Film and TV
The Hit Soundtracks of Fast and Furious Explained by Universal’s Mike Knobloch (Variety)
As for the secret, first and foremost, it starts with what’s on the screen. We would never presume to know how to make the soundtrack for the next installment without working on the movie itself.
Luca’s Director Explains Every Italian Pop Hit on Its Soundtrack (Slate)
We talked to director and co-writer Enrico Casarosa, who based the story on his own childhood memories, about picking the songs and breaking Pixar’s unwritten rule against needle-drops.
How Vin Diesel Gave Reggaetón it’s Hollywood Moment in the Fast & Furious Franchise (Billboard)
The soundtracks have produced multiple hits on the Billboard Hot 100 – including one year-defining No. 1 smash, “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth, that spent 12 weeks atop the Hot 100 chart in 2015.
The Secret Meanings Hidden Inside Every Song on The Handmaid’s Tale, from Seasons One to Three (Stylist)
From Blondie’s Heart Of Glass to Lesley Gore’s You Don’t Own Me, we’ve taken a look back to bring you every single musical reference you missed so far – and highlight exactly why each song is so crucial to the plot.
Top TV Song Last Week: “Too Late” by Penzillathegreat (Tunefind)
Showtime drama The Chi featured the most popular song on Tunefind last week. An R&B/Soul track underscores the strained relationship between two characters.
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist Music Supervisor Jen Ross Lays Hearts on The Line for Song Rights (Below the Line)
Ross tells Below The Line some of the stories behind scoring their heart’s desires, while other times being left heartbroken by an artist who won’t give up their song.
Interview with Netflix’s Lupin Composer Mathieu Lamboley (Show Snob)
I would call my composition process for this project “hybrid”. When I started working on Lupin, I spent some time thinking about what the show really stands for. To me, Lupin is all about heritage, a father passing on literary heritage to his son, and the latter continuing the legacy in the present time.
How the Space Jam: A New Legacy Soundtrack Honors the Spirit of the Best-Selling Original (Billboard)
Its soundtrack, featuring an all-star squad including Lil Uzi Vert, Jonas Brothers, SZA, John Legend, Lil Wayne and Lillard — who acts in the movie, and performs on the soundtrack under his Dame D.O.L.L.A. rap persona — is out July 9.
How Isaac Hayes’ ‘Shaft’ Reinvented the Game for Film Music (Variety)
Not only did Hayes, 29 at the time, become the first Black man to win a music Oscar for his title song, but the success of his two-LP soundtrack album assured that every Black action-adventure film for the next several years would be scored by a major artist of color.
Gaming
Easy Life to play Fortnite in Virtual Version of The O2 Arena (Music Ally)
Fortnite players can already visit to explore it, but on 24 June “a portal will open up” on the island taking people to watch a performance by British group Easy Life.
The Creativity of Indie Game Scores (ABC)
There is no dearth of brilliance in the music of indie games. Composers revel in the challenge of writing something truly compelling, to underscore the unique ideas these games often explore.
The Sims 4 is getting its own Simlish music festival with Bebe Rexha, Glass Animals and more (NME)
The festival, titled The Sims Sessions, is the first of its kind to feature in the game, with “Simlish” songs debuting in a virtual event. Players will, for a limited time, be able to camp at the festival ground and pick up some merchandise for their Sims.
Why Music is the Heartbeat of Gaming (Financial Times)
Music is a fundamental part of every game, but one particular genre goes further, making its soundtrack an essential part of the action. In music games, a player’s movements are bound to the score: you might reshape the songs with your actions, or be challenged to react to every riff, beat and snare.
Mark Mothersbaugh on Composing Music You Won’t Tire of in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (The Verge)
If you’ve spent some time playing Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, you might feel like you’re playing a blockbuster family-friendly action movie — and that’s not just because of the game’s many perfectly timed set pieces. Rift Apart is also backed by a sweeping score composed by the legendary musician Mark Mothersbaugh.
Advertising
Songs for Screens: Masego’s ‘Mystery Lady’ Powers Apple’s Spatial Audio TV Campaign (Variety)
For more than half a decade, “trap house jazz” singer/songwriter/producer Masego (a.k.a. Micah Davis) has been trying to plant seeds that could someday gain the attention of Apple.
Clio Music Grand Winners: DaHouse Audio’s ‘Refugee Tree’ for Climate Reality Brasil (Muse by CLIO)
To create a soundtrack for the film, DaHouse Audio used unusual and brilliant instrumentation—a handsaw played with a bow, and normally wooden instruments made from other materials—to embody the mission of saving wood from being pillaged.
Roger Waters Says he Rejected Facebook’s Offer to use ‘Another Brick in the Wall’ in Ad (Rolling Stone)
“It arrived this morning, with an offer for a huge, huge amount of money,” Waters said. “And the answer is, ‘Fuck You. No fuckin’ way.’” “I only mention that because this is an insidious movement of them to take over absolutely everything,” he continued. “I will not be a party to this bullshit, [Mark] Zuckerberg.”
Business
BMG Signs Deal with Roblox After Resolving ‘Prior Claims’ (Music Ally)
Another key phrase comes further down the announcement: “The agreement for future collaboration follows the resolution of prior claims relating to the use of BMG-controlled songs and recordings.”
Snap Strikes Licensing Deal with Universal Music Group to Bring Entire Catalogue to Snapchat (The Hollywood Reporter)
Snapchat users will now be able to access music from major artists and use them via the Sounds tool, which allows users to add music clips to their Snaps or on their Stories, on augmented reality lenses and in curated playlists.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Game will Include Option to Remove Copyrighted Music (NME)
For those streaming Guardians Of The Galaxy, this may cause a problem due to copyright strikes. To maneuver around this, DeMarle explains that the option to toggle this musical feature will be available.
Songtradr Raises $50 Million in Series D Funding Round (MBW)
The round saw participation from Australian based institutional investors including Regal, Aware Super, Perennial, Argo and Greencape, as well as a follow-on investment from the founder and CEO of Wisetech Global, Richard White.
2112 Launches SyncChicago to Support Music Licensing (Reel Chicago)
Funded by a Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) CityArts Program grant in support of the Year of Chicago Music, SyncChicago will focus on promotion, advocacy, and education to increase revenues generated by local music providers from sync licensing deals in advertising, television, film, and gaming.
Events
Tileyard Connected: Let’s Talk About Sync – July 14
Join us as we open up the room to some of the most influential hitmakers in sync, and learn more about their passion for curating music and soundscapes to breathtaking cinema, and thought-provoking content.
For more events check out our comprehensive list of music industry events in 2021.
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