Not Just Background Music - Page 2

Other factors that impact finding the perfect song may seem insignificant, but in music supervision, every detail must be exact. Song length, for example, sometimes can’t just be cut short.
“When picking a song, the mood of the song should fit the scene, but when it plays over more than one scene, the song often needs to change a lot and at specific moments,” said Wolfington. “A music editor can help with this, but if you really find the right song, sometimes that’s not necessary.”

And if going through the hundred or so CDs received weekly while analyzing every lyric, key change, and length aren't enough, there's keeping up with the budget, rifling through piles of paperwork, reading scripts, issuing mass e-mails and follow up phone calls, and sending music. Sometimes opinions from producers, artists, and others can restart the whole cycle.

Some artists hesitate having their songs used in controversial scenes while others would rather not hear their songs on television at all. Tackling this on-going dilemma and succeeding can be a huge victory for any music supervisor.

“One of the best moments as a music supervisor was clearing the ‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’ by Led Zeppelin for "One Tree Hill." Led Zeppelin is notorious for never clearing for television and rarely clearing for films. Only the Sopranos did it before us and that was on cable, not a major network. It was a moment when the band seemed to approve it because of the use; the song fit perfectly and we used all six minutes of it!” said Wolfington.

However, sometimes finding alternatives for the "big boys" can be triumphs of their own, and not just for the benefit of saving some cash.

“I know for a fact that because of where I live if they had not used the bands and songs they did, I would more than likely never have heard it at all and because of that I have started listening to and keeping up with groups I never would have before,” said Melissa Harris, a sophomore at the College of the Sequoias.