This Fortnight in Music Supervision and Sync (21/09/18)

Film and TV

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Wins Music Supervision Emmy (Tunefind)
Amazon Prime Original series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel took home the Emmy for Outstanding Music Supervision this past weekend. The award recognizes the work of Music Supervisor Robin Urdang and Executive Producers and show creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino in using music to elevate storytelling on the breakout hit comedy series.

How Jóhann Jóhannsson’s Final Film Score Was Made (Pitchfork)
Jóhannsson’s final project as a composer was Mandy, a psychedelic horror revenge flick released September 14th. Directed by Panos Cosmatos, Mandy stars Andrea Riseborough and Nicolas Cage, who seeks screeching vengeance upon a local cult that has destroyed his life. Jóhannsson accompanies the violent chaos, set in the early ’80s, with dread-inducing drones, shimmering synths, and forceful full-band eruptions.

4th Annual Guild of Music Supervisors State of Music in Media Conference (Pop Disciple)
Over the course of the 4th Annual Guild of Music Supervisors State of Music in Media Conference, Pop Disciple catches up with several leading music supervisors to gain insights about where the profession presently stands and where it should be headed.

Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross to Compose Music for HBO’s Watchmen Series (Variety)
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have been enlisted to compose original music for HBO’s adaptation of DC Comics’ Watchmen graphic novel series.

Oral History of the Judgment Night Soundtrack: 1993’s Rap-Rock Utopia (Rolling Stone)
Members of Cypress Hill, Faith No More, Sonic Youth, Run-DMC and more look back on a genre-splicing cult classic.

Sync story: Vanity Fair/Afterhere (Music Week)
ITV’s Vanity Fair has gone head-to-head with BBC One’s Bodyguard, and James Strong’s adaptation of William Thackeray’s novel has an arresting theme tune. As the evenings begin to draw in, the primetime TV battle intensifies.

Why The Deuce Got a New Theme Song (Vulture)
One of the first major signifiers of the show’s changing landscape is its main title song: Curtis Mayfield’s “If There’s a Hell Below We’re All Going to Go” has been replaced with Elvis Costello’s “This Year’s Girl.”

How Amazon’s Forever Pulled Off That Up-Inspired Opening Montage (THR)
The carefully choreographed opening minutes, set to Miles Davis’ “It Never Entered My Mind,” evoke shades of the tear-inducing Up beginning. The song was the first key to the sequence, which music supervisor Zach Cowie suggested to creator Alan Yang before the scripts were even completed.

The Minds Behind the Mayans M.C. Soundtrack Talk About Its Protest Mission: Exclusive (Billboard)
In title scene of the new FX series Mayans M.C., the original song “Nunca” plays as the credits roll over an aesthetic montage of motorcycles, saints, skulls, bullets and barbed wire. It sets the scene for the Sons of Anarchy spin-off about the members of the Mayans Biker Club in a fictional border town.

Top TV Song Last Week: September 11th – ‘Sober’ (Jarreau Vandal Remix) by Mahalia | September 20th – ‘Go F**k Yourself’ by Two Feet (Tunefind)
Each week, Tunefind presents the most popular track featured in a TV show that week. Over the last couple of weeks songs from Atypical and Insecure have topped the list.

The Musical Mind Behind Game Of Thrones and Westworld (Forbes)
It’s not every day you walk away from a TV show humming its score. But Ramin Djawadi has set out to change all that. With HBO’s Game of Thrones, Westworld and now Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan on Amazon, Djawadi has forged unique musical identities for his shows and amassed millions of listeners around the world.

An interview with Lodge 49 music supervisor Tom Patterson (Brooklyn Vegan)
Lodge 49 has a wonderfully unusual soundtrack, filled with baroque psych, obscure surf rock, garage rock and funk, and cult acts like Broadcast, Felt, and The Soundcarriers who have songs in nearly episode of the show.

Listen to Tyler, The Creator’s theme song for The Grinch (The FADER)
Tyler, The Creator has shared a trailer for the upcoming remake of The Grinch, and the clip features Tyler performing a new version of “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” originally recorded for 1966’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!.

‘My granddaughter suddenly thinks I’m hip’: why library music is back in demand (Financial Times)
Thanks to sampling by rap stars, two veteran composers now have enough of a following that they are recording again.

Dolly Parton’s Soundtrack to Netflix’s Dumplin, Feat. Sia, Miranda Lambert, Elle King, Set for Nov. 30 Release (Billboard)
Parton contributed newly recorded collaborations of some of her most popular songs, in addition to six new original compositions co-written by Parton and Grammy nominee Linda Perry.

John Carpenter’s New Halloween Song Is Here, And It’s Terrifying (Pitchfork)
John Carpenter is returning to the property he helped create, composing a new terrifying theme song for Blumhouse’s Halloween. That track was just released, and it’s truly scary. Check it out.

Don’t press the skip button! Why we need bombastic TV theme tunes (Guardian)
The ‘skip intro’ function looked to make the theme tune obsolete, but a new wave of scores prove why they still matter.

Max Richter Releases White Boy Rick Soundtrack: Listen (Pitchfork)
White Boy Rick – a new true crime film starring Matthew McConaughey and featuring appearances by Danny Brown and YG – has gotten its official soundtrack release. The film was scored by Max Richter, who has previously contributed music to Shutter Island, Arrival, and more.

Breaking Bad Collects Series’ Music for Limited-Edition, Vinyl-Only Box Set (Rolling Stone)
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Breaking Bad, the beloved series will collect five LPs-worth of music that featured during the show’s five seasons for a limited-edition, vinyl-only box set. Limited to 5,000 copies, the soundtrack arrives November 30th and boasts five “Albuquerque crystal”-colored 10″ records.

The best new music for TV drama: a listener’s guide (Gramophone)
Some of the finest television drama scores of the last two decades are essential listening, with or without the onscreen action, writes James McCarthy.

The Greatest Showman soundtrack refuses to go away (GQ)
Having belted them out from the top of the charts for eleven weeks solid, The Greatest Showman soundtrack is being bought, downloaded and streamed by, well, absolutely everyone.

Jay Rock’s ‘WIN’ Rules Top TV Songs Chart for August 2018 (Billboard)
Jay Rock’s hit “WIN” rules The Hollywood Reporter’s Top TV Songs chart, powered by Tunefind and Shazam, for August, thanks to its appearance in Ballers’ season 4 opener on Aug. 12.

Crazy Rich Asians soundtrack: Mandarin version of Coldplay’s Yellow tops music charts … but it was almost cut from the film (South China Morning Post)
Katherine Ho’s version of the song Yellow is No. 1 on the Spotify Viral 50 Global chart. The song was almost cut from the film because the word ‘yellow’ is considered derogatory towards Asians.

Better Call Saul Insider Podcast – 4×07 – Something Stupid (YouTube)
Music supervisor Thomas Golubić joins the conversation at the 30 minute mark to talk about selecting the song ‘Something Stupid’ for the series’ latest episode.

Gaming

Metallica, Slipknot, Rancid and more highlight WWE 2K19 video game soundtrack (Consequence of Sound)
The 12-track collection features a handful of heavy rock acts, including Metallica and Slipknot, personally chosen by some of the league’s Superstars that, according to a press statement, “represent many of [their] favorites when preparing for a match, on the road, in the gym or relaxing at home.”

The best video game soundtrack of 2017 sounds even better with a live orchestra (Polygon)
Nier: Automata had the best video game soundtrack of 2017. A new orchestration of the score is even better. The updated soundtrack, which includes music from both Automata and its predecessor Nier Gestalt and Replicant, is a richer, more complex and concise album.

Simple Minds star recruits Gaelic singers for videogame soundtrack (Scotsman)
Bass player Ged Grimes masterminded the recording of more than 30 songs for The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep, a fantasy adventure set in 18th-century Scotland.

With burnout in sight, Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu takes indefinite sick leave (Polygon)
One of Square Enix’s linchpins is Nobuo Uematsu, the longtime composer on series like Final Fantasy. But with potential burnout in sight, Uematsu announced that he’ll be taking an extended, indefinite break from work.

Avenged Sevenfold’s ‘Mad Hatter’ Soundtracks Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Gameplay Trailer (Loudwire)
Avenged Sevenfold recently revealed their new song “Mad Hatter,” which is tied to the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 video game. Now Treyarch, the company behind the game, have issued a new video for the song featuring some of the characters and gameplay from the upcoming release.

VR Headphones Update 2018: Video Game Music Composers (Gamasutra)
Videogame composer Winifred Phillips takes a look at new types of headphones that offer technology designed to enhance the VR experience.

Advertising

Meet the Emmy-Winning Composer Who Soundtracked Nike’s Colin Kaepernick Ad (Billboard)
Nike’s newest “Just Do It” campaign video has generated massive controversy since its Labor Day unveiling for starring former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick​. But there’s one thing every viewer should be able to agree on: It’s hard to watch the ad and not feel moved. Thank Dustin O’Halloran for a large part of that.

Elton John ‘paid £5m by John Lewis to star in  Christmas ad’, source claims (Telegraph)
Sources claim that his 1970 hit ‘Your Song’ will feature in a TV commercial for the department store, and that the singer himself will appear onscreen playing the piano.

How Music Can Fine Tune Brand Strategy (Forbes)
“There are specific studies that link music, in a positive way, to the way you interact with a brand. That brand may be a store, a restaurant or even a clothing line”, says Danny Turner, global SVP of creative programming for Mood Media.

M&S to counter John Lewis’ Elton John Christmas soundtrack with Take That score (The Drum)
Marks & Spencer has risen to the challenge laid down by John Lewis and Elton John by reportedly hiring boy band Take That to relight the fire of its own waning sales. The 90s crooners will headline the retailer’s Christmas campaign.

LSD’s ‘Thunderclouds’ Storms to No. 1 On August 2018’s Top TV Commercials Chart (Billboard)
The all-star combo of Labrinth, Sia and Diplo, known together as LSD, rules Billboard & Clio’s Top TV Commercials chart for August 2018, thanks to the runaway success of their new single “Thunderclouds.”

Sync Story: Elton John and Snickers (Music Week)
Surely staking a claim to be the most flamboyantly attired participant ever to take part in a rap battle, Elton John stars in a new Snickers TV spot.

UK Top Shazamed ads: September 12: UK Top Shazamed ads: Dior dives in with joyful Jennifer Lawrence | September 19: UK Top Shazamed ads: Easyjet calls explorers to the skies (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): September 14: The Rolling Stones and Alessia Cara Get Dior and Ulta Into This Week’s Most Shazam’d Ads | September 21; Apple’s iPhone XS Spot, With a Snoh Aalegra Song, Makes 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 September 14th to September 21st.

Business

The Challenges of Setting Up a Sync Shop – Q&A with Sweets & Pop Founder Leigh Henrich (Synchblog)
David Weiss chats to Sweets & Pop founder Leigh Henrich about the challenges and practicalities involved in launching a sync company. 

Songs for Screens: Inside Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s Seven-Figure Sync Boom (Variety)
BRMC have quietly carved out a booming, seven figure-plus synch business, securing high-profile placements across the whole synch spectrum: a long-running campaign for Jeep Wrangler, key scenes on the latest seasons of Showtime’s The Affair and AMC’s Fear The Walking Dead, films A Kid Like Jake and The Game Changers and video games The Crew 2 and Forza Horizon 3.

Johnny Katovsich joins Ninja Tune’s global sync team in Los Angeles (MBW)
Katovsich has built a successful career in music supervision at Fox Cable Networks, Viacom and Lionsgate Films. Based in L.A, he makes the switch from supervision to label, and will become part of Ninja Tune’s eight-person-strong worldwide sync team.

Sync veteran Mike Locke joins Atlas Music Publishing (Music Week)
Atlas Music Publishing has hired Mike Locke as its new VP of creative synchronization and marketing. The executive, who has previously worked at INgrooves and his own Silver Side Productions, will be based in Los Angeles and will oversee all sync activity.

Music-Minded Cutting Edge Helps Stake Indies & Makes Deal On Michelle Williams-Julianne Moore Pic After The Wedding (Deadline)
Cutting Edge Group, the largest independent film music publisher, is expanding its role in the financing of indie films, advancing funds for music rights in the pictures. The latest is a just closed deal for the Bart Freundlich-directed drama After The Wedding, starring Michelle Williams and Julianne Moore.

Sony Music inks deal to soundtrack new TV series based on classic Moomin stories (MBW)
Sony Music label Columbia Records has struck a deal with Finnish production company Gutsy Animations to help soundtrack an animation series based on the Moomin stories. Titled MOOMINVALLEY, the first series will run across 13 22-minute-long episodes that will each feature a track by one of Columbia’s artists.

Industry Innovator Spotlight – Doreen Ringer-Ross (Pop Disciple)
Exemplary Vice President: Creative – Film, TV & Visual Media at BMI speaks on her transformative experiences working with Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss during the golden age of A&M Records, the scope of educational initiatives she has instated to empower generations of composers, the legacy of John Williams, and how to thrive in the fast paced world of film music.