Film and TV
Game of Thrones Announces ‘For the Throne’ Soundtrack With New Songs From The Weeknd, Travis Scott & More (Billboard)
Following Pitchfork‘s report that The Weeknd, SZA, and Travis Scott would all link up for a track in Game of Thrones, the HBO hit series announces the For the Throne official soundtrack in partnership with Columbia Records on Tuesday (April 9). The star-studded project will release worldwide in the midst of the final season on April 26.
How Stranger Things Music Supervisor Nora Felder Uses Songs To Make The Sci-Fi Show Feel Achingly ’80s (Bustle)
Speaking to Bustle, Stranger Things’ music supervisor Nora Felder explains how she’s used the decade’s music over the last two seasons to make the show feel as real to its time period as possible.
Lewis Capaldi’s ‘Someone You Loved’ Rules March 2019’s Top TV Songs Chart (Billboard)
The song, which recently debuted on Billboard’s Adult Pop Songs tally, was featured in an episode of Legacies.
Popular Songs from Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Tunefind)
Netflix hit Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is back with nine new music-filled episodes, plus a soundtrack album featuring original music from the series.
Film and TV Composer Spotlight: Christopher Young (Pop Disciple)
Venerable Golden Globe and Emmy nominated composer discusses how he evoked petrifying remembrances and an ancient evil spirit in his electronic score for Pet Sematary, the personal significance of his musical contribution to Clive Barker’s horror classic, Hellraiser, the inventive lesser known score he constructed for Mel Brooks that received high praise from Jerry Goldsmith, and his attraction to what lies in the darkness.
How Lizzo Came to Dominate Soundtracks in 2019 (Thrillist)
Someone Great is far from the only recent movie or TV show to use a cue from the 30-year-old artist, whose album Cuz I Love You dropped on April 19. In the past couple of years, Lizzo’s voice has popped up in movies like Blockers, A Bad Moms Christmas, and I Feel Pretty.
The soundtrack to Our Planet is mesmerising – here’s how composer Steven Price wrote it (Classic FM)
Moving new nature series Our Planet recently landed on Netflix, so we spoke to composer Steven Price about his mesmerising score, and working with David Attenborough.
The Little Woods Soundtrack Is Centered On Women In A Man’s World (Refinery 29)
“My idea was that we should use music to give the film a little bit of levity, without taking away from how serious the subject matter is and these characters,” music supervisor Meghan Currier says. “Because, in the end, these two women who are the main characters survive and thrive. That was the intention behind a lot of the music.”
Inside the Music of Netflix’s Ingress: The Animation (Variety)
The global version of the show will feature a new musical score created by Jacob Yoffee (Free Meek, Andi Mack). In this short video, Yoffee talks about the direction he was asked to take when creating the new score for Ingress: The Animation.
Composers Converse as Season 2 of ‘Score: The Podcast’ Launches (Variety)
“Score: The Podcast” is perhaps the most popular of the many film-music series in the audio marketplace. Helmed by Oscar-nominated composer Robert Kraft and Emmy-winning news producer Kenny Holmes interviewing the top composers in the field, it launches a second season on April 16.
Florist Explain How Their Song Ended Up In Beyoncé’s Homecoming Documentary (Stereogum)
It’s a wild sync, especially for a movie that doesn’t use much not-Beyoncé music, but it happened and it’s very cool.
The tuneful tramp: the forgotten musical genius of Charlie Chaplin (The Guardian)
Most people know the themes Smile, Eternally, and This Is My Song, but they probably don’t know that Chaplin wrote them – for Modern Times, Limelight and A Countess from Hong Kong, respectively.
They Started a Ned Flanders Metal Band. Then The Simpsons Called (Rolling Stone)
Phoenix “Nedal” band Okilly Dokilly’s “White Wine Spritzer” video played over the closing credits of recent episode
Halloween soundtrack inspired RZA’s score for slasher film Thriller (Entertainment Weekly)
Rap legend RZA wore three very different hats on the new Blumhouse-produced Netflix slasher film Thriller: actor, executive producer, and soundtrack composer.
Someone Great director breaks down her favorite songs from the epic soundtrack (Entertainment Weekly)
There’s a lot to love about the film, including its amazing soundtrack, which features the likes of Lizzo, Phoebe Bridgers, Mitski, Frank Ocean, and more. “What’s so fun about being able to put music to picture in that way and use music in that way is it’s like I get to create my own little mixtape and give it to people, and I love doing that,” Robinson tells EW. “I love creating playlists.”
The Conversation: Female film composers (BBC)
How to break the ‘celluloid ceiling’ in the movie industry, a term used to describe the under-representation of women in Hollywood? The numbers are particularly shocking when it comes to film soundtracks. Nelufar Hedayat asks two successful female composers why the numbers are so low and what can be done to close the gap?
Gaming
Why The Music Industry Needs The Video Gaming Industry’s Help To Scale Virtual Concerts (MBW)
Cherie Hu takes a deep dive into in-video-game concerts, following the huge impact made by Marshmello’s performance in Fortnite earlier this year.
Video game music composer gives lecture at the Library of Congress (Gamasutra)
Composer Winifred Phillips offers a preview of her full lecture in the form of the questions that were asked during the Q&A session that followed. Here are some of the questions that were posed – starting with a question about a topic of great importance to the Library of Congress – copyright protection for artists!
Composer Disasterpeace on video games, It Follows, and Under The Silver Lake (The A.V. Club)
Chiptune composer Richard Vreeland, a.k.a. Disasterpeace, got his start making music for dozens of indie video games, like Fez and Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake. He’s recently made the jump to composing for film, making the music for David Robert Mitchell last two films – It Follows and Under The Silver Lake.
Chipzel has spent a decade making incredible music with Game Boys (The Verge)
Chipzel is one of the most iconic performers in the chiptune scene, where musicians make new songs using old video game hardware. Today she travels the world performing with a pair of Game Boys onstage, and has also become heavily involved with composing soundtracks for indie games.
Video game composer Eímear Noone to host High Score on Classic FM (Classic FM)
Eímear Noone, one of the world’s leading composers of video game scores, is joining Classic FM as the host of our popular games music series, High Score.
Business
Building an Independent Powerhouse: A Conversation with Position Music CEO Tyler Bacon (Synchblog)
We chat to President and CEO Tyler Bacon about building a successful business, exploring new directions, and focusing on his main passion: artist development.
Entertainment One Acquires U.K.-Based Audio Network for $215 Million (Billboard)
Indie studio Entertainment One has signed a deal to acquire U.K.-based Audio Network, a creator and publisher of music for film, TV and other entertainment content, for around $215 million in cash and stock.
APM Music Hits the Right Notes (Variety)
“We’re the largest production music library in North America, if not the world,” says company president Adam Taylor. APM music can be heard in films and trailers for projects including Dumbo, Us, Green Book and A Star Is Born.
‘We’re approaching it as a debut artist campaign’: Inside Island Record’’s Wild Rose soundtrack strategy (Music Week)
Island Records has worked with Universal’s Globe division on the music strategy for the film, which tells the story of a single mother in Glasgow who has ambitions to make it in Nashville.
Universal Production Music launches new masters catalog with Abbey Road Studios (MBW)
Universal Production Music and sister company Killer Tracks have partnered with Abbey Road Studios to launch a new production music catalog, Abbey Road Masters.
Epic Records Appoints John Kirkpatrick Senior VP Brand Marketing, Michelle Belcher VP Epic Film & TV (Billboard)
Epic Records has appointed John Kirkpatrick to senior vp brand marketing and Michelle Belcher to vp of the newly launched Epic Film & TV, the label announced Monday (April 8). Both will be based in the label’s Los Angeles office.
How Motown and ‘The Big Chill’ Revolutionized the Music and Advertising Industries (Variety)
1983 saw two significant events restore interest in Motown and its peerless catalog (and fatten its bank balance) that would resonate for decades — and would also affect the way film, television and music intersect.
Advertising
First Deadline for 2019 Clio Music Awards: Friday, April 19, 2019
Built on Clio’s enduring reputation for recognizing the most creative and culturally relevant marketing and communications, Clio Music celebrates the visceral power of music to connect consumers and brands around the world.
Former Grey EVP Talks Launching His Own Music-Focused Consultancy (AdWeek)
As Josh Rabinowitz puts it, his new service promises to connect brands with “future clients, collaborators and customers, and an opportunity to get insider connectivity.”
Sonic boom: Why more brands are composing musical branding strategies (The Drum)
Brand partnerships, soundtrack licensing, and the creation of branded visuals and videos all have a role in its offer. To date, the consultancy has masterminded some unusual pairings with leading brands: Chemical Brothers X F1, Raye X Mastercard, Kelly Rowland X Dove, Sigrid X Gore-Tex, The Vamps X Tinder, and the discipline-spanning mouthful that is Stormzy X Dapaah X Lingard X Rashford X Fifa 19.
Songs for Screens: How GoDaddy Inspired Mysterious Singer Elohim To Open up (Variety)
The company tapped Elohim to represent not only musicians but creatives who are open about their struggles with mental health, anxiety and depression — which Elohim has detailed on many of her best-known songs including “She Talks Too Much,” “Panic Attacks” and “Xanax.”
Sync Story: Samsung/Deewun & Leo Justi (Music Week)
Samsung’s new ad for its Galaxy S10 smartphone offers a window into the speed of the sync industry. What on the surface is a blend of glossy visuals and a dancehall soundtrack, is in fact the result of quick thinking and collaboration.
Five Ways Brands Can Make An Impact With Music Beyond Coachella (Pollstar)
Music, when embraced the right way, can deliver big, measurable results for brands, and create passionate connections with fans and target audiences that go deeper than any other media. But with numerous entry points, it can be challenging to know where your music activation should begin and where to place your bets. Here are five helpful tips to navigate a successful music strategy.
Why Advertising Jingles Will Make A Comeback (Jordan Passman)
It’s hard to make a lasting impression on a consumer within a 30-second time slot, but if you can hook them with a jingle that they’ll sing for the rest of the day, then you’re maximizing your ad buy exponentially.
Tips and Tricks
7 Podcasts To Take You Behind The Business Of Sync & Music Supervision (Music Think Tank)
Want to learn all there is to know about sync licensing and music supervision? Plug in your headphones and take a deep dive into these great podcasts.
Get Paid : Sync Licensing and Brand Partnerships (The Future of What)
Do you want to know if your music sync-able, or how to make sure that music supervisors can find your music among thousands of songs when a request comes in? Listen in, and then go get paid!
Music Supervisor Amanda Krieg Thomas launches ‘Thinking In Sync: A Primer on the Mind of a Music Supervisor’ book
Thinking In Sync aims to provide artists with helpful insight into how music supervisors work, offers advice on preferred practices for reaching out to new contacts, how to decide what music to send, research resources and more.
Top 46 Sync Licensing Music Libraries 2019 (Millennial Mind Sync)
Here are the top 46 sync licensing music libraries. A truly comprehensive directory for the independent artist.
New: Ask a Sync Expert
Introducing our latest feature – Ask a Sync Expert! Have you got a burning question for a sync professional? We’ve got you covered. Send your questions to info@synchtank.com and we’ll select our favourites to be answered by an expert on our blog.
Events
Apply now for the 15th LA Sync Licensing Mission hosted jointly by the MPA, BPI & DIT (MPA)
Applications for the 15th annual LA Sync Licensing Mission, held at the iconic Capitol Tower in Hollywood, are now open! Hosted jointly by the Music Publishers Association (MPA), British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and Department for International Trade (DIT), the mission will take place from 10th to 14th June 2019. Music publishing companies and individuals looking to participate have until Tuesday 23rd April to submit their applications.
Jobs
Downtown Music Publishing – Senior Manager, Sync Licensing (London)
Downtown Music Publishing is looking for a Senior Manager, Sync Licensing to oversee promotion of the DMP catalog to UK-based music licensors.
Music Licensing Executive – Sky (London)
Europe’s biggest entertainment brand Sky is looking for a Music Licensing Executive to work within their Music Licensing Team.
Sync Intern – Bucks Music Group (London)
Bucks Music Group are looking for an Intern for their Award Winning Sync Team for an initial period of 6 months with the potential to this leading to a full-time position.
Check out more on our jobs board here.
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