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Bending the Pitch: Music, Conglomeration, Licensing, and Convergence. CA 351 – Guest Lecture October 9, 2012. Who “Owns” a Song?. Fat Possum’s U.S. distributors: -RED Distribution ( Sony, 1979)
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Bending the Pitch: Music, Conglomeration, Licensing, and Convergence CA 351 – Guest Lecture October 9, 2012
Who “Owns” a Song? Fat Possum’s U.S. distributors: -RED Distribution (Sony,1979) -INgrooves(Independent,2002; Universal, 2008; purchased Fontana Distribution in March 2012) The Mountain(Fat Possum Records, 2009)
Who “Owns” a Song? -Produced by Liza Richardson and Jonathan Platt -Distributed through Fontana Distribution (originally owned by Universal MusicGroup, sold as a subsidiary of the Isolation Network in 2012) Friday Night Lights, Vol. 2 (Arrival Records/Scion Music Group; 2010)
Who “Owns” Friday Night Lights? (1926-1986) (2004-present) (2004-2011) (1926-1930, 1986-present) (2011-present)
Who “Places” a Song? • Experience at BMI • Protégée of Roger Corman • Frequently collaborates with Josh Schwartz • Works with predominantly indie artists • Founded Chop Shop Records in partnership with Atlantic Records in 2007 Alexandra Patsavas, Music Supervisor
Chop Shop Records Marina and the Diamonds, American Jewels EP (Chop Shop, 2010) Anya Marina, Felony Flats (Chop Shop, 2012)
Legitimating the Music Supervisor • Guild of Music Supervisors formed in 2007 • Serve as voting members of the American Recording Academy • Lobby for their own Grammy category • Started own awards ceremony in 2011 Maureen Crowe, GMS President (second from left)
Brief History of Music Licensing for Television • In the 1990s, the music industry came to see licensing for film and TV as an integral strategy for keeping labels in the black and for promoting certain artists -Master use: negotiated with record companies; allows licensees to use specific recordings -Synchronization: negotiated with the publishers of a particular song; entitles licensee to use the notes and lyrics of a particular piece of music • Licensing as revenue stream that could compensate for declining CD sales and lost profits caused by downloading and piracy
Tagging • WBprogramming implemented tagging in the late 1990s • “Free” promotions that warranted license fee reductions • New and indie artists were seen as most likely to go along with suchpractices as radio further consolidated in the wake of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 • MTV’s turn to lifestyle programming • Decline of music video promotion Songs from Dawson’s Creek (Sony, 1999)
WB Programming’s Influence on Licensing • Exploitation of synergy -Dawson’s Creek was a Sony/Columbia TriStar production (Sony artists) -Dawson’s Creek was on the WB (Warner Bros. artists) • Not above using soundalikes for DVD and streaming content • Many shows now license in anticipation of series’ going to DVD or on streaming platforms Original Music Featured On Gossip Girl No. 1 (Atlantic, 2008)
How Does Reception Engage with Production? Industrial Pressures -Allow music supervisors and producers to include genres and artists previously marginalized in the industry and to add sonic layers complicating textual readings of representation Narrative Functions and Affect -Communicate character interiority -Sonic wallpaper -Semiotic richness of the music-image combination