By Travis Johnson
How did you get into this particular field? What’s your background?
I grew up playing piano and cello, and was always interested in oldies and independent/obscure music. As a teenager, the internet was my best friend; I could dig around for hours on PureVolume or MySpace for indie music to put on mixes for my friends. In college, I majored in film with a minor in music, and spent most of my free time at the college radio station reviewing CDs, hosting a weekly show, and booking bands on campus. In hindsight it should’ve been obvious that I was headed for a career in music, but my main focus was always film—I wanted to be a screenwriter or to be involved in pre-production. After a couple of disappointing film internships and music classes that I found especially engaging, I decided to apply for some music supervision internships. The last of those internships was at Aperture Music, where they taught me everything I know!
How much do you consult with showrunners and creatives, and what kind of influence do they have on your choices?
We are constantly running song ideas past showrunners and producers. They dictate the tone of the show, and are ultimately the ones who have final say on the music, so they have tremendous influence. As a season progresses, we get to know the preferences of the showrunners; as we learn their tastes, we are able to hone in closer to the mark on future pitches. One of the most challenging (in a good way) aspects of our job is finding music that we love, that also pleases every proverbial cook in the kitchen.
How do you keep abreast of the new (and old, come to think of it) music that’s out there? What are your listening habits?
My way of learning new music changes all the time and is usually a combination of different sources. Word of mouth and personalised mixes are huge for me, I often trade playlists with friends and colleagues. Being a DJ keeps me nimble as well; I enjoy record shopping and tracking down songs from other DJs’ mixes. I have an unrequited love affair with terrestrial radio, especially college stations (every time a student DJ awkwardly stumbles through a PSA an angel gets its wings), and I absolutely LOVE Spotify’s customised playlists. I stay on top of blogs, attend concerts, surf SoundCloud and YouTube, and I’m constantly Shazam-ing music I hear while I’m out and about. Plus, I receive an overwhelming amount of new music and playlists from labels and publishers every day. In a nutshell, I am always, ALWAYS listening to music… even if I’m not sitting at my computer with my headphones.
Do you go out of your way to find new and emerging artists to showcase? I’d imagine being featured in a high profile show would be quite a career boost. Do you get lobbied or hassled by reps and agents to use their bands?
The possibility of helping an emerging artist find an audience is one of the most gratifying parts of the job, and a huge part of why I was interested in this line of work to begin with. Labels and publishers send me music every single day, but I would say most people know better than to aggressively push for one of their artists. When music reps push too hard on music that isn’t very good or doesn’t work for my projects, they risk losing my trust when it comes to asking for ideas or taking the time to listen to their playlists. I absolutely go out of my way to find lesser-known artists and try to get them placements (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten feedback like, “I don’t know any of these bands” or “this is too indie!”). My favourite thing in the world is stumbling upon an unknown artist and realising that their music is amazing. Finding new, underground music is one of my biggest passions, and not just pulling songs from popular blogs or charts; it is something I’m very, very committed to.
Are there any song placements of which you are particularly proud, that elevated or perfectly complemented a scene?
Oh man, I both love and hate this question: love because it lets me brag about myself… but at the same time, it’s like asking me to choose my favourite child (but worse, because I don’t have any children). One of the placements I’m most proud of is the theme song for season 1 of the Amazon show Goliath. We were given some visuals and a written concept idea for the main title sequence, and had just started reading early drafts of the episodes. I pulled a song that matched their concept lyrically and sonically— “Bartholomew” by The Silent Comedy— and I instantly knew I’d struck gold.
I also love “No, the End Is Not Near” by Benny Hester in the season 5 premiere of Girls. That song came from a gorgeous record which was set to come out in 1972, but was ultimately never released due to a fire at the recording studio. The use of his song in Girls convinced Benny to finally remaster and release the record in 2016.
If it’s not too self-indulgent to add one more, I have always thought The Zombies were underrated and their version of “Can’t Nobody Love You” over the opening of a Girls season 4 episode is one of the synchs that has a special place in my heart. It’s such a beautiful rendition of that song, and we use it in its entirety. So many of my favourite placements are on Girls; it was a rare project where we were encouraged to use obscure music and were given freer reign creatively.
What advice would you give to anyone wanting to work in the same field?
I would advise anyone who is interested to consider their reasons for wanting to be in this job. This is not really a job for those only focused on crate-digging, or people who want to exclusively showcase their own tastes. In my experience, especially working primarily on comedies, knowing pop hits and well-known classics from all decades and genres is a must. Additionally, the job is not purely creative— at least 50% of my days are devoted to clearances, budgets, and paperwork. In that vein, gaining experience with the business side (e.g. working with a music supervisor, or in label/publisher’s synch department) is imperative. I would also caution that this is a very competitive industry, and jobs are few and far between. In terms of advice for those starting out, I recommend reaching out to student and indie filmmakers/writers who you admire and building a relationship with them, because those are the people who will eventually hire you.
What’s something about your job that a layman would not know?
One of the hardest aspects of the job to come to terms with is that the “best” song is not always the best song for a particular scene. You have to put your own tastes and preferences (and ego) aside, and remember that what we do is in service of whatever project we’re working on. Our mission is to assist the people who hire us in finding the music that fits THEIR vision. I have an enormous playlist of my all-time favourite songs, and I haven’t licensed 99% of them… and that’s okay, because it’s the nature of the job!
Anything final to add?
I should add that one of most surprising and most awesome aspects of this job is how close-knit the community of supervisors is. For the most part, we are a supportive bunch and we truly enjoy hanging out together and talking music. Shout out to all my fellow supervisors and coordinators.
Stay noided!
BIGSOUND Music Festival and Conference runs from September 4 – 7 in Queensland’s Fortitude Valley. For more info, hit the official site.
