VOLUME XXXII
NUMBER TWO
I  N     P  E  R  S  P  E  C  T  I  V  E
James DiPasquale: SCL Past, Present And Future
O
ver the last 34 years, the SCL has evolved
into a virtual family of music activists.
At this moment of industry turbulence,
looking back at what the SCL has been, and what
it could become in the future might not only be
productive, but encouraging as well.
Score:   This story is about the SCL past,
present and future, and nobody knows
more about it than you!
Jim:   Unfortunately, yes.
Score: First of all, how did they find you,
how did you get involved, and what was it
like when you first came in?
Jim:   In 1979, for a Hawaii Five-0 at CBS, I had
to write 20 minutes of music in six days, and
we recorded on a Saturday. I didn’t know
it then, but the fee for CBS episodic was a
$2,000 “composer’s package” — that is to say,
it covered three services: composition, and
AFM scale for orchestration and conducting.
So after I deducted $1,848 in scale payments
from the $2,000 package, what was left was
$152 for composing!
I called my agent, Al Bart, and said,
“What’s the deal? How come I made so
little for writing all this music?” He said,
“That’s the standard CBS deal, $2,000.” That
barely even covered the orchestration and
conducting. My music was actually gener-
ating the employment for everybody—the
musicians, music editors, engineers, dubbing
mixers—everybody involved in the show,
and I got only 152 bucks for creating that
music. When I was doing commercials in
New York and Chicago, I got $10,000 for a
60-second national spot.
I said to Al, “What should I do?” and he
said, “Welcome to Hollywood.”
I thought, “That’s not right.” So I went
down to the AFM and spoke to the vice presi-
dent, Vince DiBari. I told him to pull the
SUMMER 2017
contract on the CBS session. It showed that
out of 26 musicians and five copyists, I was
the lowest paid of everybody. And if I had
hired an orchestrator and conductor, they
would have gotten the $1,848 scale payment
and I would have received only the $152.
Max Herman, the union president, came
in to DiBari’s office and lectured me. “Listen,
young fellow, your predecessors didn’t want
to be members of the AFM, so this is what
you got now. It’s not your fault, but it’s
because your Mancinis and all those guys
were short-sighted.” So, I asked for a meeting
with the full union Board and the attorneys There’s a saying that
and I explained my experience at CBS. Some
people around the table were sympathetic, “Change is the essence
but most said it was our own fault because
composers in the 1950s didn’t want to be of life.” Well, there’s no
represented by the AFM.
more proof of that than
That led to my getting involved with the
Composers & Lyricists Guild of America, the music industry right
which had been certified as a union in 1955.
I never joined it when I came to town in 1973 now.
because my agent, Peter Faith, said, “The
CLGA is in a lawsuit against the studios, so
why don’t you just wait to see where the dust
settles. They’ll take 3% of your gross pay in
work dues, so why pay that if you’re just
starting out.”
So that’s how I became politicized. I joined
the CLGA, which became fully active again CONTENTS
after the lawsuit against the studios was
Speaking The Language
settled in September 1979, the same month
Of The Orchestra 5
I did the Hawaii Five-0. John Cacavas, the
CLGA president, and the Board decided
that, after being locked in a lawsuit for Tech Talk 7
seven years, it would be a good idea if the
CLGA changed officers so the studios were Sound And Music In The New
Virtual Reality Frontier 9
not dealing with the same faces they’d been
fighting with. So everyone resigned and we
Inside George S. Clinton 12
held an election. Richard Warren was elected
president, I was elected vice president, Bruce
Broughton was Treasurer, and Elliott Kaplan Musical Shares 23
Secretary. We tried to re-activate the union
Continued on Page 16
 F  R  O  M   T  H  E   E  D  I  T  O  R  '  S   D  E  S  K

Music Is Magical
By Lori Barth

G
President ood music is like fine wine or a gourmet meal, meant to be
ASHLEY IRWIN
tasted and savored with every bite, every note. Whether
Vice Presidents
ARTHUR HAMILTON
you are into classical music, pop music, jazz, country,
CHARLES BERNSTEIN whatever, you should be able to close your eyes and sail away if
Recording Secretary the performance is sturdy. The colors, flavors and sounds that are
JONATHAN DAVID NEAL evoked take us places we might never have been. Truly, music is
Treasurer/CFO magical. g
CHRISTOPHER FARRELL
The SCORE
LORI BARTH, Senior Editor
Advisory Board DIAMOND MEMBERS
ALAN BERGMAN Kristen Anderson-Lopez Bill Conti James Howard Lalo Schifrin Matthew Strachan
MARILYN BERGMAN Lori Barth Jim DiPasquale Mark Isham Richard Sherman Patrick Williams
CHARLES BERNSTEIN Alan & Marilyn Bergman Clint Eastwood Robert Lopez David Shire John Williams
Dennis C. Brown Dan Foliart Johnny Mandel Alan Silvestri Maury Yeston
BILL CONTI Carter Burwell Charles Fox Randy Newman Mark Snow
CHARLES FOX Ray Charles Elliot Goldenthal Mike Post Dennis Spiegel
JAMES NEWTON HOWARD George Clinton Arthur Hamilton J. Peter Robinson Mike Stoller
QUINCY JONES
ALAN MENKEN DIAMOND SPONSOR  /  SPECIAL FRIENDS
THOMAS NEWMAN
LALO SCHIFRIN William Brewster Jay Cooper
MARC SHAIMAN
HOWARD SHORE
PLATINUM MEMBERS
ALAN SILVESTRI
DIANE WARREN Mark Adler Anthony Chue Bear McCreary Damir Price Michael Wandmacher
PATRICK WILLIAMS Jack Allocco Alf Clausen Peter Melnick Gary Rottger Angela Rose White
CHRISTOPHER YOUNG John Beal Joseph Conlan Garth Neustadter Howard Shore Austin Wintory
Marco Beltrami Mychael Danna Thomas Newman Carlo Siliotto
HANS ZIMMER Amin Bhatia Alexandre Desplat Joey Newman Edward Trybek
Nicholas Britell Derek Machann Atli Orvarsson Kubilay Uner
In Memoriam
Advisory Board Members
ELMER BERNSTEIN PLATINUM SPONSOR  /  SPECIAL FRIENDS
JOHN CACAVAS Tira Harpaz Beth Krakower Juan Rodriguez
JERRY GOLDSMITH
MAURICE JARRE
PETER MATZ GOLD MEMBERS
DAVID RAKSIN
Cato John Debney Wei-San Hsu Bryan Miller David Schwartz
Directors Sara Andon John DeFaria Asuka Ito Bruce Miller Garry Schyman
Neil Argo Arhynn Descy Joel Iwataki Tricia Minty Tony Scott-Green
RAMON BALCAZAR Alexander Arntzen John Dickson Corey Jackson Brian Moe Roxanne Seeman
LORI BARTH Sebastian Arocha Morton James DiPasquale Ken Jacobsen Sandro Morales Elizabeth Sellers
FLETCHER BEASLEY Spring Aspers Scott Doherty Brandon Jarrett Jeff Morrow Batu Sener
Charles-Henri Avelange Lisa Dondlinger anik Jean Helene Muddiman Leon Serchuk
MICHAEL LEHMANN BODDICKER Melissa Axel Joel Douek Garrett Johnson David Murillo R, Rochelle Sharpe
RUSSELL BROWER Ramon Balcazar Dennis Dreith Quincy Jones Jonathan Neal Ryan Shore
DENNIS C. BROWN Steve Barden Bruce Dukov Federico Jusid Abby North Michael Silversher
Nathan Barr Robert Duncan Seth Kaplan Matt Novack Helen Simmins-McMillin
GEORGE S. CLINTON Joe Barrera Jr. Laura Dunn Taisuke Kimura Liam O’Brien Gregory Smith
MIRIAM CUTLER Jeff Beal Laura Engel Dave Kinnoin Greg O’Connor Stanley Smith
BENOIT GREY Joel Beckerman Evan Evans Grant Kirkhope Cindy O’Connor Scott Smith
IRA HEARSHEN Brian BecVar Joel Evans Kevin Kliesch Bijan Olia Mark Smythe
Charles Bernstein Sharon Farber Christopher Knight Anele Onyekwere Curt Sobel
LYNN F. KOWAL Peter Boyer Jack Faulkner Lynn F. Kowal Julia Pajot Arturo Solar
Hélène Muddiman Richard Bronskill Arlene Fishbach Stephanie Kowal Hannah Parrott Sally Stevens
GREG PLISKA Russell Brower Shelley Fisher Michael A. Lang Benj Pasek Karen Tanaka
Dan Brown Jr Pablo Flores Didier Lean Rachou Justin Paul Justin Timberlake
ELIZABETH ROSE Benedikt Brydern Attila Fodor Michael Lehmann Boddicker Nate Pennington Jeremy Tisser
ADRYAN RUSS Kenneth Burgomaster Andy Forsberg Edie Lehmann Boddicker Art Phillips Pinar Toprak
GARRY SCHYMAN Dennis Burke Alexandre Fortuit Christopher Lennertz Stu Phillips Jeff Toyne
ELIZABETH SELLERS Christopher Cano Jonas Friedman Tori Letzler John Piscitello Tyler Traband
Jeff Cardoni William Goldstein Michael Levine Kim Planert Genevieve Vincent
AUSTIN WINTORY Kristopher Carter Joel Goodman Noah Lifschey Chandler Poling Jay Wadley
Sacha Chaban Mark Graham Charley Londono Judi Pulver Diane Warren
Past Presidents Jay Chattaway Lorna Guess Zoe Lustri Mac Quayle Mark Watters
Dongliang Chen Eric Hachikian David Majzlin J. Ralph Beth Wernick
JOHN ADDISON Shawn Clement Christine Hals Tracey Marino Ron Ramin Frederik Wiedmann
RICHARD BELLIS Elia Cmiral Crispin Hands Gerard Marino Trent Reznor David Williams
BRUCE BROUGHTON Jerry Cohen Wayne Hankin Vance Marino Allan Rich Alan Williams
JAY CHATTAWAY Jim Cox Bruce Healey Billy Martin Michael (Chris) Ridenhour Jonathan Wolff
Imre Czomba Reinhold Heil Benjamin Mason Lolita Ritmanis Gernot Wolfgang
RAY COLCORD Dina D’Alessandro Shari Hoffman John Massari Carlos Rivera David Wood
JAMES DI PASQUALE Chanda Dancy Lee Holdridge Arlene Matza-Jackson Atticus Ross Catharine Wood
DAN FOLIART Jana Davidoff Scott Holtzman Michael McCuistion Adryan Russ Doug Wood
Tim Davies Trevor Howard Joel McNeely Jeff Russo Christopher Young
ARTHUR HAMILTON Alberto de la Rocha Russ Howard III Jeffrey Michael Steven Saltzman
MARK WATTERS

GOLD SPONSORS / SPECIAL FRIENDS

ISSN 1066-5447
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2
 P R E S I D E N T ’S M E S S A G E
Data Is King
R
By Ashley Irwin
ecently, I was invited to attend The
BIG Summit (Bridging the Information
Gaps) in Seattle — a conference hosted
by the Digital Data Exchange (DDEX). For
those unfamiliar with DDEX, it’s essentially a
consortium made up of rights holders (record
labels and publishers), music rights collecting
societies (PROs, MROs, SoundExchange, etc.),
audio and video streaming services (Pandora,
Spotify, SoundCloud, Amazon, Netflix, Vevo,
YouTube, etc.) and other tech entities with
vested interests in the digital delivery and
tracking of content (AdRev, Apple, Google,
Soundmouse, etc.). In all, there were close to
200 people in attendance.
Over the past several years, the DDEX
consortium has been working towards de-
veloping a standardized identification sys-
tem that could be embedded as metadata
in an audio file and in January, introduced
the Recording Information Notification (RIN)
aimed at capturing the credits as the record-
ing is created. On the surface this all sounds
promising — getting the data into the supply
chain from the very beginning — but on
further scrutiny, some of us on the SCL
board identified a potential problem. As we
reviewed the parties comprising the DDEX
consortium, we noticed a distinct lack of
pure music creators’ voices in the discussion,
the closest to which were the PROs. So we
spoke to the relevant people at ASCAP and
BMI (both these PROs are DDEX charter
members) in order to ascertain precisely why
this was the case. Was the absence of the
actual music creators and their representa-
tive organizations by oversight or design?
The PROs assured us it was the former not
the latter and encouraged us to voice our
concern to the Secretariat of DDEX, Mark
Isherwood.
Fortunately, I had previously met Mark
at the 2013 World Intellectual Property con-
ference in Washington, D.C. At the time,
he was overseeing the development of the
ultimately ill-fated Global Repertoire Data-
base (GRD) for Deloitte so it was easy for
us to reconnect and a conference call was
scheduled. In preparation for the call, we
drafted a list of questions to which Mark
readily provided answers wherever possible,
but the overarching question remained: why
no creators? The answer became clear, albeit
incongruous.
It had been proposed that the RIN be
entered by the recording engineer or pro-
ducer, a recommendation that seems to have
been offered by the Producers and Engineers
Wing of The Recording Academy. And while
that solution may suffice for recording artists
and licensed songs, it is woefully inadequate
for A/V music created as underscore. Putting
the responsibility on the scoring engineer,
someone without a vested interest in ensur-
ing accuracy of the composer information,
would be unwise and unsatisfactory. To
illustrate my point, I made the analogy to cue
sheets because when a cue sheet is created by
someone who does not have a direct interest
in its accuracy, the potential for error increases
and in many cases we, the composers, don’t
It’s imperative DAW
find out as much till later, when mistakes are manufacturers embrace
often more difficult to correct.
Coming from a broadcast background, the RIN standard and
Mark was sympathetic to my reasoning,
understood my concerns and subsequently
integrate a mechanism
invited me to The BIG Summit to make
that allows us to embed
my case in front of the larger group. The
conference was conducted under Chatham a unique identifier
House Rule (participants are free to use the
information received but neither the identity in the mixes and
nor the affiliation of the speaker[s], nor that
of any other participant may be revealed), so accompanying stems
I’m unable to elaborate on the parties to the
discussion past the fact that the consensus
of every audio file we
was that incomplete, incorrect and altogether
create.
absent data is one of the biggest problems
facing our industry today and it will only get
worse if left unaddressed.
As yet, no DAW manufacturers have
agreed to implement the RIN standard, cit-
ing development cycles and other excuses. So
the next phase is crucial. It’s imperative DAW
manufacturers embrace the RIN standard
and integrate a mechanism that allows us to
embed a unique identifier in the mixes and
accompanying stems of every audio file we
create.
Suffice to say it was a very worthwhile
trip and several of the other attendees have
followed up with me since, keen to have The
SCL involved as the protocol moves forward
while Mark Isherwood has graciously offered
to meet with the SCL board in a couple
of weeks to illustrate the RIN virtues and
strategize with us on how the SCL can best
serve the development process. g
3
 N  O  T  E  S     F  R  O  M     N  E  W     Y  O  R  K

SCL New York Events

Screening: Lost in Florence with Wendy Blackstone Seminar: A Composer’s Guide to KONTAKT
Village East Cinema; Wednesday, February 1st Ripley-Grier Studios; Wednesday, April 12th
Guest speaker: David Das
L-R: Software sponsors: Umlaut Audio, SoundIron,
Danny Gray,
Moderator ProjectSAM, Big Fish Audio, Cinematic Strings
Elizabeth
Rose, Guest SCL NY/The New School: RUFF CUTS —
Speaker Wendy An Evening of Short Films and Networking
Blackstone, Chris
Hajian
The New School, Arnholdt Hall, Friday, April 14th

At the TriBeCa
Film Festival, L-R:
Ronit Kirchman,
Amie Doherty,
Master Class with Improvisatory Minds JoAnne Harris,
NYU Steinhardt; Wednesday, February 8th Heather Macintosh

A Reception to Celebrate the Composers

of the 2017 TriBeCa Film Festival
Presented by the SCL NY, The Alliance for Women
Film Composers, and White Bear PR
Soundcat Productions; Saturday, April 23rd

L-R: Mark Suozzo, Elizabeth Rose, Moderator Greg Pliska, Michael Patterson,
Dennis Dreith, Ed Neumeister, Mark Roos

SCL NY / Women in Music present: “Inside The

Track”: Production Tips & Techniques
BMI; Thursday, February 23rd
Guest panelists: Ann Mincieli, Corey Gibson, Suzi Analogue,
VÉRITÉ; Moderator: JoAnne Harris; Featured songwriters: L-R: Paul Henning, Danny Gray, Adonis Tsilimparis, Christopher North,
Adrianna Mateo, Laura Rizzotto, Kiirstin Marilyn Eric Hachikian

The SCL NY Spring 2017 Mentor Program

Seminar: Composing for Children’s Programming
Current Mentees: Jonathan Russell, Kent Kercher,
Ripley-Grier Studios; Wednesday, March 8th
Pru Montin, Jeff Schiller, Summerlin Simpson, Ryan
Redebaugh, Davide Tammaro, Anthony Mark Benis, Sena
Park, Jeff McQuilken

SCL NY Spring
2017 Mentees in
a tech workshop
with guest
presenter Anthony
D’Erasmo

L-R: Panelists D.D. Jackson, Pat Irwin, Allison Leyton-Brown

with moderator Chris Hajian and workshop attendees

4
 TAK I N G T H E PO D I U M
Speaking The Language Of The Orchestra
By Amy Andersson
I
t is no surprise, that as a composer, you
would want to conduct your own composi-
tions, whether with a small ensemble or
even a full orchestra. After all, who knows the
music more intimately than you? Because you
have endured sleepless nights, deadlines, and
plenty of sweat and tears, it makes sense that
you would look forward to wrapping your
arms around the orchestra from the podium.
After all, it’s your baby they are playing.
Composers come to conducting with vary-
ing degrees of familiarity with an orches-
tra. Some have played in ensembles in their
training, and many have spent a great deal
of time around orchestra musicians. Others
come from a keyboard or vocal background,
or from other genres of the music industry
with less exposure to the world of orchestras.
Consequently, different composers experi-
ence their time on the podium in different
ways. Some feel comfortable on the podium,
having taken some conducting lessons or
been self-taught, while others tell me they
dread stepping up to conduct and prefer to
stay in the sound booth. Others say the ex-
perience is nerve-racking, but they endure
it. Some say it feels liberating and enjoyable,
but admit they are not quite sure if they are
giving the orchestras everything they need to
showcase their piece.
If you are conducting your own compo-
sitions, and would like to delve deeper into
cultivating your podium abilities, the best
advice I could give you is to be aware of the
language that the orchestra speaks. What
does this mean? Which language are we talk-
ing about?
Orchestra musicians are trained from their
earliest development to become masters of
a non-verbal language. It is this silent and
beautiful form of communication which uses
the head, the eyes, the shoulders, the body
and the breath to express music. Whether it
was the experience of playing in an octet, trio,
quartet or chamber ensemble, they learned to
lead, follow, breathe, move, and intuitively
“read” each other. They most likely played
under a conductor which furthered their
powerful, interpretive visual skills. Legend
has it that orchestras, with their highly devel-
oped visual sensitivity, can already “read” a
conductor as soon as she walks toward the
podium.
So, you might ask, how can this infor-
mation be helpful to a composer who is either
conducting with or without a click? Can’t
I just follow the click, and why is that not
enough? Why would I need to learn a new
language?
What if I told you that it is possible to
conduct rehearsals and sessions without al-
most ever stopping to make corrections for
dynamics, articulations, phrasing or charac-
ter, except of course, for wrong notes, sound
booth and technical feedback? What if I
told you it is possible to show the orchestra
almost everything with your hands through a
developed, expressive, and visual language?
What would it feel like to do a 2.5-hour
orchestra rehearsal and practically not need Because playing with
to speak? I once developed a fierce and re-
lentless case of laryngitis in the dead of a click reduces music-
winter while guest conducting in Skopje,
Macedonia. Despite a 102-degree fever, I re- making to largely a
hearsed the orchestra for six hours without
ever painfully croaking out more than “Bar mechanical experience,
26, please.” I literally had to show everything
conductors need to
with my gestures, and because I could, I was
able to beautifully prepare and navigate a dif- proactively take the
ficult program with ease and confidence for
that evening’s live national television broad- responsibility of over-
cast. My non-verbal language skills saved the
day. coming this tendency by
It is also possible for you to develop the developing a rich palate
skills to keep the orchestra fully engaged,
motivated and mentally alert during long of gestures.
sessions. It is important to note that session
musicians will always try their best, and be
the consummate professionals that they are.
But also be aware that rehearsing or perform-
ing with a click reduces the orchestra musi-
cian’s involvement to that of a rote activity, as
it virtually eliminates innate flexibility, spon-
taneity and breath: in short, those things
which define the deepest pleasures of music-
making. A long day of sessions often involves
playing the same passages many times over,
with the unintended consequences of bore-
dom, fatigue and sometimes loss of concen-
tration. Well, tough luck, you might think.
The orchestra is getting paid to do what they
were hired to do. Yes, there is business truth
to that, but the reality is many professional
session players don’t need a conductor when
they are playing with a click. It is purely a
mechanical exercise. I believe one could turn
the click on, walk away from the podium and
the orchestra would be fine. Of course, that
Continued on Next Page
5
Speaking The Language
Of The Orchestra
Continued from Page 5
is a bit of over simplification, but to a
great extent, it aligns with reality. The
click starts, and the musicians fix their
gaze down on their music and won’t
glance up at the conductor, unless the
conductor is offering expressive and
detailed gestures that offer more in-
sight into the piece.
What can you offer as a conduct-
ing composer that is more than just
time beating? How do you accomplish
that? The great news is that there are a
multitude of gestures you can offer an
­orchestra, and it can all be learned.
Because playing with a click reduces
music-making to largely a mechanical
experience, conductors need to pro-
actively take the responsibility of over-
coming this tendency by developing
a rich palate of gestures. Musicians’
brains are trained to “see” the music
and interpret visual clues. They long
to have you show phrasing, articula-
tions, harmonic arrival points, bar and
phrase structure, tension, release, and
dynamics in detail. Even without a
click, they would like to see expression
and character in your face, hear you
breathe with them and feel that you
are reaching out and inviting them into
your musical body of gestures. They
want to experience a visual language
that resonates with their bodies and
instruments, because when they do
see and feel that, they will respond in
a changed way. That, I promise. They
will not only play and sound differ-
ently, and stay fully engaged, but they
will become very receptive to your ges-
tures and keep their eyes more focused
on you. It is in this moment that you
have the orchestra in the palm of your
hands, so to speak, and as a result you
will have opened a world of endless
musical possibilities. Professional mu-
sicians will grasp the emotional essence
of your music more and play with more
passion if you and they are speaking
the same language. You will have more
productive rehearsal time, sessions
will seem less tedious, and the players
will be even more enthusiastic to play
with you. You will earn respect both as
composer and conductor. What’s not
to love? It is a win-win situation. In
6
the end, you will cultivate and receive
more respect from orchestra musicians
if you take the time to speak their non-
verbal, visual language. And you, in
turn, will learn to respect even more of
their wonderful, tireless efforts.
But how do conductors develop
expressive gestures and hands that
­ mystical or secret. Once you develop
work independently and creatively?
How can one develop this language
and who has the time, for goodness
sakes? Actually, everyday activities
can promote hand independence. Use
your non-dominant hand to unlock
doors, brush your hair and teeth, lift
your coffee cup, open your wallet,
swipe your credit card, write your
name and open your iPhone. Just
using your non-dominant hand for
one hour a day will increase your
awareness of muscular movement,
stimulate both hemispheres of the
brain and promote ­neuroplasticity. You
can literally develop the connections
between your hands and your brain by
exercising those pathways as you go
about your daily activities. You can also
practice conducting while using your
hands independently, such as using
the right hand to beat time and the left
hand to show musical phrases. If the
click is in four, why conduct in four?
The orchestra already has the beat! Try
conducting it in two and use the space
in between the beats to express char-
acter and dynamics. If the click is in
three and fast enough, try conducting
in one and become more circular and
expressive. Try practice conducting in
front of the mirror to the click track to
get an idea of what the musicians see.
Maybe practice conducting without
the click. You might suddenly be aware
that you are moving your hands differ-
ently. That’s because it is no longer just
mechanics, so make sure you fill up the
beats with musical content.
How about taking conducting les-
sons from a conductor you admire?
Good teachers will give you exercises
to practice a few minutes each day. You
can even practice them in the shower
if you are creative, so it does not need
to cost you any time. Your body is
your energetic vessel as well as your
instrument, and musicians can even
sense if you are not breathing, are
holding tension, or are apprehensive.
Once you develop a keener sense of
mind-body awareness, your hands
and body will begin to speak a new
language which will help develop con-
fidence, expressiveness and relaxa-tion
on the podium. It is the same as learn-
ing a foreign language. Once you de-
velop a proficiency, you open up a new
world of possibilities. The conduc-ting
vocabulary of silent gestures is nothing
this awareness, there will be a shift in
the relationship between you and the
orchestra.
Composers are stepping in front of
orchestras with increasing frequency
for video game, television series and
film score tours, as well as live thea-
ter. After conducting a few concerts
and basically just beating time with
or without the click, trust me, you will
want to find a way to keep it fresh for
your creative mind and for the orches-
tra. Develop a vibrant, energizing per-
sonal style and sign language. Breathe
and keep the click in the background,
while in the foreground communicate
character, energy, and detailed musi-
cal expression. Speak to the orchestra
through your hands, fingers, face and
baton, and listen as the orchestra in-
stantly responds to your clear musical
intentions. For every action there is a
reaction, so maximize it and commu-
nicate through the same language. As
a team everyone involved will be in-
spired, elevated and working to their
highest potential. g
Amy Andersson is an orchestra, opera, and
video game conductor and teaches conducting
students in New York City and via Skype.
Goldsmith Honored
With Star
Oscar-winning composer Jerry Goldsmith
was honored posthumously with a star on
the Walk of Fame on Tuesday, May 9th
 T  E  C  H     T  A  L  K
Simplifying And Streamlining
By Fletcher Beasley
L
ike most composers, I have a lot of virtual
instruments, sample libraries and effects
plugins. I have barely explored many of
these plugins and I sometimes feel a pang
of guilt, fearing that I am overlooking some
amazing gem. Even with ones with which I
am familiar, I often feel I’m not making the
most of them because I haven’t had the time
to get to know the interface and controls as
well as I would like. And in the midst of a
pressing deadline, the process of searching
through presets for the right sound can pull
me out of the creative flow of writing music. I
recently took a little time between projects to
address these issues in my studio.
I identified my main sources of frustration
as feeling overwhelmed with options and a
nagging sense that I could be making better
use of the tools at my disposal. With that in
mind, I decided to identify which instru-
ments and effects I use regularly and take
note of how I use them. This thought process
helped me to identify how I use my tools so
that I could use them more effectively and
streamline my system in the process.
I like to customize sounds to make them
my own, but I rarely program sounds from
scratch, preferring to tweak presets that are in
the general realm of the sound I am going for.
And I rarely have the luxury to spend long
amounts of time fiddling with a sound to
make it perfect, so a well laid out user interface
with quick access to the most commonly used
parameters is important. That said, there
are some libraries and plugins that I don’t
tweak much at all because the presets work
well without the need for much alteration.
Sample libraries of real instruments such as
orchestral strings fall into this category. Synth
and electronic sounds, on the other hand, are
ones I often manipulate a great deal. Effects
plugins fall into similar camps for me. With
EQs and compressors I rarely start with a pre-
set, preferring to let the context determine
my settings, but with reverbs I usually find
a preset I like and only make minor tweaks
as needed.
After quantifying my priorities I began
to look at my instruments and plugins in a
different light. I divided them into three basic
categories — ones that I like the sound of but
don’t change much, ones that I tweak a lot
because I like the interface and those that I
rarely use. In the last category, I divided these
into those I want to explore more when time
allows and those that I wouldn’t lose sleep
over if they somehow disappeared from my
hard drive.
Some virtual instruments sound fantastic
but have an interface that is complex to
program. U-he’s Zebra falls into this cate-
gory for me. It sounds amazing and is very
powerful but can be time consuming to
figure out where to make simple tweaks
and I find myself forgetting how to do basic
things if I haven’t opened the interface in a
while. I put this type of instrument into the
category of one that I will use for presets
and basic modifications but not for serious
programming. By identifying the
Other instruments sound great and have
an intuitive interface that is easy to program. strengths in the plugins
Spectrasonics’ Omnisphere is in this camp.
All the parameters are clearly laid out so if I like and determining
I need to get under the hood and seriously
change a sound it’s quick for me to do it. It
the best way of using
also has many features that make it fast to
them, I now spend more
customize sounds. SoundToys plugins also
fall into this category. Their interface makes time on music and less
intuitive sense, the parameters are well lab-
eled and accessible and I’ve rarely needed time searching for the
to crack the manual to figure how it works.
Plugins and instruments like this go into my right sound.
category of ones I enjoy tweaking.
I use my sample libraries slightly differ-
ently. Most are in Kontakt format and I don’t
like programming Kontakt, as I find the inter-
face unintuitive. I’m not likely to do any
deep programming but if the library itself
has a good interface I’m happy to do basic
modification of the sounds. Organization of
my Kontakt libraries is important, however,
since I own a lot. I organized my orchestral
libraries into first chair libraries, which are the
first ones I go to, and second chair libraries,
which I use for specific presets and to fill out
the sound of the first chair libraries. For non-
orchestral libraries, I made special note of my
favorites in different categories. I then moved
my most used Kontakt libraries to display at
the top of the libraries tab.
After this, I went through my remaining
instruments and effects, making mental note
as to their utility. I decided to ignore a vast
swath of them because they are either too
hard to remember how to navigate the inter-
face, don’t sound as good as others I use or
I simply haven’t bothered to explore deeply.
Continued on Next Page
7
Tech Talk
Continued from Page 7
Of the latter, I made a note of the ones I
want to explore in more depth at a later
time.
When assessing a plugin, I took a
hard look at its usability. A lot of plug-
ins are so cluttered with options that
they become difficult to use in a practi-
cal matter. Many guitar amp simulators
have this issue. Plugins like Guitar Rig
and Amplitube have amp/speaker/
microphone combinations designed
to emulate real equipment, but I don’t
actually care much about emulating a
specific guitar sound. I prefer to start
with a good basic clean or distorted
sound, then move the knobs to dial in a
tone that is appropriate for the track. I
found I was getting bogged down with
these plugins scrolling through presets
to find the right sound and losing focus
on the music I was working on. After
some research, I found a plugin called
Scuffham S-series which better fit my
needs. It features basic amp models
and effects, great speaker emulations
and excellent sounding presets with a
high degree of tone shaping. I can get
all the sounds I want without getting
distracted trying to determine if a
Fender Twin would be better than a
Fender Super Deluxe on my track. I
now spend more time getting the right
part because it is so much faster for me
to get the right sound.
After going through my plugins, I
created a favorites section in my DAW’s
plugin browser. This can be done in
Logic by going to the plugin manager
preference, creating a favorites folder
and dragging plugins into it from the
plugin manager screen. I created sub-
folders for different categories in order
to find them quickly. I also saved plug-
in combinations as channel strips pre-
sets so that I can quickly bring up ones
I use a lot.
The last place to look at was how I
was using the faders on my MIDI
controller. I like to use continuous con-
trollers to change parameters, like
volume and modulation, in real time.
I had assigned the faders on my con-
troller to various MIDI CCs but I found
I wasn’t using many of them most of
the time. Rather than poring through
manuals to discover which MIDI CCs
were used by which plugins, I decid-
ed that it makes more sense to use
the MIDI learn function to assign a
fader to a plugin parameter I want to
manipulate. I reassigned the majority
of the faders on my controller to MIDI
CCs that are rarely used with the in-
tention of assigning them on the fly as
needed. If I need to modulate the filter
on a synth, for example, I just use the
MIDI learn function to assign a fader
to filter cutoff. It doesn’t matter if I
remember it or not because it is specific
to the session I am working on, rather
than a global setting.
After going through this thought
experiment and organizational process,
I found it had served a dual purpose.
First, I was much clearer about what
libraries, virtual instruments and ef-
fects worked for me, and second, I was
clearer about the way in which I work
with the tools I have. My nagging sense
of missing out on something great
largely disappeared and my setup and
workflow was streamlined. By identi-
fying the strengths in the plugins I like
and determining the best way of using
them, I now spend more time on music
and less time searching for the right
sound. g

BMI Composers Capture Audiences at SXSW Film Festival

Pictured at the screening of Bill Frisell: A Portrait
are, L-R: filmmaker Emma Franz, BMI’s Doreen
Ringer-Ross, musician/composer Bill Frisell and
BMI’s Anne Cecere

L-R: BMI’s Anne Cecere and Doreen

Ringer-Ross proudly pose with Small
Town Crime composer Chris Westlake

L-R: BMI’s Anne

Cecere with
Inheritance
composer Rafael
Leloup
L-R: Singer-songwriter
Maiah Wynne, BMI’s
L-R: BMI’s Anne Cecere, composer and SXSW panelist Heather Doreen Ringer-Ross
McIntosh, BMI’s Doreen Ringer-Ross and composer and SXSW panelist and composer Scott
Walter Werzowa pose for a photo during the 2017 Film Festival Salinas

8
 N E W MAR K E T S
Sound And Music In The New
Virtual Reality Frontier
W
By Joel Douek
hat’s the fascination with Virtual
Reality? Until you’ve tried it for
yourself, it’s hard to appreciate why
strapping a phone to your face has anything
to offer beyond gimmickry. Yet it’s what
happens to both body and mind when you’re
‘inside’ the VR world that defies expectations.
We encounter all the physiological and
emotional reactions that we do in the real
world. Perched on the edge of a virtual cliff,
you’re seized by fear no matter how much
you tell yourself “this is not real!”
Simply put, VR is the first wholly new
form of media to emerge since 1910. Where
film and television are both fundamentally
time-driven art forms, VR is about space
and our place in it. Before it we’d seen only
enhancements to existing forms of moving
image and sound. That elusive nirvana of
every creative conversation — how to cre-
ate “immersive” experience — is suddenly
obsolete. Because in VR you are immersed,
like it or not. The gap is gone.
VR is also a completely new medium for
telling stories, for giving experiences, and
for social interaction. It is different from film
because all of a sudden we are in the movie
(we have presence), and we are free to look
and move around inside it the way we choose
(we have free agency). A whole new language
is being written for the creators of VR and for
its users, and a key part of this vocabulary is
sound.
Many of the new VR production com-
panies emerging are offshoots of visual
effects outfits, for whom expanding imagery
from a forward placed screen to a 360º field
is a relatively accessible process. Because
their skillsets are primarily visual, sound was
getting left behind. But ask any VR developer,
from JauntVR to Industrial Light and Magic,
and they will tell you: sound is far more
important in VR than it ever was in film or
TV. In the vast majority of VR experiences, we
are using only two of our senses: sight and
hearing. So, sound is 50% of the experience to
be had, yet it conveys almost all the emotion.
In the VR experience just as in life, it can
convey feelings or drive a story without
even needing to look at it, because sound is
by nature 360 and immersive, and our ears
never blink. In this way, sound has found
an important role in the VR world: to lead
the user’s attention towards something you
want them to see that may be out of view (the
human visual system sees only a 180º field of
view, and just 114º of that in 3D).
Indeed, one could argue that music and
sound are the mother of augmented reality
—we’ve been using them to qualify and aug-
ment our experiences for as long as there have
been humans. Imagine a wedding without
a wedding march. Imagine an ambulance
without sound. A church without ringing
bells or a choir, a tough gym workout with-
out the motivation of music. It’s dry, emotion-
less, lifeless. We’ve built acoustic spaces,
cathedrals to champion and transcend the A whole new
human experience through sound and music.
According to cutting-edge neuroscience, when language is being
you move to music in synchrony with another written for the
person, your brain starts to blur its sense of
self. Throughout our lives it is a social glue creators of VR and
that binds and bonds us more closely, bring-
ing meaning and reinforcing memories. What for its users, and
does all this mean for VR? It means we’ve
only scratched the surface of sonic in these a key part of this
newly imagined spaces.
Great advances in the simulated position- vocabulary is sound.
ing of sound (spatialization) allow us to place
sounds anywhere in the 360 space, even when
listening on regular headphones. In the VR
experience, this spatialized soundscape can
now track head movement correctly so the
sound remains in place, just as in real life. We
can go further, creating an “inner experience”
for the user, an internal dialogue or song, by
making it sound “head-locked” and distinct
from the sounds that are “out there.” The
head-locked channel is where we might put a
music score, for example, so it is heard in the
traditional non-diegetic sense.
The spreading realization of this ”power
of sound” among VR producers means that,
unlike in film or TV — where music and sound
is somewhat of an afterthought — in VR we
are starting to be invited to the table from the
very earliest moments of project conception.
Not only is sound solving emotional needs of
the storytelling arc as it does in film, it can
solve spatial and directional problems. Say
a director wants to subtly draw the user’s
attention to action that is happening behind
you, outside of your visual field, we can use
spatially placed sound to move your gaze
towards it. Also, where VR can be an isolating
Continued on Page 21
9
 N  E  W     G  E  A  R

Keyscape
By Jack D. Elliot

S
pectrasonics is known for some of the also have Keyscape. The vast new library
best plugins that a composer or sound was produced by Eric Persing, and features
designer can buy. You will hear and see a tremendous variety of patches created by
them used in just about every studio, film, their amazing Sound Development team,
television series, or video game. Years are put showcasing the power of combining Key-
into making Spectrasonics’ plugins top notch, scape and Omnisphere 2.
and the new Keyscape is another grand slam You can immediately tell that a good deal
on their list. Outstanding, once again. of time and thought have been put into mak-
Keyscape comes with 36 sought-after ing the Keyscape library, which actually took
multisampled keyboards, and 500 presets. It 10 years to make. Spectrasonics rocked it with
is available as a download directly from the their sound engine. You will benefit from an
Spectrasonics site, or as a boxed edition, with SSD drive for fast preset loading. But even
the content supplied on two USB drives to- more important is streaming “big” instru-
taling 77 GB. The price for Keyscape is $399. ments (like the piano) from disk as you play.
Included they give you the choice to install a SSD install is a must for that. One is able to
lite version, which is about 30 GB as opposed load other presets on older computers. This You can immediately
to the full package, but you will miss out on allows you to load a lot of sounds without
some of the fun keyboards. I would definitely bringing your computer to its knees. tell that a good deal of
recommend having a large enough drive for The GUI looks great, and is similar to
the full version, as it is absolutely worth it. Omnisphere and Trilian. I love seeing the time and thought have
Not only does Keyscape sound amazing, it pictures of the instruments, which creates
also feels amazing. While some other librar- ease when you need something specific, or been put into making the
ies sound good, they can be difficult to play, are mixing. I still wish Spectrasonics would
offer the choice to enlarge the plugin. Many
Keyscape library, which
and the sounds can become a little lackluster
unless you take up a lot of valuable time edit- companies are doing this now, and it really actually took 10 years to
ing the performance. But with Keyscape, this helps with eye strain when working on 4k
is not necessary. You can adjust the velocity monitors. make.
curve to your liking. The keyboards presets Conclusion: Amazing detail in the sounds.
include up to 32 levels of velocity switching, Easy to play. Omnisphere integration is
and individual key sampling with multiple awesome. Priced well for everything that
modes of round-robin articulation. Extreme you get. No cons to report. I give Keyscape
detail was put into adding mechanical noise a 10/10.
options for both the attack and release of
notes, and release samples, as well as vintage
effects, modern effects and amp models to
tweak the sounds.
Keyscape comes with a variety of key-
boards, including the Yamaha C7, Rhodes
Classic Suitcase, Hohner Clavinet C, Wur-
litzer, and CP70. There are also many toy,
eccentric, fun keyboards. Each keyboard
comes in its original form, along with loads
of options for variations, including effects,
compression, and EQ choices. If you already
own Omnisphere (which I feel is a must in
everyone’s studio), you can load the Keyscape
presets in Omnisphere 2. This allows you to
take advantage of Omnisphere’s engine and
features to tweak the sounds quite a bit more
than the Keyscape version allows. Also, if
you own Omnisphere 2 you get for free the
“Keyscape Creative” library. It is a cutting-
edge collection of over 1,200 Omnisphere
patches specially designed for users who

10
 What’sHappening
S
CL Board member Christopher
Farrell attended the LA premier
of Fair Haven on March 3rd in
Santa Monica.
L-R: BMI’s Anne Cecere, the film’s director
Kerstin Karlhuber and composer Christopher
Farrell
g   g   g
Pictured at the Kennedy Center are
Sundance Film Composers Program
Director and BMI composer Peter
Golub, BMI composer Terence
Blanchard and BMI’s Doreen
Ringer-Ross at the performance of
Blanchard’s Jazz Opera Champions
g   g   g
L-R: Chris Walden, Quincy Jones, Monica
Mancini and Dave Koz
L-R: Ramin Djawadi with BMI’s Ray Yee
BMI Composer Ramin Djawadi
brings the Game of Thrones Live Con-
cert Tour to Los Angeles at The Forum.
L-R: Chris Walden and John Williams
Chris Walden conducted “Mancini
Delivered” (a musical tribute to Henry
and Ginny Mancini) co-hosted by Julie
Andrews at the Wallis Annenberg
Theatre in Beverly Hills on April 1,
2017.
g   g   g
The Golden State Pops Orches-
tra celebrated 15 years with a 15th
Anniversary Concert: Skyfall, Ti-
tanic and Other Hit Songs from
Film at the Warner Grand Theatre
in San Pedro, CA, on April 22nd.
Happy Anniversary!
By Lori Barth
Pictured at the Columbia Film
Scoring Workshop “Day One “
L-R: Alex Steyermark, Rachel
Perkins, Shawn LeMone,
Martin Crane, Callum Smith,
Dennis Dreith, Alex Venguer
g   g   g
L-R: UCLA Extension Music Program
representative Erin Kaufman, BMI/Jerry
Goldsmith Film Scoring Scholarship recipient
Tomasz Golka, BMI Vice President, Film/TV
& Visual Media Relations Doreen Ringer-Ross
and UCLA Extension Program Director Pascale
Cohen-Olivar
g   g   g
L-R: Quincy Jones, Stephane Lerouge,
Jon Burlingame
SCL member Pam Gates hosted
a special dinner to honor Stephane
Lerouge and Quincy Jones. Steph-
ane recently recorded a six CD
compilation set of Quincy’s music
for cinema; it is now available online,
released on Universal, France.
L-R: Lori Barth, Stephane Lerouge, Jim DiGiovanni
and Jon Burlingame
11
 Award-winning composer George S.
Clinton has scored over 100 films, most

Inside
notably Austin Powers International
Man of Mystery and its blockbuster
sequels; Disney’s hit Santa Clause
and sequels; Mortal Kombat 1 and 2;

George S. Clinton
Wild Things, Red Shoe Diaries, John
Water’s A Dirty Shame and the Emmy
Award-winning Bury My Heart At
Wounded Knee. The Score caught up
INTERVIEWED BY with George to ask him a few questions
about his career.
LORI BARTH
Score:   Tell us a little bit about your
background, the bands you were in.
You were a pop songwriter but did
you go to school to learn about film
music?
George:    I grew up in Chattanooga,
Tennessee, where my mother was
the organist in the Southern Baptist
Church. That’s sort of where I got into
music. I remember listening to her
play a hymn while the preacher was
trying to get people to come down
and confess their sins. People would
start to cry and even at that point (I
was about eight years old) I realized
the power of music. It would not have
been the same moment had my mother
not been playing the organ. I was in the
high school marching band; I played
tuba and sang in the choir. I was
playing piano in a rock band called The
Velveteens, and that still is my main
instrument. I was the typical kind of
high school music nerd. I was also in
drama club and doing acting.
I was already starting to write songs,
so I went to college at Middle Tennessee
State University since it was so close to
Nashville. I literally took this notebook
of lyrics that I had written in high school
and thumbed my way to Nashville and
sat down on the steps of Tree Music;
this was when it was a little Victorian
house on Music Row. It wasn’t open
yet. I was tired and fell asleep on the
steps. I felt this foot kicking at me and
I opened my eyes and there is this guy
sayin’, “What the hell are you doin’?”
I said, “Well, I’m here to see Buddy
Killen” (who was the guy to see if you
wanted to be a songwriter). And he
said, “Oh god”; it was Buddy Killen. So,
he gave me a job as a staff writer when
I was still in college, but what it really
was was minimum wage to help them
organize this incredibly disorganized
room full of tapes and cassettes. Then
Continued on Next Page

12
they would allow me to use the demo
studio. I got a couple of songs recorded
there, not very many because I’m not
really a country songwriter. But I did
end up doing some session work, and
when I graduated from MTSU, I had a
degree in music and drama. I did the
same thing there; I was in bands, and
by then arranging for the bands. Then I
decided to move to Los Angeles.
At the Atlanta Pop Festival in
1969, which was the one just before
Woodstock, a lot of the same bands
were at this festival that wound up
being at Woodstock. I went down there
and everybody was having a very
good psychedelic kind of time. I came
to the realization that if I didn’t want to
be drafted, that I needed to get myself
to LA and be part of the music scene.
Score:   At what point did you make
the left turn into film composing?
What was the experience that brought
you around to that? Did you have eyes
to do that before you came to LA?
George:   No. I came here like everybody
else to be a rock star. I was still writing
songs. For the first ten years I was out
here I did four albums with various
bands I organized as a recording artist.
Warner Bros. Music heard some of the
songs I had written for the first album
and offered me a job as a staff writer. It
was great; there were only about four
or five of us. I was writing a lot of R&B
then. Once a month they’d gather the
writers and the A&R guys would have
gone out and gotten the information
from producers as to who was coming
up and what kind of songs they were
looking for. We would either pitch
songs to our A&R guys that we already
had, or go home and write something
in that style. If they liked it they would
give you the chance to demo it. I was
lucky; I got some songs recorded by
Michael Jackson, Joe Cocker, Three
Dog Night.
The last band I had was playing in
a club, and I think Cheech and Chong
were in the audience. They came back
stage and said, “Hey, you wanna do
some music for our movie?” And I
said, “Sure,” so I got my chance to do
my first score which was called Still
Smokin’. I figured I had never scored
a film before but it was a Cheech and
Chong movie so we were all going to
have a lot of fun regardless of how it
sounded. I decided there was a lot I
needed to know that I didn’t know. It
was not going to be a huge orchestra
but I knew how to write for orchestra
because I had the degree in music. So
I took extension courses at UCLA. Don
Ray was teaching there and he became
a mentor. So that’s how I made that left
turn.
You went on to do several
Score:   
Cheech and Chong movies, correct?
George:   I think I did two and maybe
a special. They called me the next
summer; they had rented us a chateau
outside Paris and said, “Hey Clinton,
you wanna come over?” It was a no-
brainer. They were doing this crazy
movie called The Corsican Brothers. They
were directing it themselves and all the
extras had to dress in French Revolu-
tionary outfits and stand around while
they tried to figure out which scenes
they wanted to do next. From what
I can remember, that summer was a
great experience.
Score: Did it seem easy once you
jumped into film composing and did
you feel it was something you could
do successfully?
George:   Yes, once I got into it, I real-
ized, okay this is what I need to be
doing. The only thing I missed about
the recording artist thing was live
performance, and I still miss that to
some degree. The closest you come to
that is conducting. It’s live, it’s kind
of a performance and at least you are
there with the band creating something
together.
Score: What were the next films you
did? Fill in the blanks before Austin
Powers?
George: I thought there was going to
be a path beat to my door because I had
done the Cheech and Chong movies,
and that was not the case. Suddenly
I realized, I’m going to have to let
people know I do this and I have done
this. I became aware of how important
networking was.
I scored movies for free for The
American Film Institute, I started
working for Cannon Films as a com-
poser doing these really low-budget
American Ninja movies, and I got
some Showtime movies of the Zalman
King erotica series he did called Red
Shoes Diaries. Little by little I started
doing more things — some movies-of-
the-week, which were a cool thing
back then. There was always one going
for the next week at NBC and all the
other networks…and then I started
doing mini-series and began to make a
con-scious decision to not do anymore
television because back then, if you
did TV, they didn’t consider you a seri-
ous enough composer to do films. So,
I didn’t work for about year when I
tried to make that transition. It was my
agent at the time that helped me make
that step over. And then after that hap-
pened, I started getting bigger films. I
got in with New Line and did Mortal
Kombat, which was my first “hit” and
they were the people that did Austin
Powers, so I already had an in at that
film company.
Score:   You had to do a big John Barry-
inspired score for Austin Powers. Tell
us about that. What was your thinking
behind it, your approach?
George:   First of all, working with
Mike Myers, Jay Roach, the director,
and John Houlihan, the music super-
visor, like me, were huge fans of that
genre. They’re younger than me but I
remember when those movies came
out in the theatre. It was in my DNA.
I loved those 007 scores, and I loved
those movies. The same with The Pink
Panther, In Like Flint, and so we all
agreed what we really wanted to do
was an homage to them, not just a
send up, but to lovingly approach. My
goal was to try to make the John Barry
sounding part of it sound like a John
Barry score to a James Bond film that
somebody had just found, that hadn’t
existed before. There was that, and one
of the approaches I took, which I think
really helped personalize it for me, was
I tried to write the kind of music for
Dr. Evil that I thought Dr. Evil would
like to hear when he was being evil.
The kind of music he would approve
of. And the same thing with Austin
Powers. I tried to get in his head and
write the kind of music that he’d like
to hear for himself. I guess it was my
drama training of trying to get in the
head of the characters. It really was
helpful in differentiating the types of
music that I had to write.
Score: Who picked “Soul Bossa Nova?”
George:   That was Mike Myers. The
story goes that it was the theme song
to a Canadian game show when he
Continued on Next Page
13
Clinton Interview
Continued from Page 13
was growing up in Canada. It was
originally recorded in 1962 on an album
Quincy did called Big Band Bossa Nova.
It was one of the cuts and Mike had
grown up hearing that, and so what he
does when he starts coming up with
characters, he tries to think of a piece
of music that symbolizes his ideas or
feelings about that character, and that
was just something that popped right
into his head. So, that was a given
when I was hired to do the score — that
we were going to use that for Austin at
various places.
Score: Your approach to Bury My
Heart at Wounded Knee was more dra-
matic. Was that hard to make an about
face?
George:   It is hard to make an about
face, and it’s not, because if you get
popular doing a movie, whether you’re
an actor, director, composer, those are
the ones you get offered the most and
those are the ones you end up working
on the most. You always long for those
kinds of movies you don’t get to do
that you are not put up for. So, when
this director I had worked with before
on various dramas, Yves Simoneau,
got this gig, he suggested me to HBO. I
have to hand it to him and to HBO that
they were able to say, “Okay, let’s use
the Austin Powers guy for the period
piece about the Native American
Indians in the 1800s.” I did have music
I had written before that showed that
I was capable of writing that kind of
music. Must be like a prisoner finally
being let out of jail and getting to go
on a date after not being on a date for
four years. That’s the way it felt doing
this drama. A love fest for me because
I got to write the kind of music I had
been longing to write. The director I
worked with was very respectful of the
Native American story. I knew that it
was not going to be unsympathetic in
any way. I’ve got a small part Cherokee
in my blood, so I’ve always been tuned
into that to some degree. Also, having
Lakota flute master John Two-Hawks
involved brought a beautiful spirit to it.
Score:   Writing serious drama as oppos-
ed to comedy, explain your thoughts
and your approach. Let’s hear your
whole philosophy on this subject.
14
George:    I don’t think there is such
a thing as funny music. I think that
there is humorous music, there is fun
music, but I think for it to be funny
and to make you laugh out loud, you
have to see an image or have it be in
some context. Having said that, there
are certain technical aspects of writing
comedy that satisfy that genre. One of
the things that I like to do is think of
music as the straight man. You know,
in Laurel and Hardy and Abbott and
Costello, you have the funny guy and
you have the guy that’s setting up the
funny guy with a serious story so that
the punchline is even funnier. Though
to me, comedy music works the best
when it doesn’t try to amp up the
funny. Comedy is hard because you
have to find that line of not working
too over the top, not working too hard
to make it funny if it’s not, and then not
being too serious. But for me it works
the best, like Carter Burwell’s scores to
The Coen Brothers movies. You listen to
that music by itself and there is nothing
funny about it. If you were to just read
the story, a guy shoving another guy
into a chipper, there is nothing funny
about that, but we laugh because of
the genius in the way it is presented.
Another technique I use, you know that
game that kids play where they have a
balloon and they’re in a circle and try
to and keep it in the air? You can’t grab
it because if you grab it you have to
leave the circle, if you let it drop and
you leave the circle. For me, writing
for comedy dialog is like keeping the
balloon in the air. There is the gentle
urging of what music must do under
comic dialog that sometimes can
really be too heavy handed. As for the
dramatic score, the great thing about a
drama or even a horror movie is usually
there is a single tone. The vernacular for
the film emotionally is within a realm,
as opposed to a comedy which can be
all over the place. Any action cue you
write for a comedy has to sound like
the whole movie has been an action
movie. Or any love theme you write for
a comedy has to sound like the whole
movie has been a romance. One of the
great things about a romantic movie, a
drama or even a horror film is that you
get to explore the similar world. You’re
not all over the place trying to support
various types of moments. I love that
because that really gives you a chance
to mine themes, textures and tonality:
It’s like painting, choosing a particular
palette of colors to paint with. And I am
also a storyteller. One of the things that
I tried to express to my students is that
we are first and foremost storytellers.
And if that’s not what we are, we
should get a gig doing something else
because a movie is all about telling a
story and we are part of a storytelling
team. It’s our job as part of that team to
help tell our story through our music.
When I ask my students, have you
ever read a script, most say no. Well,
without a script there is no movie,
without a movie there is no score, and
then you don’t have a gig. You might as
well start where it starts and learn the
language of the film. It’s so important
for composers to be able to speak with
the director in dramatic, non-musical
terms.
Score: Since you came out of bands
and played piano in more of an acous-
tic world, do you prefer working with
acoustic instruments or electronics or
does the project dictate what you do?
George:   It’s been 15 years since I did
a paper score. I’ve been doing this for
over 30 years. I used to write every-
thing down; I think I even have some
old yellowing score paper and even
onion skin. If you made a mistake, start
over. So, to answer your question, the
project dictates it. I love technology,
but technology is just another tool.
The upside of being a composer today
is having all that amazing technology
at our fingertips. The downside is, so
does everybody else. A lot of people are
coming up with some very convincing
sounding songs, productions, film
scores or whatever, and don’t have
the experience, or the education or
depth of resource that they might, to
go along with this technical ability.
That’s why I think being musically
educated, whether through experience
or going to school to learn it, is so
important. One of the things that helps
us express ourselves and distinguishes
us as creative artists is the depth of
resource that we have at our disposal.
The deeper that resource, the more
nuanced and original our creations can
be. Otherwise, we sound like every-
body else.
Score: You’ve received the BMI Rich-
ard Kirk Award, you were the chair
of the film scoring department at
Continued on Next Page
Clinton Interview
Continued from Page 14

Berklee School of Music, you have

been an advisor at Sundance Institute,
you are now on the board of The SCL
and the AWFC as well as the AMPAS
Music Branch Executive Board. Why
did you want to become an educator
and what have you learned that gives
you a different perspective now?
George:   It started 17 years ago at
a BMI Award dinner when Peter
Women in Film Music Panel, L-R: Composers Pinar Toprak, Lesley Barber, Carly Paradis and
Golub asked me if I wanted to be Steph Economou at the 2017 ASCAP “I Create Music” Expo
an advisor at the Sundance Institute
Composers Lab. (Doreen Ringer-Ross
had strategically placed us at the same ASCAP ‘I Create Music’ Expo 2017
A
table.) I hadn’t realized until I was
at the Lab and working with young SCAP featured many film, TV and songwriters at this year’s “We Create
composers how much I would enjoy Music” Expo held once again at Loew’s Hotel in Hollywood, CA on
doing it. It’s a terrific program and the April 13, 14 and 15, 2017.
young composers who come through
there are the real deal. In regards to
Berklee, four years ago, Alison Plante The all-star panelists of the
contacted me and said that the Film ASCAP Expo’s Next Level:
Scoring Chair was going to be open Scoring for Video Games panel,
L-R: Austin Wintory, Tom
because my good friend Dan Carlin Salta, Jack Wall and Gordy
was leaving to head up the Screen Haab
Scoring program at USC. I talked to
my wife about it; our daughter had
just graduated from NYU, was living
in Brooklyn, and we thought, why
not? Keep the house, keep the studio,
come back and work when I need to.
We’ll rent a place there, leave our cars
here, take public transportation, and it
will be great. It was really great. The
three-year contract was just enough ASCAP composer Jeff Cardoni (R) with song-
writer Ashley Gorley during the We Create
— I loved everything about it. One Music panel at the ASCAP Expo
thing working with young composers
reminds me over and over again is to
be open, stay curious and find the joy
in the process. The longer we do this Right on Cue: What
It Takes to Score
professionally, the easier it is to lose for TV panel at the
sight of that. Another thing that I feel ASCAP Expo. L-R:
I have learned is there is no one right Allison Wright
way to do anything. I sometimes get Clark, Paul Brill,
students or the fellows at Sundance to Scott Doherty, Jamie
Forsyth, Danny Jacob
score a scene I had already scored. To
have these young people with these
fresh minds come up with ideas I had
not even considered or would have
never thought of, is great. It is a very
humbling experience. It makes me real-
ize — the guy who got the gig, that’s Composer Michael Abels (R)
the score we know, but there are plenty discusses with Melinda Newman
of valid alternatives to solving that (L) how he transitioned from the
same problem creatively. classical music world to scoring Get
Out at the 2017 ASCAP Expo
Score: Great observation. Thank you
for this wonderful interview! g

15
James DiPasquale
Continued from Page 1
in all sorts of ways: we had a 10k race,
and a big dinner at the Beverly Hills
Hotel honoring Steve Speilberg. We
tried to do everything we could to get
the CLGA re-established, but the union
was broke from fighting the lawsuit.
Finally, in June, 1982, we closed the
office, and put all the files in storage.
And that was the end of the CLGA.
Meanwhile, the industry was mov-
ing on, the unions were all making
deals, videocassettes were selling, stu-
dios were paying residuals, and we
were nowhere to be seen. So about 30
of us began meeting, mostly in Alan
and Marilyn Bergman’s living room.
Marilyn was really pushing; she said
we need somebody to lead this fight
and she suggested me. I accepted
the job as Organizing Chairman and
Norman Gimbel became the Vice-
Chairman.
Sometime before those meetings be-
gan, the Bergmans had joined the Writ-
ers Guild and they said, “We all need to
be members of The Writers Guild.” So
in April, 1983, 12 of us — myself, David
Braun (attorney for Barbra Streisand
and Bob Dylan), the Bergmans, David
Raksin, Elmer Bernstein, Arthur Ham-
ilton, Lalo Schifrin, John Cacavas, and
people like that — appeared before
the Writers Guild Board of Directors.
I remember that Frank Pierson, the
WGA president, and the whole Board
were very impressed by the group of
distinguished composers and lyricists
who filed into the Board room.
David Braun presented a proposal
to the Board that basically said, “We are
the last group of creative people in the
industry who are not represented by
a union. Your members write words,
we write music and words, but we’re
writers, the same as you.” The WGA
said they’d like to represent us, but
they legally couldn’t unless we were
certified as a labor union by the NLRB.
But they offered to help us organize and
pay all the expenses involved. Because
I was the Organizing Chairman, they
gave me a little cubicle at the Writers
Guild that I used as an office for almost
two years. The whole idea at that point
was for us to go to the NLRB and get
certified. Then, as a recognized labor
union, the WGA Board and the SCL
Board could vote to merge so that all
16
of us would become members of The
Writers Guild.
I knew virtually nothing about or-
ganizing a union, so the WGA general
counsel, Doreen Braverman, over a
lot of lunches, taught me everything I
needed to know. A small group of us
contacted every composer and lyricist
we could find and had them sign
cards authorizing the SCL to represent
them as a union. We had almost 100%
response, including from people like
Stephen Sondheim, whose interest in a
union surprised me.
Score: When were you first called The
Society of Composers & Lyricists?
Was it before you appeared before the
NLRB Board?
Jim:   I have the charter and I think it
was in the summer of 1983.
The first organizing meeting was on
February 14, 1984 at the Writers Guild
Theater. That was the official debut of
the SCL. We had 310 people show up,
including most of the major names
at that time — John Williams, Jerry
Goldsmith, Elmer Bernstein, Henry
Mancini, David Raksin, Johnny Man-
del, Hal David, etc. I needed a major
name to do the keynote speech —
which I had written — so I called two
very respected composers who both
turned me down, mostly because they
didn’t feel they were credible enough
to make a labor speech. They both were
at the meeting, however.
I then called Quincy Jones who said,
“What’s the date?” I told him and he
said, “Oh, man, I’m flying to New
York that night.” I said, “OK, thanks
anyway.” I figured that was the end of
that, the third guy to turn me down. But
then he said, “I’ll go the next morning.
We need this.” I said, “Really?” He said,
“Yeah, no problem, I’ll be there. Tell me
where, what time.” Well, Quincy was
20 minutes late getting to the meeting,
but he not only read the speech, he
blew choruses on it, he improvised the
hell out of it with funny lines that had
people rolling on the floor. He turned
what was a straight, factual speech into
a star turn that lightened the mood for
the rest of the meeting.
We were warned by the WGA that
getting certified was going to be very
difficult because Ronald Reagan was
in the White House. The first major
thing Reagan did as president was to
fire 13,000 members of the Air Traffic
Controller’s union. That defined his
negative labor policy for the rest of his
presidency. Here we were, three years
into Reagan’s term and we’re trying
to get a new union certified. So we
prepared like we were going to war.
We interviewed 42 people as potential
witnesses to testify at the NLRB—
people like Ernest Gold, Pat Williams,
James Horner, Alan Bergman, etc. It
took several months to get all these
people to come in for interviews and to
get our case ready for presentation.
The NLRB certification hearing was
in October 1984 at the Federal Building
in Westwood. It lasted seven days and
19 people testified— ten from our side
and nine from the studios. The whole
question to be decided was: are we
independent contractors or employees?
Independent contractors cannot legal-
ly unionize — only employees can be
organized into a union. Several studio
music department heads — Harry Lo-
jewski from MGM and Bodie Chandler
from Lorimar, for example—testified
that, “We consider composers to be em-
ployees.” We thought their opinions
would go a long way toward convinc-
ing the NLRB that we were employees.
Didn’t turn out that way.
Just before Christmas of ‘84, we got
the NLRB decision. It basically said,
“We hereby find that you are indepen-
dent contractors and, as such, cannot
be organized as a union.” And that was
that. We appealed the ruling, but that
was denied as well, so we were really
dead in the water at that point.
That was the beginning of 1985,
so it was now almost two years since
we tried to become members of The
Writers Guild. The Guild had financed
our entire certification effort, which
was almost $70,000 and never asked
for a penny of reimbursement. It was a
big project with a lot of work involved
by many people, but we never got to
be a union. That was the entire goal, so
now what?
We received encouragement from
Howard Berman, our Congressman,
and from Senator Ted Kennedy. Both
these guys encouraged us to stick to-
gether until a Democratic administra-
tion was in the White House, and then
to try again for union certification.
Though we were disappointed that,
after working so hard for two years, we
didn’t succeed in establishing a union,
Continued on Next Page
James DiPasquale
Continued from Page 16
there was enough momentum started
in the composer/lyricist community
that the SCL did stick together.
Later in 1985, Arthur Hamilton took
over the leadership from me. Arthur
was great at getting us noticed every-
where and that helped establish the
SCL name. He served from 1985 to
1988, when Bruce Broughton became
president. He did a fantastic job for five
years at a time when our membership
numbers had dropped.
Just like Arthur, Bruce, and myself,
the presidents who followed — Richard
Bellis, Mark Watters, Jay Chattaway,
Ray Colcord, and Dan Foliart — all took
on the full responsibility of being SCL
President in addition to their writing
careers. Looking back, it’s amazing
what they all accomplished because
it’s tough to find a life balance between
serving office and writing. Inevitably,
our careers have all suffered to some
degree because, even with help, there
are a ton of details to deal with when
the buck stops on your desk.
Our current president, Ashley
Irwin, has a tougher job than of any of
us past presidents ever had. In the last
20 years, every aspect of our business
has changed so drastically that it’s
barely recognizable. It seems like
there’s an attack on some part of the
business every week. The influence of
the Internet on music, film, and video
games, the growth of the publishing
industry, the future of the PROs, and
the control that major corporations
have right now over everything and
everyone — it’s head-spinning. Ashley
is constantly juggling all these new
facets of the business — stuff that none
of us earlier presidents ever dreamed
of. There’s a saying that “Change is the
essence of life.” Well, there’s no more
proof of that than the music industry
right now.
Score: This is where we’re at now.
We’ve got all of these new problems
with the DOJ, copyrights…. Where do
you think we can go now?
Jim:   The quick answer is we have to
go wherever the music industry leads
us. Keeping up with the changes and
making them work for our group
becomes the major job. We have to
know what’s going on at all times and
make sure all SCL members understand
current issues.
But besides adjusting to the chang-
es, we’ve seen that there are still people
who want to be a union. The encour-
agement from Ted Kennedy that I men-
tioned before was in the form of a letter
where he said, “It’s grossly unfair and
a miscarriage of justice that you people
cannot be a union. The Writers Guild
operates very much like you do, and
they’ve been a union since the 1930s.”
Recently, I’ve become aware that
there’s an active group of composers
who really want a union. They’re all
mostly in their late 30s to early 50s, and
they’re meeting regularly. At last year’s
Oscar party, one of them came up to me
and said, “Hey Jim, I want to talk to
you. You know, there’s a group of guys
about my age who are mostly doing
cable shows. We feel we want to make
another run for a union. Can we count
on you?” And I said, ”I’ve already done
that, I’ve done it to death. I can answer
your questions if you need some help,
but I don’t really have it in me to do
any more politicking at this point.”
One of the real problems that I dis-
covered in trying to get us certified
is that, going back to the 1950s, com-
posers and lyricists — as well as the
studios — have played both sides of
the street on the question of whether
we’re employees or independent con-
tractors. This situation happened way
before my time, but David Raksin
and Elmer Bernstein explained it to
me over dinner one night. They said
that, at certain points in our history,
composers and lyricists claimed to
be independent contractors because
they wanted copyright control of their
music. When they realized that wasn’t
going to happen, then they claimed to
be employees so they could unionize.
In the same way, the studios would
call us employees because they wanted
our publishing rights. Owning the pub-
lishing, of course, gave them new in-
come from every piece of music that
we wrote. That was found money to
them — they didn’t have to do a thing
to earn it except to hire a composer or
lyricist to write for them. But, there
were also times when the studios didn’t
want to deal with us as a union, so they
would declare us to be independent
contractors. So they flip-flopped on
this question just as composers and
lyricists did.
In 1983, when we started our organ-
izing, I knew nothing about this two-
faced situation between the studios
and us. But listening to the testimony
of studio execs at the NLRB hearings,
I became aware of how some of these
guys thought of us. As I said before,
several music directors testified that
they thought we were employees be-
cause they had overall control of our
music — i.e., they could edit our music,
re-use it, or throw out entire scores
whenever they wanted. The yardstick
for measuring whether you’re an em-
ployee is the amount of control that the
employer has over your music — your
product. The more control they have,
the more you can be classified as an
employee by the NLRB.
But at the NLRB hearings, the attor-
neys for the studios testified that we
were independent contractors and, as
such, had no legal right to unionize.
Well, this flip-flop classification def-
initely complicated our ability to get
certified because the NLRB asked
the obvious: “Which is it, are you
employees or independent contrac-
tors?” Because we had claimed both
categories in the past, it weakened our
argument that we were employees
and we were entitled to unionize. That
complication was one that my gener-
ation had nothing to do with, yet we
had to live with our collective history.
That issue has to be factored in to any
future attempt at unionizing. Plus, our
ultimate classification as independent
contractors and our loss at the NLRB
will also be an obstacle. Getting certi-
fied now will be harder than ever, sorry
to say.
Aside from all that, the question
of where it’s all going now is a real
puzzle. I sit at SCL meetings these
days and I feel like I’ve become David
Raksin. He was in his 70s when we
were starting the SCL. He had been one
of the founders of the CLGA in 1955,
so I dragged him to a lot of our Board
meetings in the late 80s. He said he had
nothing to offer at that point, but I told
him, “No, you know the history, you
know where we’ve been. You’re our
research library.” And he really was,
along with Elmer Bernstein. The two of
them taught me the labor history of the
CLGA.
Now I’ve reached the age that David
Continued on Page 22
17
 Scenes From The SCL
Oscar Reception 2017
T
he SCL Oscar reception was held on Feb-
ruary 25, 2017 at The Eveleigh Restaurant on
the Sunset Strip. SCL members gathered to
celebrate the nominees for the 2017 Academy Awards
in the field of music. This is always a favorite SCL
event.

L-R, top row: SCL President Ashley Irwin, Dustin O’Halloran, Hauschka,
Justin Paul, Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek and Event Chair Charles Bernstein
­

L-R, bottom row: J. Ralph, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mica Levi and Nicholas Britell

L-R: Rob Messenger,

Nicholas Britell, Jon
Burlingame, Ray
Costa and AFM Local
47 President John
Acosta

L-R: Benj Pasek,

L-R: ASCAPs Shawn LeMone, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Lynn Adryan Russ, Justin
Kowal Paul and ASCAP’s
Michael Kerker

L-R: Event
Chair Charles
Bernstein,
J. Ralph and
SCL President
Ashley Irwin

L-R: Elia Cmiral,

Pam Gates and
Dennis Spiegel

L-R: Tyler
Traband,
Adryan Russ,
Eric Palmquist,
Jonathan David
Neal

L-R: Laura Engel, BMI’s Anne Cecere, and Lori Barth

18
 L-R: Alan Rich, Greg O’Connor, Les and Terry
Brockmann, Jud Friedman

L-R: SESAC’s Erin

Collins, SESAC’s James
Leach and SESAC’s Ali
Guzman

L-R: Hauschka, Lin-

Manual Miranda, Benj
Pasek and Justin Paul

L-R: Edie Lehmann

Boddicker and Michael
Lehmann Boddicker

L-R: Event Chair

Charles Bernstein with
Justin Hurwitz

L-R: Joel Beckerman, Gaby Douek,

Tracy Beckerman and Joel Douek

L-R: Mark Adler, Liliana Fiorelli,

Carlos Siliotto, Joanie Diener

L-R: Mica Levi and SCL President

Ashley Irwin

L-R: Jack D. Elliot, Greg O’Connor,

Ryan Shore and Elizabeth Russo L-R: Ramon and Miriam Balcazar

19
 N E W APPS

Auddly, Haawk And qWaqq

H
ere are three new apps The Score discovered that may be of some interest to
our members. In today’s expanding music market, monetizing our catalogs is
becoming even more important.

Auddly (www.auddly.com)
Auddly is the world’s first independent song data hub, created to fill the critical
gap in the music industry’s data flow and enable music creators to take control of
their rights. Founded in 2014 by Swedish songwriter Niclas Molinder, and backed
by Max Martin and Björn Ulvaeus, Auddly’s vision is to create a transparent music
industry where all creators get fair compensation and recognition for the music Elfman Receives
they share with the world.
Max Steiner Award

F
Via an iOS app and web platform, Auddly lets creators collect their song data
and make it accessible to the business side, in order to secure correct credits and our-time Oscar nominee Danny
payments for everyone. The system is built on virtual song rooms where music Elfman (The Nightmare Before
creators can organize files and information, collaborate and clarify splits. In each Christmas, Edward Scissorhands,
song room, Auddly collects and stores all information connected to the song Good Will Hunting, Milk) received the
– who wrote it, splits, official title, audio files, lyrics, label copy, contact details prestigous Max Steiner Award in the
etc. The data can then be easily shared with publishers and managers, ensuring City of Music, Vienna, during the 10th
transparency and accuracy throughout the process. annual Hollywood in Vienna gala on
Auddly is free of charge for creators, and costs $85/month for publishers and March 9th, 2017.
managers. Elfman joins an illustrious group
of prior award recipients, such as
Haawk (www.HAAWK.com) Alexandre Desplat (2016), James New-
ton Howard (2015), Randy Newman
HAAWK fingerprints your music, finds every YouTube video containing your (2014), and the late James Horner
music, and then runs Google Adsense ads over the videos. We collect the ad revenue (2013).
earned on these videos directly from Google, and remit quarterly payments to you.
We also monitor usage of their music on Facebook and Vimeo and distribute music
to music retailers such as Apple Music/iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google C  D   R  E  V  I  E  W
Play, Pandora, and many more.
The HAAWK program is designed to get composers paid for all the YouTube Color Me Home
and user generated Facebook videos containing your music without first obtaining Darlene Koldenhoven
a proper license. If the number of videos (and view count of the videos) containing $9.99 iTunes genre New Age
your music is substantial, then it can add up to a pretty nice amount.
Beautifully produced, lovely ar-
Every major music rights holder is beginning to take advantage of the growing
rangements, vocals spotless and full
YouTube cash flow stream. Some production music libraries alone are grossing as
of depth. The music on this CD is very
much as $500,000 per year from YouTube alone.
relaxing and could be listened to for
Haawk takes a percentage of the revenue they get from the Internet. hours. The theme of this project feels
very natural and bucolic and reminds
qWaqq (www.qWaqq.com) one of being out in a lush forest. g

qWaqq was created by award-winning songwriter, Jud Friedman. It is a music-

streaming app focusing on songwriters that is now available for iPhone and iPad
allowing fans to easily hear more from their favorite hit makers for the first time
ever. Featuring a treasure trove of never-before released songs and demos of classic
hits, qWaqq reveals the untold stories behind some of the world’s most popular
songs and provides access to a wealth of related material provided directly by the
songwriters themselves. qWaqq introduces and empowers those behind the music
with just a few taps of an iPhone screen.
qWaqq’s easy-to-use platform allows songwriters to upload mp3s, written text,
pictures, credits, links and other related information, and to share as little or as
much as they want. Because qWaqq pays a significantly higher royalty rate than
other streaming services and since the content already exists — there is no cost in
content creation — copyright holders now have an innovative method to monetize
untapped music and archives.
This app is advertising driven and is free to songwriters and composers. g

20

February 9 – Opportunities In Production Music For Film and TV
Composers held at the AFI and the panel was a co-production between
the SCL and the PMA (the Production Music Association).
L-R: Yoav Goren, President
of Immediate Music, PMA
Board Member; Benoît Grey,
Composer, Chairman of SCL
Production Music Committee;
Jeff Rona, Composer, Founder
of Liquid Cinema; Edwina
Travis-Chin, Music Director
at APM Music; Derek Jones,
Director of Production &
Creative Services at Megatrax
February 13— Composing Tunes for Children’s Toons, Landmark Regent Theater.
L-R: Moderator Tim Greiving;
Composer Jake Monaco; Dream-
Works Animation Television
Executive of TV Music Alexandra
Nickson; Composers Frederik
Wiedmann and Tim Davies
March 28 — Demystifying
Omnisphere, Westlake Pro.
L-R: SCL Seminar Chair Fletcher
Beasley; Spectrasonics Sound
Designer Jonathan Merrill; Spectra-
sonics Vice President Ignacio
Longo; SCL President Ashley Irwin
Virtual Reality
Continued from Page 9
experience—our outside vision block-
ed by a head-mounted display—music
and sound can help reconnect the
people having the experiences. It can be
that social glue, and serve as a bridge
from the digital to the real world.
And it doesn’t stop there. Often
referred to as the “The Empathy Ma-
chine,” VR’s ability to convincingly
put you in another person’s shoes
makes it a powerful tool to create social
change, such as in the work of Nonny
de la Peña for Planned Parenthood,
and a recent Amazon experience for
SCL Events
April 8 — Sing
Out/Play Out,
Madilyn Clark
Studios.
L-R: Music
Supervisor Cheryl
Foliart, SCL
SongArts Chair
Adryan Russ,
Music Supervisor
Michael Turner
April 20 —
Songwriting for
Video Games &
Where You Fit, AFI.
L-R: Songwriters
Elizabeth Zharoff,
Josh Boardman,
Moderator Kole Hicks,
Songwriters Billy
Martin and Adam
Gubman
April 26 — Beyond The Polka: Writing
for Accordian, The Village.
L-R: SCL Associate Administrator Mark
Smythe, Three-Time World Accordion
Champion Cory Pesaturo, Copyist/
Arranger and Accordionist Liz Finch
Conservation International “Under the
Canopy,” which my team worked on.
to the possibility that VR is helping
re-plasticize and rewire our brains, as
We are seeing a veritable evolution well as changing our sense of self and
in entertainment through VR, in per- the environment around us.
formance and composed music possi-
It is also ushering in a new era and
bilities, in training and education, and toolset of mind-computer interaction.
even in therapeutic healing forms.
The Digital Audio Workstation of the
One of the VR projects we worked on near future may well place you inside
for post-operative patients, currently
your music creation, manipulating
in use in hospitals in Southern Cali- your ideas like a musical-Minority-
fornia, is providing patients with a Report. The possibilities are endless and
measurable 25% reduction in pain. exciting. So go ahead and strap that
Another research project using VR to phone to your face, but don’t forget the
assist paraplegics to control mechanical headphones! g
prosthetics has instead resulted in
them regaining movement in their SCL Board Member Joel Douek is a composer,
own legs, which no other therapy has sound designer and co-founder of Virtual
achieved to this degree. This all points Reality company EccoVR.
21
James DiPasquale
Continued from Page 17
was then, and I’m watching everything
change dramatically. I feel I did as
much as I could to improve our sit-
uation over the years, but I have to
wonder how things would be if we’d
been a union all this time. How much
easier would it be for people starting
out in this business if they had the
protection of a union behind them?
The SCL was originally intended to
have the power, and to offer the pro-
the question of whether the PROs will
continue doing business as they have SCL Premier Partners
been. Somehow, industry and govern-
ment issues are now combining in a SCL members can find out the
way that threatens the whole concept member discount details and how to
of performance royalties. If royalties contact Partners on our website.
disappear, it’ll be a page-one rewrite ALFRED MUSIC
for everybody. Just consider the blow to AUDIO PERCEPTION
your income if you don’t get a royalty BANDZOOGLE
check eight times a year. BIG FISH AUDIO
The internet, of course, is a big fac- BLACK LION AUDIO
tor in all of this. We know what it’s CINEMATIC STRINGS
done to the record business and how CINESAMPLES
it’s created new ways for consumers COMMERCIAL SCORING WORKSHOP

tection of a labor union. That’s also to get their music. That’s now forcing FOCAL PRESS AND ROUTLEDGE MUSIC
the PROs to revise their methods of GUERRILLA FILM SCORING
what David Raksin and Leith Stevens
calculating royalty payments to us. GRAPHICALLY ENHANCED MANUALS
were aiming for when they started the
What form those payment methods JAN-AL-CASES
CLGA in 1955.
LUDWIN MUSIC PUBLICATIONS
When you look at Raksin’s career, will finally take is anyone’s guess right MEGATRAX RECORDING STUDIOS
I think 50 years from now, he’ll be now. MELROSE MAC
considered one of the most important But that’s where the SCL comes in. MUSIC BUSINESS REGISTRY
names in the business. But as important We can monitor all these new challenges MY MUSIC MASTERCLASS
a composer as he was, I was surprised to our business, keep the membership NOTEFLIGHT
to find out that there were big patches informed of them, network with other PAGU BATONS
in his career when he didn’t work. His creative groups to fight the big threats, PC AUDIO LABS
royalties kept him going during those and offer advice to our membership PUREMIX
times and “Laura”, of course, was a on how to deal with it all. At this THE RICHARD BELLIS MASTER SERIES
big part of that income. He also wrote moment in time, the SCL is working SAMPLELOGIC
ballets, a few Broadway shows, and he harder than ever to keep abreast of the SONIC FUEL STUDIOS
orchestrated for Stravinsky a few times potential changes circling overhead. SONOKINETIC
to keep busy. But he told me that his Ashley Irwin has been doing a great SOUNDIRON
performance royalties kept him alive job of staying on top of the issues and SPITFIRE AUDIO
explaining them to all of us. TUNECORE
when jobs were sparse.
UCLA EXTENSION
Most people starting out in this So right now, my advice to every-
business don’t realize how important one, but especially to people just start-
performance royalties are. I certainly ing out, is to pay attention to SCL
didn’t. They’re crucial to a steady life- notices of any new issues, make sure SCL AMBASSADORS
style, especially if you have a family. In you fully understand those issues and
BURT BACHARACH ALAN SILVESTRI
fact, our royalties are the lifeblood of how they’ll affect you, and be prepared ALAN & MARILYN BERGMAN MARK SNOW
our careers. to fight them in any way that’s feasi- CARTER BURWELL MIKE STOLLER
Of all the issues facing us at this ble. Your professional survival could GEORGE S. CLINTON DIANE WARREN
CHARLES FOX PATRICK WILLIAMS
point, the most potentially serious is depend on it. g
ELLIOT GOLDENTHAL PAUL WILLIAMS
DAVE GRUSIN MAURY YESTON
ARTHUR HAMILTON
JAMES NEWTON HOWARD

SESAC At Grammys On The Hill Awards MARK ISHAM

ROBERT LOPEZ &
KRISTEN ANDERSON-LOPEZ
In Memoriam:
VAN ALEXANDER
RAY CHARLES
L-R: SESAC’s Dennis Lord, composer JOHNNY MANDEL HAL DAVID
RANDY NEWMAN RAY EVANS
Jonathan Wolff and SESAC chairman and THOMAS NEWMAN EARLE HAGEN
CEO John Josephson at The Recording MIKE POST JACK HAYES
Academy’s 2017 Grammys on the Hill LALO SCHIFRIN JERRY LIEBER
RICHARD SHERMAN VIC MIZZY
Awards on April 5 to honor four-time DAVID SHIRE ROBERT SHERMAN
Grammy winner Keith Urban with the
Recording Artists’ Coalition Award for LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
his musical achievements and commitment BILL CONTI GINNY MANCINI
to numerous music education programs. QUINCY JONES
The Grammys on the Hill Awards were HONORARY LIFETIME MEMBERS
sponsored by music rights organization
SESAC, and SESAC affiliate Jonathan JAY L. COOPER, ESQ. DENNIS SPIEGEL
JIM DiPASQUALE JOHN WILLIAMS
Wolff performed during the celebration.
CLINT EASTWOOD

22
 M  U  S  I  C  A  L     S  H  A  R  E  S
BY CHARLES BERNSTEIN
Film Music: Surprise Me!
S
urprises come in many packages. Some
are pleasant. Some not. But, life is filled
with the unexpected. And since our
days are filled with surprises, so too are the
arts that reflect our days. This includes music.
Composers deal in surprise. We might
even say that writing music often depends
on the unexpected. An “interesting” song or
piece of music keeps our interest, engages
our curiosity. This involves a sense of unpre-
dictability. If a piece of music entirely lacks
the unexpected, then we might perceive it as
dull, prosaic, even boring. Of, course there are
times when dullness might be just the thing,
and musical surprises would be unwanted
and unwelcome. No one wants to hear a
sudden sforzando in a lullaby, or a random
cymbal crash during a peaceful liturgical
chant. The most effective surprises in music
needn’t be jarring lightning bolts, but rather
the more subtle touches that provide a sense
of wonder to a melody, freshness to a har-
monic progression, or novelty to a texture.
Musical surprises change with the
times and often have a shelf life. Musically
shocking moments that might have raised
eyebrows in one era can seem humdrum
and commonplace in later years. Certainly,
the big accent in Hayden’s famous Surprise
Symphony is anything but surprising in our
current age. Eighteenth century listeners
who were sensitive to novelties from Hayden
and Mozart must have been radically un-
nerved when Beethoven threw them some
unexpected moments, like the appearance
of a trombone or piccolo in the finale of the
5th Symphony or the sudden intrusion of
a 2/4 time signature in a 3/4 movement of
his Eroica Symphony. These “shocks” go by
unnoted today. Have we simply become
inured to musical surprises? Has an aural
numbness set in? Indeed, there seems to be
very little ammunition left in the shock-and-
awe arsenal of present day composers. Back
in 1913, Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring ballet fa-
mously left the Parisian audience stunned
(to say the least). Now it’s considered a com-
fortable concert hall classic. Even in pop
music, it’s hard to imagine that folk legend
Bob Dylan had rattled the musical world in
1965 by “going electric” and abandoning
his signature acoustic sound. Or that jazz
icon Miles Davis had similarly alarmed
his listeners back in 1970 by embracing a
revolutionary “pop-fusion” sound with
Bitches Brew. Novelty can wear off with time
and neither of these musical scandals is even
noticeable today. As Cole Porter foresaw,
“…now heaven knows, anything goes.” But,
as musical surprises have become more dif-
ficult to achieve, the need for novelty and
aesthetic astonishment has not left us.
How do composers in the 21st century
confront the dilemma of creating surprise
in this jaded musical environment? To begin
with, let’s take a closer look at what consti-
tutes a surprising moment musically. We
have noted that expectation plays a major
role here. The act of listening to music is a
complex thing, but we do know that it can
involve “anticipation.” A listener can be
drawn to anticipate where the music is going,
what note will come next, what turn of mood
or direction will take place. Surprise has to
do with how the composer “satisfies” this
Many times the cause
anticipation. To a certain extent, anticipation of amazement is
is already a natural part of life… we are
programed to look ahead, for curiosity if not completely mysterious,
for survival; we imagine what lies in wait,
envisioning where we are likely to end up. and can neither be
Given our natural inclination to wonder
what’s “around the corner,” composers need fabricated nor ­accounted
only to learn how to engage and exploit the
power of this human tendency. for.
In film music, surprise can play a role on
many levels, and not just the shocking stingers
that zap us in horror films. Let’s consider a
couple of interesting manifestations of sur-
prise in film scoring from this past year. Both
of these scores were Oscar nominees for Best
Original Score in 2017, and each exemplifies
a different sort of surprise in film music. The
first film, Jackie (2016), explores the difficult
pivotal moment in Jackie Kennedy’s life
following the assassination of her husband,
President John F. Kennedy, in 1963. We could
say that the entire score itself was surprising.
The music was daring and controversial, not
at all what audiences of Hollywood films
are accustomed to. The imaginative Chilean
director, Pablo Larraín, brought in a young,
avant-garde British performer/composer,
Mica Levi, to provide a highly unconven-
tional, contemporary chamber score that
concentrated on the deeper psychological
states of the main character rather than on
more external elements, (such as the political
drama or perhaps the pop music of the 60s).
The effect was a highly unusual, introspective
musical landscape that caught many viewers
Continued on Next Page
23
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Musical Shares that might suggest the musical lan-

Continued from Previous Page
by surprise simply by the way it
sounded and how boldly the director
utilized it.
Another current score demonstrates
a different facet of surprise in film
scoring. Unlike Jackie, the overall
style of the score for Moonlight is in
no way radical or shocking. In fact,
the musical vocabulary of this score
is traditional, minimal and sensitively
guage of the blues, or of the major IV–I
plagal cadence in gospel music. The
unexpected minor IV chord is both
sad and somehow errant, maybe a bit
like the main character himself, who
is marginalized by the larger society.
Significantly, it is the lowered-sixth
degree of the scale that provides the
subdominant chord with its essential
minor note—a note (like the character)
that doesn’t quite “belong” where
it is in the major diatonic scheme of
counted for. Sometimes, such moments
are just magical and unexplainable.
The Canadian author, Margaret At-
wood, captured this truth beautifully
in her novel, MaddAddam. “Why is it
always such a surprise? thinks Toby.
The moon. Even though we know it’s
coming. Every time we see it, it makes
us pause, and hush.” Miraculously, an
object as familiar as the moon can still
take us by surprise and fill us with awe.
Fortunately, some things are just plain
astonishing. Period. g

understated. The composer, Nicholas
Britell, presents us with a subtle sort
of surprise that occurs quietly within
the score. The main character’s theme
begins with a tonic major chord that
eventually moves to a subdominant
chord. This is “expected” and hardly
surprising at all. In fact, the I–IV
chord change may be one of the most
common, “anticipated” chord moves
in our musical language, the blues
is founded on this progression. In
Moonlight, however, the subdominant
chord turns out to be a minor chord.
We would normally expect a major
chord here because we start in the
major mode. We might also expect this
because the movie is about a black man
in an urban setting, an environment
things. So, these sorts of musical mini- © Charles Bernstein 2017
surprises in film scoring can go a long www.charlesbernstein.com
way toward defining the dramatic tone
of an entire story.
Publicity by
As we see, surprise plays with our
COSTA COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
expectations and can either encompass
a whole score (as with Jackie), or be
generated by a single note (as with
Moonlight), but creative use of the un-
expected remains an enduring factor in The SCL gratefully
making film music feel fresh, relevant
and engaging. acknowledges the
It turns out that surprise as a crea- continuing support
tive tool can often arrive unbidden
and unplanned, perhaps even surprising of our MEMBERS and
the composer. Many times the cause of
amazement is completely ­mysterious, ASCAP, BMI and SESAC
and can neither be fabricated nor ac-

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