This Fortnight in Music Supervision and Sync (07/09/18)

Film and TV

All The Songs In Crazy Rich Asians That You’ll Want To Listen To Over & Over Again (Bustle)
All the songs in Crazy Rich Asians blend American and Asian culture thanks to a combination of classic Chinese love songs and popular English songs reworked with Chinese lyrics and sung by Asian performers. And according to the film’s director, Jon M. Chu, and the music supervisor, Gabe Hilfer, all of those choices were a conscious decision to underline Rachel’s entrance into high society in Singapore.

Music Supervisor Spotlight: Maureen Crowe (Pop Disciple)
Veteran music supervisor and co-founder of the Guild of Music Supervisors speaks on the sparkling legacy of The Bodyguard soundtrack, rounding up rock legends for Wayne’s World, her unrelenting advocacy on behalf of music supervisors, and what variables can impact the perceived value of a copyright.

How TV Became the New Radio for Emerging Artists (Hypebeast)
Digital streaming platforms have allowed new artists access to a wide range of consumers, but the downside is that it can be hard to distinguish their music from the thousands of songs released every day. This is where television comes in.

Top TV Song Last Week: Easy by Anna Wise & Xavier Omär (Tunefind)
HBO’s Insecure takes the top spot on our TV music chart this week with a new song created especially for the series.

Beth Krakower, Veteran Film-Music Publicist, Dies at 46 (Variety)
Krakower was beloved in the film-music community as a smart, kind and eloquent spokesperson for composers and their projects. Among her clients were Mission: Impossible composer Lalo Schifrin (who was just announced yesterday as the recipient of an honorary Oscar) as well as composers Bear McCreary, Blake Neely, Jeff Beal, Cliff Martinez, Kurt Farquhar and Ryan Shore, among others.

4 Emmy-Nominated Music Supervisors on Their TV Shows’ Standout Musical Moments (Billboard)
Four of 2018’s nominees – This is Us’s Jennifer Pyken, Stranger Things’ Nora Felder, Westworld’s Sean O’Meara, and Atlanta’s Jen Malone, who shares her nod with Fam Udeorji – take Billboard inside the episodes they chose to submit for consideration and share their most successful strategies for creating memorable music moments on TV.

Behind the Music interview: Bensi and Jurriaans of Ozark (Hidden Remote)
Season 2 of Ozark is here and Hidden Remote celebrates by chatting with one-half of the musical masterminds behind the score: Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans.

Soundtrack legend Michel Legrand: ‘I’ve been an adventurer!’ (Guardian)
He wrote the soundtracks to some of the greatest films ever, winning Oscars and partying with the stars. As he hits Britain, the 86-year-old Frenchman recalls fights with his mother – and benders with Miles Davis.

Supervisor Spotlight: Carmen Montanez-Callan (GMS UK & Europe)
This month we feature an exclusive interview with Music Supervisor Carmen Montanez-Callan who shares her insights into her career to date and what inspired her to pursue a career in supervision. Read the full interview below.

Film & TV Composer Spotlight: Jeff Beal (Pop Disciple)
Magnificent composer and recording artist discusses his effective collaboration with director, Oliver Stone to create a striking, Russian flavored score for The Putin Interviews, manifesting a powerful female sound for the final season of political thriller, House of Cards, and how turbulent times in our society can lead to profound displays of artistic expression.

Andrea Higgins on crafting the musical moods of Wynonna Earp and Killjoys (SYFY Wire)
SYFY had the opportunity to speak to Higgins about her background in music, the decision-making behind some of the most memorable musical moments on both Wynonna Earp and Killjoys, and what she’s most excited for fans to hear in upcoming episodes.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before Music Supervisors Break Down the Best Soundtrack Moments (Billboard)
Music supervisors Laura Webb and Lindsay Wolfington pulled from artists such as Blood Orange, Tears for Fears and Anna of the North to construct a soundtrack that captures the spirit of Lara Jean — eclectic, playful and, above all, hopelessly romantic.

Queen movie soundtrack to include Live Aid performances, new versions of classics (Ultimate Classic Rock)
Four songs from their Live Aid performance — “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Radio Ga Ga,” “Hammer To Fall,” and “We Are the Champions,” as well as singer Freddie Mercury’s “Ay-Oh” crowd singalong before “Hammer to Fall” — will be on the record and have never before been released in any audio format.

Alone Together Enhances Sound in Season Two (Tunefind)
Fans of Freeform’s Alone Together will have noticed a new sound underscoring the show’s comedic moments during season 2. Music Supervisor Rachel Komar tapped Brad Oberhofer, frontman of the band Oberhofer, to compose for the latest season of the show.

Thom Yorke Talks Suspiria Score at Venice Film Festival (Rolling Stone)
“I kept thinking to myself that it’s a form of making spells,” Radiohead singer says of Krautrock-inspired score for upcoming horror remake.

Gaming

Composers Corner: The Flight on Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (GMS UK & Europe)
This months composer corner sees the brilliant composer duo, The Flight discuss their work on the up and coming Assassin’s Creed Odyssey as well as their journey, experiences and inspirations all throughout their career working together.

How Grand Theft Auto Is Changing the Way the World Experiences Music (Rolling Stone)
In the five years since launch, GTA V and GTA Online gamers have listened to more than 75 billion minutes of music, according to Rockstar Games.

Sync Story: Inside Tom Grennan’s Playstation VR placement (Music Week)
Thanks to a new collaboration between PlayStation Worldwide Studios and Sony Music’s 4th Floor Creative, Tom Grennan is being beamed into homes around the country. The singer, whose debut album Lighting Matches peaked at No.5 earlier this year, recorded a two-song set at London’s Metropolis Studios, and fans can put themselves in the thick of the action via a VR headset.

How video game music waltzed its way on to Classic FM (Guardian)
Once regarded as inferior to film and TV soundtracks, games scores are gaining recognition and awards as a valid form of contemporary classical music.

New FIFA 19 soundtrack features Childish Gambino, Gorillaz, Young Fathers and more (NME)
Whilst the popular video game is not released until September 28, most of the soundtrack is available to listen to now on Spotify. All 43 songs from the upcoming game will be released alongside the game next month.

Eminem samples popular Disney game Kingdom Hearts on his new album (Independent)
The track ‘Good Guy’ features a sample from the video game Kingdom Hearts, which features a crossover of various Disney and Final Fantasy characters

Advertising

Songs for Screens: Watch Elton John and Boogie Host a Rap Battle in New Snickers Ad (Variety)
For its first venture into hip-hop territory, the Mars candy brand has tapped rising Shady/Interscope Records recording artist Boogie and, as his unlikely hunger-plagued alter ego, Elton John for a spot that puts a surprising spin on rap battle culture.

Queen’s ‘Somebody to Love’ Soundtracks Amazon Music Advert, Steve Boom Talks New Marketing Campaign (Billboard)
Billboard chats to Vice President of Amazon Music, Steve Boom about the campaign and what it means for the Amazon Music at large, taking cues from his teenage daughters and why musical diversity is key to the streaming platform’s continued growth.

Kids Turn ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Into a Joyous Space Opera for U.K. Retailer John Lewis (Adweek)
The two-and-half-minute spot features a group of elementary school kids performing an impressive rendition of Queen’s 1975 hit “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Who Wrote the Powerful Music for Nike’s Colin Kaepernick ‘Just Do It’ Ad? (Digital Music News)
Kaepernick is the high-profile athlete chosen by Nike to deliver its powerful “Just Do It” campaign. Behind the scenes, composer Dustin O’Halloran provides the background song called “We Move Lightly” for the spot. It seems to match up perfectly with the tone of the new inspirational ad.

Meet Akua Agyemfra, The Branding Exec Behind Some Of Britain’s Biggest Artists (Complex)
From personal branding to managing the outlook of global powerhouses, Agyemfra specialises in turning ideas into reality and making sure those ideas make sense in the bigger picture, with a particular love for the crossover between music and sport.

Songs for Screens’ Synch of the Month: LSD’s ‘Thunderclouds’ and Samsung (Variety)
Launching a supergroup in today’s crowded music landscape can sometimes be easier said than done. But in the case of Labrinth, Sia and Diplo’s LSD, the trio has scored an unofficial fourth member in the form of Samsung, whose music and marketing teams have tapped LSD’s music for two different high-profile commercial campaigns.

UK Top Shazamed ads: August 29: YSL campaign featuring Zoe Kravitz slips into third place | September 05:Boots ‘faceless’ ad campaign jumps into tenth place (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): August 31: Camila Cabello and Sam & Dave Mashup Gets Lincoln Into This Week’s Most Shazam’d Ads | September 07: Imagine Dragons Are a ‘Natural’ Fit for ESPN in This Week’s Most Shazam’d Ads (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 August 31st to September 7th.

Business

Warner/Chappell hires Rich Robinson as EVP, Sync and Creative Services (MBW)
London-based Rich Robinson has been appointed EVP, Sync and Creative Services at Warner/Chappell Music, the music publishing division of Warner Music Group. Robinson moves across from WMG’s recorded music company, Warner Music, where he served as SVP, Sync for the UK and Europe.

BMG Production Music expands into Southeast Asia, announces key executive hires (MBW)
BMG Production Music has expanded into Southeast Asia with several key executive appointments, adding an eighth office to its growing global presence. Newly dedicated operations in Hong Kong and Singapore join existing offices in US, UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, and Australia (covering Asia-Pacific).

Sync big! Final shortlists revealed for the 2018 Music Week Sync Awards (Music Week)
As the fifth edition of the Music Week Sync Awards approaches, we are delighted to present the second round of shortlists. The soundtracks and supervisors listed below join our previously announced finalists.