Music Supervision and Sync Roundup: Aretha • Crazy Rich Asians • Rockstar • Adidas • More

In this every two week update from the Synchtank team, we'll review the important placements and major happenings in the wild and wonderful world of music supervision and music sync. 

By Emma Griffiths of Synchtank and their Synchblog

Music Supervision and Sync Roundup:

7 iconic Aretha Franklin musical moments from movies and TV (Vox)
Seven iconic Aretha Franklin moments from movies and TV — plus a celebration of the Franklin song used more than any other.

This Is Us Music Supervisor Talks Finding Out of the Box Songs (Variety)
A veteran music supervisor for television and movies, Jennifer Pyken landed her first Emmy nomination for her work on NBC’s This Is Us. This native New Yorker-turned-Valley Girl started out as an Island Records intern and continues to showcase her diverse musical range with the Netflix teen comedy, The Package.

Owning ‘Yellow’: How Crazy Rich Asians singer turned a Coldplay song into a Mandarin anthem (TWP)
Since its U.S. release last week, the buzz surrounding the film isn’t just about its whopping $25.2 million opening weekend. Many reactions have focused on its soundtrack, a unique blend of multilingual songs, including classic Chinese hits and Asian covers of mainstream pop numbers. (See also – Crazy Rich Asians Director Shares Letter Sent to Coldplay for ‘Yellow’ Permission)

Inside the creation of the thrilling new A Star Is Born soundtrack (Entertainment Weekly)
When it came to writing the music for the film, Cooper and Gaga say that the process happened organically. Born‘s all-star team of collaborators includes Lukas Nelson (Willie Nelson’s son who also appears in the film), Mark Ronson, Jason Isbell, Dave Cobb, Paul Kennerley, and Hillary Lindsey. 

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before’s Soundtrack Success Story (Tunefind)
Tunefind caught up with music supervisors Lindsay Wolfington (Shadowhunters, The Royals) and Laura Webb (Siren, Teen Wolf) to learn more about their approach to finding the perfect songs to complement this touching and fun film that hits all the right notes in the classic teen romcom genre.

Atlanta Music Supervisor Says Donald Glover Called Stevie Wonder to Clear Tracks for ‘Teddy Perkins’ Episode (Variety)
Atlanta co-music supervisor Jen Malone says it isn’t always easy to clear tracks for use in TV, and in one particular instance, series creator Donald Glover himself had to get involved.

Shape of Water, Star Wars, Kendrick Lamar Nab World Soundtrack Awards Noms (Variety)
The World Soundtrack Academy has released early nominees for the 2018 World Soundtrack Awards, celebrating 2017-18 films and series for their musical soundtracks and scores.

Film & TV Composer Interview: Brian Tyler (Pop Disciple)
Gallant blockbuster composer speaks on the inspiration behind his opulent big band/orchestral hybrid score for Crazy Rich Asians, turning down four feature films to craft the melancholy musical atmosphere of Yellowstone, the thrill and responsibility of writing the new Formula One theme, and his creative thrust into the world of EDM under the moniker, Madsonik.

Inside the long process of getting Led Zeppelin’s music in HBO’s Sharp Objects, which has defined the mood of the show (Business Insider)
For decades, countless filmmakers have abandoned the hope of featuring the music of rock gods Led Zeppelin in their work because the legend is true: It’s really, really hard to get the band to grant permission.

New series Lodge 49 has TV’s most wonderfully surprising soundtrack (Brooklyn Vegan)
Adding to the idiosyncratic feel of the show is its amazing, unusual soundtrack, filled with ’60s surf, baroque psych, rockabilly, and obscure indie.

Songs for Screens: Insecure Music Supervisor on Why City Girls Are ‘The SZA of This Season’ (Variety)
“It’s so hard and rare to make that magic happen organically,” says Jenny Swiatowy, VP-creative synch licensing for Capitol Music Group’s Seventeenfifty, who pitched Lehman on including the group this season.

How The O.C. changed TV show soundtracks forever (The FADER)
The show premiered 15 years ago. Since then, music supervision and discovery have had to play by entirely new rules.

American Woman Music Supervisor Ann Kline on Using Both New & Era-Specific Music (TV Insider)
Over the course of the dramedy’s first season, music supervisor Ann Kline has cultivated a surprising sound-track ranging from era-specific (The Guess Who, Roy Orbison) to contemporary (The Peach Kings, Tennis).

Lord Huron Rule Top TV Songs Chart For July 2018 With ‘The Night We Met’ (Billboard)
Lord Huron’s ‘The Night We Met’ rules The Hollywood Reporter’s Top TV Songs chart, powered by Tunefind and Shazam, for July, thanks to its appearance in Showtime’s The Affair.

Ethan Hawke’s new flick crowdsourced 100 musicians for soundtrack (NY Post)
What’s behind the music? In the case of the fictional rocker in the new movie Juliet, Naked, about 100 songwriters. That’s how many artists director Jesse Peretz and music supervisor Marguerite Phillips reached out to compose the tracks sung by Tucker Crowe, a has-been star played by Ethan Hawke.

Emmys: Dramatic Scores Set Tones and Enhance Stories Across Genre Series (Variety)
The 2018 Emmy nominees for music composition for a series, original dramatic score, could hardly be more diverse: the grim cliffhanger episode of a popular cable serial; a small-combo score for a Marvel Comics heroine; the series finale of a fantasy based on Disney characters; an internationally flavored episode of a freshman broadcast series; an animated Star Wars spinoff; and Eastern colors for a cable series that imagines a world of sword-wielding warriors.

Top TV Song Last Week: August 13th – “Pa’lante” by Hurray for the Riff Raff | August 23rd – “Fame” by Daemon (Tunefind)
Each week Tunefind highlights the most popular music on TV. Over the last couple of weeks songs from Powerand Sharp Objects have taken the lead.

Film & TV Composer Interview: Harry Gregson-Williams (Pop Disciple)
Triumphant award-winning composer and musical visionary speaks on garnering his first Emmy nomination for his mystic, otherworldly treatment of Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams The Commuter episode and how he showcased the magnificence and the dread of The Meg with a monumental Chinese influenced orchestral score.

Eighth Grade has the perfect soundtrack for teenage angst (i-D)
Anna Meredith’s bold electronic compositions play an important role in directing this narrative. Much like in a nature documentary or in a biology video about the human genome, her music is used to brighten the character’s thoughts and emotions, and to distract you momentarily from the dialogue.

Gaming

How Rockstar changed the tune of video game soundtracks (Red Bull)
From DJ games to DJs in games, Red Bull looks at how Rockstar Games changed the way we think about video game soundtracks.

Travis Scott and LeBron James Talk NBA 2K19 Soundtrack (Mandatory)
The boys of summer 2018, James and Scott, sat down to chop it up about the highly-anticipated game’s release and the method behind his video game mixtape madness.

‘Bigger than MTV’: how video games are helping the music industry thrive (The Guardian)
The success of a booming video game industry, expected to generate $137.9bn in revenue this year, is music to the ears for bands, musicians, record labels and composers.

Grand Theft Auto music director Ivan Pavlovich on bringing real-world club culture to the video game screen for After Hours (FACT Mag)
When Rockstar Games’ music director, Ivan Pavlovich, first joined up with the company 15 years ago he was coming from a pretty tight knit musical world of his own.

Checking the Score: Interview with Wizard of Legend Composer Dale North (Hardcore Gamer)
Dale North’s blend of orchestral pieces and synthesizers throughout the game provide a necessary transformation of space. From soothing melodies of respite, to devastating boss fights, North creates a beautiful marriage between gameplay and music.

VR Arcades for the Game Music Composer (Gamasutra)
Composer Winifred Phillips discusses the allure of composing music for virtual reality, and looks at four companies with multiple locations and big ambitions in the VR arcade business.

Montreal composer goes on epic quest to create Lara Croft game soundtrack (CTV News)
Brian D’Oliveira composed every melody in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, an upcoming game featuring the character Lara Croft racing to save the world from the Mayan apocalypse. To do so, he spent three years travelling through Latin America collecting rare instruments, including at least one believed to be haunted. He now has 900 and counting.

Advertising

Songs for Screens: Lil Yachty Stars Alongside Donny Osmond in Out-There Chef Boyardee Ad (Variety)
Over the past decade, hip-hop artists and packaged food brands have delivered surprise collaborations that range from the surreal  to the sublime. Amid all the shameless youth pandering and awkward cultural collisions, some genuine moments of creative magic can emerge.

Sync Story: Inside Everyone You Know’s Adidas placement (Music Week)
Adidas is a big player when it comes to campaigns associated with the beautiful game, so a sync for new RCA act Everyone You Know on Adidas Football’s ads for its Team Mode kit designs could represent a significant break.

OneRepublic’s ‘Connection’ Rules Top TV Commercials Chart for July 2018 (Billboard)
OneRepublic leads Billboard & Clio’s Top TV Commercials chart, powered by Shazam, for July, with their new single “Connection,” thanks to the song’s appearance in Jeep’s “2018 Summer of Jeep: Sold Out” commercial.

Sync Story: Inside Alex Baranowski’s Britain’s Beer Alliance placement (Music Week)
Soundtracked by composer Alex Baranowski’s rework of Chicago house pioneer Jamie Principle’s Your Love, the ad lovingly portrays the pub as a community hub. Baranowski’s recent projects include the BBC’s World Cup theme.

UK Top Shazamed ads: August 14: Samsung, Heineken and Hyundai | August 21: NHS and Calvin Klein make the cut (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): August 17: Samsung Tops Most Shazam’d Ads With Sia, Diplo and Labrinth’s Song ‘Thunderclouds’ | August 24: Mazda Rides M83’s ‘Outro’ Into 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 August 17th to August 24th.

Business

UMG & Esports Hub ESL Look to ‘Soundtrack the Gaming Experience’ With New Label (Billboard)
Universal Music Group Central Europe has a new way to promote artists. The Berlin-based division of Universal Music Group, UMG, and ESL, the world’s largest esports company, have struck a deal for a multi-year exclusive partnership to help discover and promote new artists through ESL’s global tournaments and channels.

Bucks Music Group hires Adam Soffe to sync team (MBW)
In his new role, Soffe is tasked with procuring sync placements for the Bucks catalogue as well as actively seeking bespoke composition opportunities for Bucks writers across film, TV, commercials and video games.

Bad Robot Launches Indie Music Label Loud Robot (Consequence of Sound)
One of the decade’s most accomplished and acclaimed directors, J.J. Abrams, is getting into the music biz. The filmmaker’s Bad Robot production company has just announced a new independent music label called, fittingly, Loud Robot.

Downtown Publishing Acquires Film/TV Catalogs for Kardashians, Project Runway, More (Variety)
Through its acquisition of Note Republic, Downtown has acquired over 2,900 songs and music cues from reality television pioneer Bunim/Murray Productions, which includes the shows Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Project Runway, The Real World, and others.

Industry Innovators: Chandler Poling (Pop Disciple)
Effervescent publicist and co-founder of White Bear PR speaks on how his own musical background informs his approach to advancing the careers of composers and music supervisors, the fundamentals of cultivating a memorable visual brand, and how the evolving landscape of media will impact how artists promote themselves.

Sync Agent Tyler McLoughlan: ‘Your discarded songs could find a home in the corporate sector’ (Industry Observer)
Whether you’re an artist just starting out in your career or a songwriter looking to monetise your catalogue, musicians should always be thinking about how they can license their work to other media. 

Sync fast: First wave of finalists for the Music Week Sync Awards 2018 are revealed (Music Week)
It’s been another stellar year in the sync world, with uses of music in TV, advertising and video games reaching new heights in creativity and innovation.

Events

4th Annual Guild Of Music Supervisors ‘State of Music in Media’ Conference – September 15th (Los Angeles)
Discuss and explore the current state of music in media and engage in the conversations that will help shape the direction of the industry. This annual event is attended by the world’s top professionals across the sync and music supervision industries.

Screen Music Connect – September 24th (London)
Screen Music Connect is a new event series created to explore and celebrate the richly diverse world of Screen Music and the talent behind it. Screen Music Connect is aimed at the music production communities of all media industries – from pro, semi-pro and amateur composers though to producers, engineers, music supervisors and audio directors – plus fans of soundtracks and anyone with an interest in the evolution of screen music.

Free Webinar – The Business of Trailer Music with Position Music’s Emily Weber (Synchtank)
Join us for an in-depth look at the ins and outs of the trailer music business with our client Position Music’s VP of Creative Licensing for Trailers & Promos, Emily Weber.

Key Worldwide Music Industry & Sync Events List 2018 (Updated) (Synchblog)
Still on the lookout for music industry events and conferences to attend in 2018? Don’t forget to consult our handy list of worldwide events.