Film and TV
Once Were Brothers Music Supervisor David Hayman Dies at 42 (Billboard)
The Supergroup Sonic Branding founder and Guild of Music Supervisors Canada VP also worked on hit shows like Schitt’s Creek and Letterkenny.
Insecure Music Supervisor Kier Lehman Teases an Emotional Montage in the Season 4 Finale (Complex)
When it comes to Insecure, the music is just as liable to get Twitter buzzing as much as any relationship twist. Issa Rae has said that the music each season is basically an extension of her personal playlist, but that in no way shortchanges what Kier Lehman brings to the table.
Inside the Innovative Music of Mrs. America: Mary Ramos on Song Choice, Story and Subtext (Variety)
Walter Murphy’s “A Fifth of Beethoven,” the disco-fied 1976 reinvention of the composer’s most famous symphony, seems like an unusual choice for the theme of Mrs. America, FX’s Cate Blanchett-starring series on the history of the 1970s women’s movement as seen from the perspective of its fervent opponent, arch-conservative Phyllis Schlafly.
Top TV Song Last Week: “Dancing After Death (Stripped)” by Matt Maeson (Tunefind)
After six seasons, ABC’s legal thriller How to Get Away With Murder came to an end on May 14th. The series finale featured the most popular TV song last week with dynamic vocals from Chesapeake Bay native Matt Maeson
Behind the Music That Drives Killing Eve (FLOOD)
We spoke with composer David Holmes from Unloved and music supervisor Catherine Grieves about the show’s killer soundtrack.
Joel Speaks to His Neighbors: James Friedman, Passé Publishing (Synchblog)
Introducing our new series where Synchtank founder Joel T. Jordan gets to know the creative people in his neighborhood. First up is James Friedman, co-owner of boutique publishing & sync business Passé Publishing.
The Secret Weapon of Homecoming’s New Season? An Original Score (Vulture)
When Emile Mosseri stepped in as the composer of Homecoming, he had gigantic shoes to fill. The first season of the Amazon Prime series, based on the popular Gimlet podcast, was “scored” by the likes of Bernard Herrmann, David Shire, and Vangelis — a trio of Oscar-winning legends who, it should be noted, are either dead or retired.
Good News for Sync — California Will Issue Film & TV Filming Guidelines on Monday (Digital Music News)
Governor Newsom says the guidelines will start in some counties as soon as next week. The governor revealed the news in a virtual roundtable on Wednesday with industry leaders. Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos says production is already underway in countries like South Korea, Iceland, and Sweden.
The Bizarre, Unexpected, Neverending Life of Imogen Heap’s “Hide and Seek” (InsideHook)
While many, even the composer herself, were ready to file the song away under 2005, it appears the definition of “Hide and Seek” is just beginning to take shape.
How Hunters Curated Its Groovy ‘70s Soundtrack And Got A Thumbs Up From Bob Seger (Forbes)
Like sets and costumes, music is critically important whenever you decide to set your film or television show in the past. In the case of Hunters, that meant finding licensed songs that would accurately paint a portrait of New York, circa 1977.
Apple TV Plus Series Central Park Taps Sara Bareilles, Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple, Meghan Trainor as Songwriters (Variety)
The songwriting credits for the new Apple TV Plus animated series Central Park include a veritable who’s who of American female singer-songwriters stepping out of tune-land and into toon-land as guest writers, with Sara Bareilles, Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple, Cyndi Lauper and Meghan Trainor among those represented.
Gaming
Live music is merging with video games – and giving us a glimpse of the future (GQ)
From Travis Scott’s performance in Fortnite to The Offspring’s gig in World Of Tanks, live music and video games are colliding. Where will it go next?
Where indie music meets indie gaming (Chicago Reader)
Chicago video-game composers talk about how they found their way into this strange and difficult business.
Sony patents AI soundtrack generator that adapts game music to your emotions (TNW)
Sony has filed a patent for a soundtrack generator that matches music to a gamer’s emotions, sparking speculation that the tech could find its way into the PlayStation 5.
Advertising
Songs For Screens: How ’80s Metal Band Ratt Landed a Geico Commercial (Variety)
It took some 35 years, but ‘80s metal band Ratt has finally returned to television screens with the sort of frequency it hasn’t seen since its MTV days.
Brand Sound Differentiation (Soundlounge)
In this next installment of our deep dive into Sound Equity, we’ll be looking at how brands can differentiate their brand sound from others (Brand Sound Differentiation), so to create an advantage in today’s crowded and noisy market place.
Show Your Creativity: Choose Independent Music for Your Ads (Muse be CLIO)
Rather than going to one of the giant music publishers, or thinking only of the most popular artists from the past 50 years, brands and networks need to find independent musicians and small record labels to be the soundtracks for their content.
Business
Client Spotlight: AVL Digital’s Jon Bahr on CD Baby’s Booming Sync Business & Creating an Equitable Future for Rightsholders (Synchblog)
Jon Bahr on the secret to CD Baby’s booming sync operation, creating a fair business for rightsholders, & what the future holds for the post-pandemic music industry.
Netflix Taps Alexandra Patsavas to Head Music for Original Series (Variety)
Starting in July, Patsavas will oversee Netflix’s creative music services and production strategy for original series, “fostering partnerships between the studio, producers and the music industry,” the company tells Variety.
Scenes from Quarantine: How Music Supervisors Are Adapting to the Pandemic (ASCAP)
We snuck in some time with five of our friends from the music supervision community to see what their new reality looks like. Whether you’re interested in music supervision, pitching your own music or a catalog, or just want to know what’s happening behind the scenes of your favorite shows, there is some great wisdom to be shared here.
Music Supervisors Discuss the Music Industry’s Way Forward (Songtradr)
Songtradr recently hosted a “Happy Hour” roundtable event which invited three prominent music supervisors to enjoy their favorite beverages while discussing what music looks like from their perspective — particularly in terms of sync — and what they believe is on the horizon.
Rising Star: BMG Production Music’s Sam Pake (Music Week)
“A lot of production music is of such a high quality these days that I believe it easily rivals commercial music”, says Sam Pake, head of production at BMG Production Music.
BMG inks deal with AI music company that ‘respects the integrity of music composition’ (MBW)
BMG Production Music (BMGPM) has inked a deal with France-based AI-powered music-to-video platform MatchTune, which will initially see over 15,000 tracks from BMGPM’s catalog integrated into MatchTune and made available for use on the platform.
Coronavirus Sync Resources and Virtual Events
Midem Digital Edition – June 2-5 2020
Midem is hosting a free digital edition this year to bring the global music community together to discuss, collaborate, and share solutions for our industry in the post-Covid era. Check out the following sync-related panels:
- Music Supervisors Lynn Fainchtein & Jesper Gadeberg Positive Take on Covid-19 Impacts for the World of Sync & Supervision
- Pepsi’s Ellen Healy Exclusive Talk on the Brand’s History & Legacy in Music
- Music Composers Pinar Toprak & Benjamin Wallfisch on the Secrets Behind Scoring Superhero Movies – In association with Variety
The MPA’s Sync Talent Competition
During these unsettling times the Music Publishers Association (MPA) is giving budding songwriters between the age of 11-18 the opportunity to receive direct feedback from a panel of their members.
GMS Weekly Online Educational Panel Series in Collaboration with Mondo
The Guild of Music Supervisors have launched a free weekly online educational series featuring top music supervisors, composers and artists. While geared for students, it is open to all. Don’t forget to catch any panels you miss on Mondo’s YouTube channel.
The Ivors Academy’s Remote Recording Directory
A free and open database to connect composers for film, TV and games with professional musicians able to record from home has been launched by The Ivors Academy.
Sync Summit’s Sync Cafe
SyncSummit is hosting a Sync Cafe Daily Chat at 1PM ET to bring everyone together during the Coronavirus crisis so we can come together, speak about music, business and life. If you want to take part, just fill out the form below for access.
The Guild of Music Supervisors Canada hosts virtual 1:1 meetings with music supervisors
The Guild of Music Supervisors Canada is offering Canadian musicians the opportunity to virtually meet with Music Supervisors across the country.
Marché du Film Online: Spot the Composer – June 22nd – 26th
This year, join the Marché du Film Online from 22 to 26 June 2020, and join our online event Spot the Composer. Spot the Composer invites film music composers and their artistic agents to meet via one-to-one online sessions film directors and producers looking for original music for their projects.
For more events check out our comprehensive list of music industry conferences which is regularly updated to include virtual events:
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