Actually, there is more to this story than moving house. The “cute” US indie band Oh Darling were licensed into a VW ad and also have a cut on the upcoming “”Road Trip 2″, called “Colorful Day”. They are currently playing a number of dates to coincide with their move to Los Angeles, as well as giving away music on their website. We are often asked what sort of music is used in ads. As you’ll see, the music is not extraordinarily innovative (no offence). Significantly in this case, it’s also instrumental.

Incidentally, they say they are “heading south to the land of palm tress and entertainment for a chance to score a record deal and make it big”. That sounds like a sweet old-fashioend notion in this day and age!

Click through to see the ad, get their concert dates and get the free track.
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Garry Schyman’s soundtrack for the “Resistance: Retribution” game has been picking up excellent reviews. Music 4 Games says it, “takes the rawest Stravinskian power and explodes musically in a way not heard since the death of Jerry Goldsmith”. User reviews have consistently given it five stars.

Check it out on iTunes.

Find-a-Track has completely revamped its operations, and is now focusing more on news from the music licensing and supervision world than sourcing music itself. Bookmark the site or grab the RSS link to be kept informed.

Having said that, we still have access to a very large catalogue of modern and nu jazz instrumentals (check some recent stuff here). So keep those requests coming.

A number of companies in the US are now offering to place music in exchange for 50% of the upfront fees, and the publishing share of the actual performance rights. They do this by re-titling the song and then registering it under their publishing company. Needless to say, many musicians and producers are very wary of this offer.

Check this article where the Music Snob discusses the pro and contra of re-titling. Personally, I wouldn’t touch it as the music we deal with is music that has a commercial career. I’m not sure that the copyright legislation even covers this, as a copyright exists in the words and music. How can you have two copyrights with the same track and lyrics? Plus, imagine your song goes on to become a hit. You would then have several different publishers with valid claims to the track. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Second plus, what’s the incentive for a publisher to push for sync fees when they know they can sit still and wait for the performance fees to come in? Sync fees can reach thousands of euros/pounds/dollars. Hands up who doesn’t want a share of upfront cash knowing that performance fees are sometimes impossible to track? No one? You’d rather have the sync fees as well? I thought so.

The video game business is the largest and fastest growing segment of the entertainment industry. The American PRO Ascap is organising an event for songwriters in Los Angeles April 23-25 that will include talks about how top music professionals in video games create the cutting edge scores and song compilations that help create the completely immersive environments found in the best games on the market. The panel will also discuss our their career paths and what new opportunities are out there for the aspiring composer or songwriter. Details on the ASCAP site.
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The British tipsheet Band-it offers bands and performers a way of connecting with people in the business that are actively looking for music. Each month, it provides requests from labels and occasionally licensors for either bands to sign or songs for specific projects.

We have used it before, and it does what it says on the box. But to make it even easier to subscribe, you can now receive Band-it for free for five issues. Simply click over to Band-it Newsletter 5 free issues and enter the promo code 59. You will then start receiving information about music for all commercial styles from the UK, USA and Europe. If you find it’s not for you, simply cancel the subscription before the end of the offer. Easy.