Film and TV
13 Reasons Why Music Supervisor Talks Season 2’s Punk-Influenced Sound, Selena Gomez’s Vital Contributions (Billboard)
The show is returning with a new, slightly harder-edge soundtrack that will relay the anger and disillusionment of some of the characters, thanks to some classic post-punk ragers and contemporary tracks that tap into an angsty mid-1980s vibe.
Issa Rae is holding a contest to find new music for Insecure (The FADER)
A collaboration between HBO, Afropunk, and Insecure creator Issa Rae is hoping to give one up-and-coming musician a major boost. Just ahead of the comedy’s third season, the network and festival have announced the #InsecureMusicContest.
Music supervisor Maggie Phillips chats adding female voices to The Handmaid’s Tale and going ‘bigger and weirder’ for Legion (Gold Derby)
When music supervisor Maggie Phillips joined the creative team on Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale in season two she wanted to “feature more female artists” on the soundtrack because “it’s such a female-driven show.”
Michael Perlmutter & Janesta Boudreau on Canada’s First Sync Awards (Synchblog)
GMSC President and music supervisor Michael Perlmutter, and music supervisor and Coversion Music/Rocking Horse Road Productions founder Janesta Boudreau explain the significance of the first ever Canadian Sync Awards.
Nas, 2 Chainz, Killer Mike, Logic & More Featured on Def Jam’s Rapture Soundtrack (Billboard)
Def Jam and Mass Appeal teamed up in March for the eight-episode series Rapture, which chronicled the success stories of hip-hop’s biggest faces, including T.I, Nas, 2 Chainz, Logic, Rapsody and more. On Friday, Def Jam and Mass Appeal will unveil an official soundtrack, with songs from each of the artists featured in the documentary series.
Behind (the) Siren’s Songs (Tunefind)
She’s traded fangs for fins, but Laura Webb is still giving us a weekly dose of must-have music on new hit series Siren. The woman behind the stellar soundtrack of MTV’s Teen Wolf is the music supervisor for the new supernatural mermaid thriller on Freeform.
Director Jason Reitman on Tully, Juno, and Soundtracks That Speak to Growing Up (Pitchfork)
In the 11 years since Juno, Reitman has built up a body of work in which music punctuates where the characters are at in their lives, from a cassette keeping Young Adult’s protagonist stuck in the past, to a high-school party soundtracked by Heems on Hulu’s Casual.
Secrets of the Score #016: Kris Bowers | Dear White People (Goldo Sync Report)
Kristopher Bowers is an American composer, pianist, and keyboardist. Bowers was born in Los Angeles, California. His father, Eric Bowers is a film and television writer,and his mother, Kimberle, is a television executive.
American Gods composer Brian Reitzell on the feel and movement of sound (SYFY)
With its unusual mix of Irish doo-wop, folk music, disco, and a haunting theme song, American Gods doesn’t sound like anything else currently on television.
1st Annual Canadian Sync Awards Winners (CMW)
Canadian Music Week (CMW) and The Guild of Music Supervisors, Canada (GMSC) are excited to announce the winners for the 1st Annual Canadian Sync Awards sponsored by songtradr, which took place Saturday May 12, 2018 at The Sheraton Centre.
John Williams Honored With Namesake Award At BMI Film, TV & Visual Media Awards (Billboard)
The 86-year old maestro was presented with the John Williams Award by BMI president/CEO Mike O’Neill and BMI VP/Creative— Film, TV & Visual Media Doreen Ringer-Ross in recognition of his incomparable career in film and television composition.
42 Songs You Heard in Dear White People‘s Brilliant Second Season (POPSUGAR)
The hit Netflix satire dramedy Dear White People is one of the rare shows that perfectly captures its mood and time period with its musical choices — and those choices number plenty.
The BAFTA TV Awards Winners (GMS UK & Europe)
Earlier this month the BAFTA TV Awards took place in London. The awards showcase the best of the small screen entertainment that we’ve all been watching in the past year. The full list of winners can be found here, but we of course would like to congratulate those involved in soundtracking not only the winning shows, but also everyone nominated.
Godzilla: The Album Turns 20: Is It the Most ’90s Soundtrack Ever? An Investigation (Billboard)
Even though the 1998 monster flick was a critical dud, the platinum soundtrack turned out some huge hits, including Jamiroquai’s “Deeper Underground,” The Wallflowers’ cover of “Heroes,” and, of course, Puff Daddy and Jimmy Page’s crossover smash “Come With Me.”
He Heard a Wind | Behind The Sound design In Twin peaks (YouTube)
Step into the mind of David Lynch and how he approaches sound in his work as told by frequent collaborator (on Inland Empire & Twin Peaks: The Return) and music supervisor Dean Hurley.
Top TV Song Last Week: “Blood // Water” by Grandson (Tunefind)
Riverdale is on a roll as they power toward the season finale, with a second top TV song in a row here at Tunefind. This one from LA-based, Toronto-raised Jordan Benjamin, who performs under the name grandson.
Film/TV Composer Spotlight: Tamar-kali (Goldo Sync Report)
Tamar-kali is a fierce, rising composer, who stunned audiences with her organic, gripping debut score for Dee Rees’ Oscar nominated period drama, Mudbound.
This one man composed (almost) all the music from all your favorite childhood TV shows (SYFY)
For nearly 40 years, Ron Jones has had a long and wildly productive career scoring music for TV. He was the musical heart of early Star Trek: The Next Generation, he scored every episode of the original DuckTales, he wrote the theme for Family Guy and has scored well over 100 episodes of that show, and his work has appeared in countless other shows and films.
Deadpool 2 Score Album Is First Ever to Receive a Parental Advisory Warning (Variety)
Here’s a novel way to sell a soundtrack album: the score for Deadpool 2 is being ballyhooed as the first score album ever to receive a parental advisory warning.
Dolly Parton And Linda Perry Collaborate on Dumplin’ Soundtrack (Billboard)
Dolly Parton and producer Linda Perry have collaborated on the soundtrack for Dumplin,’ a film starring Jennifer Aniston. The album, which Parton executive produced, will come out later this year on Dolly Records/RCA Nashville.
34th Annual BMI Film, TV, & Visual Media Awards (Goldo Sync Report)
On May 9th, 2018, elite members of the film and television music community were treated to an evening of honor and inspiration at Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI)’s 34th Annual Film, TV, & Visual Media Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.
Solo: A Star Wars Story finally gives Chewbacca his own theme music (Digital Spy)
Solo: A Star Wars Story is finally giving Chewbacca the recognition he deserves with his very own swanky theme. The revelation was made by the forthcoming film’s director, Ron Howard.
Songs for Screens: Hear Nina Nesbitt’s New Single, Appearing on CW’s Life Sentence (Variety)
For her latest single “The Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Change” – which Songs for Screens is premiering exclusively – Nesbitt has checked off another U.S. milestone by scoring a synch on a CW prime-time drama.
Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein Movie Lands Music & Life Rights (Deadline)
Paramount Pictures and Amblin Partners made it official today what Deadline exclusively reported five days ago: That the Leonard Bernstein estate has granted music and life rights for the biopic about the legendary composer, a project which Bradley Cooper is prepping to direct, produce and star in.
13 behind-the-scenes secrets from Game Of Thrones composer Ramin Djawadi (Metro)
Djawadi is currently in the middle of a world tour with Game Of Thrones Live Concert Experience, for which he conducts an 80-piece orchestra and choir, who perform music and set pieces from the show accompanied by LED telescoping, wall screens, special 3D designs and even special instruments made especially for the show. (See also: Paula Fairfield talks Game of Thrones creature sound design)
Top TV Song Last Week: “The Beginning of the End” by Klergy & Valerie Broussard (Tunefind)
Riverdale takes the top spot this week, with a new track from collaborators Valerie Broussard and Klergy. Broussard and Klergy are frequent favorites on Tunefind, earning a spot on our top tv syncs of 2017 thanks to another placement on Riverdale.
The X-Files composer Mark Snow talks creating one of the most iconic sci-fi theme songs of all time (SYFY)
One of the most iconic theme songs in science fiction television is The X-Files. The theme is lilting and soothing with just a hint of creepiness and otherworldliness — so it goes without question that X-Files composer Mark Snow was a necessary addition to SYFY WIRE’s Conversations With Composers series.
Meghan Markle’s Final Suits Episode Lands 3 Songs on April’s Top TV Songs Chart (Billboard)
A pair of No. 1 songs on Billboard’s Alternative Songs airplay chart in 2017 take the top two positions of The Hollywood Reporter’s Top TV Songs chart, powered by Tunefind and Shazam, for April 2018 — and to boot, both were featured in the exact same episode of television.
Classical Music Captures A Young Wife’s Anxiety In On Chesil Beach (NPR)
Director Dominic Cooke, a veteran of theater making his feature film debut with this Ian McEwan novella adaption, says that as the film goes on, music becomes an outlet for both pain and passion.
Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter contributes new song to Gaspar Noé horror movie Climax (CoS)
Thomas Bangalter has penned a new song for Gaspar Noé’s controversial new horror film, Climax. It’s titled “Sangria” and appears alongside Bangalter’s previously released track “What To Do”. This marks the third time the French robot and Argentine director have collaborated for the big screen.
Krypton composer Pinar Toprak talks about scoring music for another world (SYFY)
As the composer of SYFY’s Krypton, Pinar Toprak is the only female composer to score a live-action superhero TV series in this century. And she is quite proud of this fact, as well she should be, because her list of predecessors is very short.
Hear Mike Patton Talk Scoring Movies, Star Wars, Slasher Films on ‘Murmur’ Podcast (Revolver)
Patton discussed his 1922 score in an hour-long interview with The Modern School of Film’s “Murmur” podcast, where the musical polymath revealed how his boyhood trips to the movie theater portended his future work as a scorer.
Artist Spotlight: The Rise of Lord Huron (Tunefind)
Eerily bittersweet, Lord Huron’s breakthrough song “The Night We Met” had a path to popularity as idiosyncratic as the LA folk rock band behind the hit single.
Music Supervisor Spotlight: Sarah Giles (GMS UK & Europe)
“I tend to base big decisions on a combo of instinct and love, and then trust that if I love it then I’ll work hard.”
13th Annual ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO Highlights (Goldo Sync Report)
Last week, Goldo Sync Report had the sincere pleasure of participating in the 9th Annual ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO, an educational extravaganza that is the largest of its kind.
Golden Trailer Awards: Black Panther, Stranger Things, Westworld Among Nominees (THR)
Trailers for Black Panther, Stranger Things and Westworld are among the nominees for the 19th annual Golden Trailer Awards, which honor the best in film and TV marketing.
Gaming
Celeste composer Lena Raine talks video game music & upcoming projects (Destructoid)
Alongside a wonderfully-written story, which tackles themes like depression and anxiety in a way that never feels gaudy or pretentious, the music perfectly mirrors the themes and actions of the player.
Composing video game music for Virtual Reality: 3D versus 2D (Gamasutra)
We know that spatial delivery of sound design is critical, but does that extend to the music? Do most listeners care if the music is 3D? It’s vital that we keep listener impact in mind – and some scholarly studies from expert researchers can help us throw light on that subject.
Mass Effect, Call of Duty Composer Reveals Musical Inspirations, Fave Games (FANDOM)
Over the last 20+ years, the prolific composer has scored the soundtracks to many best-selling titles, including the Myst franchise, Splinter Cell, Jade Empire, Mass Effect, and Call of Duty. His works have brought excitement to action sequences and depth to emotional ones.
The Music Of CHRONO TRIGGER And CHRONO CROSS Gets Reimagined (Nerdist)
Materia Collective and GameLark are honoring the Chrono soundtracks (composed by Yasunori Mitsuda and Nobuo Uematsu) with a new album that was just released today, At The End Of Time: A Tribute To Chrono Cross & Chrono Trigger.
Music In The Key Of Gaming | The Effect Of Music In Games (Headstuff)
Music in games is so memorable because unlike film, most times, you are directing the action on screen as a song scores the moment. And because of the autonomy the player has in action out the moment, the music becomes seared into physical and auditory components of their memory.
Hear Slash’s Theme Song for New MX vs ATV All Out Video Game (Ultimate Classic Rock)
Between his ongoing Guns N’ Roses commitments and his upcoming solo dates, Slash has plenty to keep himself busy – but he’s evidently also managed to squeeze in enough time to co-write a new theme song for the MX vs ATV All Out video game.
High Score is back for a Bank Holiday special (Classic FM)
On Wednesday 30th May, our very own Jessica Curry will be hosting the first-ever PlayStation in Concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall. And to warm up for it, she’s back for a special edition of High Score on Classic FM.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Confirms Nobuo Uematsu as Music Composer (Game Revolution)
A recent development has confirmed that legendary composer Nobuo Uematsu is working on the highly-anticipated game.
Streets Of Rage Composer Yuzo Koshiro Is Contributing To 198X‘s Soundtrack (Nintendo Life)
Legendary video game composer Yuzo Koshiro is creating new music for 198X, which is currently on Kickstarter. The 2D title – which is slated for PS4, Xbox One, PC and Switch release – mixes five different games styles, including shmup, arcade racer and scrolling fighter.
7 games worth studying for their excellent sound design (Gamasutra)
We sought the input of some of the top sound designers in the games industry to help highlight seven games with great sound design that every dev should study — whether they be in an audio-related discipline or not.
Great fighting game soundtracks from the ’90s (Red Bull Music)
Get the lowdown on the finest fighting game soundtracks, from Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat to Streets Of Rage and Wolverine: Adamantium Rage.
Advertising
Music+Sound Awards Talks To Ilana Goldstoff, Head of Sync + Licensing at Sizzer (Synchblog)
Ilana Goldstoff, Head of Sync at Sizzer Amsterdam, talks syncing tracks for the likes of Heineken, Volkswagen and Audi at an internationally-operating, multi award-winning music agency.
How Stoli Group got Hans Zimmer and Rachel Morrison for its new ad campaign (Fast Company)
The Stoli Group, the spirits company whose roots go back 80 years, is launching a new global advertising campaign today designed to give the world’s premier vodka maker a pop-culture booster shot, and hopefully, reintroduce it to a new generation of consumers.
Sync Story: Inside The Blinders’ William Hill placement (Music Week)
William Hill’s latest TV campaign is a perfect example of the sync world’s ability to give a new artist a boost. Rising Doncaster rock trio The Blinders are preparing to release their debut album and stand to benefit from a timely placement for their track Brave New World.
Sofi Tukker’s ‘Batshit’ Rules Top TV Commercials Chart for April 2018 (Billboard)
New York-based dance duo Sofi Tukker’s “Batshit” tops Billboard & Clio’s Top TV Commercials chart, powered by Shazam, for April, thanks to the song’s appearance in Apple iPhone 8’s “Red” commercial.
Skee-Lo’s ‘I Wish’ Is Reborn as an Ode to Smaller Ballers in ESPN Spot (AdWeek)
A breezy, two-minute musical spot, “Smaller,” timed to coincide with the NBA playoffs, celebrates the league’s “small ball” players — guys who aren’t giants by the game’s standards, but triumph by maximizing their own special skill sets.
Episode 316 – Top Ten Songs From Commercials w/ Jason Kramer (All Time Top Ten)
This week’s podcast is all about those songs that reached massive amounts of notoriety and popularity simply by an appearance in some of the most iconic ads of all time.
MassiveMusic: sonic branding is relevant for B2B brands too (More About Advertising)
Roscoe Williamson, head of branding at MassiveMusic, looks at five key drivers behind the rise of B2B sonic branding.
Sync Story: Inside Aston Merrygold’s Samsung placement (Music Week)
Aston Merrygold has the tech boffins at Samsung to thank for an unexpected upswing in fortunes for his 2015 single, Get Stupid. A TV ad flaunting Samsung’s cutting edge smartphone technology is using the former JLS singer’s upbeat track, and the result is a real sync earworm, a case where the music quickly becomes synonymous with the imagery.
UK Top Shazamed Ads: May 09 | May 15 (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): May 11 | May 18 (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 May 11 to May 18th.
Business
Q&A with Production Music Association Chairman Adam Taylor (Synchblog)
Is production music finally getting the attention that it deserves? David Weiss chats to Production Music Association Chairman Adam Taylor about the opportunities this sector brings to songwriters and rights holders in the golden age of video production, and the issues facing the music licensing landscape.
Pulse Acquires Synch, Marketing and Music Supervision Firm Hitcher (Variety)
Pulse Music Group has acquired Hitcher, a firm specializing in synch placement, marketing and music supervision. Hitcher founder Joe Rangel joins Pulse as a principal as part of the deal, and will serve in the new position of Head of Sync, Creative & Licensing.
Riptide Music Group partners with Sky on trailer music (Music Week)
Riptide Music Group has partnered with Sky on its new trailer music label, Wall Of Noise. The sync, rights management and creative company provides music for advertising, movie trailers, TV programming and promos, motion pictures, video games, and multi-media productions.
Morgan Thoryk Leaves TBWA/MAL to Join Good Ear Music Supervision (AdWeek)
Morgan Thoryk has left TBWAMedia Arts Lab to join boutique shop Good Ear Music Supervision (GEMS) as music supervisor and partner. Thoryk joined TBWAMAL in 2015 and served as senior music supervisor for a variety of global campaigns.
Alan Menken Signs Worldwide Deal With Warner/Chappell Music Publishing (Variety)
Award-winning songwriter and composer Alan Menken has signed a worldwide deal with Warner/Chappell Music, the publishing arm of Warner Music Group.
Tennessee to offer economic incentives for film and video game scoring work (The Tennessean)
Film and video game scoring projects produced in Tennessee will soon be eligible financial incentives thanks to a new state law that music industry stakeholders have pursued for several years.
Advice
Licensing Your Music Beyond Film & TV – Jessica Sobhraj – MUBUTV: Insider Series – SE. 7 (MUBUTV)
Jessica Sobhraj of Rumblefish represents a new and cutting edge way to have your music licensed. She discusses how Rumblefish helps artists, songwriters, labels, publishers, and recording rights holders make the most of their musical content.
Artist Advice Column: How To Write Music For Commercials (Magnetic Magazine)
Writing for commercials doesn’t have to seem impossible. Let’s demystify the process.
4 Tips for Producers Interested in Writing Music for TV (TuneCore)
There are a few things you need to know and understand before you embark on your new adventure. Once you have a clearer picture of all the mechanics of this massive engine, things will begin to make more sense.
Why Sound Design is Just as Important for Documentaries – & How to Approach It (No Film School)
Two documentary films that are premiering at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival were featured at a masterclass on Sound and Music Design For Film, moderated by Glenn Kiser, Director of the Dolby Institute.
Events
Buma Music in Motion (Amsterdam, May 23rd)
Buma Music in Motion is an event solely dedicated to the innovative use of music in media that brings together the very best minds and talents in the creative industries.
For more events worldwide check out our ultimate list of music industry and sync conferences in 2018.
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