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
A history of Adult Swim’s boundary-pushing music moments (Billboard)
Whether collaborating with an artist or just spotlighting them, Synchtank client Adult Swim has brought us many musical moments over the years that are hilarious, heartfelt, and even artistically boundary-pushing. Billboard runs through some of the highlights.
The LA-centric music of Issa Rae’s Insecure (89.3 KPCC)
The music on Insecure, the new HBO series helmed by Issa Rae, is both prominent and meticulously curated. Here music supervisor Kier Lehman talks about what it was like working as a supervisor on such a musically rich project.
La La Land wins Best Original Score at the 2017 Golden Globes (Billboard)
Justin Hurwitz won the best original score Golden Globe for La La Land at the 74th annual ceremony. Following the win for best original score, La La Land was also awarded the best original song Globe for for “City of Stars.”
Soundtracks dominate the top 10 (The New York Times)
In the first chart to be published since La La Land swept the Golden Globes, soundtracks have a strong showing, with five albums in the Top 10 related to movies or musical theater.
John Legend & Ariana Grande to perform title song on Beauty and the Beast soundtrack (Deadline)
Oscar and Grammy winner John Legend is teaming up with best-selling pop singer and Hairspray Live! alum Ariana Grande to perform the title song for the soundtrack to Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast.
T2 Trainspotting soundtrack mixes contemporary and classic acts (Music Week)
Iggy Pop, The Clash, Fat White Family, Blondie and Wolf Alice are among the artists to be included on the soundtrack for T2 Trainspotting.
See the star-studded tracklist for Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack (Entertainment Weekly)
Featuring the already-released original song “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker)” by ZAYN and Taylor Swift, the collection houses new music from Halsey, Tove Lo, Sia, Kygo, The-Dream, and John Legend, and a collaboration between Nicki Minaj and Nick Jonas.
Nashville heads to CMT: The show runners & songwriters who hope to make Season 5 sing (LA Times)
Picked up by CMT last year after its cancellation by ABC, the series set in country music’s capital began its fifth season earlier this month. And along with a new network has come a fresh creative team promising a move away from the soapy theatrics that slowly came to define the show.
Pharrell Williams making noise for Hidden Figures everywhere (The New York Times)
Hidden Figures is a story of representation that Mr. Williams cares about profoundly, and he has been deeply involved in the project. In addition to writing and performing new songs for its soundtrack, he is a composer of its score (with Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch) and is also a producer of the film.
LISTEN: Marvel’s Luke Cage and Westworld composers break down their signature sounds (Salon)`
Salon talks music with Luke Cage‘s Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Westworld‘s Ramin Djawadi.
The Hidden Figures screenwriter is creating a musical TV series that sounds fiercely feminist (Bustle)
Hidden Figures screenwriter Allison Schroeder is creating a musical TV series for E!, according to Variety. While the series is in the earliest of stages right now, it’s currently called Inspiration. Music fans will be happy to know Schroeder is producing Inspiration with industry insider Scooter Braun.
Pining Academy Award hopes on a powerful song (The New York Times)
Since, “I Need to Wake Up”, from An Inconvenient Truth, was crowned best original song in 2007, no song from a documentary has won the prize. But it’s not for a lack of trying. But the attention that a high-profile song can bring to a documentary — especially one promoting a social cause — is really the point.
The John Williams of Japan: Joe Hisaishi in 9 songs (Pitchfork)
Some of the greatest moments of anime film history were soundtracked by one man. Joe Hisaishi is arguably the most acclaimed Japanese composer to have ever worked in film.
Movies and the music: Oscar-winning scores of the 1930s and ’40s (Classical MPR)
The Academy Awards were first presented in 1929, but it wasn’t until 1935 that awards began to be presented for Best Original Score. In this first of a decade-by-decade look back at the winners of that award, Classical MPR runs through the scores that won Oscars in the 1930s and ’40s.
Gaming
The music for the next Ghost Recon was born inside a cigar box (Polygon)
Part of what makes Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon franchise so unique are its settings. For Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands, Ubisoft is shipping the single largest open-world game they’ve ever made. In order to truly bring Bolivia to life, they enlisted musician and composer Alain Johannes..
How Sega brought virtual pop star Hatsune Miku to Playstation VR (The Verge)
Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live lets players attend a virtual Miku concert from the comfort of their living rooms, complete with pumping glow sticks, on-stage theatrics, and intimate encores.
Video game composers can make you smarter – Part 3 (Gamasutra)
Video game composer Winifred Phillips looks at ways in which music can enhance concentration and tactical decision-making for players engrossed in strategic gameplay.
Advertising
The role of music in apple advertising (Creative Review)
Creative Review talks to Chris Pattinson, Music Supervisor at TBWAMedia Arts Lab, Apple’s ad agency, about the role that music plays for the brand and why being in its ads can be good for artists and the music industry too.
The Most Shazamed Ads of the Week: Dec. 13 – Dec. 19 (CLIO)
Every week, Clios.com, in partnership with Shazam, rounds up the most Shazamed ads of the previous week. Here are some of the most popular tracks from the festive advertising period.
adbreakanthems’ Sync of the Week: Jan 9 | Paddy Power | The Steward (adbreakanthems)
Online bookmaking giant Paddy Power is betting that a screen campaign based on top pop parodies will prove a firm favourite with punters.
Business
Synchtank client spotlight: Silva Screen Records on sync, film music, and new directions (Synchblog)
We chat to Charlotte Seibert, Synch & Licensing Manager at our client Silva Screen Records / So Recordings, about recent sync placements, being the go-to source for film music, and more.
Apple entering scripted TV? Very good for music supervision (MusicSupervisionCentral)
Apple may be doing its part to provide new opportunities for music supervisors, and in turn, fresh sync licensing placements for legions of artists and publishers.
Syncing feeling lifts music industry (BBC News)
The BBC looks at one of the big turning points in how musicians perceive sync opportunities, and chats to Matt Bristow, business affairs manager at independent UK record label Cherry Red.
Tips and Tricks
How to make a full time income licensing music with Jason Moss from Super Sonic Noise (Music, Money and Life)
Jason Moss from Super Sonic Noise discusses the ins and outs of music licensing, how to make a full time income, what works best for licensing, networking strategies and much more.
