New Trends

At the November Los Angeles alumni event “Music Supervision: Opportunities and Latest Trends,” Dan Carlin, the chair of Berklee’s Film Scoring Department and the former CEO of Segue Music, moderated a panel with an impressive group of industry leaders. Panelists included Robert Kraft, the president of Fox Music; Chuck Doud ’88, the director of music for Sony Computer Services America; songwriter Eve Nelson ’86; Mary Jo Mennella, the president of Music Asset Management; and music supervisors Frankie Pine and John Houlihan.

As panelists described their career beginnings, they advised young writers to never say no to any new opportunity. They also discussed their experiences during the 1990s—referred to as the “Golden Era of Soundtracks”—and how the business has since changed. “The biggest challenge in licensing right now is competing with free [music],” said Mennella. On a positive note, Robert Kraft added, “The pie is shrinking, but now the talent shines through. This is a time of opportunity for young songwriters.”

The panelists were uncommonly frank about fees and budget numbers and offered invaluable advice regarding song submissions. Panelists recommended that songwriters submit their strongest work, not a sampler of styles. They also advised that writers achieve high production values in their song submissions rather than waste money on a lavish presentation. Most important, Houlihan emphasized including information in metadata on MP3 submissions. “If I can’t find you, I can’t license you,” he said.

The most encouraging news came from the video-game world, where songs are routinely featured in sports and racing games. Doud noted that the trend of song placement in cinematic, story-driven video games has grown. “I see song licensing being a bigger and bigger part of what we do,” he predicted.