover of Ramones’ “Pet Sematary” from film soundtrack (Revolver Mag)
De Wilde and cohorts put their laconic spin on the Ramones’ punk-rock classic of the same name, penned for the original 1989 movie at the request of Stephen King, who was a huge fan. Starcrawlers’ reverent take appears under the closing credit of the remake.
Gaming
Meet the record label turning video game soundtracks into super-cool vinyl (IGN)
It’s not often artists like Weezer and Courtney Love are mentioned in the same breath as Hollow Knight, Darkest Dungeon and Nuclear Throne. For Ghost Ramp, a boutique record label based in Southern California, representing video games soundtracks alongside traditional music is a typical day at the office.
Making music supervision work (gamesindustry.biz)
CORD CEO Daniel M Jackson takes a look at music supervision in games and examines what it takes to be great.
Serj Tankian’s soundtrack for video game Midnight Star (Kerrang!)
“Back in 2015, I composed the music for a fast paced first person mobile futuristic sci-fi shooter game called Midnight Star,” says Serj. “Although the game’s no longer available, I’m now happy to share with you the hard hitting, up-tempo electro-rock soundtrack here.”
Video Games in Rap: How Gen Z Artists Have Reshaped Their Role (Highsnobiety)
Now that Gen Z and millenials are positioned at the vanguard of hip-hop culture, it is only natural that this unabashed love for the virtual world would rears its head in their art.
Business
UMPG promotes Tom Foster to Head of Film & TV, Europe (MBW)
Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) has promoted Tom Foster to Head of Film & TV, Europe, effective immediately. Based in London, Foster will continue reporting to Mike McCormack, Managing Director of UMPG UK.
Industry innovator spotlight: Shawn LeMone (Pop Disciple)
Inspirational Senior Vice President: Film & TV Music / New Media at ASCAP speaks on mentoring the next wave of promising talent through the ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop, how the explosion of entertainment outlets is affecting composers at large, the evolution of the annual ASCAP Screen Music Awards, and the diverse film/TV related programming he has curated for this year’s “I Create Music” EXPO.
Peloton Removing Classes Featuring Songs Named in NMPA Lawsuit (Billboard)
After a lawsuit was filed against Peloton last week, the exercise startup is removing classes featuring songs publishers claim were being used without proper licenses.
Advertising
Mtn Dew remakes the Game of Thrones’ theme song with Migos (AdAge)
Migos, The Chainsmokers and several pro sports stars are crashing the “Game of Thrones” theme song on behalf of Mtn Dew. They are part of a star-studded cast the PepsiCo-owned brand recruited to cut a remix.
Alfa Romeo campaign merges gaming and Beethoven (Marketing Dive)
Automaker Alfa Romeo launched a new campaign, “Soundtrack,” for its Stelvio Quadrifoglio and Giulia Quadrifoglio models that includes a 3D gaming and musical experience.
Colonel Sin: KFC’s Ultra DJ Performance Was a Dystopian Nightmare, And a Warning for Brands Everywhere (Billboard)
As shameless as marketing can be, the fast food chain — and the festival — crossed a line when it brought the mascot onstage for a five-minute set.
Tips and Tricks
New Course: How to Be a Music Supervisor, or Get Heard by One: Learn the Business of Synch Licensing Music to Movies, TV, Commercials, Video Games and New Media (MusicSupervision101)
Authors of Definitive Textbook ‘Music Supervision’ to Teach Online Course on Fast-Growing Business of Selecting and Licensing Music for TV, Films, Video Games, and Streaming Content.
New Book: Thinking In Sync: A Primer on the Mind of a Music Supervisor (Amanda Krieg Thomas)
“Thinking In Sync” is the perfect starting point for any artist interested in learning more about the world of synchronization. With this book, Thomas aims not only to provide answers for many of the questions music supervisors are most often asked, but also the reasons behind those answers.
New Playlist
Synchtank‘s Top Music on TV Playlist
Our top music on tv playlist is back! Powered by data from Tunefind, we bring you the top trending tv syncs each week. Don’t forget to follow to stay updated.
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