We run through the latest and greatest in sync licensing and music supervision over the past fortnight, including the latest industry news, advice, and deals.
Film and TV
Johnny Cash soundtracks kick ass trailer for final Wolverine film (CoS)
Fueled by Johnny Cash’s cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt” — which is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek choice given that Mangold directed Walk the Line — the first trailer for the third and final and R-rated Wolverine spinoff inds our X-Men hero old, beaten down, and lost amid a changed world.
Danny Elfman writes horror score for Trump-Clinton second debate (Entertainment Weekly)
Danny Elfman has created some of the most fantastical scores in recent movie memory, including his scores for Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Alice in Wonderland. But now Elfman has put his musical talent to use for something happening right here in the real world: He’s written a horror movie score to accompany a video of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton during the second debate.
Oasis snubbed Trainspotting thinking film ‘was about trainspotters’ (Guardian)
According to members of Trainspotting’s film crew, Oasis turned down the opportunity to feature on the soundtrack to the seminal 1996 film because Noel Gallagher presumed the film was about actual trainspotters rather than a black comedy about escapist, economically crippled heroin addicts.
The best uses of preexisting music in movies this year (Film School Rejects)
Film School Rejects consider the best cues involving pre-existing music in movies this year, including The Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” in Star Trek Beyond.
6 TV songs that could have been real-life hits: From Empire to Atlanta (Billboard)
Original music for TV shows often adds to the authenticity of a syndicated story line and the pseudo-world the characters inhabit. With the new fall TV season underway, Billboard shouts out some small-screen hits that could have been real-life hits.
Pharrell shares new songs “Runnin'”, “Surrender” from Hidden Figures (Pitchfork)
Pharrell Williams has shared a pair of new songs, “Runnin’” and “Surrender” with Lalah Hathaway. Both songs are taken from the original soundtrack for the upcoming film Hidden Figures, which stars Janelle Monáe alongside Octavia Spencer and Taraji P. Henson as NASA scientists working on the Apollo 11 moon mission.
The 10 best songs from Season 1 of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Billboard)
The award-winning series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is not only funny, innovative and daring, it’s got some of the best musical numbers ever heard on the small screen. In no particular order, these are the ten best songs from the first season of the show.
Play it again, Ram: meet the man behind Westworld‘s old-timey rock covers (Guardian)
Game of Thrones composer Ramin Djawadi says his saloon-bar versions of Radiohead and Rolling Stones songs remind viewers of HBO’s sci-fi drama that things are not what they seem…
Weekend earworms: Intense horror movie theme songs (Nerdist)
Nerdist shares some of the most effective horror movie themes, starting out with what might be the most iconic horror theme in history.
The 10 scariest users of songs in film (Synchblog)
Just in time for Halloween, we throwback to our list of the top 10 scariest uses of music in movies, from tracks in Jeepers Creepers to Halloween…
Gaming
Where music & video games meet: EA’s music chief on pairing country with Madden & Radiohead with FIFA (Billboard)
Billboard chats to Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive and President of Music for Electronic Arts, about his work on sports games such as Madden and FIFA, and how his eight-member team have fashioned into a powerhouse platform for breaking new acts.
Pandora & Rapper YG Create Call of Duty Playlist to Promote Game’s Release (AdWeek)
Video game fans can thank the rapper YG for their next war game soundtrack. To help promote the upcoming release of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, rapper YG has created a curated Pandora playlist. The soundtrack, part of a campaign for game maker Activision Blizzard, is part of a broader promotional push ahead of the game’s release next month.
See EL-P and Killer Mike (Run the Jewels) as Gears of War 4 Characters (Pitchfork)
On October 11, the fourth installment of the “Gears of War” video game series was released. Included in the game as downloadable, playable characters are Killer Mike and El-P (Run the Jewels). In addition to their inclusion in the game, Run the Jewels soundtracked the trailer with a new song called “Panther Like a Panther (I’m the Shit).”
Advertising
Lady Gaga previews ‘Joanne’ title track in new Bud Light Dive Bar spot (Billboard)
In a brand-new 15-second commercial, the final of four TV spots, the pop queen rocks denim short shorts and a midriff-baring tee while dancing in a bar to the sounds of the album’s title track, a guitar-heavy soother that finds Gaga crooning, “Where do you think you’re going, baby?”
The Most Shazamed Ads of the Week: Oct. 11 – Oct. 17 | Oct. 18 – Oct. 24 (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 last two weeks.
Business
Q&A with Music Supe Troop Leader Laura Katz (Synchblog)
We chat to music supervisor Laura Katz about her time leading Cutting Edge’s Music Services in Los Angeles, and launching Supe Troop, her very own music supervision company.
Music Week Sync Awards 2016 winners revealed (Music Week)
The industry’s finest turned out for the annual Music Week Sync Awards last week, to celebrate this year’s achievements in the world of sync deals and brand partnerships. Sony Music, BMG and Beggars Group were among the evening’s big winners, and special shout-out goes to Synchtank client BT Sport for winning ‘Best Broadcaster Music Department’, as well as our client Imagem for scooping the ‘Best Sync in a TV Show Drama’!
How sync licensing might work with Dot Blockchain (Music Ally)
Dot Blockchain boss Benji Rogers has been blogging about how his project may work for synchronisation licensing, as the second and third phases of its rollout get underway. “Imagine a music ecosystem in which a music supervisor could discover a song she liked on the steaming service of her choice, and through that services plug-in,…
Hollywood music supervisor looks to Chicago roots for new talent (Chicago Tribune)
Alexandra Patsavas, 48, has worked on more than 60 TV shows and films during her two-decade career, setting the mood for key scenes in “The Twilight Saga” movies, “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The O.C.” and “The Hunger Games,” among others. Here she chats to the Chicago Tribune about her remarkable career in music supervision.
Midem 2016 Global and Sync Review (Midem Blog)
The final wrap of Midem 2016 explores two of the most interesting aspects to Midem 2016. First, the sessions focusing on the sync business, and what labels, publishers and musicians can learn about pitching their tracks for usage in TV shows, films, adverts and games. Second, the global sessions spotlighting some of the most bustling music markets in the world.
After making $98 in This is Spinal Tap music royalties over 30 years, writer-star Harry Shearer sues studio (LA Times)
Shearer claims that fuzzy accounting prevented him and the three other writer-stars (Christopher Guest, Rob Reiner and Michael McKean) from collecting a potential bundle of licensing and ancillary music revenue.
Saregama India joins hands with Pen Movies for music rights (Business Line)
Saregama India has signed a two movie deal with Pen Movies for the acquisition of music rights of their upcoming Bollywood releases which includes Kahaani 2 – Durga Rani Singh. This strategic partnership sees Saregama’s return to film music acquisition after a six year gap.
Tips and Tricks
Music Game Plan: Tactics for the Video Game Composer (Part Two) (Gamasutra)
Games music composer Winifred Phillips has produced four videos to introduce aspiring video game composers to some of the most popular tactics and procedures commonly used by game audio experts in the structuring of musical interactivity for games. In part two, Phillips turns her attention to a more complex example of horizontal re-sequencing as demonstrated by the interactive music of the Spore Hero game from Electronic Arts.
Upcoming Events
A2IM SynchUp LA 2016 (2nd November, Los Angeles)
A2IM will return to Los Angeles for their 2nd Annual A2IM LA SynchUp on Wednesday, November 2. They will host Executive One-on-One Sessions between A2IM Members and Music Supervisors throughout the day followed by a Drinks and Light Bites Reception.
AIM’s Sync Licensing to Film, TV, Adverts and Games Conference (14th November, London)
Having sold-out every year for the last 6 years, AIM’s ever-popular Sync Licensing conference returns on Monday 14th November 2016 and will open with a special keynote interview with Nora Felder, music supervisor on hit shows including Californication, Roadies and Stranger Things.
The Pitch: An Evening with Music Supervisors (15th November, Nashville)
WHO KNEW, sponsored by MusicRowSearch and the College of Media and Entertainment at Middle Tennessee State University, will present “The Pitch: An Evening With Music Supervisors” on Tuesday, November 15, at City Winery. The event will mirror last year’s hugely successful Pitch event that featured music supervisors representing television, film, trailers, video games and advertising.
To view our full list of music industry and sync events in 2016 / 2017, head here.
