Film and TV
Captain Marvel to Be Scored by Female Composer, Marking Major Breakthrough (Variety)
In a major breakthrough for women composers, Pinar Toprak has been signed to score Captain Marvel, the superhero movie due for release in March 2019. Toprak, who just finished scoring the first season of SyFy’s Krypton and who penned additional music for the DC film Justice League, is the first female composer to score a major comic-book movie.
13 Reasons Why Soundtrack Tops This Month’s TV Songs List (The Hollywood Reporter)
Rankings for the Top TV Songs chart are based on song and show data provided by Tunefind and ranked using a formula blending respective Shazam tags, as well as sales and streaming information tracked by Nielsen Music during the corresponding period.
How Curtis Mayfield Made the Original Super Fly Sing (Vulture)
Directed by Gordon Parks Jr., Super Flyprovides some of the best examples of the way the tension between those mixed messages could make the genre feel so vital, largely thanks to Curtis Mayfield’s soundtrack, which often seems to be suggesting the darker, more honest movie that Super Fly won’t quite let itself be. (See also – Future Tackles the Influential SuperFly Soundtrack With ‘No Shame’)
Stranger Things Music Supervisor Nora Felder Builds Out Duffer Brothers’ World With Sounds For Cast Of New Characters (Deadline)
The series’ stellar soundtrack comes courtesy of Emmy-nominated music supervisor Nora Felder, who, in Season 2, tackled the ambience of All Hallow’s Eve, expanding the series’ sonic scope with the addition of major new characters—including Dacre Montgomery’s Billy and Sean Astin’s Bob, who exist on opposite ends of the musical spectrum.
5 Music Supervisor Playlists To Keep On Your Radar (Synchblog)
Want to find out what music supervisors are listening to on a daily basis? We’ve put together a list of our favourite Spotify playlists curated by some of the best in the business. Check them out now.
FILM & TV COMPOSER PROFILES: Daniel Pemberton (Goldo Sync Report)
Gifted Golden Globes nominated composer dishes on remodeling the work of Bach within his explosive hybrid score for Ocean’s 8, how he convinced Aaron Sorkin to let him capture the essence of a rock band for Molly’s Game, and the innovative sequence he’s most proud of from medieval epic, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.
Top TV Composers Reveal Secrets to Creating Memorable Scores (The Hollywood Reporter)
The creators of music for such shows as The Looming Tower and Chef’s Table weigh in on the building blocks (words, images, QuickTime?) that lay the foundation for unforgettable scores.
Columbia Records Teaming With HBO for ‘Music Inspired by Game of Thrones‘ Album (Billboard)
As Game of Thrones storms to a conclusion next year, Columbia Records and HBO have teamed up for an officially licensed album, Music Inspired by Game of Thrones. While a full track listing wasn’t available at press time, a release announcing the project teased that it would feature songs inspired by the hit series and showcase artists “from diverse musical genres.”
Sync Story: Inside Little Simz’s BT Sport placement (Music Week)
Before the football World Cup kicks off its usual flurry of sync activity, there’s still time to reflect on last month’s Champions League final. BT Sport commissioned its customary film, recording rapper Little Simz performing The Road To Kiev on location in the Ukrainian city where Liverpool played Real Madrid.
SECRETS OF THE SCORE: Zach Robinson & Leo Birenberg (Goldo Sync Report)
In this episode of Secrets of the Score, notable composers behind YouTube Red’s breakout Karate Kid revival series, Cobra Kai guide us through their original cues, “Slither” and “The Wrong Path” from season one.
The secret messages hidden inside every song on The Handmaid’s Tale (Stylist)
“Like the voiceovers, the music gives us an insight into June, before Gilead, before Offred,” music supervisor Maggie Phillips tells stylist.co.uk. “I often ask myself what Offred would be listening to if she could press play in a scene. It helps the audience relate to her and reminds us that she came from our world”.
Solo Composer John Powell Takes on Toxic Masculinity, WWI Arrogance & Grief on Stirring Classical Album ‘Hubris’ (Billboard)
You probably know John Powell’s work way better than you realize. The British composer has spent the past three decades providing moving, surprising, exhilarating music for dozens of movies, from animated classics like Shrek, Chicken Run, Robots, the Ice Age series and the Oscar-nominated How to Train Your Dragon to the Bournemovies, X-Men: The Last Stand, Pan and, this summer, Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Colin Stetson On Conjuring The Terrifying Score For Hereditary And Making Music That Sounds Evil (Stereogum)
Colin Stetson has probably frightened more listeners in the past week than in the preceding 15 years of his career. Stetson, the idiosyncratic saxophonist known both for his intense solo albums and his involvement with acts including the Arcade Fire and Bon Iver, spent much of the last year-and-a-half devising the musical universe of Hereditary, the acclaimed new horror film that’s so scary it’s making viewers want to vomit or self-medicate with Xanax pills.
The Greatest Showman must go on (and on) at the top of the UK albums chart (Music Week)
Its sales are down again but The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to The Greatest Showman remains far ahead of the pack, topping the chart for the 19th time in 23 weeks, and the fourth week in a row, on consumption of 34,378 units (including 11,030 from sales-equivalent streams).
MUSIC SUPERVISOR INTERVIEWS: Michelle Johnson (Goldo Sync Report)
Consummate music supervisor and valued team member at SuperMusicVision dishes on the significance of Breaking Bad being her first project, her creative exchange with Judd Apatow to curate the musical experience for Love, and her impassioned dedication to LGBT activism, which led to the establishment of Dyke Day LA.
The 10 Best World Cup Songs Ever: The Definitive List From 1962 to Today (Billboard)
Soccer and music have always been tight friends. From World Cup anthems to songs that have inspired soccer stars to dance on the field, music moves this sport. Now, with the World Cup kick-off literally around the corner, the frenzy for soccer-inspired music has reached a feverish pitch.
The Ocean’s 8 Soundtrack Is Officially The Badass Playlist You Need This Summer (Elite Daily)
Ocean’s 8 was unbelievably awesome, but now, things are about to get even more exciting. The Ocean’s 8 soundtrack is available in not just one, but two forms, and it’s every bit the badass playlist you need this summer.
The great movie scenes: Hitchcock’s Psycho and the power of jarring music (The Conversation)
What makes a film a classic? In this column, film scholar Bruce Isaacs looks at the contrasting uses of music to convey emotion in Lord of the Rings and Psycho.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 Song Was Included Thanks To A Fan Suggestion (Heroic Hollywood)
One of the songs used in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was “Wham Bam” by Silver. Apparently, this song was suggested by a fan on Twitter to writer/director James Gunn. Gunn confirmed that the “Wham Bam” suggestion convinced him that it would be a great addition to the film.
Jeff Russo’s Score Invites Us Into the Delusion on Legion (Tunefind)
Great news for fans of Legion: FX has has renewed the Marvel mutant series for a third season to air next year. With just one final episode remaining this season, we spoke with Emmy-winning composer Jeff Russo (Fargo, Star Trek: Discovery, The Night Of) about his score for the critically acclaimed show.
Luke Cage Season 2 Featurette: How the Netflix Series Taps Into the Music of Harlem (/FILM)
It’s not just the bulletproof hero or the Harlem setting that sets Luke Cage apart from the other Marvel Netflix shows — it’s the music. Netflix has released a new Luke Cage featurette diving into the new music and artists who are working on the second season of the Marvel-Netflix series. And it sounds like the season 2 music has stepped it up a notch.
FILM & TV COMPOSER PROFILES: Hauschka (Goldo Sync Report)
Oscar nominated avant-garde composer and prepared piano genius discusses his sonic battle with the sea for Baltasar Kormákur’s Adrift, modernizing the tale of Guy Fawkes with electronic textures for Gunpowder, and capturing the punk yet polished attitude of Patrick Melrose.
The Best Part of Jurassic Park Is Its Music (GQ)
Jurassic Park is 25 years old today, and aging better than any of us ever will. It’s about as unassailable as summer blockbusters get, a movie that works just as well now as it did in 1993.
Emmys 2018: The Orchestral Arms Race of TV’s Sci-Fi (Variety)
Some of the most compelling music for television these days is being written for science-fiction and fantasy shows, where the sound palette ranges from orchestral arrangements to eerie vocals and synthesizers, and reflects a wide spectrums of styles.
The 10 Best Original Movie Songs of the 21st Century (IndieWire)
From The Greatest Showman to Call Me by Your Name, these original movie tunes are going to be stuck in our heads forever.
The new Call Me By Your Name soundtrack vinyl will smell of peaches (NME)
The soundtrack to Luca Guadagnino’s Oscar-winning film Call Me By Your Name is set for a physical release, and later this summer it will be pressed onto peach-scented and peach-coloured vinyl.
Top TV Song Last Week (June 5): “This Fire” by John Ondrasik | Top TV Song Last Week (June 13): “Experience” by Ludovico Einaudi, Starkey (Tunefind)
Each week, Tunefind spotlights the most popular songs on TV. In the last couple of weeks tracks from Code Black and Sense8 have topped the list.
FILM & TV COMPOSER PROFILES: Laura Karpman (Goldo Sync Report)
Four-time Emmy winning composer and BMI Champion Award recipient speaks on transforming classical music with motorcycles and car parts for Mozart In The Jungle, breathing new life into the work of great American poet, Langston Hughes through Ask Your Mama, her Grammy winning multimedia opera, and what the Alliance for Women Film Composers is taking on next.
How Unsolved music supervisor Lyah Beth LeFlore told Tupac and Biggie’s story without their songs (Gold Derby)
When Lyah Beth LeFlore joined USA’s anthology series Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. as a co-producer and music supervisor, she anticipated one big obstacle: not getting the rights to their music. The estates of both rappers are famously restrictive when it comes to licensing their songs, but LeFlore, who came up in the ‘90s hip-hop scene and knew the rappers personally, already had a plan to work around that.
Dolly Parton Announces Eight-Part Netflix Series Based On Her Music (NPR)
Netflix has greenlit a Dolly Parton anthology series, set to premiere in 2019, the company announced today. Each of the eight episodes will be based on one of Parton’s songs, with the Emmy award-winning singer-songwriter appearing in select episodes and executive producing the series.
The Soundtrack to Netflix’s Ibiza Will Make You Want to Take a Girls’ Trip, Too (Pop Sugar)
Since much of the movie’s action takes place in one of the world’s most prominent nightlife destinations, the soundtrack is packed with festive, heart-pumping techno songs, as well as some recent Latin crossover hits like “Despacito” and “Mi Gente.”
Pitbull and Leona Lewis Tease New Collaboration ‘Amore’ For Gotti Movie Soundtrack (Billboard)
Mr. Worldwide is back in action. This time, Pitbull is teaming up with British pop star Leona Lewis to release “Amore,” a single from the official soundtrack for the upcoming film Gotti. The song and movie are both set to drop on Friday (June 15).
Stranger Things Composers Break Down the Show’s Music (High Snobriety)
While production for season three is underway, we likely won’t get a new set of Stranger Things episodes until 2019. In the meantime, however, news surrounding the heralded Netflix original series continues to stream in, as this week we get a look at the music from the show.
Gaming
Ambient adventure Sable gives an indie pop star her gaming debut (Polygon)
Sable is already a standout at this year’s E3 event; the 2019 adventure game from indie studio Shedworks is a gorgeous mixture of graphic novel-like artwork and a calming open world. But one of the most defining features from the game’s teaser trailer, which offers just a peek at Sable, is the music — which, for lifelong gaming fan and accomplished musician Michelle Zauner, comes as a labor of love.
The story behind Hyperdub’s celebration of video game music, Diggin’ in the Carts (FACT)
At the end of last year, the esteemed Hyperdub label released Diggin’ in the Carts, a 36-track compilation of pioneering Japanese video game music. Lewis Gordon speaks to Kode9, Nick Dwyer and Hally who put together the compilation, and a selection of the artists responsible for the music itself to explore just how prescient the era actually was.
Sufjan Stevens Song Plays Critical Role in New Life is Strange Video Game (Pitchfork)
The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit is a new free-to-play video game from the developers of the award-winning 2015 adventure game Life is Strange. Music fans’ interest may have been piqued when a trailer for the game was released yesterday and it featured Sufjan Stevens’ Carrie & Lowell opener “Death with Dignity.” Now, it’s been revealed that the song will play a larger role in the game, which is out June 26 on PC/PS4/Xbox One.
Composing video game music for Virtual Reality: Diegetic versus Non-diegetic (Gamasutra)
These articles are based on composer Winifred Phillips’ presentation given at this year’s Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco, entitled Music in Virtual Reality. If you missed the first article exploring the history and significance of positional audio, please go check that article out first.
The IndieBeat: Composer 2 Mello’s notes for starting a game-music career (Venture Beat)
Matthew “2 Mello” Hopkins began making music as a teenager, and electronica was his genre of choice for several years. Then he had a revelation in 2013 when he released Chrono Jigga, an inspired mashup of rapper Jay-Z and the soundtrack from the classic JRPG, Chrono Trigger. He saw a “connection between game music and the music I like,” and began pursuing a career as a game composer.
8 Amazing Soundtrack Moments In Video Games (WhatCulture)
Whilst you might not always think about it, the soundtrack of a game plays a key role in determining the mood of what you’re playing. They can’t be too intrusive or they’ll overpower how you’re feeling, and likewise if the music is underwhelming, it won’t add much to the action. In some perfect moments, that balance is struck effortlessly and the track comes to be far more memorable than the actual game we find ourselves playing.
Advertising
Sync Story: Inside BMW/Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s placement (Music Week)
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are no strangers to sync, but their recent hook up with car giant BMW has lent some high profile heft to the title-track from the trio’s sixth album, 2010’s Beat The Devil’s Tattoo. Its use in the sharp, desert-set film advertising BMW’s new M5 model has seen a spike in plays that has pushed its total count on Spotify to almost 29 million. It is the group’s most played song on the platform.
5 Minutes with… Ayla Owen (LBB Online)
Head of Music at BBH London and The Most Radicalist Black Sheep on the anthropology of music, the laddism of the ‘90s indie scene and the beauty of silence.
MAC Cosmetics and Vice Created a Surreal, Hypnotic Homage to Aaliyah’s Legacy (Adweek)
Aaliyah was an iconic R&B artist of her day and featured on one of i-D’s most iconic covers. Seventeen years later, MAC Cosmetics and i-D, a Vice-owned global platform for emerging talent that celebrates fashion, culture, individuality, and youth partnered up to create a tribute film that celebrates the life and legacy of the late singer with help from her friends, fans, and family.
Chart-Toppers Writing Production Music for Brands? We’re Listening… (LBB Online)
No great advert is truly complete without equally great music. But in today’s landscape of music streaming and YouTube, the benefits of a great combination of music and advertising flows both ways. Great ads also have the power to elevate great music. With more diverse content coming out of brands, commercial musicians have started to see more opportunity in scoring for adverts than ever before.
Grimes Stars In Apple Commercial Featuring Her New Song (Stereogum)
“I hate permission, you know? I don’t want permission. If I just want to drop something, I just drop it.” So says Grimes at the beginning of a new Apple advertisement spotlighting her creative process.
Two Music Composition Trends to Tick Off at Cannes 2018 (LBB Online)
With many big changes coming in to effect for 2018, this will be an interesting year at Cannes Lions. With music libraries continuing to thrive and some interesting acquisitions between labels and production libraries, the conversation about music and advertising will be an interesting one.
Songs for Screens: How Brothers Osborne and RAM Trucks Teamed Up to Restore a Historic Theater (Variety)
Grammy-nominated country duo Brothers Osborne’s newly released sophomore album “Port Saint Joe” has a healthy share of uptempo, propulsive songs that would be a natural fit for a car commercial. But for the band’s first TV spot with automotive partners Ram Trucks, the album’s plaintive closer “While You Still Can” ended up being selected for synch duties to help tell a community-driven story inspired by the album’s production.
Inside Track: Mastering the language of music briefings (LBB Online)
Sound experts from Track’s and fields have released another Inside track, their feature where they give some insight into the industry. Read below to discover this week’s latest findings.
UK Top Shazamed ads: June 6: Chanel, Kopparberg, Fiat and more make it into this week’s chart | June 12: Beats By Dre drops into this week’s chart (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.
Woodwork Music and Phillip Kay Score PlayStation’s Cinematic ‘5 Years Of Greatness’ (LBB Online)
Woodwork Music and Philip Kay score the latest ‘Greatness Awaits’ spot for PlayStation which continues the iconic campaign’s series of blockbuster commercials.
The most Shazamed ads of the week (US): June 8: French Musician Flavien Berger Helps Apple Double Up on Most Shazam’d Ads | June 15: Juliet Roberts, Cardi B, David Bowie Songs Anchor 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 June 8th to June 15th.
Business
Columbia Records Names Kerry Hickey VP of Film and Television Licensing (Variety)
Columbia Records is fortifying its efforts in film and television, hiring Kerry Hickey to serve as Vice President, Film & Television Licensing. Hickey will be based in Los Angeles and will report to Joel Klaiman, executive VP and General Manager of Columbia Records.
Industry Spotlight: Jordan Passman, CEO Score a Score (Supervisor Wire)
We asked Jordan to break down how Score a Score finds new opportunities for their roster of artists – from both agencies and brands, what the future looks like for music libraries and what that means for the value of music overall.
Manners McDade Signs Composers Jessica Jones and Benedict Taylor (LBB Online)
Jessica is a London based composer for film and television. She has scored award-winning films which have been in competition at BAFTA, The National Television Society, Edinburgh International Film Festival and The Annie Awards amongst others. Benedict is known for his work in film and theatre scoring and as a violist, specialising in contemporary music (read more about his signing here).
Primary Wave Acquires David Rose Catalog, Including ‘The Stripper’ & Little House On the Prairie Theme (Billboard)
Primary Wave Music Publishing has acquired the David Rose music publishing catalog, which includes one of the most recognizable instrumentals of the 20th Century, “The Stripper.” Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
Saregama identifies IP-driven music, film businesses as future growth drivers (Television Post)
Music and video content company Saregama has identified IP-driven music and film businesses as future growth drivers. The company feels that these two content themes will fuel content consumption on mobile and therefore hold great promise.
Universal Music’s Polygram Entertainment Names Daniel Inkeles VP of Scripted Film & TV (Variety)
Polygram Entertainment, the film and television division of Universal Music Group, today announced that Daniel Inkeles has been named Vice President, Scripted Film & Television.
Advice
How To Pitch Your Music To Game Developers (Hypebot)
First impressions are important in any business, particular when it comes to pitching your creative work to the powers that be. When it comes to gatekeepers in the music industry, your music needs to deliver immediately. In this piece Davor Gasparevic suggests how artists should go about pitching the compositions to game developers.
Artist Advice Column: How To Write Music For Video Games (Magnetic Magazine)
Video games is a booming space for music with more games, more platforms and more systems. Don’t skip out on this opportunity to expand your musical repertoire.
5 Tips to Write Impressive Trailer Music (Synchblog)
There are a few factors that you should always remember while choosing the music for a trailer that you plan on uploading. Here are 5 Tips to Write Impressive Trailer Music:
Events
Key Worldwide Music Industry & Sync Events List 2018 (Updated) (Synchblog)
We might be half way through 2018 but there are still plenty of great music industry events and conferences worldwide. We’ve just updated our hugely extensive list, bookmark it now:
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