Film and TV
Quincy Jones to be Honored at Music Supervisors Guild Awards (Hollywood Reporter)
The veteran producer, composer and entrepreneur will be recognized for his legendary contributions to the music and film industry.
Top TV Song Last Week – November 11th: “Through Your Eyes” by Jordan Critz, Featuring Birdtalker|November 20th: “Walk With Me” by GoldFord (Tunefind)
The last two weeks have seen tracks from ABC’s The Good Doctor and Grey’s Anatomy top Tunefind’s popular songs list.
Variety Announces Programming for Music For Screens Week Featuring Mary J. Blige, Marcus Mumford, Steve McQueen And Ryan Tedder (Variety)
Expanded for the first time over four days in this all-digital installment, Variety’s Music for Screens Summit 2020 will celebrate excellence in musical artistry and storytelling for film, TV, digital media, brands and more.
Emily in Paris Leads All-Netflix Top TV Songs Chart Top Four with Edith Piaf Classic (Billboard)
Netflix’s Emily in Paris leads an all-Netflix top four on Billboard’s Top TV Songs chart, powered by Tunefind, for October 2020, as Edith Piaf’s “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien” from the Darren Star-created comedy-drama debuts at No. 1.
Every Song in The Crown Season 4 (Screen Rant)
The Crown season 4 soundtrack functions as the cultural backdrop for the Royal Family’s experiences between 1977 and 1990. Some of the tracks chosen for the Netflix flagship show are used to establish Princess Diana’s innocence, while others provide context about the familial dynamics at Buckingham Palace
Interview with Dara Taylor (Film Music Magazine)
Putting a stylish thrill into their acts, while playing the emptiness of it all is upcoming composer Dara Taylor, whose impressive score for Echo Boomers is the latest hybrid evolution of a pulsating, hip gang-heist genre whose score ancestors include Drive, Heat and Thief.
Sia Drops “Hey Boy”, First Song from Her Directorial Debut Film, Music (Variety)
Sia has announced her eighth studio album “Music – Songs From And Inspired By The Motion Picture,” and dropped “Hey Boy,” the first song and video from the project, which is her feature film directorial debut.
Top 20 Music Schools for Composing for Film and TV in 2020, Ranked (Hollywood Reporter)
Every year, THR surveys industry professionals to get their take on the world’s finest institutions of musical learning, and in particular how they stack up in terms of positioning composers and musicians for jobs in media.
InSync with… Modern Day Composers (Buma Music in Motion)
InSync is a new, recurring column where music agencies, sync agencies and composers get the chance to talk about their top-notch productions of 2020. Today, we’re inSync with Rogier van Twuijver from Modern Day Composers.
Mariah Carey’s Christmas Special Premiere Date, Soundtrack, Guest Lineup Announced (Variety)
The holiday season just got a lot more festive, dahlings! Mariah Carey’s upcoming Christmas special on Apple TV Plus has been given a Dec. 4 premiere date, along with a companion soundtrack album and new music video for her holiday single “Oh Santa!”
John Williams Announced as 2020 RPS Gold Medal Recipient (Classical Music)
Film composer John Williams was awarded the prestigious RPS Gold Medal, which has been awarded to outstanding musicians since 1870, when it was launched to celebrate the centenary of Beethoven‘s birth.
Mulan 2020 Soundtrack: Who Wrote The Score? (Classical Music)
The live-action remake of Mulan was initially said to have no musical accompaniment, which angered fans across the globe. Since then, director Niki Caro has announced that Mulan‘s remake will have instrumental music – composed by Harry Gregson-Williams – and two songs by Christina Aguilera. 16/11
In Scoring Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, John Debney Sought a Timeless Composition (Variety)
Composer John Debney has worked on the scores for Elf and The Greatest Showman and is no stranger to setting a warm holiday mood.
Mnemonics, Motifs and Mashups: Sonic Branding on the Silver Screen (Muse by CLIO)
Meet the first cousin of the audio logo: the production logo. More accurately, the scored production logo: a motion graphic animation of a production studio visual logo synchronized with sound effects or music that plays before a motion picture.
Gaming
Lil Nas X In-Game Gig is One of the Most Viewed Concerts of all Time (NME)
The ‘Old Town Road’ star delivered a free-to-access concert which was aired three times last weekend (November 14-15). As reported in IQ Magazine, the performances achieved over 35 million visits from fans around the world.
Flashback: ADE Pro x BMIM: Game On – Video Game Music in 2020 and Beyond
During this panel our speakers unpacked the landscape of music and games through the pandemic and into 2021. They laid out pathways that emerging rights holders and composers can follow to get a foothold in visual media’s most dynamic, fast-moving and exciting sector. Watch the session at the link above using the password: g@m3mus1c.
15 ways to incorporate gaming into your music strategy (Cherie Hu)
This document is a labor of love and will be free forever. If you’d like to show some financial support, you can either give directly to Cherie via Venmo (@Cherie-Hu), PayPal or Buy Me A Coffee; or support Water & Music.
Jaden Drops “I’m Ready” from Spider-Man: Miles Morales Game Soundtrack: Watch the Video (Billboard)
Jaden Smith raps from the rooftop in the video for “I’m Ready,” which appears on Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Original Video Game Soundtrack.
Cyberpunk 2077 Soundtrack Detailed: New Music by Grimes, SOPHIE, The Armed, and More (Pitchfork)
In addition to Run the Jewels’ recent track “No Save Point,” the soundtarck boasts new music from Grimes, Ratboy, SOPHIE and Shygirl, the Armed, HEALTH, Let’s Eat Grandma’s Rosa Walton, and others.
Cyberpunk 2077 Will Have Anti-DMCA Streamer Options Because That’s Where We Are Now (Forbes)
Their solution is to create a streamer-friendly, DMCA-avoiding series of custom, original music that can be played during the game that should not trigger takedown notices or copyright strikes.
History in the Making: Scoring Assassins’ Creed Valhalla (MusicTech)
For Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the series’ 12th major entry, Ubisoft tapped the talents of two franchise stalwarts, whose impact on its musical legacy has been unequivocal.
Advertising
Adland’s music experts review the tunes in this year’s Christmas ads (Campaign)
Execs from OPM, MassiveMusic and DLMDD share their thoughts on the soundtracks to four of the big festive campaigns
Celeste writes original song for Waitrose and John Lewis Christmas campaign (Music Week)
For the first time, a new song was commissioned for the retailers’ Christmas campaign. A Little Love was written and recorded by Celeste, this year’s BRITs Rising Star and winner of BBC Music’s Sound of 2020.
Christmas ads: the musical view (Shots)
Sascha Darroch-Davies, co-founder of specialist sonic branding agency DLMDD, gives us his witty view on the audio choices from some of this year’s festive campaigns.
Music in Advertising: Here’s How Industry Pros Select Songs for Placement (Digital Music News)
During a recent Songtradr ‘Happy Hour’ livestream event, two longtime music industry professionals discussed the process they employ when selecting songs for adverts – and explained how creators can best capitalize upon the growing role of music in advertising.
J Balvin’s Latest Song Began With a McDonald’s Brief (Muse by CLIO)
Colombian reggaetón sensation J Balvin based his latest track on a marketing brief from McDonald’s and creative shop Alma.
Amazon Music Is Using Ring’s Holiday Ad to Cross-Promote Carrie Underwood’s New Album (Adweek)
The collaboration represents an opportunity for artists like Underwood to work across Amazon’s brands to reach more fans—a model that Amazon plans to expand as its audio streaming service evolves.
Sync Watch: ALDI Reimagines Nadia Rose’s Skwod for Local Christmas Ad Featuring Swimming Santas (The Music Network)
International supermarket giant ALDI has continued its tradition of creating a local summer-inspired Christmas campaign to promote itself as a ‘Good Different’ alternative to Coles and Woolworths.
Business
The State of Music Synchronization With Synchtank Founder Joel T. Jordan, Part 1 (Chartmetrics)
Synchtank Founder Joel T. Jordan is a punk rock music entrepreneur connecting movies, TV, and video games with music through music synchronization tech.
Reservoir Inks JV with Atlantic Screen Music to Invest in Film Score & Soundtrack Projects (MBW)
New York-based Reservoir has entered into a joint venture agreement with UK-based film score and soundtrack production company Atlantic Screen Music, which will see the two firms invest in a series of film score and soundtrack projects together.
What Q3’s Music Industry Numbers Tell us About The Future of Royalties (Synchblog)
Recent figures released by the major music companies are giving the industry reason for hope, though societies warn that we may not know the full extent of the pandemic’s impact for some time.
SyncFloor Partners with Symphonic’s Bodega Sync (Broadway World)
SyncFloor, the leading sync marketplace for commercial music, is teaming up with Bodega Sync, a division of Symphonic Distribution, and launching a SyncStore™ for their boutique sync service.
Songtradr Acquires UK-Based Sync Licensing Company Cuesongs (MBW)
This acquisition is the first to follow the completion of Songtradr’s recent Series C funding round, which raised $30 million – valuing the company at $165m.
Sony/ATV and Bleeding Fingers expand opportunities for Black composers with USC Screen Scoring Diversity Scholarship (Music Week)
Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Bleeding Fingers Music has announced the launch of a Screen Scoring Diversity Scholarship for Black composition students.
Could Epidemic Sound really be worth more than $1bn? (MBW)
Epidemic Sound, the controversial Stockholm-headquartered production music house, is reportedly considering an IPO or sale at a company valuation of more than a billion dollars.
Jobs
Account Executive – SyncFloor (New York/Remote)
SyncFloor is looking for an Account Executive who will be responsible for customer acquisition and support, focusing primarily in the advertising space.
Music Supervisor, EMEA – VICE Media Group (London)
As the music supervisor you’ll handle all music licensing and placement needs from sourcing affordable, creative options to ensuring all necessary rights are secured within budget for all VICE platforms.
Sales/Licensing Rep – DL Music (Los Angeles)
LA based DL Music seeks experienced Sales/Licensing Rep for their extensive background instrumental, song, new artist catalogs & original music creative services.
Check out more available positions here or get in touch to post a 100% free job listing.
Events
Introduction to Music Supervision with: Matt Biffa & Carmen Montanez-Callan (November 24th, 1pm GMT)
This November, Matt Biffa from Air-Edel and Carmen Montanez-Callan will be hosting an exclusive masterclass delving into the basics of everything you need to know to become a Music Supervisor!
Variety’s Music for Screens Week 2020 (November 30th – December 3rd)
Expanded for the first time over four days in this all-digital installment, Variety’s Music for Screens Week 2020 will celebrate excellence in musical artistry and storytelling for film, TV, digital media, brands and more. Registration is free, but required for access.
Latinx Culture and Music – The Influence of Latinx Culture on Music Synchronization and Popular Content in the US (December 3rd, 3:30pm PT)
This panel invites some of the voices behind the new wave of film and television that centers authentic narratives of Latinxs.
PMA Academy: A New Generation of Production Music (December 1st, 11am PST)
In this PMA Academy session, we want to introduce you to 5 young production music executives, composers and creatives making waves in the industry. Learn how they got their start, why they chose production music and what tips they have for navigating the business.
LA Sync Mission – The Genius of Advertising – Music Sync in the Ad World (December 2nd, 17:00 GMT)
Brought to you by the Department for International Trade, the BPI and the MPA and now in its 16th year, the LA Sync Licensing Mission has gone virtual.
AIM Sync 2021 (February 11th, 2021)
AIM Sync 2021 features prominent international music supervisors in film, gaming, TV, advertising, brands, and more. These expert speakers will share insights on the current sync and brands landscape, and the latest developments as well as taking part in listening sessions and workshops on key skills.
Don’t forget to check out recordings of panels presented by the Guild of Music Supervisors and the Production Music Association on their YouTube channels:
https://www.youtube.com/c/GuildOfMusicSupervisors
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrp0NdmJeZi5N0nmvgCpZZA
For more global events check out our comprehensive list of music industry conferences.
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