This Fortnight in Music Supervision and Sync (27/07/18)

How One Great Song Can Transform a Love Scene (Synchblog)
In Pose, Angel and Stan’s love affair unfolds to a Kate Bush hit. Wesley Morris shows us why it’s an inspired choice.

Music Supervisors Pick Their Favourite TV Syncs of 2018 So Far (Part 1) (Synchblog)
2018 has been a great year for TV, with music playing a huge part in whether a show really works or not. With that in mind, we asked several music supervisors to pick their favourite TV sync placements of the year so far. Here’s what they came up with.

The Best Movie Musical Moments of the Last 20 Years (Thrillist)
Two years ago, La La Land opened and subsequently received 14 Oscar nominations. Last year, The Greatest Showman made $174 million dollars domestically. And this summer, a Mamma Mia sequel no one was really asking for — but is still extremely enjoyable — lands in theaters. The movie musical is back in a big way. But for those paying attention, it never really went away.

Synchtank’s Top Music on TV: June 2018 (Powered by Tunefind) (Synchblog)
Our playlist series spotlighting some of the best songs on TV each month is back! Powered by data from Tunefind, we bring you the 40 most popular syncs of each month. Don’t forget to follow the playlist as we’ll be updating it regularly.

Inside the project: Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again (GMS UK & Europe)
Hot House Music’s Becky Bentham, is no stranger to taking on the challenge of films based on iconic soundtracks. We sat down to chat about some of the processes that she has to go through as a supervisor and with this project in particular.

Peaky Blinders: The Music (Creative Review)
1920s gangster epic Peaky Blinders is known for its dark and dramatic soundtrack, which features music from Nick Cave, PJ Harvey and Jack White. We talk to music supervisor Amelia Hartley about its distinctive sound and why we’re hearing more commercial music in TV drama

Secrets of the Score: Ronit Kirchman (Pop Disciple)
In this episode of Secrets of the Score, innovative composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist takes us through her elaborate original cues, “Unique Moment” and “Thank You” from USA Network’s riveting Golden Globes nominated drama, The Sinner.

Led Zeppelin Is a Perfect Fit for Sharp Objects (Vulture)
After considering the band’s history and the qualities of the specific tracks that play in the show, it’s clear that, tonally and thematically, Led Zeppelin is perfect for Sharp Objects.

The Best-Ever Movie Trailer Music Cue Is… (The Ringer)
As we reflect on the best movie trailers of the past 30-odd years—and as I, personally, prepare to announce the controversial victor in the Best-Ever Musical Moment in a Trailer category I just made up—it is instructive to recall how Suicide Squad, despite a herculean and multi-pronged sonic effort, does not rank among them.

Top TV Song Last Week (July 17): ‘Tumbling Lights’ by The Acid (Tunefind)
The premiere of HBO’s much-hyped Sharp Objects delivers our top TV song last week. The song has two featured uses in the premiere episode of Sharp Objects: in the beginning during a unique scene where a flashback transitions to present day, and again at the end as main character Camille listens to music in the bath. The song continues through the end credits.

Japanese Rock Band The Pillows Is a Huge Part of What Makes FLCL So Damn Good (Thrillist)
Eighteen years after the original came out, the Production I.G-produced show has found new life in the form of two all-new sequel seasons, FLCL: Progressive and FLCL: Alternative, to fans’ excitement. What hasn’t changed is the show’s signature soundtrack, written by Japanese alternative rock band The Pillows.

Mamma Mia! Film soundtracks have taken over the UK album chart (BBC)
The UK album chart is awash with soundtracks in a way that hasn’t been seen since the 1960s. The cast recording of the Abba movie sequel Mamma Mia!: Here We Go Again is at number one, mirroring its position in the cinema box office chart.

Studios Haven’t Yet Tired of Melancholy Pop Covers in Action Trailers (Billboard)
Slow, pensive covers of Linkin Park, Destiny’s Child, Eurythmics, Coolio and more are the soundtracks to frenetic scenarios in new promos. 

Clean Bandit’s ‘Rather Be,’ Feat. Jess Glynne, Rules Top TV Songs Chart for June 2018 (Billboard)
Clean Bandit’s hit “Rather Be,” featuring Jess Glynne, rules The Hollywood Reporter’s Top TV Songs chart, powered by Tunefind and Shazam, for June, thanks to its appearance in Netflix’s Sense8.

Dagny Covers ‘Landslide’ for The Bold Type (Tunefind)
The Bold Type’s music supervisor Rob Lowry takes us behind the scenes on working with Norwegian pop singer Dagny to reimagine Fleetwood Mac’s iconic hit.

The Power of Song: an Interview with Disney Music President Chris Montan (Part I) (The Soundtrack Show)
In part 1 of our interview with former Disney Music President Chris Montan, we discuss his incredible career as an executive music producer on some of the most memorable soundtracks, musicals and song scores of the past 35 years.

The First Purge Revamps The Sound Of Infamous Franchise (Tunefind)
Action-horror film The First Purge has completely taken over Tunefind’s trending music charts ever since the premiere on July 4th. Charged with rebooting the sound of this established franchise, music supervisor Jonathan Christiansen delivered.

Top TV Song Last Week: ‘Superman’ by Briana Lee (Tunefind)
CBS’ Code Black ended on a high note, tugging heartstrings with some emotional story lines and this cover of ‘Superman’ that jumped to the top of our TV songs chart last week.

Love Island Music: The Most Memorable Songs From The 2018 Series (Capital FM)
Love Island‘s music choices this season have been on point. Whether the contestants are about to split or having a party, every song has been handpicked to perfection to create the perfect soundtrack to the show.

Nashville finale: 6 songs that defined the show (Tennessean)
Over the course of its six-season run, the show produced a staggering number of original songs — more than 300 were released digitally — crafted by some of Music City’s most gifted writers.

Breaking Bad – The official jams, curated by Vince Gilligan and Thomas Golubić (Spotify)
In honor of the 10th anniversary of Breaking Bad, Thomas Golubić and Vince Gilligan curated a Spotify playlist of music and dialogue featured in the entire series. Take a trip down memory lane.

BTB Ep 140: We interview and get great tips from legendary music supervisor Maureen Crowe (Break The Business Podcast)
This week, Ryan interviews legendary music supervisor Maureen Crowe (Wayne’s World, The Bodyguard, Chicago). Maureen gives some great tips for our listeners on how to increase your sync placement opportunities and how to build the right relationships with the industry professionals who can get your music in movies, TV, commercials, and more.

Hollywood Bowl’s Movie Nights Pull Curtain Back on Film Scores (Variety)
John Williams’ 40th anniversary Bowl appearance is being preceded by Jaws and Star Wars live-score screenings, while Henry Mancini will be celebrated as The Pink Panther unspools as part of the Bowl’s jazz series.

Listen to the Coup’s Sorry to Bother You Soundtrack (Pitchfork)
The soundtrack for Boots Riley’s directorial debut, Sorry to Bother You, has been released. The 9-track album is credited to his long-running Oakland hip-hop group The Coup and features appearances from the film’s star Lakeith Stanfield (on first single “OYAHYTT”), Tune-Yards (who also scored the film), Janelle Monáe, Killer Mike, and more.

John Carpenter’s Ringtone Is The Halloween Theme Music (We Got This Covered)
You can call it narcissism; we’ll just call it good taste. At the San Diego Comic-Con, director David Gordon Green alleged that John Carpenter uses the classic theme music from the 1978 Halloween as his ringtone – a score that Carpenter just so happened to compose himself.

Gaming

Here’s the soundtrack for Madden NFL 19 (The FADER)
EA Games has announced the tracklist for the soundtrack to the latest edition of its football video game franchise Madden NFL 19. Check it out and listen to a playlist of the music on Spotify.

Our Favourite Soundtracks in Video Games (Red Bull)
There are many components that go into great games that make them memorable. Sometimes, it’s the characters and the stories they tell us. Other times, it’s the beautiful and mesmerising worlds we find ourselves in that we can get lost in forever. Most times, however, there’s a common denominator- and that’s a damn good soundtrack. Here’s our take on the best video game soundtracks to have ever graced our ears.

The Police’s Stewart Copeland Composes New Spyro Main Theme (Variety)
Copeland, who is the series’ original composer, revealed a clip of the new theme during the Spyro: Reigniting a Legend panel at SDCC. The track is called “Tiger Train,” and it reprises recognizable musical motifs from the first three games.

Prick up your earworms: Beat Fever is reviving mobile music games (Music Ally)
Launching last year in beta, mobile game Beat Fever is trying to swing the games pendulum back to music again.

Quavo Talks Crafting ‘They Can’t Win’ For Madden 19, How ‘Apeshit’ Came About & What’s in Store For Drake Tour (Billboard)
Growing up, Huncho would often visualize himself playing in the EA Sports Madden series every year as a dedicated gamer throughout his childhood. Now, Quavo has the privilege to become apart of the game he loves by crafting “They Can’t Win” alongside the Migos and DJ Durel as a fresh tune for Madden 19′s soundtrack.

Nintendo Gives Fans a Look Behind the Scenes of Splatoon 2’s Music (Hardcore Gamer)
Fans of Splatoon 2 and its music can now get a brief glimpse behind the scenes and see some of those responsible for making the game’s soundtrack what it is.

What Fortnite‘s Dance Emotes May Owe To The Black Artists Who Created Them (Kokatu)
Late last week, Chance the Rapper made this point in a brief series of tweets proposing that Epic Games, the makers of Fortnite, should include music alongside the emotes rather than just silent dance animations. “Imagine the money people are spending on these Emotes being shared with the artists that made them”, he said.

Grand Theft Auto online expansion ‘After Hours’ takes players on a tour of LA club culture (LA Times)
“She asked if it was possible if she could punch out a cop,” said Ivan Pavlovich, the music supervisor for the insanely popular video game franchise.

Advertising

Sync Story: Inside Prettylittlething, Kah-Lo and Riton’s collaboration (Music Week)
Nigerian star Kah-Lo is enjoying a summer boost thanks to a spot on one of the ads of the season. The singer’s 2017 track Fasta, made in collaboration with producer Riton, pulses in the background of online fashion retailer PrettyLittleThing’s latest advert, which stars BBC Radio 1’s Maya Jama, whose range it promotes.

No alternative: how brands bought out underground music (Guardian)
Timberland hosts rap gigs. Princess Nokia makes films for Maybelline. And Red Bull is the new school of rock. Have brand partnerships destroyed counterculture? Or are they all that’s keeping it alive?

UK Top Shazamed ads: July 26: ITV charges in with new drama Vanity Fair (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 week.

The most Shazamed ads of the week (US): July 20: Anita Ward and Meghan Trainor Help Walmart and Target Stay on List of Most Shazam’d Ads | July 27: Black Eyed Peas’ ‘Let’s Get It Started’ Can Still Jump-Start a Commercial (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 July 20th to July 27th.

Business

Latin Music In Sync: “Opportunities Are Coming From Everywhere” (Synchblog)
We talk to Mayra Cortez, Latin Sync Creative at Universal Music Publishing, about opportunities for Latin music in sync, and what’s next for a genre of music with such a rich cultural heritage.

‘Artist development is about having belief in talent – and working sync in as part of that’ (MBW)
Most of us muddle along in the early days of our careers without having to think about impressing a global superstar. Not Abi Leland. The highly respected music supervisor got her first job in the field, aged 20, working with none other than Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish.

BMI Names Alex Flores Senior VP of Creative (Variety)
BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.) has named Alex Flores senior VP of creative. The Los Angeles-based Flores arrives from BMG where she was most recently SVP of Marketing for North America. She’ll report to Mike Steinberg, executive VP, Creative & Licensing.

Live From Daryl’s House to Relaunch in the Fall Via BMG Partnership (Variety)
BMG has partnered with executive producers Daryl Hall and Jonathan Wolfson to secure worldwide rights for Hall’s Webby Award-winning TV series, Live from Daryl’s House and will begin producing new segments beginning this fall, the company announced today.

Music Week Sync Awards 2018 – Enter Now (Music Week)
Music Week’s Sync Awards returns for the 5th year in 2018, once again celebrating the best sync individuals, teams and placements across a broad range of media over the past 12 months. The deadline for entry is 2nd August 2018.

Events

Key Worldwide Music Industry & Sync Events List 2018 (Updated) (Synchblog)
We might be half way through 2018 but there are still plenty of great music industry events worth attending. We’ve updated our extensive list, bookmark it now:

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