Placement in TV and Movies
Austin Convention Center, Friday, March 16
Placing your music on a TV show or film means more exposure, more revenue, but how can artists taste this sweet plum? Gary Calamar of GO Music Services moderated five other music supervisors – Chris Douridas, Season Kent, Madonna Wade-Reed, Russell Ziecker, Danny Benair – and singer-Songwriter Anya Marina. Collectively, the panelists have contributed to Grey’s Anatomy, Six Feet Under, the Austin Powers and Shrek franchises, Weeds, American Beauty, and Smallville. Calamar was knowledgeable and entertaining, yet the panel could’ve used more organization. Whoopsie Daisy’s Wade-Reed offered practical advice on submissions, “Use a proper CD case; label your spine; don’t call us,” and dealing with opportunities vis-à-vis legal wrangling: “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, but protect ownership.” KCRW’s Douridas explained how he looked for new artists by reviewing MySpace friends of bands he liked. Full of insightful anecdotes, the panel’s overall advice was distilled by Calamar’s closer: “Good music and networking are invaluable.”
This article appears in March 16 • 2007.