Samantha Leather

Market Analysis
Career Aspirations: Music Supervisor working in (mainly) films
Target Markets: younger audiences interested in movies. / Directors/ Producers working in the
film industry.
Geographic area of interest: Los Angeles, CA
The city of Los Angeles has a population of 3.96 million people. The county of Los
Angeles has a population of 10.1 million people. The state of California is the leading supplier of
entertainment in the world, and Los Angeles County produces the vast majority of the states
entertainment output. The motion picture and entertainment industry in L.A. County generates
approximately $120 billion annually in output. Other industries that are a major source of wealth
and employment are the leisure and hospitality industry, apparel manufacturing, health care,
aerospace product and part manufacturing. The leisure and hospitality employed 464,600 in
2014. In 2014, the leisure and hospitality sector added 25,300 jobs in Los Angeles County,
representing a 5.8% year-over-year increase in employment. Southern California also employs
the largest number of apparel workers in the U.S. and is one of the few places in the country
where apparel continues to be manufactured. Apparel manufacturing employed 43,600 waged
and salaried workers in Los Angeles County in 2014. L.A. County also has more than 390,400
people working in health care and 38,700 in aerospace product and part manufacturing.
*On page 5 are charts of demographics of Los Angeles County
The Film Industry:
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In the film industry, gross U.S. and Canadian box office receipts for 2014 were $10.4
billion, about a 5% decrease from the previous year. Meanwhile, film production companies are
suffering from declining revenues from DVD sales, as more viewers rent inexpensively from
Redbox, or download them from Amazon.com or Netflix instead of buying films. These forms of
watching movies are important to film revenues.
According to an article in Los Angeles Times reporter Richard Verrier, employment in
Los Angeles County's motion picture and sound recording sector grew last year to 126,400 jobs
in April, up 6,400 jobs from the same month in 2013,which is a 5.3% increase, according to
figures from that state Employment Development Department. The category covers most jobs in
the local film, TV sector and music industries. Independent contractors, for example, are not
counted in the tally.
Music Supervisor Statistics:
Median Annual Income: National: $41,270 CA: $71,190
Future Growth: The Bureau of Labor Statistic predicts a 14 percent growth in employment
between 2008 and 2018.
Music Industry Statistics related to Music Supervision:
Revenues from synchronization deals, which is the use of music in TV, advertisements,
films and brand partnerships was up 8.4 percent in 2014 and new accounts for 2 per cent of total
industry revenue. The UK, Germany and France all saw better than average performances in this
sector improving 6.4 percent, 30.4 percent and 46.4 percent respectively. (Source: ifpi.org)
Goals of Music Supervisor:
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Talk to director and see what their vision of the project is, see what songs the producer or
director have in mind.

Go through independent companies to find songs

Utilize social media by using YouTube and other music sites

Secure the rights of the song with the director

Manage the budget and make sure what the director wants fits into the budget

Get permission granted from the composer or writer of the song, generally represented by
the music publisher and the artist who recorded the song, which is held by the record
label or owner of the master recording, if using both the composition and the recording,
acquire permission from both sides.

Prepare temp tracks and then put in the music that is going to be used in the film during
post-production.

The Music Supervisor is important to films for many reasons, like creating the mood and
setting the scene of the picture. Many feature films have a wide budget for creating the
film. In most features, According to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,
allot 1 percent to 2 percent of production costs for all music. The music supervisors of
Pitch Perfect Julianne Jordan and Julia Michels dealt with many genres that had to be
put together and manipulated while staying within about 5 percent of the films $17
million production budget.

Successful Music Supervision Company Located in LA:

Antic Inc.
Antic Inc. provides clearance and supervision everywhere and anywhere music and clips
are used. Motion pictures, documentaries, all forms of television, commercials, shorts,
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trailers, video games, in-stores, webisodes, mobile downloads, as well as all of the everexpanding new media outlets around the world. Antic has access to many different musical
genres and they have relationships with record labels and music publishers. Clients of theirs
include Disney, 20th Century Fox, and Paramount. Hit movies that they have worked on
include Harry Potter, The Twilight Saga, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Potential
competitors include other music supervision companies and clearance firms.
Challenges of getting music for films and working in the Industry: film companies
are spending less and less on licensing fees. Film companies are using a very small budget
for music and licensing music. Finding a way to stay within budget and getting the right
music is becoming harder. Another challenge a supervisor can face is staying alert to all the
possible music that is out in todays society and picking up on trends of the current music
business and trying to find styles and genres that fit the aesthetic of the picture, while making
sure it is what the director or the producer want. A challenge for music supervisors in
general is sorting through all the different ways to acquire music, mainly different forms of
social media and websites (ex. Pandora, Spotify, Rdio). Also, the entertainment industry and
music industry in L.A is very competitive because many people move or live in that area to
work in those fields and there is not enough jobs for everyone.

Los Angeles Demographics (2014)

Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
White, non-Hispanic
Asian/Pacific Islander
African-American
American Indian/Others

48.3
27.2
14.6
9.2
1.5

Los Angeles Demographics

Hispanic or Latino
(Percentage)
(of any race)
White, nonHispanic

Asian/Pacific
Islander
African-American
American
Indian/Others

Consumer Spending in Los Angeles

Below Average
Above Average
<100
>100
Total Household Expenditure
108
Contributions
115
Insurance
113
Clothing
109
Education
117
Entertainment
108
Food
107
Health Care
106
Household Furnishings
109
Shelter
109
Household Operations
112
Other
107
Personal Care
108