In its coverage of the music scene, SHOOT has over the years run several pieces relating to the role of musicologists, particularly during these litigious times when it comes to cases of musical copyright infringement in the ad arena. Indeed, musicologists have attained greater prominence in our biz, perhaps best underscored in a breakthrough panel discussion some two-plus years ago hosted by the Association of Music Producers (AMP). The New York session was designed in part to raise awareness of the copyright infringement issue–and the potential pitfalls of temp tracks–among ad agency artisans (SHOOT, 10/4/02 and 11/29/02, p. 1). Sadly, last month, the industry lost one of the world’s leading musicologists, Irwin Coster, who passed away on January 11 of complications following a heart attack he had suffered in September. He was known not only for providing music clearances for TV commercials, but also for being one of the most respected expert witnesses in matters of musical copyright infringement. Perhaps the most influential case that Coster worked on was the John Lee Hooker suit against ZZ Top, which went to the Supreme Court and resulted in a landmark decision concerning the extension of musical copyright to phonograph recordings. In a lighter vein, there was the 1969 bragging-rights controversy, which surfaced over UCLA’s use of the University of California at Berkeley fight song, “Big C.” In the UCLA/Cal lawsuit, it was Coster’s discovery that the song had never been copyrighted and thus was in the public domain, which allowed “Big C” to be recycled by UCLA as “Sons of Westwood.” A 1932 graduate of Hollywood High, Coster was a cellist and ran the music library at Republic Studios and later at Revue Productions, Hollywood. While at Republic, he worked with Aaron Copeland on “The Red Pony.” Drafted into the army, he served bravely during World War II, primarily in Italy. While there, he collected sheet music and folk songs whenever possible. He was also assigned as the leader of an army band and served as its conductor. After the war, Coster returned to his job at Republic and then later went to work for Revue, which ultimately became part of Universal Studios. There he became a force in the Hollywood film studio scene by running the music library department and handling most of the music clearances for Universal for 20 years. These were the days of Jaws and The Sting. Not only did Coster handle the film music work, but he also composed and did arrangements for hundreds of source cues for most of the TV shows that were done at Universal during that time. Coster’s deep enthusiasm for the craft of music as well as his desire to systematize the manner in which music was stored led him to create many filing systems and databases for Universal and others that are still in place today. He was also active in maintaining copies of musical stores and lead sheets that were quickly going out of print. Elizabeth Myers, AMP West Coast chapter president, and partner in Trivers/Myers Music, Manhattan Beach, Calif., recalled, “As the years go on, I become more and more impressed with long-time musicians who still maintain a deep love for their work. Irwin Coster would rank at the top of my list, for he not only passionately loved everything about music, but also encouraged good work whenever he heard it–Most of all, we will miss the musical insights and the laughs we shared together because of this kind, talented, gentle soul.” Coster is survived by his daughter Trinka and his son Wayne.
Oscar Nominees Gather For Cocktails, Dinner and The Annual Class Picture
Five days before the Academy Awards, nearly every nominee gathered for a cocktail reception, dinner and class picture shoot that served as an Oscars orientation.
The event Tuesday night at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures was a stand-in for the annual Oscars luncheon usually held about a month earlier but scrubbed because of the Southern California wildfires.
With the voting over and winners determined, contenders got chummy and the mood was cheerful. Best actress favorites Mikey Madison and Demi Moore hugged and chatted. So did best actor front-runners Timothรฉe Chalamet and Adrien Brody.
"Everyone say Oscar nominee!" best actress nominee Cynthia Erivo shouted gleefully from the front row of the museum's David Geffen Theater, where the dozens of nominees sat for their group picture.
Clustered in front with Erivo were three best supporting actress nominees: her "Wicked" castmate Ariana Grande, Monica Barbaro of "A Complete Unknown" and Zoe Saldaรฑa of "Emilia Perez" along with Madison, nominated for "Anora." The five women stood in a circle and talked happily together after the photo, and kept the conversation going as they descended the stairs together to dinner.
In the back of the theater, a trio of best actor nominees sat together: Sebastian Stan of "The Apprentice," Colman Domingo of "Sing Sing" and Brody, of "The Brutalist."
After the photo was taken, Academy President Janet Yang gave the orientation presentation, reminding everyone that the 97th Academy Awards will be held Sunday.
She greeted first-time nominees and acknowledged there were also some with more than one.
Denis Villeneuve, director of "Dune: Part 2" and a four-time nominee, raised his hand. Sixteen-time best original song nominee... Read More