With a global audience watching, CNN World Sport needed a new show theme that would hold international sonic and visual appeal. The solution was the sonic branding experience of Stephen Arnold Music, which composed an aggressive new alternative rock sound for the network.
The Project
CNN World Sport provides news, information and highlights for the planet’s rabid fans of soccer, golf, tennis, motorsports, sailing and much more. The network’s new music called for a world indie sound that would transcend nations, providing hooks and energy not sounding overly Western, without being evocative of any particular country or region either.
Stephen Arnold Music on Call
“The creative brief was for this theme to be fat and powerful, but not in a traditional rock way,” explains Stephen Arnold, President of Stephen Arnold Music. “We went to work on a sonic brand that would have a toughness to it, just like competitive sports has. This is not the sound of entertainment, culture or news — it needed to be an edgy cut with athletic attitude.”
Wielding guitars, basses and live drums in their Dallas studios, Stephen Arnold Music created a series of modular themes that could be easily cut into :03, :06, :09, :12 and :15 promos for CNN World Sport. The production team wielded up-to-the-second effects to give the bass-heavy composition a rhythmic, experimental sound common to the hard-edged alternative indie music currently populating the world’s iPods.
Click here to watch the new CNN World Sport theme online.
The Music Rules
With credits that include ESPN, ESPNU, Golf Channel, Tennis Channel, and Sports Illustrated, Stephen Arnold Music was ready for their latest assignment.
“The music for CNN World Sport was definitely not your typical request,” Arnold notes. “We love the challenge of finding a great hook – one that can appeal to a broader international audience. This project required its fair share of experimentation, but when everything came together the result was a sports theme that’s fresh, different and inspiring.”
About Stephen Arnold Music:
As a multiple Emmy, Addy and Promax Gold award-winning music production company, Stephen Arnold Music has over 15 years of success in delivering the sounds that make a difference to networks, television stations, advertising agencies, film studios and video game companies the world over. The company’s Commanding Sonic Branding approach to music production and commitment to industry-leading service is at the core of its promise. For more information, please visit www.stephenarnoldmusic.com.
