This Fortnight in Music Supervision and Sync (15/11/19)

Film and TV

How Martin Scorsese and Robbie Robertson Decide on the Perfect Needle Drop (Vulture)
Ahead of The Irishman’s release on Netflix, Vulture spoke to Robertson about his immediate attraction to Scorsese, who gets the credit for some of their iconic music cues, and where his ongoing relationship with Dylan and the Band stands.

Netflix Music Supervisors Talk Finding “Perfect” Songs for Martin Scorsese, Noah Baumbach Films at Soundcheck Panel (Hollywood Reporter)
In a discussion at the inaugural event, music supervisors Trygge Toven (Dolemite Is My Name), George Drakoulias (Marriage Story), Nora Felder (Stranger Things), Randall Poster (The Irishman) and Aaron Byrd (When They See Us) discussed finding both “anachronistic” and “quintessential” songs of their films’ eras.

The 5 Major Studio Heads On Their Favorite Scores and Soundtracks of 2019 (Billboard)
These music department heads from five major film studios had knockout years — and are sharing their favorite moments.

Top TV Song Last Week – Nov 6th: ‘Heaven I Know’ by Gordi | Nov 14th: ‘Remember’ by Seinabo Sey, feat. Jacob Banks (Tunefind)
The last two weeks have seen tracks from Power and The Walking Dead top the popular songs list.

Queen & Slim Soundtrack Arrives With Lauryn Hill, Blood Orange, Megan Thee Stallion, And More (Forbes)
Queen & Slim is due out the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, but the film’s soundtrack is already proving it to be a cinematic success.

Last Christmas: Here’s How the Movie Incorporates George Michael’s Music (Billboard)
The Paul Feig-directed flick not only incorporates the ubiquitous Christmas tune, but prominently features 14 other Michael and Wham! tracks, including “Waiting For That Day,” “Praying For Time,” “Too Funky,” “Fantasy,” and a previously unreleased song titled “This Is How (We Want You To Get High).”

Film Composers Tap Into Offbeat Inspirations for Scores (Variety)
The rulebook for film composers has been thrown out, it seems. A number of this year’s films feature daring musical approaches, suggesting that filmmakers are more open to unusual soundscapes, which in turn makes their films even more interesting and provocative.

Songs to Die For: Rob Lowry Reveals the Secrets of Horror Music Supervision (Synchblog)
For this Synchblog Halloween special, we spoke with Rob Lowry about the secrets behind music supervising his acclaimed horror films and television shows.

How Ludwig Goransson Became Directors’ Secret Musical Weapon (New York Times)
The 35-year-old Swede has worked closely with Ryan Coogler and Donald Glover. Up next: the score for the Star Wars series The Mandalorian.

Top 25 Music Schools for Composing for Film and TV, Ranked (Hollywood Reporter)
The Hollywood Reporter surveyed members of the Society of Composers & Lyricists to find the best of the best for its annual rankings — and also found out where Danny Elfman snuck in for gamelan classes.

Behind the Business of Horror Music: Part 1 – Synchtank Client Special | Part 2 – Mondo, Sacred Bones Execs Talk Halloween Franchise & Creative Packaging (Synchblog)
In our two part horror music special, we delve into the business of horror soundtrack releases with Silva Screen Records, WaterTower Music, Cutting Edge Group, Mondo and Sacred Bones.

Film/TV Composer Spotlight: Joseph Trapanese (Pop Disciple)
Exuberant composer speaks on capturing the musical magic of New Orleans in the 1910s and innovating upon quintessential songs for Disney’s live-action version of Lady and the Tramp.

The End Of The F***ing World Season 2 Soundtrack Is So, So Good (Refinery29)
Season 2 of TEOTFW picks up right where season 1 left off, both in terms of its plot and its soundtrack.

Reminder: Self-Nominations for the Guild of Music Supervisors Awards 2020 close Dec 13th (GMS)`
Don’t forget to submit your projects for nominations for the 10th Annual Awards ceremony due to be held on February 6th, 2020.

Gaming

Playing Piano with a Sledgehammer: Creating Death Stranding’s Unidentifiable Score (The Verge)
One of the first places Joel Corelitz went when he got off the plane from Chicago was a nearby Home Depot. He wasn’t getting wood, supplies, or power tools for a home renovation project. He was shopping for instruments.

The future of gaming in electronic music (DJ Mag)
The worlds of computer gaming and electronic music are merging like never before, with virtual raves, AI-generated musicians and concerts inside massive multiplayers like Fortnite becoming commonplace. DJ Mag investigates what this could mean for the future of clubbing and dance music.

Why does Riot Games keep making virtual bands? (engadget)
An unusual concert took place before FunPlus Phoenix and G2 Esports battled for the League of Legends World Championship last weekend.

Advertising

John Lewis Christmas advert music confirmed as REO Speedwagon’s ‘Can’t Fight This Feeling’ (Mirror)
Originally performed by the American rock band REO Speedwagon, the song has been given a new lease of life thanks to Bastille frontman Dan Smith, who has recorded the cover specially for John Lewis.

Ikea’s Hilarious Christmas Ad Has One of the Best Original Songs Ever (Muse by CLIO)
Anchoring the piece is a fantastic original grime track from D Double E, the legendary English grime MC.

Volkswagen Hopes a Song Can Save Its Soul and Sell Electric Cars (Bloomberg)
“It was a very complicated and delicate challenge,” says Al Risi, the founder of the music licensing firm Groove Guild and part of the advertising team that helped Volkswagen rethink its strategy.

Business

Emerging Sync: Looking Into Sync Opportunities Within China’s Entertainment Industry (Synchblog)
As China’s music industry grows, Kriss Edward Thakrar examines the opportunities and challenges this presents for Western artists, publishers and record labels in the world of film and TV.

Blackbird Music Publishing Appoints Suzanne Moss as Vice President, Head Of Creative Licensing (MBW)
Blackbird Music Publishing Group has hired industry veteran Suzanne Moss as Vice President, Head of Creative Licensing. Moss was previously Vice President of Creative for Film/TV ads at Universal Music Publishing.

Stereo Honey Ink Worldwide Deal With Warner Music UK’s W Songs (MBW)
Up-and-coming London-based band Stereo Honey have signed a worldwide deal with W Songs, the in-house publishing arm of the Warner Music UK Sync team.

Audio Network Appoints Cindy Chao VP, East Coast (MBW)
Audio Network announced that it has hired Cindy Chao as their VP, East Coast. She will be based in New York and report to Andy Williams, who is the company’s global commercial director.

Music house Heavy Duty Projects launches trailer division (SHOOT Online)
Bicoastal Heavy Duty Projects has launched Heavy Duty Trailers, a division dedicated to providing original and licensed music to help drive storytelling and engagement in both feature film trailers and TV show promos.

Jobs