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
How the music on The Handmaid’s Tale tells the real story (Decider)
While the eerily timely series largely employs a traditional, chilling, non-diegetic score that works quite well, the moments that truly stand out are the ones in which notable songs from our own lives are utilized. The integration of these tunes is no accident. They are here to teach us something.
SCORE looks like a great documentary about the music of film (Nerdist)
There’s a new documentary coming out that highlights the value of film scores and the people behind them, called SCORE, and based on the official trailer, it looks like a fascinating journey into the part of movies a lot of us might not spend that much time appreciating.
The song in The Defenders full trailer is a rallying cry for the team (Bustle)
The song in The Defenders trailer should be familiar to many fans. Much like the heroes rallying up for Marvel, the ’90s Nirvana tune salutes their differences in the ultimate call to action everyone’s looking forward to this August on Netflix.
Last week in film and TV music – 27 April 2017 (Tunefind)
Welcome to Last Week, with links to our favorite stories about film & TV music over the past week (or so), featuring favorite TV soundtracks and tons of sync insights…
Inside Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 music: Fleetwood Mac, ELO… and David Hasselhoff? (Billboard)
Ahead of the sequel’s May 5 release, composer Tyler Bates breaks down writer-director James Gunn’s orbit of influences for the soundtrack, from Fleetwood Mac to… David Hasselhoff?
The Leftovers music supervisor Liza Richardson on ironic song choices and Damon Lindelof’s Simon & Garfunkel obsession (Flavorwire)
“The first season is a lot more serious, and the music reflects that. We have a lot more fun in the second, and I think, especially, the third season.”
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis will score Netflix’s War Machine (Paste)
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis (of the Bad Seeds and Grinderman) will compose the score for Netflix’s forthcoming feature film War Machine. The project, directed by David Michod, will also feature Michod and Jake Jackson on the soundtrack.
Netflix’s The Get Down mines more hip-hop history in second season (Variety)
Part 2 of the first season of The Get Down presented series creator Baz Luhrmann and his team with an opportunity to delve even more deeply into the world of hip-hop in 1970s New York.
La La Land director plots new musical TV show The Eddy (Rolling Stone)
The drama, directed by Damien Chazelle, will center around a club in modern-day Paris, its owner, the house band and “the volatile city that surrounds them.”
Legion music supervisor explains the Pink Floyd obsession (Hollywood in Toto)
Phillips checked in with HiT to talk in depth about her role in creating Legion’s sonic landscape, her embrace of “guy rock,” keeping organized when everyone wants to work with you and why Pink Floyd factors so heavily in the new Marvel Comics series.
Gaming
Zelda soundtrack gets dreamy analog synth reboot (Billboard)
The classic RPG Zelda: A Link to the Past is reimagined in its entirety using analog synths. It’s the first in a series called “Switched on SNES” being posted to YouTube by a user of the same name.
Don’t look now, but the ‘creepy cover song’ isn’t just for movie trailers anymore (GameRevolution)
With Outlast 2‘s latest trailer, Red Barrels showed us all that movies don’t have a trademark on this trope. In fact, more and more in recent memory, video games have included new renditions of pop songs for their trailers.
Worlds built by sound: The evolution of video game audio (Cultured Vultures)
Audio may not be something gamers devote much conscious thought to, but as Alex shows us, it is just as essential as graphical fidelity for a full, immersive experience.
Red Dead Redemption 2 soundtrack: Everything to know about the game’s possible composer (Mic)
According to GameRant, award-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla could be working on Rockstar’s latest addition to the Red Dead franchise, if one fan’s hunch is correct. If you’ve played The Last of Us, you’ve probably already heard Santaolalla’s work, which will be featured next in The Last of Us Part 2.
Advertising
Coca-Cola and music: a case study (Music Business Journal)
Berklee College of Music takes a look at Coca-Cola and its music strategy in this case study.
Coca-Cola and music: a case study
Sync Story: Inside Apple/Marian Hill’s campaign (Music Week)
Since debuting in January, Apple’s new Stroll spot has paid dividends for Philadelphian duo Marian Hill, whose song Down soundtracks an ad that features dancer Lil Buck contorting himself across a black and white cityscape.
UK Top Shazamed Ads: April 25 | May 02 (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): April 24 – April 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 April 24 – April 30.
Business and Legal
Sony Music sues Applebee’s over licensing fees for AC/DC, C+C Music Factory songs (Billboard)
Sony says the restaurant used “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution” and “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” despite failing to sign an agreed upon deal and pay the $300,000 licensing fee.
MUSEXPO 2017 day 1: A&R, sync and poetry (Music Week)
The day concluded with the Music Supervision 4.0: The Future Of Synchronisation panel, hosted by Music Week’s Emmanuel Legrand, which saw executives debate the changing landscape for TV and movie placements.
Tame Impala threatens lawsuit over Chinese blueberry milk ad (Billboard)
Ad agencies have a long and storied history of ripping off bands by commissioning cheap soundalike versions of songs to use in commercials. And Tame Impala are the latest victims, apparently.
Iggy Pop signs global licensing deal with Sony Music JV Artist Legacy Group (Billboard)
The deal will “spearhead new license extension opportunities for Iggy Pop’s name and likeness across multiple product categories and media platforms,” according to a press release issued.
Tips and Tricks
The Essentials of Sync Licensing – 2017 Edition (SynchStories)
The following presentation from Synchtank‘s SynchStories Podcast runs through the basics of sync licensing, from tagging your music properly to finding and pitching for opportunities.
SoStereo’s industry tips: 5 things to know before trying to get your music licensed (Magnetic Magazine)
Are you an artist, label or publisher looking to get your music licensed for use in commercials, branded content, television and films? Start here.
Sync licensing struggles, failure and 4 lessons I’ve learned (The Creative Music Blog)
Sync licensing, i.e. having your music placed in commercials, television, and movies, seems to be the flavor of the day for many independent musicians as the glamor and prestige of becoming a rock star signed to a big label, fades.
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