Two years ago my band made a conscious decision to release our music upon the world the way the world prefers…shareable on YouTube. With a gorgeous lead singer, some digital savvy, and enough ADHD to ensure our songs will always be short; we felt the raw ingredients were there. Two years (and seven videos) later, […]
Some days, as an artist, I need to be reminded why I work so hard to match the right piece of music with the right visual. These movie clips – all with heart-melting music inseparable from the story – are the reminder I need. Please enjoy: Film: Finding Nemo Release Date: 2003 Composer: Thomas Newman […]
A local newspaper in the UK recently did an expose on a jaw-dropping $350,000 spent by the City of Derby on music that plays in the background for government employees while they work. Let’s stick a pin in the most obvious question (“Why would they spend that much?”) because that answer will reveal itself when […]
To describe our new collection of retail background music, we’ve decided to revamp an old industry term…”indie”. As in “independent”. As in “music-made-on-the-artist’s-terms”. As in “created outside the sphere of label-controlled, market-driven, whats-our-ROI-on-this?” segment of the music world. Virtually none of the 45,000+ tracks in our library were produced by artists your parents/siblings have heard of. […]
In 2005, Hollywood screenwriter Blake Snyder published Save the Cat!, a movie-maker’s help-guide that explained the governing dynamics behind every movie you’ve ever loved. Snyder’s explanation of concepts like “stating the B story theme”, “fun and games” and “whiff of death” was so down-to-earth, studio executives who read the book could hold their own in […]
Last week a new musician asked a great question. When uploading (or searching for) tracks on www.MusicRevolution.com, you’ve no doubt noticed the “Applications” category. Each of our 45,000+ tracks has been tagged with some kind of “Application”. Yet we’ve never actually provided any examples of those applications. Allow me to remedy that. “Applications” are different […]
As a working musician, it’s hard to understand a world where a cow can be sliced in half, submerged in a tank of formaldehyde, then sold to an art collector for millions of dollars. Making stuff like that sounds so much easier than obtaining a music degree, undertaking the work of song-craftsmanship, writing hundreds of […]
Wedding ceremonies are not for the benefit of the bride and groom. Rather, they are for the benefit of friends and family….and my income as a keyboard player. That lovely couple’s public declaration of life-commitment sends a butterfly effect through the universe only God can itemize. I once played a ceremony for a bride who […]
One of the best quotes I’ve heard in the ad agency world is, “TV spots shine more when they have sweat on them.” That explains why making content for agencies can be emotionally exhausting. It also explains why the world’s greatest brands give us the greatest advertising; entire armies of creative people are paid to […]
When I was a young Specialist (E4) in the US Army Band, that organization’s version of hazing new members was to make them perform in the dixieland band. Dixieland music isn’t technically challenging, so that group was filled with guys either close to retirement or wet-behind-the-ears. The “star” musicians were way too cool to play […]