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
Baby Driver trailer: Edgar Wright returns with a thumping soundtrack (/FILM)
Edgar Wright promised a movie that was powered by music, and the first trailer certainly gives us that.
How movie soundtracks came back from the dead with Fifty Shades and Fast & Furious leading the pack (Billboard)
When four soundtracks, including Moana and La La Land, landed in the Billboard 200 top 10 this January, it marked the first time in nearly 19 years that music from the movies had placed so prominently on the Billboard 200.
Patriot playlist: Listen to the soundtrack from the one-of-a-kind Amazon series and learn how it shaped the show (IndieWire)
The video contains behind-the-scenes footage of the recordings, how the music helped bring the characters to life, and how it served as the true inspiration and specific foundation of the show.
The Americans soundtrack: 13 of the best songs from the FX spy drama (Arts.Mic)
Throughout its four seasons, The Americans has been rightly lauded for its intricate plotting, its on-the-nose re-creation of 1980s Cold War tensions, its layered performances, and — perhaps not quite enough — its soundtrack.
A day’s work: Film soundtrack producer (hv1)
According to Ed Gerrard, Music Supervisor and Soundtrack Producer, good music is what makes a bad film watchable, a good film great and a great film exceptional.
The movie marketing blog: The movie studio addiction to classic rock (The Drum)
Classic rock radio trades in nostalgia. Considering Hollywood trades in large part on the same heartstrings, it makes a ton of sense that movie marketers would gravitate toward music that supports that goal.
The Vampire Diaries: Best music moments, part 1 (tunefind)
As the final episode of The Vampire Diaries airs, tunefind reflects back on eight years of a cultural and musical phenomenon. Music Supervisor Chris Mollere walks us through his favorite songs featured across the 8 seasons of the show, including all of the major moments of the series. Check out: Part II and Part III now.
Oberhofer talks totally tubular covers of Cars, Cyndi Lauper, Wang Chung for Table 19 soundtrack (Billboard)
Billboard chats to to Brad Oberhofer about his experience recording the all-new wave covers soundtrack to the upcoming rom-com Table 19.
Show tunes: A conversation with music supervisor Garrett McElver (Behind the Setlist)
Garrett McElver is a music supervisor living in Los Angeles working for SuperMusicVision. In addition to supervising the placement of music in shows like AMC’s Better Call Saul, Netflix’s Love, and Amazon Video’s Sneaky Pete, McElver also teaches music industry classes at the Los Angeles College of Music.
The Wayne’s World soundtrack at 25: “Bohemian Rhapsody”, Alice Cooper and how the album became secretly influential (Salon)
The Wayne’s World soundtrack album also celebrated its 25th birthday in February. Like the movie, this record was a runaway success, spending two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard charts and going platinum by April 1992.
The Legion soundtrack is a trip worth taking (MTV)
Even without visual imagery or dialogue, Jeff Russo’s high-flying string quartets and psychedelic synth arrangements push us to hear an altered reality.
The song in the new 13 Reasons Why trailer is as haunting as the series (Bustle)
Netflix’s latest teen project is tackling some heavy subject matter, and it has the perfect soundtrack to back it up. The song in the new 13 Reasons Why trailer is “Game of Survival,” by Ruelle.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend star Rachel Bloom breaks down four standout songs from new season 2 soundtrack (Billboard)
The crew behind Crazy Ex-Girlfriend – including creator and star Rachel Bloom and executive music producer Adam Schlesinger – have compiled 34 songs from season 2 for the soundtrack as well as five bonus tracks that show how Bloom’s rough demos become the show’s polished musical numbers.
Sharon Van Etten asks why the sun still shines for The Man in the High Castle (NPR)
Sharon Van Etten’s latest cover comes from a unique and entirely imagined soundtrack to the wildly popular Amazon series The Man In The High Castle.
NYU Steinhardt launches TV scoring workshop with 24 and Homeland composer Sean Callery (NYU)
NYU Steinhardt, in collaboration with Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), is offering a first-of-its-kind workshop dedicated to the practical, aesthetic, and specific techniques of scoring for television.
Gaming
From 8-bit to Chiptune: the music that changed gaming forever (techradar)
After decades of gaming, what makes 8-bit music in particular so memorable?
Composing video game music to build suspense, part 1: ominous ambience (Gamasutra)
Composer Winifred Phillips looks at some of the best techniques that enable video game music composers to introduce suspense into their music, control tension levels during gameplay and keep players engaged.
Advertising
The gatekeepers that control the placement of music in commercials (Forbes)
This infographic illustrates the journey of a song in advertising, pinpointing all of the gatekeepers, decision-makers and executives who are involved along the way.
UK Top Shazamed Ads: Samsung holds the top spot for the second week running, while PrettyLittleThing glides into the chart at fourth place (The Drum)
Samsung stays at the top of the chart with its S7 Quality Assurance ad thanks to The O’Jays “Give the People What They Want” track.
The most Shazamed ads of the week (US): Feb. 20 – Feb. 26 | Feb. 27 – March 5 (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 the last fortnight.
How a Grammy-winning guitar riff became ‘The Ensurance Song’ (Forbes)
You’ve probably heard it a few hundred times. The incredibly catchy Esurance guitar riff featured in all of their commercials is now synonymous with the brand. So what is the Esurance guitar jingle? Well first of all, it didn’t start out as a jingle.
Sync Story: Big Nuz & Babes Wodumo/Smirnoff (Music Week)
The latest edition of Smirnoff’s multi-million pound We’re Open campaign, which champions inclusivity, tells the story of Jeffrey Jewel, a Congolese-French DJ with albinism. The film trails the DJ in South Africa as he explores his roots and the country’s influence on his music.
Business
This new artist has generated over $1M from sync. But should he have had to? (MBW)
Barns Courtney has clocked up more than 50 placements – and generated more than $1m across recorded music and publishing from global licensing fees alone.
7 key truths about music licensing (Aaron Davison)
Musician Aaron Davison (and host of the Music, Money And Life podcast) runs through 7 key takeaways from interviewing music supervisors, publishers and songwriters all working full time in the business.
Ninja Tune confirms new sync department appointments (Music Week)
Ninja Tune has announced two new appointments in its sync department. Isobel Palos, former head of film and TV at Beggars, joins to take stewardship of the same department, and Rob Buckley arrives to head up the bespoke department.
Tips and Tricks
Promoting your sync: How to make the most of your 30 seconds of fame (Hypebot)
Aron Wright looks at some of the best ways an artist can prepare for their ‘big moment’ if they know their music will soon be featured on a show.
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