1) We have been having a lot of back and forths with a major Hollywood Studio that needed Organ cues for a funeral scene in a major TV show. As can be expected there were several changes of direction over the course of 2 weeks and the most recent was to request Cathedral Organ versions of specific recognizable hymns. We approached a partner catalog who has a very talented organist readily available and was able to create several versions in just 3 hours to make the deadline. Its always gratifying to be able to deliver such quality so quickly in this business. The lesson is to always have good and talented people readily available.
2) We’re most proud of a recent Bud Lite national radio and web campaign that was done in conjunction with the post house and agency. It should be airing by the time this article comes out.
3) More than ever before this business has become about relationships and in sustaining them. You can have the best music in the world and have it heard by the top decision makers but without those relationships you’ll have very little chance of getting the placements. The problem is in forming new relationships as technology actually acts as a barrier whereas nobody ever wants to pick up a phone anymore.
4) The unfortunate trend of lower budgets seems to continue, especially in new media where more content is actually being produced then traditional broadcast, but at significantly lower budgets. Despite that, we’re pleased to see more short form content being produced specifically for platforms like Snapchat and Facebook.
Another unfortunate trend in music licensing, albeit not in advertising, is that many music companies are allowing their music used gratis for no up front synch license fees. This brings the overall value of music down and hurts the industry.
5) Our sister company is leading audiophile label Chesky Records who is known for high quality binaural recordings. I had a meetings at NAB with several VR companies to discuss audio for VR and thus far it doesn’t seem to resonate, despite the advantages of what we can bring to the table. Thus, we’re quite not there yet audio-wise in VR.
