Post Magazine

March 2012

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Sound Libraries as they go. Many of Omnimusic's clients take advantage of an unlimited use blanket policy, giving them unlimited access to the compa- ny's library for a specified amount of time. "It's a flat fee, and they can put it in their budget," says Wood, noting that it's not a buyout arrangement. "It really gives them tremendous flexibility because they don't have to worry about paying for every piece. They have unlimited downloads and usage." MusicBox represents 26 different catalogs. search by keywords, style, mood, application, instrumentation and even "sound alike." Tracks can be previewed in their entirety, without any sort of registration process, and can later be downloaded as WAV or MP3 files. "The Web has become such an impor- tant tool for libraries and producers, and if you don't have a Website where people can find music quickly, you're sunk!" says Wood. "Producers don't have a lot of time. Every- body is under a deadline and everybody needs it right away. Getting to the right piece of music quickly is key. That's been a real challenge for the libraries, and the successful ones have found a way to make their Web- sites friendly and accessible." Wood says Omnimusic has always approached its library from a client perspec- tive. This includes creating titles and descrip- tions that are helpful when doing searches. "[We don't] just title everything with such a wide array that it shows up first in the search results. It's not just using music terms. It's using keywords that are more descriptive of a scene and tie tracks to that." Also simplifying the potential client expe- rience is the ability to search for music with- out having to register first. "It's all about giving the customer what they want," says Wood. "The library business is very competitive and we don't want to put any obstacles in the way. I hear from clients who say they found the perfect piece [of music], and I always wonder: if I put up a registration page, would that have discouraged them? The sales and marketing people always give me a hard time, but that's the trade off." Those seeking music can preview a track in its entirety, which serves a number of pur- poses, Wood explains. "Some are just looking for an introduction — that first :10 to :12 that sets the tone. Others are looking for that big finish. You can drag the scroll bar down to the end and listen to the whole thing." With 2012 marking an election year, Wood says political themes are definitely on Omnimusic's radar. "Candidates want to drape themselves in the flag. There is a lot of call for stirring, orchestral, Americana, sweep- ing track," he notes. "Then, of course, there are the negative ads: ominous, foreboding, danger. Both of those, I'm afraid, are going to be used heavily for this election." Omnimusic also has plans to release a new library in April titled LA Edition. "It's music written by Hollywood composers," explains Wood. "Some of it has been used in films, oth- ers are tracks that have never been used, but they all have that cinematic quality to it. Film music, by its nature, is a little different than tradition production music. Production music creates and sets a mood, and has a clear beginning, middle and end. It doesn't take too many left turns. Cinematic music is different because it's written to picture, so in the mid- dle of the tension, something dramatic hap- pens. It's fun, it's interesting and has a lot of drama. We're really excited about this library. For editors working on reality programming, it's going to be really great for them." The company offers different pricing poli- cies. An a la carte plan allows clients to pay MUSICBOX MusicBox (www.olemusicbox.com) has been around since 2002, and in October of 2011, was acquired by Ole, making it a divi- sion of the production music provider. The company has offices in Hollywood and Toronto, and represents 26 different catalogs. The production music provider can also offer personalized services, including music super- vision and custom composition for clients with special demands. The deal with Ole gives MusicBox a strong infrastructure, music supervisory guidance and access to Ole's pop catalog of 45,000 songs. Jonathan Firstenberg is senior VP at MusicBox, and says one of the company's strengths is its offering of 100 percent pre- cleared music. MusicBox got its start com- posing music for documentaries and com- mercials. Over the years, it has grown through strategic partnerships with outside libraries. "We hear music that we know we've had requests for, then we bring that catalog on and go into partnership with them," explains Firstenberg. "It's a 50/50 agreement. We rep- resent that catalog and the catalog receives 50 percent of the sync fees and royalties. You have to know what your clients need. You want to cover the whole spectrum of music. That's the reason behind music libraries — you always want to say, 'Yes.'" A trip to the MusicBox Website showed a simple-to-use browser that allowed visitors to quickly search for music cues based on a number of parameters, including instrument, catalog, mood, tempo and keyword. "MusicBox Live is public — anyone can go to that site and search by keyword, library, Popvirus enters deal with Pacifica Music LOS ANGELES — Pacifica Music (www.pacificamusic.com), a joint venture between Hollywood's RipTide Music and PigFactory, has added Munich, Germany's Popvirus Library (www.popvirus.de) to its catalog and will represent the library throughout the United States and Canada. The Popvirus Library is continually growing and currently boasts more than 200 albums spanning numerous and varied genres. The library is divided into four label platforms: Music, Soundtrack, International and Planet. Pacifica Music is home to over 8,000 tracks in a multitude of contemporary genres, including pop, rock, electronica, hip- hop and orchestral. The company delivers tracks through an easy-to-search Website (powered by Soundminer), as well as via hard drives and a variety of digital asset management systems. The Pacifica collection is comprised of works from a global network of composers, artists, musicians and producers. Popvirus managing director A.B. Sporer is pictured. 28 Post • March 2012 www.postmagazine.com

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