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accompanying silent visual media with music. Over time, films began hiring composers to create instrumental soundtracks to accompany films. It became apparent to studios that when a movie included a hit song, more people were likely to see it, and as a result of that, more people were likely to purchase the song recording. The demand for music supervisors in the production process solidified in the 1980s, and has continued to grow with the popularity of media soundtracks. While the use of songs not originally composed for the film did not save money, licensing a song made for a more stable understanding for the director and producer of the film what music was going to be used in the scene. Instead of having to wait for new instrumental music to be commissioned, they could have an understanding of what recording would be used before the film was finalized. This led to an emerging need for selecting and licensing songs, which is how the position of music supervisor developed. Taking advantage of this musical component has become an increasingly feasible marketing strategy for these media outlets, placing a growing responsibility on the music supervisor.
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funds through soundtrack royalties. It is generally more profitable (assuming one will be regularly hired) to work freelance jobs than to work for a larger corporation. However, some supervisors may choose to work within a music supervision company. In addition, music supervisors who work "in house" within an entertainment, such as an advertising agency or within the music department of a production company, will earn a salary based upon their ranking and company earnings. While staff jobs with a network, studio, or production company offer more security, the recognition and pay are significantly lower. Despite the environment, a music supervisor should always work out a contract including expectations, responsibilities, and payment before beginning a project.
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majority of the position involves music negotiations, clearances, publishing/performing deals, etc., a legal background is an excellent qualification. Some supervisors are musicians, producers, agents, or managers – experience with the music or film/television industries is a strong background upon which to build. Despite common misconceptions, musical knowledge (writing, reading, performing, composing) is not nearly as important as a familiarity with a broad range of music, including popular styles and artists, as well as the production/negotiating process itself. Author of
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publisher, which will pitch songs to the supervisor from within their library of music. If creating new music, the supervisor may become responsible for additional roles, including securing artists or composers, facilitating the production and recording process, overseeing finances, and finalizing post-theatrical uses of the soundtrack. When using pre-existing music, the supervisor's duties focus on the legal and financial aspects of licensing and negotiating. A large percentage of a music supervisor's job revolves around music clearance alone.
46:) and to work out the financial details of the song's use. In many instances, the artist or songwriter of the recorded song is given the opportunity to accept or decline the synchronization of their song. This position is most active within media-based industries, including live events, television, film, advertising, theatre, and video gaming. Music supervisors may work within production companies, film studios, networks, music supervision companies, or do freelance work.
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placements an artist has made with visual media, these companies need to be aware of their placement. Depending on the type of project (ad placement, television show, etc.). the music supervisor will have to either make sure the artist is credited properly, send video clips of the placement to the publisher (which will then be sent to the proper
Performance Rights Organization),or create a cue sheet of all of the songs used in the project
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title, opening credits, and closing credits, while additional spots are incorporated to trigger emotional responses from viewers. Scores, or background music, are also an important consideration for enhancing visual media. Scores can range from the background to a dramatic scene to television bumpers – the music signifying leading into or coming back from a commercial break.
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advertising agency). A production company may also hire a supervisor on a project-by-project basis (such as hiring one supervisor for an entire television series as seen with Gossip Girl or The O.C.). Music supervisors may also be hired on a show-by-show basis (ex. AMC's Mad Men, which has used multiple music supervisors).
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The job of a music supervisor has only recently become increasingly significant and the importance of this position continues to grow. Institutions such as the Guild of Music
Supervisors are promoting the understanding of music supervision. In 2007 several supervisors, in order to promote, pursue and
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A supervisor's responsibilities are to locate, secure and oversee music-related talent. They liaise between the rights holders of the recorded music involved and the director of the project they have been hired to work on. In addition, they advise, generate and work within financial parameters of the
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The proliferation of video technology has resulted in an increased demand for production companies needing to license music, and the field now accommodates many career professionals. Because of the massive expansion in the field, many colleges and universities offer courses in music supervision. For
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When it comes to royalty collections, a music supervisor will sometimes be in charge of arranging this source of the selected artist's revenue. Royalties for music placements are paid out by
Performance Rights Organizations (such as ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC in the United States). In order to detect the
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A music supervisor is somebody with a broad and encyclopedic music expertise and a sophisticated knowledge of music licensing and negotiation. Typically, a music supervisor proposes previously recorded songs to the director or producer of a film, advertisement, television show, trailer, promo, video
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The director/producer will discuss their vision for the project with the music supervisor, and how they expect the music to enhance this vision. The visual media will then be spotted by the supervisor – a process of choosing where selected music will be inserted. Traditional spots include the main
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Over the past decade, synchronization licensing has become one of the most significant ways for an artist to gain exposure and to earn money. Finding a way to a music supervisor can give an artist the opportunity to spread their music on a platform that would expose them to a much larger audience
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Music supervisor salaries vary depending upon the project and the hiring process. Salaries can range from $ 35,000 annually at a music supervision firm, to upwards of $ 250,000 for a freelance supervisor per feature film (Austin). Music supervisors also have the opportunity to continue receiving
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Many directors and producers will choose to work with a single supervisor for a project, however it varies from project to project. For example, music supervisors can be hired at an entertainment company as an “in house” staff member to manage the supervision for several projects (such as at an
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A music supervisor must have a wide knowledge of music and a passion for musical research. There is no set educational or career path to become a music supervisor. Educational backgrounds range from
Bachelor of Fine Arts in music to business degrees to no higher education at all. Because the
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After being given or creating a budget, the supervisor must select appropriate music for the project – either by licensing existing songs/scores, or creating new songs/scores. In the selection process, a music supervisor may choose to seek the help of a third party licensing company or a music
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game, or any other form of visual media. A music supervisor will usually act as a liaison between the creative and business ends of the process. Once a song is approved, they approach the rights holders of that song to seek permission to license (usually creating master recording licenses and
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Originally, music was used in silent films to hide mechanical noises within a theatre, like the projector. Often a musician would be present to play improvised or pre-selected pieces along with the visual images on screen. This led to the establishment of the soundtrack, and an emphasis on
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industry, a music supervisor is often responsible for managing a team of music directors working on any number of musical productions. In visual productions, the music supervisor usually works with the directors, writers or producers to choose which songs are best suited for the scenes.
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project they are hired to work on. They must deliver musical elements within a timely manner and secure legal rights of the song before it is used. The music supervisor will gather the appropriate information to list credits and, in certain cases, will manage royalty collection.
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and visual media. According to the Guild of Music
Supervisors, a music supervisor is “a qualified professional who oversees all music related aspects of film, television, advertising, video games and other existing or emerging visual media platforms as required.” In the
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David
Baskerville notes "This is one of the few production specialties that has almost unlimited growth potential, because there no universally accepted job description. The field remains wide open to people with connections and the ability to get the job done."
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The overarching responsibility of a music supervisor is to meet the needs of a project's director and producer. This means catering to the creative goals of a project under a strict budget: often less than 5% of a project's total budget.
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recognize the craft of music supervision. Since 2011 guild has granted awards for excellence in the position. They encourage other institutions, such as the
Hollywood Music and Media Awards, to acknowledge accomplishments in the field.
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than they may have been able to find on their own. One of the most notable synchronization collaborations was with Moby's 1999 album Play, which was the first ever to have all of its tracks linked to a synchronization license.
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Wentz, Brook. Hey, that's my music!: Music supervision, licensing, and content acquisition. 2007. Hal
Leonard Books, NY NY.
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Schulenberg, Richard. Legal
Aspects of the Music Industry: An Insider's View. 1999. Billboard Books, New York New York.
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Austin, D., Austin, C., Peterik, Jim. Songwriting for
Dummies, 2nd Edition. 2010. Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, NJ.
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example, NYU Steinhardt's Music Business program offers a course titled “Strategic Music and Branding”.
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Sobel, Ron, and Dick Weissman. Music Publishing: The Roadmap to Royalties. New York: Routledge, 2008.
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Baskerville, David, PHD. Music Business and Career Guide. 2006. Sage Publications, CA.
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Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Supervision
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503:Guild of Music Supervisors.
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132:69th Primetime Emmy Awards
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23:is a person who combines
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440:The Grand Budapest Hotel
44:synchronization licenses
1383:Unit still photographer
1068:Director of audiography
797:Unit production manager
434:The Wolf of Wall Street
400:The Wolf of Wall Street
1412:Filmmaking occupations
1073:Production sound mixer
802:Production coordinator
377:The Kids Are All Right
1343:Visual effects editor
1338:VFX creative director
807:Production accountant
302:Behind the Candelabra
1417:Occupations in music
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832:Production assistant
267:The Dukes of Hazzard
223:24 Hour Party People
219:Bend It like Beckham
50:Job responsibilities
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882:Production designer
605:"Organization Moby"
383:Friday Night Lights
313:Lost in Translation
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412:Frederic Schindler
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1217:Acting coach
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989:Focus puller
887:Art director
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323:
317:
311:
300:
294:
288:
277:
271:
265:
259:
256:Nic Harcourt
248:
242:
238:Breaking Bad
236:
217:
211:
205:
194:
188:
182:
176:
170:
159:
153:
147:
144:Gary Calamar
121:
117:
113:
109:
100:
91:
85:
82:
73:
69:
65:
61:
57:
53:
40:
20:
18:
1300:Film editor
1222:Body double
1103:Voice foley
1011:Second unit
971:Photography
952:Illustrator
939:Visual arts
919:Set dresser
904:Hairdresser
873:Production
728:Cameo actor
698:Voice actor
473:Gossip Girl
285:Evyen Klean
250:The Killing
37:Description
1406:Categories
1378:Swing gang
1348:Compositor
1282:Under-five
1043:Dolly grip
852:Storyboard
668:filmmaking
622:2023-08-11
516:2017-01-22
488:References
161:True Blood
1358:Rendering
1173:Animation
1120:Subtitles
999:Steadicam
899:Greensman
723:Bit actor
664:Film crew
617:1059-1028
325:Beginners
126:with the
1315:Animator
1310:Colorist
1252:Stand-in
1191:Modeling
1181:Animator
1125:Composer
1033:Key grip
510:Archived
480:Twilight
465:The O.C.
354:Clueless
1196:Rigging
1110:Dubbing
469:Mad Men
451:Skyfall
178:Shrek 2
106:History
1210:Talent
1016:Gaffer
875:design
615:
296:Bessie
227:Marley
196:Flaked
155:Dexter
97:Salary
1371:Other
1242:Extra
1060:Sound
693:Actor
609:Wired
446:Vinyl
279:90210
25:music
1048:Grip
613:ISSN
482:Saga
478:The
1115:ADR
1408::
611:.
607:.
577:^
543:^
525:^
508:.
496:^
476:,
471:,
467:,
463:,
458::
443:,
437:,
431::
420:,
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403:,
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368::
357:,
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339::
316:,
310::
299:,
293:,
287::
276:,
270:,
264:,
258::
247:,
241:,
235:–
225:,
221:,
216:,
210:,
204::
193:,
187:,
181:,
175:,
169::
158:,
152:,
146::
134:.
19:A
670:)
666:(
656:e
649:t
642:v
625:.
519:.
448:,
327:,
321:,
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