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An orchestral song can conjure any emotion from irresistible romance to high tension. But when you’re composing, what makes for a stand-out? We’ll take you through the basics of how to write orchestral music, the parts of an orchestral song, and also give examples of great orchestral songs from our composers, and from the movies, to inspire you.
The History of Orchestral Songs
Orchestral songs such as cantatas and arias have been part of music since the early baroque era. However, full orchestration, enabling a song to really hold its own in a concert environment, developed from the 1840s onwards, with Liszt experimenting with orchestration, but not publishing or performing his compositions.
He finally published his own orchestration of ‘Jeanne d’Arc au bucher’ in 1874, and the form was popularised by Mahler.
The original orchestral songs were most commonly song cycles, such as Berlioz’s ‘Les nuits d’été’ (1856) and Ravel’s ‘Sheherazade’.
Writing Orchestral Music
‘Orchestration’ can have many meanings, but in its simplest terms, it means ‘writing music for an orchestra’ and assigning the instruments to the various parts in a musical piece.
If you want to write music for film, TV or games, or for concerts and the stage, orchestration is a vital aspect of the job.
A good start is to have experience of performing in an orchestra, together with proficiency in music theory, harmony and ear training.
When it comes to understanding how music creates its emotional effects, these are the critical elements to study:
Melody– the effect of the single line and how composers approach writing melodies
Harmony– how notes and lines sound together at the same time
Form– how any section of your piece can sound like a beginning, middle, or end, and therefore how you can organise it in ways to tell your unique musical story
And as part of this understanding, as the artofcomposing.com site says, you need to understand ‘the grammar of music’:
‘You need to be able to read music notation. There are many resources for learning to read music out there, and you’ll quickly find there isn’t all that much to reading music. The challenge lies more in becoming fluent, than becoming familiar.
‘But also part of the fundamentals are the basics of music theory. Things such as scales, triads, and seventh chords. These are your building blocks. If music notation is the alphabet, these are your words. And much like a child, you probably already have an aural knowledge of these “words”. You know what a major chord sounds like, or what a minor chord sounds like. But as a composer, your knowledge needs to go beyond the aural and superficial level. You need to understand exactly what they are.’
What Are the 5 Elements of Orchestra?
The symphony orchestra can be divided into five instrument families. These are:
Percussion
Woodwinds
Strings
Brass
Keyboard
Percussion means hitting one body against another; all the instruments in this family are played by being struck, shaken or scraped and are used to provide a variety of rhythms, textures and tone colours. ‘Pitched’ percussion instruments can play specific notes (and, thus, melodies and harmonies). These include instruments such as xylophones, chimes and glockenspiels.
‘Non-pitched percussion’ instruments, such as sticks, drums and tambourines, can play different timbres, but not specific notes.
Strings have gut, wire or nylon chords stretched over, or attached to a hollow sound box (the exception being the harp). Striking, bowing, plucking or strumming the strings produce musical sounds. The violin family is the largest section in the orchestra – comprising violin, viola, cello and bass. Harp and guitar are also grouped with the string family.
Woodwinds are instruments which use vibration when air is blown across the top of them to create their sound. The flute and recorder use air alone to create the vibration, whereas clarinet, oboe, saxophone and bassoon need reeds to create the vibration.
Brass instruments also need buzzing lips, but have a mouthpiece, a long brass tube and valves – or a slide for the trombone – to change the notes.
Keyboards are not always seen in an orchestra, but many orchestral pieces use the piano, harpsichord or organ.
Want to see a maestro in motion, bringing together the orchestral families, together with melody, harmony and form, whilst having a lot of fun? Watch Ben Folds composing a song live for an orchestra, in just 10 minutes:
What Are the Parts of an Orchestral Song?
The parts of an orchestral song can be broken down into:
Rhythm – the pattern of movement in time
Beat – the pulse of the music and how quickly or slowly it’s going (measured in beats per minute, or BPM)
Tempo – the speed of the beat, from slow to fast. The easiest way to measure tempo is with a metronome that clocks the number of bpm by clicking or tapping at the same speed as the music
Metre – regularly recurring patterns and accents, such as bars and beats
Melody – this is defined as ‘a coherent succession of pitches’ – when you hum, sing or play a melody, you’re performing a series of pitches/notes/tones in succession. A scale is a pattern of notes used to create a melody, most of which are either major (which sound happy or uplifting) or minor, which sound melancholy, angry or frightening
Harmony is the relationship of pitches as they sound simultaneously – i.e. there needs to be more than one note sounding at once. An interval is two notes sounding simultaneously and the distance between them, whilst a chord is three or more notes sounded at once. The interactions of the intervals within a chord is what creates its musical mood. Harmony can sound consonant (the pitches sound pleasant together) or dissonant (the pitches sound unpleasant together)
Jacob Collier explains harmony in five levels, according to how familiar you are with harmonic theory:
Timbre – if two or more voices or instruments are performing exactly the same melody, how do you tell them apart? The answer is their timbre, or tone. The instrument’s material (wood, metal, vocal cords) and how hollow or solid it is, together with its size, all play a part in whether a sound is booming or breathy, strident or subdued, warm or cool
Dynamics are the degrees of loudness, from pianissimo (very soft) to fortissimo (very loud)
Texture is dependent on whether the music is solo or being performed in unison, or homophony – with two or more voices, where one voice is the melody, and the other voice(s) serve in support roles. This is the texture of most western classical and pop music
Form – the overall structure of a piece of music – phrases which combine to create sections which have a similar feel. Music is composed of contrasting sections, each of which are given a letter.
What Makes an Orchestra Sound Good?
If you want that big, Hollywood sound, (think the The Lorne Balfe Collection), then put in plenty of brass and double bass, to create depth.
And if you want an explainer on orchestral composition using samples, watch Christian Henson’s useful tutorial:
How to Write an Orchestral Song
Once you’ve mastered the basics above, it’s time to break down how to write an orchestral song into a few step-by-step elements.
Create a Piano Reduction
Put together your musical idea on a piano or keyboard to block out the main parts of your piece.
This will be composed of the melody or musical motif (the main idea) and the bass line.
Strings
Use your strings wisely – in an orchestral piece, the strings are often the most iconic part, but they can be the most challenging element to compose for. Study a range of other composers’ works for inspiration – Beethoven’s string quartets are great examples of how to use strings.
Less is more – a useful tip is not to write more than four parts at any given time. Work with melody, bass, a rhythmic element and some moving harmony if you need it. Add more, and you risk confusing the listener.
Using Libraries
Another tip is to write and sketch your music with libraries that inspire you. Grab a sound that you want to work with and carry on with your piece – it can be an experiment to learn from.
And above all, listen to a lot of orchestral and film music! The more you listen to, and think about, music, the more expertise and ideas you’ll have.
Learn From the Experts
When it comes to how to write orchestral music, we’ve got a host of expert composers on tap to give their advice. We asked Debbie Wiseman to share her views on what makes a good orchestral song.
Debbie Wiseman OBE’s music has been used everywhere from films to the Coronation of King Charles III. The Grammy and Ivor Novello-nominated composer studied at Trinity College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Debbie has credits on more than 200 film and TV productions and her orchestral music vividly brings the human experience to life. Listen to ‘Chaos’, from the suite of music she wrote to accompany Stephen Fry’s bestseller, Mythos, for a taste of Debbie’s skill in bringing and building drama in an orchestral piece.
Debbie, What Do You Think Makes a Good Orchestral Piece?
"It's important that the piece connects with the listener, with the structure and orchestration in perfect symmetry. There's beauty in simplicity and getting the message across in the most effective way, creating unity within the orchestral forces so that the different instruments of the orchestra complement each other.
The layering of the sections of the orchestra should feel balanced and in perfect harmony, with everyone having space to play their part while still integrating with the orchestral sound as a whole."
Some of the most iconic movie moments are synonymous with the orchestral music that accompany them. Here are our top three picks:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s ‘Sull’aria’ from The Marriage of Figaro - The Shawshank Redemption
The turning point in The Shawshank Redemption comes when Andy Dufresne locks himself in the warden’s office and blasts this stunning duet through the speakers to the whole prison, transfixing the inmates. Fellow prisoner Red’s monologue tells us just how transporting opera can be:
‘To this day, I have no idea what those two Italian ladies were singing about… I tell you those voices soared higher and farther than anybody in a grey place dares to dream. It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made these walls dissolve away. For the briefest moment every last man in Shawshank felt free.’
As an assassination scene unfolds in the opera house in the fifth Mission: Impossible film, the dark spaces, lofty walkways and hidden viewpoints backstage create the perfect set-up; wild-card Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) is one of three assassins toting a lethal weapon – we particularly liked the repurposing of an alto flute.
Ilsa brings a score with her to choreograph her killer shot to the crescendo molto at the end of ‘Nessun Dorma’ – all the fight sequences are expertly timed with the music’s tension and dramatic high points. It’s a brilliant use of music to create action and tension, and vice versa.
‘No Time to Die’ – Billie Eilish
Singer Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell might have recorded the title track for the most recent Bond film in their bedroom studio, but Classic FM pointed out that there are several nods to classic Bond motifs and themes, together with ‘harmonic ambiguity and Eilish’s trademark subtle layering’, which adds a touch of modern grit and strangeness.
The orchestration begins with a haunting piano motif and then the brass brings in that classic Bond ‘sound world’, followed by the full orchestra, recorded at London’s prestigious AIR Studios. Tension builds with ostinato strings and the track uses the classic ‘Spy Chord’ – E minor Major 9 – to finish.
There might have been numerous nods to previous theme songs, but Eilish’s trademark whispery vocals tipped fans off that this – Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007 – wasn’t going to be just any Bond film.
The Best in Modern Orchestral
A key element of a successful orchestral song is its quality. The orchestral tracks in our catalogue are created by the best composers, arrangers and musicians, and recorded in the best studios around the world.
Our high-end orchestral music is perfect for film, TV and advertising – check out the latest in our Epic Orchestral collection, which is ideal if you’re on the hunt for a grand, sweeping or emotive track. Plus, we have new releases every fortnight.
At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!
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What are the best new horror movies 2023? Well, M3GAN kicked off the year by slaying it at the box office, making well over $165 million worldwide – not bad for a film with a reported $12 million budget. M3GAN is a fantastic satirical horror with echoes of Child’s Play and The Omen, which follows in the ‘deadly doll’ footsteps of Chucky and Annabelle.
The M3GAN movie trailers use some killer tracks – the first deploys Taylor Swift’s ‘It’s Nice to Have a Friend’:
Whilst the second features the very on point ‘Dolls’ by Bella Poarch:
‘A Prototype Cyborg Doll With a Taste for Casual Slaughter’
What is M3GAN? As the Guardian says, it’s, ‘the ultimate prestige toy: a precision-engineered prototype cyborg doll with limpid blue eyes and the capacity to learn from and empathise with her “primary user”. She comes with a price tag that would buy you a midsized family car, a full gamut of judgmental tweenager eye rolls and a taste for casual slaughter. And right now, she’s a lifeline for her creator, robotics engineer Gemma (Get Out’s Allison Williams).’
Written by horror movie specialist Akela Cooper (Malignant, The Nun 2), and directed by Gerard Johnstone (Housebound), M3GAN follows an eight-year-old girl, Cady (Violet McGraw), whose parents are killed in a terrible tragedy. Her aunt, Gemma, designs a robot doll powered by artificial intelligence, the Model 3 Generative Android, to help care for her, and to help Cady with her feelings of loneliness.
Producers James Wan (Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring) and Jason Blum (from Blumhouse, the production company behind Get Out, and franchise hits The Purge and Paranormal Activity) pitch M3GAN as ‘Annabelle meets The Terminator.’ To properly develop, the doll needs to ‘pair’ and sync up with a human, learning their speech patterns, behavioural traits and emotional needs in order to get close to them. Which is where Cady comes in.
But of course, as with other robot-centred stories such as I, Robot and Ex Machina, there’s a turning point where M3GAN decides that she doesn’t want to obey orders anymore. Increasingly protective of Cady, everything from a neighbour’s dog to a bully becomes a target for whatever M3GAN deems to be a threat to her.
The character of M3GAN is voiced by Jenna Davis, and physically acted by dancer and gymnast Amie Donald, who did her own stunts and helped to choreograph that dance. Their performances were blended with two animatronic puppets, used for dialogue and close-ups.
Go behind the scenes to find out more about the film, and how the character of M3GAN was created, with self-taught puppeteer Paul Lewis:
The M3GAN Soundtrack
The original score for M3GAN was created by LA-based, English composer Anthony Willis, previously best known for scoring the Oscar-winning film Promising Young Woman.
The score has to tread a fine line between action, horror and humour; Willis combines lush orchestration with electronic sound design that’s intended to convey the story’s superior tech element. For this, he used a vibraphone that’s manipulated to blur the lines between synthetic and organic sounds, describing the results as ‘hypnotic tech-wonder’ blended with ‘industrial tech-horror’.
Willis told Syfy.com that, ‘Right from the get-go, (director) Gerard Johnstone wanted to stay in the organic place as much as possible. The idea being that M3GAN, for much of the movie, is inhabiting the innocence of the child and the warmth of a guardian. And she’s so unbelievably vivid and real-looking, that it did make sense that she would be primarily organic [from a musical standpoint].’
Soloist Holly Sedillos adds ‘creepy, ethereal vocals’ to represent M3GAN discovering her world, and processing her environment. Jenna Davis as M3GAN also performs two songs on screen – ‘Tell Me Your Dreams’ which is a Disney-esque lullaby and ‘Titanium’, a cover of David Guetta and SIA’s hit.
There are plenty of anxious piano lines, combined with often dissonant strings to create suspense, together with a three-note theme foe M3GAN herself. And to reflect her epiphany of self-awareness, Willis needed to find just the right ‘cocktail of classic anvils, percussion, and brass’ that could seamlessly blend with ‘some featured moments for very aggressive synths.’
However, Willis also needed to establish a ‘sincere’ and ‘emotional’ foundation for Gemma and her niece Cady from the start. As he points out, ‘By the end of the movie, you’re either rooting for M3GAN — which is a little masochistic, but understandable, because she’s so cool — or you’re rooting for a resolution in Gemma and Cady’s relationship. So it was really important in that first act to establish some sincerity, sweetness, and sadness. The music in that first act also then becomes the thing that M3GAN herself picks up on and then ultimately embodies and develops.’
Here’s the full M3GAN soundtrack tracklist:
Funki Headquarters
A Message from Oregon
Those Aren’t Toys
Reluctant Guardian/Meeting Bruce
Prototype
The Perfect Algorithm
On the Subject of Death
A Hole in the Fence
Calibrated Response
Corporate Misdeeds
Tell Me Your Dreams (written by Anthony Willis and Gerard Johnstone, performed by Jenna Davis)
Attachment Theory
Bully in the Forest
Bad Boys Equal Bad Men
Angel of Death
Titanium (Sia Furler, David Guetta, Giorgio Tuinfort, and Nick Van de Wall, performed by Jenna Davis)
Approximately 5 Feet Deep
Detectives & Missing Data Reports
True Guardian
She’s Still Plugged In
Departing Funki
Megan’s Fantasy
Workshop Duel
Two Titans
Model 3 Generative AN-droid
A Message From Elsie
Funki Redux
Life & Death (Suite from M3GAN)
Bruce’s Dream (Bonus Track)
Additional tracks which are featured:
Purrpetual Pets (theme) – Madison Davey, Vaarin
Furzeez (theme) - Madison Davey, Vaarin
Not Your Hero – Emanuel Vo Williams, Cut One
Deadly Valentine – Charlotte Gainsbourg
Le Point Zero – Freedom Fry
Burn the Breeze – Jaz Baz, Captain Black, Jacob Mullins
Candy Man – Raphael Lake
Let it Whip – Dazz Band
It’s Trial by Fire – Raphael Lake, Eric Brooks, Camden Rose
Walk the Night – Skatt Bros
Red Candy Hearts – Alfred Jack
Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive – M3GAN cast
Silicon Chip – Basil Kirchin – this is the track that plays out over the end credits
New Doll, New Sound
Talking to Filmspeak.net, Willis revealed that he and director Gerard Johnstone didn’t want to emulate films like Annabelle and Child’s Play, but instead tried to do something original with the music:
‘Because it’s a new doll, how can we score it differently? Gerard was always drawn to very organic colours and slightly more sophisticated things than just going for the tech aspect, but more towards the psychology. I always gravitated towards vibraphone for the tech because it hangs out. It has an ambiguous territory between slightly synthetic sounding, a little sci-fi, and slightly industrial. There is quite a lot of vibraphone. It’s oscillating, almost like a synth-pop in the score, especially for M3GAN to process her environment.
‘It’s teetering on that line between being organic and artificial. When she goes down the rabbit hole into believing that she’s this real personality, the music pushes into a noir vibe, a sort of femme fatale vibe. That was the starting point, and it was a lot of fun.’
What Song Does M3gan Dance to in the Movie?
M3GAN’s moves have gone head-to-head with Wednesday’s in terms of TikTok memes. This clip is set to ‘Dolls’, which was used on one of the trailers, but in the movie, our creepy companion dances to an old disco track, ‘Walk the Night’ by The Skatt Bros.
Can’t get enough of M3GAN? You’ll be pleased to hear that there’s a sequel in the pipeline, currently titled, of course M3GAN 2.0.
At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!
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Disney scored another global hit in 2021 with its 60th animated feature film, Encanto – a fact perhaps best proved by the fact that the soundtrack album was released in 44 languages in addition to English and Spanish! It’s one of only six soundtracks from animated films to hit No. 1 in the US since Billboard started publishing their top 200 weekly in 1956. So, how many songs are in Encanto, and what’s the story behind them?
What Are All the Songs in Encanto?
The Encanto songs in order are:
The Family Madrigal – Stephanie Beatriz, Olga Merediz, Encanto cast
Waiting on a Miracle – Stephanie Beatriz
Surface Pressure – Jessica Darrow
We Don’t Talk About Bruno – Carolina Gaitan – La Gaita, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz
What Else Can I Do? – Dianne Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz
Dos Oruguitas – Sebastian Yatra
All of You – Stephanie Beatriz, Olga Merediz, John Leguizamo, Adassa, Maluma, Encanto cast
Hola Casita – Germaine Franco
Colombia, Mi Encanto – Carlos Vives
Two Oruguitas – Sebastian Yatra
The 27 score tracks composed by Germaine Franco are:
Abre Los Ojos
Meet La Familia
I Need You
Antonio’s Voice
El Baile Madrigal
The Cracks Emerge
Tenacious Mirabel
Breakfast Questions
Bruno’s Tower
Mirabel’s Discovery
The Dysfunctional Tango
Chasing the Past
Family Allies
The Ultimate Vision
Isabela La Perfecta
Las Hermanas Pelean
The House Knows
La Candela
El Rio
It was Me
El Camino De Mirabel
Mirabel’s Cumbia
The Rat’s Lair
Tio Bruno
Impresiones Del Encanto
La Cubia de Mirabel
The Family Madrigal (instrumental)
Waiting on a Miracle (instrumental)
Surface Pressure (instrumental)
We Don’t Talk About Bruno (instrumental)
What Else Can I Do? (instrumental)
Dos Oruguitas (instrumental)
All of You (instrumental)
Colombia, Mi Encanto (instrumental)
Encanto – The Story
The Madrigals are an extraordinary family, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia at the turn of the 20th century, in an enchanted place called Encanto (Spanish for ‘charm’). The house where they live, Casita, has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift. Every child, however, except 15-year-old Mirabel (voiced by Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Stephanie Beatriz.) But when the family look to be in danger of losing their magic, it’s up to Mirabel to save the day. It’s a story of love, family and miracles, that also takes in feelings of belonging and self-esteem, expectations and even intergenerational trauma.
The trailer uses instrumental music from the film, automatically transporting you into the Madrigals’ magical world in Colombia:
A New Disney Hit-Maker
As to what’s the most listened to song in Encanto, do we even need to spell it out? ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ was such a smash that it reached No. 1 in the UK chart, the first original Disney song to do so. The song tells the story of the Madrigals’ long-lost uncle, Bruno, the outcast of the family who prophesied that they would all lose their magical powers.
At the time of writing, it’s been viewed over 516 million times on YouTube, and it hit over 100 million streams on Spotify within three months of the film’s release. If you’ve somehow avoided having it as a days-long earworm since its release, then either you don’t have children who had the movie on heavy repeat on Disney+, or you’re entirely immune to the work of one Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Most famous for composing the records-busting theatrical hit Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda previously worked on Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Moana. He was brought on board by Disney to compose eight original songs for the Encanto soundtrack. The Grammy, Emmy, Tony and Pulitzer winner told Variety how ‘We Don’t Talk about Bruno’ came together.
‘The challenge of the piece was always – and remains – that there are so many characters. How do we give them all complexity and real estate? So, I pitched a gossip number as, “We can learn a little bit about everyone by what they choose to whisper about”, you know? So, the gossip number was the pitch, and then the other idea became that they’ll all tell a kind of ghost story about him – but when you actually meet Bruno, you’ll realise there’s actually nothing scary about him.’
Miranda explained that the song is ‘a great chance to check in with the cast members who don’t get their own song: Dolores, Camilo, Pepa and Felix, and just a chance to get to know them.’ He also revealed that he wrote the song early in the film-making process, and screenwriters Jared Bush and Charise Castro Smith then incorporated his ideas into the story and characters.
Lin-Manuel Miranda originally suggested an animated musical set in Latin America, after Moana’s release. Directors Byron Howard and Jared Bush then decided on Colombia, as it’s the home of magical realism, and an area with a huge array of diversity in nature, all of which would enhance the backdrop to the movie’s story.
Here, Lin-Manuel Miranda reveals his inspiration behind some of the key songs he composed for the characters, the Colombian music traditions that underpin the tracks, and the guest artists:
Family Ties
The other major hit to emerge from the soundtrack was ‘Surface Pressure’, sung by super-strong sister Luisa. Miranda was ‘thinking about my older sister when I wrote it’ and he confessed to Variety that, ‘I didn’t account for how many older siblings would feel seen by the song!’ Both songs were written during lockdown in the pandemic, so the underlying feeling the composer had, was ‘How am I going to keep my family safe, and who am I if I can’t keep my family safe? Who am I if I cannot be this role that everyone sees me as?’
Opening Songs
Lin Manuel Miranda gave an insight into his writing process for the opening song, ‘The Family Madrigal’ to The Wrap:
‘I think the songs are more integrated into the storytelling than any other animated project I’ve ever worked on. And they’re integrated in surprising ways. That’s the really fun part… We set ourselves this incredible challenge of, I think it’s three generations whose story we’re telling. And that means 12 major characters.
‘The opening number is like a musical family tree because I raised my hand and said, “If we don’t understand how everyone’s related, we’re so lost.” Even before we knew who had which power, I said, “Let me figure out how this sings, because if we can make it sing, then you can’t say it’s too complicated.”
The song is an expert intro not only to all the family members and their powers, but the fact that the house is magical too. Plus, it introduces the idea that the Madrigals have a responsibility to ‘help those around us’ and ‘earn the miracle that somehow found us.’
As for the final song in Encanto, Casita, the family’s house, has been dramatically destroyed. Mirabel brings the family together – including Bruno, yay! – to start to rebuild it, and they’re joined by the townsfolk, who want to help them.
‘All of You’ celebrates the fact that the family are all more than their ‘gifts’ (‘the miracle is you’); they, in turn, all appreciate Mirabel’s bravery. They give her a doorknob to add to the new front door, in which is reflected, ‘me. All of me.’
As she places it in the door, Casita’s magic is restored, as are the family’s gifts, and they have a celebratory family photo.
Bringing Colombian Music to Life
The team immersed themselves into Colombian culture, and the music takes in musical genres from vallenato to cumbia, bambuco and rock en espanol. There’s also salsa, tango, reggaetón and bachata. Plus, of course Lin-Manuel Miranda incorporates his trademark pop, hip hop and musical theatre elements. The tracks were recorded with Colombian musicians, including percussionists and accordionists.
Who Composed the Encanto Score?
Latina composer Germaine Franco, the first woman to score a Disney animated feature, created the Encanto score. Franco is also the first Latina composer invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ music branch.
Franco said that she wanted to find, ‘the feminine voice of the music of Colombia’, to celebrate the struggle, courage and persistence of Latinx women through the music. Franco had previously co-composed on Coco, and used a wealth of traditional folk instruments, including a harp called the arpa llanera and a Colombian flute called the gaita, which sounds like a bird, to create ‘another dimension of sound’ to capture the magical elements of the story.
Commenting on the score, Franco said, ‘[The team] created new textures and sonorities, using traditional Colombian instruments such as tiples, bandolas, cununos, marimba de chonta, arpa llanera from Latin America, mixed with orchestra.
‘The sound of the score is infused with many Colombian rhythmic styles including bambuco, mapalé, cumbia, and joropo.’
As well as instruments, Franco also involved Colombian musicians: ‘The women of Colombia are also musicians and singers, they’re called cantadoras and they have this tradition, especially in the Afro-Colombian areas, where the women play percussion, chant and sing. I wanted that sound.’ She organised a remote session in Colombia to get these very distinctive voices into the Encanto soundtrack.
Overall, Franco hopes that her score’s musical imagery, ‘evokes the resonant landscape of Colombia, the tenacity of our lead character, Mirabel, the strength of family, and our shared humanity.’
An Award-Winning Soundtrack
Although most people would think of ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ as the Encanto theme song, it was the quieter ballad ‘Dos Orugitas’ which was put forward as the nomination for the Best Original Song at the Oscars.
The film’s music was nominated for Best Original Score – making Franco the first Latina to be nominated – and won the 2022 Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Music in a Feature Production. Franco was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Score and a Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media.
The Music That Makes the Movies
Encanto won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the 94th Academy Awards and it’s fair to say that its soundtrack is a huge part of its international success – videos tagged with ‘#encanto’ have amassed more than 11.5 billion views on TikTok.
At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!
High-resolution audio (or hi res audio/HD audio for short) has hit the mainstream, mainly because of a combination of streaming services and products from smartphones to digital hi-fi components. But does hi-res music sound better, and what do the different file formats mean? We’re here to guide you through the questions and give you advice on all things hi-res.
What Is High-Resolution Audio?
Hi-res audio is an audio format that allows you as a listener to pick up all the subtle details and nuances that you’d hear in a high-quality recording studio.
As Audio Network’s Mastering and Live Sound Engineer Sam Keyes explains, ‘High resolution audio is crucial to complete any media experience. Thanks to modern streaming buffering, most people have come to recognise the difference between high and low-quality audio.
Imagine a moving trailer or ad campaign missing energy in the low end, or atmosphere in the high end right at the climax, that same way you would a HD movie dropping pixels due to poor connection; it’s OK for a moment, but a jarring experience for the consumer. Having this throughout a piece of media because it was never there at the source would be a real downside to any finished content.’
However, unlike high-definition video, there’s no single universal standard for hi-res audio, but Apple Music, for example, offers its hi-res audio catalogue in 24-bit, with sample rates ranging from 48kHz to 192Khz.
How Is Hi-Res Different From CD or MP3?
From a technical viewpoint, unlike CDs and MP3 formats, hi-res audio contains a higher sampling frequency – i.e., the number of audio data points recorded per second during the analogue-to-digital conversion process – and bitrate (the depth of that information). For a CD, that’s specified at 16-bit/44.1kHz. The combination of these two elements preserves a greater depth within the sound. The tone is also clearer – and hi-res doesn’t distort at higher volumes either.
This is because CD and MP3s are compressed audio formats – compressing audio diminishes the sound data. Which gives you a softer bass and weaker mid and high-pitched sounds. So if you’re wondering, does hi-res music sound better, then the answer’s a resounding: yes.
The advantage of MP3s was that they were smaller file sizes, so that audio players such as the iPod could store more songs. The file size also led to drastically improved download times. However, the advent of streaming services such as Spotify meant that you could listen to music over the internet or Wi-fi: no storage space required, and instant playback to boot.
Which File Types Are Used for Hi-Res Audio?
Research into high resolution audio began in the late 1980s. The first widely available hi-res formats, though, were Super Audio CD (SACD) and DVD Audio, both of which launched in 2000. However, both required expensive players, so never really hit the mainstream.
Why did people start to fall out of love with MP3s? Highly-compressed formats, such as MP3s and AAC, which was used for iTunes downloads and YouTube streaming, are termed ‘lossy’, owing to the amount of information that’s lost through compression.
WAV files are hi-res, and the standard CD format. Yes, there’s great sound quality, but as the file is uncompressed, it means huge file sizes.
FLAC is a lossless compression format, which takes up about half the space of WAV. It’s considered the preferred format for downloading and storing hi-res albums, but it’s not supported by Apple.
Apple’s lossless compression format is ALAC; MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) is another hi-res format that’s used for Tidal Masters hi-res streaming. There’s some controversy amongst audiophiles about MQA, though, as, technically, it’s not a lossless format, and also requires dedicated hardware to be able to hear it at its highest quality.
The ‘Quality Controversy’
The controversy largely concerns MQA, which was publicly launched in 2014. HeadPhonesty.com explains that, ‘MQA is a new approach to high-resolution digital audio encoding and reproduction, focusing on the time domain, rather than the more common strategy of increasing bit depth and sample rate.
MQA involves using a proprietary lossy compression technique to ‘fold’ (their term) an audio file into a lossless (FLAC) container, primarily intended to reduce its size for streaming. MQA-certified hardware or software is required on the end user’s side to ‘unfold’ the file for playback.’
The controversy arises from the use of a ‘lossy’ format to deliver the claim of a hi-res audio experience.
Is hi-res better than lossless? Dive into the ‘lossy’ vs ‘lossless’ audio debate, and why you might not, actually, be able to hear the difference.
Do I Need Special Equipment to Listen to Hi-Res Audio?
In order to fully enjoy hi-res quality, all your equipment should be hi-res-compatible. However, bear in mind that you can’t stream hi-res audio through Bluetooth speakers, as Bluetooth tech doesn’t meet the hi-res specifications, because of bandwidth limitations.
Whether you’re listening to hi-res audio through a TV, soundbar, portable music player, wireless speakers or AV receivers, look for the black and gold hi-res logo to ensure you’ve got a compatible item.
Is hi-res the future of audio? With the variety of formats available, the answer is likely to be yes. Audio Network’s music for licensing is high end, and super high quality. All of our original tracks are perfect for film, TV, advertising and digital content.
At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!
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Are people outside of the TV and film industry becoming more aware of music supervisors? A Guardian article from 2021 posited that music supervisors are ‘the most unsung people in film’, but with the rise of streamers like Netflix, we’re seeing shows’ soundtracks buzzed about on a global scale. With that comes both the opportunity – and potentially the pressure – to create ‘viral moments’ such as Stranger Things’ use of Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up that Hill’ and The Last of Us introducing a new generation to ‘Long Long Time’ by Linda Ronstadt in the acclaimed ‘Bill and Frank’ episode.
Music supervision might be a relatively new vocation (the Emmys introduced its award for outstanding music supervision in 2017, while the category remains unrecognised at the Oscars), but it’s definitely fast-growing, and unusually diverse: the US Guild of Music Supervisors (GMS) has over 500 members, nearly half of whom are women (42%). And it’s leading the way at the top, too – seven of its 11-member board are women.
So, who are the women in music supervision who’ve been soundtracking your favourite TV shows over the last few years, from Stranger Things to Bridgerton, The Handmaid’s Tale to Wednesday and I May Destroy You?
Alexandra Patsavas
It’s arguable that Alexandra Patsavas is one of the most influential women in TV – certainly when it comes to music supervision. Patsavas has worked in the music department of over 60 films and TV series, breaking into TV in 1999 with her own music company, Chop Shop Music Supervision.
However, it was her work on The O.C. which took music supervision into a new dimension. For the show, she had to select, mix and supervise all the tracks featured, a substantial part of which involved approaching bands and artists about recording covers, and finding unsigned or non-mainstream performers. Death Cab for Cutie became synonymous with the show, because they were Seth Cohen’s favourite band, while The Killers were relative newcomers when they appeared, having just released debut album Hot Fuss. Imogen Heap, Modest Mouse and The Thrills were all little-known artists who benefited from The O.C. effect.
Patsavas went on to work her magic on Grey’s Anatomy, featuring Snow Patrol’s ‘Chasing Cars’ and The Fray’s ‘How to Save a Life’, whilst Josh Schwartz, The O.C.’s showrunner, hired her to create the music backdrop for Gossip Girl.
She’s been nominated three times for a Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Media for her work on Grey’s Anatomy and two of the Twilight films, together with GMS awards for everything from Mad Men to Gossip Girl, Scandal to Grey’s Anatomy.
However, her work has been taken to a massive new global audience through Netflix’s Bridgerton.
If there’s anything that fans love as much as the Regency romance and romping, then it’s the show’s soundtrack, with brilliant, playful string quartet covers of Ariana Grande’s ‘Thank U, Next’, Sufjan Steven’s ‘Love Yourself’, Madonna’s ‘Material Girl’ and even Nirvana’s ‘Stay Away’. Patsavas’ choices for Bridgerton saw her nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Music Supervision.
She explained to AwardsRadar.com that, ‘[it] was definitely a goal to make sure there was a seamless quality to the music, so that a viewer might not know when a score piece left off, and a cover began. And for me, the Billie Eilish, the Ariana Grande, the Taylor Swift covers – we were so excited that all those amazing songwriters and performers said yes to this idea. What was really important to me and to the producers, was that those pieces in those important moments were accessible, recognisable, but perhaps not right away. Perhaps it was a few bars or measures of the quartet performance before the viewer would recognise it.’
Jen Malone
Jen Malone is part of the Emmy-nominated, all-women music supervision team at Black & White and has been responsible for curating the soundtracks for everything from Atlanta to Zola, Euphoria and Yellowjackets, together with the all-conquering Netflix hit Wednesday. But being a music supervisor wasn’t something that was initially on her radar.
In 2008, Malone saw Iron Man in the cinema and was blown away by the film’s use of AC/DC’s ‘Back in Black’. She spotted the music supervisor’s name (Dave Jordan) in the credits and had her epiphany on how to pivot in her career; she started interning at the age of 30 for none other than Dave Jordan’s company, Format Entertainment.
Malone is now famous for creating genre-blurring soundtracks that expertly combine recent and retro songs. She says of her role on Euphoria, ‘I’m the head of the music department of a huge show where music is a character’, and she finds inspiration everywhere from Instagram to SoundCloud, Twitter to Twitch to create huge Spotify lists for showrunner Sam Levinson to choose from.
As you’d expect in a teen show, Euphoria has plenty of party scenes – which required Malone and her team to go above and beyond to select and clear the tracks. In the first season, episode 6 (‘The Next Episode’) features a Hallowe’en party and 28 songs.
Season two’s premiere was built around a New Year’s Eve party, and has around 37 tracks, including everything from 90s hits by Tupac, the Notorious B.I.G, and DMX to Big Mali and B.o.B.
At the opposite end of the spectrum in the same episode, there’s Gerry Rafferty’s ‘Right Down the Line’, ‘Dirty Work’ by Steely Dan and 80s classic ‘(I Just) Died in Your Arms’ by Cutting Crew.
Across the season, Malone mixes up everything from classical music – Pierre Piccioni’s ‘Amore Mio Aiutami’ – to Mazzy Star, a number of INXS tracks (written into the script by Sam Levinson, who’s clearly a fan), The Pussycat Dolls and a great placement of Sinead O’Connor’s ‘Drink Before the War’.
And when you’re clearing that amount of music, it’s a time-consuming, often fraught, process, as Malone revealed to Bustle.com: ‘You have to clear all the masters, all of the publishing, in which some of the [songs] had 10 different writers, so I had to go to 10 different people, get them all to agree to a price, and make sure they’re all OK with the scene content. I say I look for d*ck and drugs when I’m screening the episodes, because those are always the red flags. It’s not just sitting around doing these fun deep-dives into playlists, becauseyou can have the most perfect song in the world, but if you can’t clear it, you can’t use it.’
One that Malone did clear, creating another huge viral moment in the process, is The Cramps’ ‘Goo Goo Muck’, the track that Wednesday Addams dances to in the Netflix hit, Wednesday. The track saw its streams grow by more than 8,650% in the week following the show’s premiere, according to Billboard.
Whilst Malone says that she and her team don’t set out to create viral ‘moments’, just to serve the story with their music choices, she is thrilled to potentially play a part in expanding viewers’ music knowledge. She told Forbes that, ‘I think it’s the accessibility that the kids have these days, that people have these days for the immediate, “What song is this?” and being able to go and find it and unlock this door. Maybe from The Cramps they’re gonna find Siouxsie and the Banshees, and they’re going to maybe find Joy Division. And that opens up this whole world of music that I personally love. And I think it’s really cool to be a part of that.’
As well as The Cramps, Wednesday fans can discover everything from Edith Piaf (‘Non, Je Ne Regret Rien’) to Roy Orbison’s ‘In Dreams’, ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ by Bobby McFerrin, Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Don’t Stop’ and Vivaldi’s ‘The Four Seasons: Winter’.
Malone says that, ‘classical music – darker stuff, not cheery minuets – vintage Latin, and certainly Goth and post-punk’ were all on Wednesday’s playlist, together with her cello version of The Rolling Stones’ ‘Paint It Black’. It’s another eclectic selection of perfectly idiosyncratic tracks chosen by Malone.
Nora Felder
The two big viral music moments in TV over the last year have both come courtesy of Netflix and female music supervisors: Wednesday’s dance to The Cramps’ ‘Goo Goo Muck’ and, of course Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up that Hill’ in Stranger Things Season 4.
Nora Felder is a four-times Emmy and Grammy-nominated Music Supervisor, winning for Stranger Things in 2022. She’s also received a GMS award for Stranger Things in 2017 and been nominated for her work on Californication and Better Things.
‘Running Up That Hill’ was the first track that Felder suggested to the Duffer Brothers for Season 4. It was the perfect choice for Max’s storyline in particular, but also chimed lyrically with her friends’ struggles to understand each other in the show.
The Duffers were looking for a song to capture Max’s emotional state – her pain, loss, disconnection from the others and need for strength and support. Plus it had the musical build that the Duffers were looking for, and it came out in 1985, making it the ideal fit for the timeline. Felder had some anxieties around getting the track cleared by Kate Bush, who’s known to be very particular about how her songs are used – however, it turned out the artist was a huge fan of the show and thus, a pop culture-defining moment was born.
Felder revealed to Billboard that the sync placements in this season had resonated so strongly because, ‘Stranger Things’ loyal fan base of all ages just might feel that a piece of themselves is represented in these characters, as well as the story that unfolded this season. In recent years, I believe that for many there had been an overall sense of uncertainty and fear — as if there have been invisible dangers and monsters, if you will — looming over us. With that in mind, it makes sense that the Stranger Things songs — which evocatively amplify the plights and unique internal landscapes and circumstances of our characters — would resonate around the world just as strongly as the characters and stories themselves.’
When she’s choosing tracks, Felder test drives a few options and selects the ones that ‘my gut tells me could bring one closer to the character and to the emotions that I think my filmmakers are trying to get across in a scene or a character’s performance.’ And, crucially, ‘a song must enhance a scene or its character, not the other way around. The more memorable a cinematic moment is, the more likely it is that a song was used to enhance that moment will become iconically memorable as well.’
She’s not wrong – the other transformative hit created by Season 4 was Metallica’s ‘Master of Puppets’, which new fan favourite Eddie Munson plays in the Upside Down to distract the monsters and save his friends.
Felder said that, ‘In my mind, to love Eddie was to love ‘Master of Puppets’, as its lyrics really spoke to the core of Eddie’s being’ and she’s thrilled that Stranger Things fans have discovered metal and found that it has more to offer than its stereotypical ‘angry music’ reputation would suggest.
Watch Nora Felder talking about putting together the soundtrack for Season 4 to find out more about her process, from c 20 minutes into this round table with the Emmy-nominated Stranger Things team:
Maggie Phillips
Maggie Phillips has created some iconic TV moments through music, from the raw power of Kate Bush’s ‘This Woman’s Work’ in the terrifying, brutal hanging scene in The Handmaid’s Tale to a Patti Smith cover of ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ in The Great.
Her background was in fine art and Phillips has cornered the market in indie films, most notably on the Oscar and Golden Globe-winning Moonlight, and Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner, The Miseducation of Cameron Post plus cult favourite Ingrid Goes West.
Phillips’ TV work spans genres as varied as SF with Legion and fantasy superhero adventure The Umbrella Academy, true crime (The Act), espionage drama Counterpart, Aidy Bryant’s comedy Shrill, Fargo, lockdown super-hit Normal People, and, of course the violent dystopia of The Handmaid’s Tale.
Phillips joined the creative team on The Handmaid’s Tale for season two; the first season had already used songs that elicited a visceral reaction. Of her approach to the show, Phillips told PopDisciple.com that, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale is a difficult show to work on. The content is so loaded, and unfortunately, in our current political environment, Gilead doesn’t seem so far-fetched. It’s sometimes painful to watch. People react so strongly to it, and the reactions are varied. I think men and women watch it differently. I think victims of sexual abuse watch it differently. The generations react differently. Everyone is bringing their own experiences into their experience of watching the show — and music is so personal.
‘I have my own songs that I’d love to hear at the end of some of these episodes as I’m sure others do. I tend to want to suspend the emotion at the end of the scene. I want to sit with it, stay in the moment — I don’t like to be taken out. This is [showrunner] Bruce Miller’s show, and he has a clear creative vision when it comes to the music, and I help facilitate. He likes to provoke. He likes to be daring and jarring — sometimes slapping you back into reality, taking you out of the world of Gilead and back into your world. It’s effective. Some people love it, some people hate it, but people definitely talk about it.’
Season five, which follows the fallout of June’s revenge – including aiding in the killing of Fred Waterford, the Commander of Gilead – opens with The Everly Brothers’ ‘All I Have To Do Is Dream’. The rest of the soundtrack features a typically eclectic mix of Dolly Parton, a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’ by Kerala Dust, ‘Let’s Stay Together’ by Al Green, the sweet, melodic ‘I’ll be Your Mirror’ by Clem Snide, together with ‘Americans’ by Janelle Monae. The season ends with Serena Joy and June once again facing off, with Billie Eilish’s ‘Bury a Friend’ playing out over the credits.
Phillips told The Pop Disciple Podcast that her process as a music supervisor usually sees her creating a character playlist for each project’s main characters; however for Hulu’s The Dropout, the Elizabeth Holmes/Theranos docu-drama, the show’s creator, Liz Meriwether wanted to create a ‘time stamp’ with the music, as the series takes place from 2003-2018.
Thus, Phillips pulled together episode-based playlists, based on the years featured in each. The director wanted something that ‘would scream the year’, so Phillips was mainly choosing tracks which had had heavy radio play.
Typically, she says that directors ‘want something more obscure’ and to find ‘hidden gems’ to use, so this was an unusual brief. Phillips used tracks such as Katy Perry’s ‘Firework’, Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back to Black’ and Justin Timberlake’s ‘Rock Your Body’. However, Phillips admitted that using such big hits caused a few problems when it came to the budget, meaning that in some episodes the score (composed by Anne Nikitin) came to the fore instead.
Almost at the opposite end of the spectrum, Phillips’ work on the TV series Homecoming led to her assembling classic film scores by Vangelis, Lalo Schifrin, James Horner, Ennio Morricone, John Carpenter and more.
As well as being a budgetary challenge, the task of tracking down all the copyright holders proved particularly laborious – highlighting another key skill in a music supervisor’s arsenal: ‘With so many studio mergers, buyouts, etc, we hit a ton of dead ends. We got really crafty. A few times, we were about to reach out to the composers themselves. One composer we got on the phone was equally as baffled — he had no clue who owned his score. We tracked down family on Facebook and Twitter. We did everything we could. These scores had never been licensed before, so there was no existing paper trail like with songs.’
When it comes to the skill of knowing not just where you use a song, but when, Phillips points to the scene in episode 1 of The Umbrella Academy where Five has a fight in a donut shop, which is soundtracked by They Might be Giants’ super-quirky ‘Istanbul, not Constantinople’.
The song itself brings a lot of fun and innocence, but one of the reasons the scene worked so well is that it came at the end of an episode, so ‘we had a little time to get to know [Five]’. If the fight sequence had been the audience’s introduction to the character, then it would have been slick, but not as memorable.
Catch up on Maggie Phillips’ latest project, Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby’s pirate romp, Our Flag Means Death.
Catherine Grieves
Catherine Grieves is a classically-trained musician and singer who leapt into music supervision straight after university, working for London-based music supervision company HotHouse Music. She’s now the Director of Eyeline Music, working across TV and film.
Remember when Killing Eve burst onto our screens, with its to-die-for visual style, gorgeous costumes and Jodie Comer’s murderously brilliant Villanelle? Its brio and idiosyncrasy was, of course, partially down to its superlative soundtrack, which created a particularly strong musical identity.
Catherine Grieves was awarded Music Supervisor of the Year at the AIM Sync Awards in 2022 for her work on Killing Eve. The show is known for its country-hopping storylines and locations, so Grieves likes to use music from the country where the characters are located, sung in the local language. For series three, there are rare Spanish Ye-Ye songs from the 60s which fit with the ‘Killing Eve sound’ of 60s/70s European, psychedelia and garage rock, plus classical and an intriguing cover of Taylor Swift’s ‘Look What You Made Me Do’.
Her ethos for the show was to avoid popular tracks as, ‘it can take you out of the show – but if it’s something you’ve never heard before, it becomes part of our world. As a music supervisor, it’s really powerful when people go, “Oh, that’s the song from Killing Eve” rather than “Oh, that’s a song I heard on Killing Eve”.’
For the fourth and final season, Grieves assembled another unique list of tracks, including ‘Jesus’ by the Velvet Underground, ‘Je Suis Une Go-Go Girl’, by The Limiñanas, ‘Ting Toung’ by Sacha Distel, ‘Anyone Who Had a Heart’ by Cilla Black and ‘Don’t Take the Lovers from the World’ by Shirley Bassey.
Grieves is going from strength to strength, working on acclaimed Apple+ spy series Slow Horses, (yes, she worked with Mick Jagger on the original title song for the show), Stephen Merchant’s The Outlaws for the BBC, and Disney+’s 20-something comedy Extraordinary.
The eclectic soundtrack for Extraordinary showcases everything from Wet Leg and CHAI to Courtney Barnett, Wolf Mother, Self Esteem, Princess Nokia and Mitski, to classics from the 70s and 80s such as ‘I Fought the Law’ by The Clash and Heart’s ‘Alone’.
Ciara Elwis
One of 2020’s undoubted TV standouts was Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You. Music supervisor Ciara Elwis was in charge of putting together the soundtrack for the 12 episodes, in which the fragments of a traumatic event are pieced together by Coel’s character Arabella and she and her friends navigate their world of friendship, power and sex.
Elwis revealed to The Forty-Five that five or six of the tracks were already scripted, including ‘Something About Us’ by Daft Punk, ‘It’s Gonna Rain’ by Rev. Milton Brunson and the Thompson Community Singers and Sweet Female Attitude’s ‘Flowers’.
Prompts for the sync choices were eclectic – spanning hip hop, electronic, R&B and jazz – because of the show’s multicultural London setting, and also character-led, which meant that it would be varied. As well as tracks such as ‘My Queen is Albertina Sisulu’ by Sons of Kemet, there are 2000s club classics, such as the aforementioned ‘Flowers’ and DJ Luck & MC Neat’s ‘A Little Bit of Luck’, whilst artists such as Tierra Whack, Arlo Parks and Little Simz reflected the Black characters’ musical tastes.
Elwis told NYTimes.com that when selecting the music, ‘a lot of the conversation would be about what the character might be thinking in the scene, or what they might be listening to. With Arabella, she’s really upbeat and bubbly and full of life — regardless of these horrible things that seem to happen to her — so Michaela wanted a lot of female hip hop and gospel and things like that for her character. With Kwame [Arabella’s friend, a gay aerobics instructor played by Paapa Essiedu] we used some LGBT artists that he might have an affinity for. It’s not meant to be reductive, but it was really important for all the characters to have songs representing them, including in the lyrics, and for that to add to your understanding of who they are.’
As Elwis pointed out, there’s no score for the show, it’s all commercial tracks, so she and her colleague Matt Biffa (with whom she’d also worked on Sex Education, another brilliantly eclectic soundtrack) had to bring together a wealth of options – plus Coel and her team were keen to reflect the show’s nuance and ambiguity through the selections of synced songs.
‘I think it’s the main reason that early on they decided that they didn’t want to have a score. They were really keen that people be able to make up their own minds about how they felt about something, rather than having the music tell you, “This is sad, and you must feel sad now.” Because a lot of what happens is quite complicated. Characters that we’re supposed to feel sorry for in one episode go on to do horrible things to other characters in another. So with the music, we didn’t want it to be leading you too much in one direction’, Elwis explained.
‘A good example of that is at the end of Episode 2, where Terry’s crying and they just put Arabella to bed after coming back from the police station. Instead of having a sort of classic sad song there, you have ‘Nightmares’ [by Easy Life], which has trumpets and a kind of upbeat groove to it. It takes you out of a place of being like, “Oh my God, I can’t believe what happened to her, this is awful,” and just creates some distance there for a different kind of release, which I think is really powerful.’
Elwis’s fantastic choices saw her winning Outstanding Music Supervision at the 2021 Creative Arts Emmys, (together with Matt Biffa), for the drama. Since then, she’s worked on everything from Netflix’s Heartstopper and After Life to Aisling Bea’s This Way Up, Katherine Ryan’s The Duchess, Adam Kay’s medical drama This is Going to Hurt and historical drama The North Water. Catch her latest work on Sharon Horgan’s Bad Sisters.
What Are the Key Skills to Being a Successful Music Supervisor?
If you fancy being a music supervisor, then yes, you need to know your music – across a wide variety of genres – but you also need to be able to multi-task. As Maggie Phillips told Hotcorn.com, ‘A great music supervisor needs to not only be creative with music but also on how to get the job done and done well, on time, on budget, all while managing different expectations, different opinions and different personalities. And you have to do it on multiple projects, all while making every project you work on a priority because they all should be a priority. It takes a lot of juggling, multi-tasking and a lot of time. So honestly, maybe the most important thing is a music supervisor’s work ethic and the care someone puts into their work.’
Being adept at working within a team is another vital skill, as Ciara Elwis revealed to SortYourFuture.com: ‘There’s a lot more people management involved with the role than people would ever really believe. I definitely don’t just sit on Spotify all day listening to nice music and say “I’m just gonna shove this in a TV show: bish-bosh-done”. That’s unfortunately not really how it works. It’s very much more like working with a team to try and find something that works for everyone.’
Your daily tasks as a music supervisor will include liaising with record labels to clear song rights; negotiating pay rates with songwriters; ensuring they’re aware of how their music will be used in the project, and on top of all that, you have to manage the budget that you’ve been allocated.
And what are the main differences between being a music supervisor for TV and film? According to Catherine Grieves, ‘there are lot of similarities, except TV usually involves more work at quicker speeds, as you are working on and delivering back-to-back episodes. The biggest difference for me is the politics: film is almost always director-led creatively, whereas a lot of TV has more people with a creative say… this can affect the scope of your creative input as a music supervisor, so it’s nice to work on a range of different projects.’
Music Supervision – A World of Possibilities?
As for the perks of the job, Ciara Elwis says that, ‘it’s hugely exciting to be able to share music that I really love with a lot of people – millions of people realistically now – especially with artists that I really rate, that haven’t done that well to date. Off the back of TV features, they end up doing a lot better, so it’s always really exciting to be part of that as a music lover.’
And with so many players in the small-screen space, all needing songs for their shows, are we entering a ‘golden age’ for music supervision? Maggie Phillips thinks so, telling Variety that, ‘we’re living in the golden age of TV, and because of that, music supervisors have to step up. There are more excellent programmes and more seasons, and more opportunities to do something different and original.’
However, she also flagged that, as with many other media and entertainment roles, ‘it’s really not fair pay. If people broke it down to an hourly pay, it would be below minimum wage… As music supervisors, we’re not exclusive [so] we have to work on a ton of stuff at the same time to make enough money to live on.’
For more insight into a music supervisor’s work, watch this Netflix In Conversation, which features Alexandra Patsavas and Jen Malone.
Trends in Music Supervision
When it comes to what music and genres supervisors are looking for, as demonstrated by the shows above, it’s not easy to pin down. However, when DigitalMusicNews.com quizzed three other influential music supervisors, Patricia Portaro, Johanna Cranitch and Alexandra Carlsson Norlin, they did identify a few trends.
Cranitch said that ‘I’m seeing a lot of nostalgia, especially since the pandemic. I think we’re looking back on times before 2019 with a fondness, when things were classic and simple. We’ve been getting a lot of requests for cover versions of well-known songs, or songs that are nostalgic in a sense, with a retro-sounding vibe.’
Carlsson Norlin identified a desire to ‘be a bit more brave and willing to try things that maybe have not been explored in the past. There’s also more thought being put into being inclusive in this space, including more women and people who identify as non-binary.’
Music supervisors looking for music often pick classical music as it can be used in so many different situations, and also for practical reasons: you only pay for one right for the recording, not the copyright.
At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!
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What makes the perfect playlist? It’s the question that most of us have thought – or even obsessed over – from time to time. Whether you’re creating one for a special event, a special person or for a particular reason, such as a road trip or the ideal tracks to help you work, we’re here to give you some pointers when you find yourself asking, ‘how do I decide what to put on my playlist?’
Contents
How to make a playlist
Playlist inspiration
What is the flow of a good playlist?
How many songs should be on my playlist?
How many hours is a good playlist?
Top tips
How to Make a Playlist
With so many streaming services available – all with their own playlists – why make your own? NPR, whose Tiny Desk concerts showcase live performances in an intimate way, make the point that playlists are, in a way, their own language. And no one knows exactly what you like, in the way that you do.
Sometimes you might want to tell someone how you feel about them through specially-curated songs – aka the mixtapes of old – at others, there’s a specific aim, such as getting and keeping a crowd on that dancefloor for as long as possible!
So, when it comes to how to make a good playlist, the first question to ask yourself is, what is the playlist trying to accomplish? If the playlist is for yourself, ask yourself how you want to feel – happy, excited, upbeat, or melancholy (everyone needs a good heartbreak playlist from time to time)? Or maybe you want 45 minutes of high bpm tracks to power you through a HIIT session at the gym?
The mood of your playlist is a particularly important element if you’re making it for other people. A road trip with your oldest friends will have a totally different feel from chilling on the beach with sundowner cocktails.
Alternatively, you might want to create playlists based around music genres, places you’ve visited or want to go to, decades or just current chart hits. With approximately 60,000 new songs uploaded to Spotify every day, you won’t be short on choice (keep an ear out for Spotify’s Radio, Release Radar and playlist suggestions if you want to discover new tracks.)
Playlist Inspiration
Been tasked with putting together a playlist ahead of time? If you’re looking for wedding playlist tracks, then make a note every time you hear anything that might be suitable ahead of the event. Heard a banger on the radio? Scribble it down. Great track on an ad? Shazam it and add it to the list. Think of your favourite romcoms and check out their soundtracks. Or look through existing playlists on Spotify – there’s no shame in getting ideas from other people. With literally billions on offer you can find everything from Bird Dreams for my Cat to the ideal tracks for hiding out overnight in an abandoned church during a zombie apocalypse…
Plus, of course, ask the happy couple what their favourite tracks are, and make sure to incorporate plenty of those.
Is there a theme you need to stick to? If it’s 80s or 90s, then obviously that will dictate the bulk of your playlist, as will disco or drum ‘n’ bass. Other themes will give you more room to manoeuvre in terms of tracks, but occasionally a strict theme can make life easier, as you’re not overwhelmed by choice.
Want a throwback vibe? Try a nostalgic playlist – pick a time period when you had the most fun and choose songs that remind you of it. For a workout, think about songs that will pump you up – you need a fast tempo, a strong beat and a solid baseline, such as EDM or dubstep. Slow music is obviously best for relaxation or meditation. Classical music can be great for studying or relaxation.
Here’s a walkthrough of how to create a playlist on Spotify:
What Is the Flow of a Good Playlist?
This can be one of the overlooked elements of a great playlist. A useful tip is to imagine your playlist like a flight: the plane takes off, stays in the air for a while, then gently comes down. That’s the arc you’re aiming for. Or to stick with the idea of movies, there’s your intro to the character and the story, then the action kicks in and the ‘final act’ sees all the pieces coming together, there’s a resolution and everything calms down before the end credits roll (with a suitably brilliant track leaving everyone feeling satisfied.)
So, once you’ve got a selection of tracks assembled, you can start moving them around to fit this structure. Plus, if you’re in ‘take off’ mode, you’ll immediately start whizzing through a bunch of other songs that are similar in feel and fit the bill. Bear in mind that the first three or four tracks will set the tone of the playlist, so keep rearranging till you get these right.
Planning out the tracks with this structure helps to avoid the ‘turbulence’ of shuffle mode where at the end of a Lizzo floor-filler everyone suddenly heads for the bar when something way slower kicks in. Also be mindful of the age range of the audience who are attending the event. If it’s a mixed crowd, then make sure you’ve got tracks from a variety of decades so that everyone can enjoy them.
Part of the joy of a good playlist can be in bringing in a few forgotten gems to mix things up and keep people interested – a great playlist should have an element of surprise or discovery that elevates it beyond just a collection of solid tunes. But if the atmosphere isn’t quite what you were hoping for, then it’s also a good idea to have a stash of back-to-back hits up your proverbial sleeve to fall back on.
Pop is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, but be adventurous and mix a few other genres in, as long as they fit the overall mood that you’re creating at the time. Plus, a great rule of thumb is not to be a music snob – there are times when you need a cheesy classic to make people have fun.
Playlists for parties should have a focus on flow and transitions – the order of songs matters. But if a playlist is just for your own use, then if you’ve put together songs with consistent beats and rhythms, you can play them on shuffle and not worry so much about what you’ve put where on the list.
How Many Songs Should Be On My Playlist?
If you know roughly how long the party or event will go on for, that will determine how many tracks you need for your playlist – and how many you’ll need for each section of your ‘flight plan’ above. A rough guide is 50 or 60 songs for an event that’s going to go on for a few hours. And don’t forget, if everyone’s having a brilliant time, then there might be an afterparty – so keep a batch of extra tracks on hand just in case.
As a rough guide, most pop songs are around three and a half to four minutes long, while rock songs are from five to seven minutes; jazz and classical tracks are both usually longer, so the number of tracks you need to fill an hour’s playlist will vary a bit, depending on what genre you’re playing.
How long should a playlist be on Spotify? The majority of the most-followed Spotify playlists have exactly 50 songs, but obviously there’s no ideal number. A good range of songs for a Spotify playlist is around 50-200 songs maximum.
How Many Hours Is a Good Playlist?
Music streaming experts say the ideal playlist should be between one and a half and two and a half hours long – which is about 20 to 35 songs.
If you’re putting together a Spotify playlist, then think about those that you already follow and why you follow them. And if you want to build up followers through a playlist, then most people will listen to between three and five tracks before deciding if they want to subscribe, so put your favourites at the top of the stack.
Top Tips
If you’re creating lots of playlists, then always be on the lookout for new music to add to your catalogue. It’s key to keeping your lists fresh and interesting. Take notice of music that’s around you – anytime! You never know where or when you’ll find a new song or artist.
Want to create a captivating playlist? Make variety your watchword. Yes, you need cohesive tracks, but you can have a diverse playlist that also flows. Incorporate different artists, genres, intensities and instruments.
Include one or two songs per artist – this again helps with variety. Having too many songs by the same artist can feel like just listening to an album. Although if you’re working to a very strict theme, you might want to put this rule on the backburner. Just don’t play the same artist back-to-back on the playlist.
Keep your playlists updated to keep them relevant and fresh. Add a few songs, take a few out, rearrange them a bit – if you use particular lists a lot (say, for weddings or parties), then it’ll help to keep them current, and to avoid you getting bored of playing them.
Use the music that you love! If you’re playing tracks that you already really like, then you’ve got a better chance of making it engaging.
Above all, have fun! Making playlists is a great hobby and there’s nothing better than someone saying, ‘great music’ at the end of a party, road trip or get together.
So, to sum up, here’s how to nail good playlists:
Work out your mood, theme or emotion
Assemble your tracks
Work out your ‘flight plan’ – take off, middle section, landing – to create a great flow
How long is your event (if your playlist is for a party, wedding or other gathering)? Think how many songs you need
Always be looking out for new music – or undiscovered gems to create variety
Update your playlists regularly
Use music you love
Have fun!
Be Inspired
Want more inspiration? Here is a selection of fantastic playlists that our expert in-house team have hand-picked. All our music is original and high-quality – it’s ideal for licensing for ads, TV, film or digital content.
Check out our collection pages and our latest releases – updated every two weeks, if you’re on the hunt for new music for playlists!
Need Music for Your Project?
At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!
Can you play music on Twitch? It’s the question that lots of people are asking, so we’re here to give you the answers, help you to navigate the tricky waters of copyright, and even provide you with some Twitch-safe music, as we talk you through the Twitch music rules.
In October 2020, following a mass of DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) takedown requests, Twitch deleted a huge amount of content which violated music copyright laws. The platform uses a three-strike policy: if you get three strikes, you’re banned. Which, understandably, left a lot of streamers feeling very unhappy.
‘What music can I play on Twitch?’ The simple answer to that question: it’s… complicated. Streamers might be playing both classics and current hits, but it doesn’t mean that they’re abiding by the rules. The music industry started to take action in 2018, when several popular streamers were hit with 24-hour bans for playing copyrighted music.
Twitch itself states that ‘Twitch values the work of songwriters, musicians and other creative artists. As a company committed to supporting creators, we respect, and ask our users to respect, the intellectual property of those who make music and those who own or control music rights.'
What Music Can I Play On Twitch?
There are three types of music you can play while Twitch streaming, and these rules affect all Twitch streamers, whether you have a million subscribers, or just a few hundred:
Music Owned by You
This is original music written by you and either recorded or performed live by you. You must own or control all rights necessary to share the music on Twitch, including the rights to the recording, performing and underlying music and lyrics. If you’re signed to a record label or publishing company, then make sure you’re not in violation of that contractual relationship by sharing your music on Twitch.
Music Licensed to You
This is copyrighted music owned in whole or in part by someone other than you, if you’ve secured a licence to share it on Twitch from all of the relevant copyright holder(s).
Music streamed using Soundtrack by Twitch
Music added to your live streams using Soundtrack by Twitch.
Soundtrack by Twitch, aka Twitch’s own audio library, might be the easiest option, but won’t give you the widest choice when it comes to music for your Twitch streams. Audio Network has straightforward licensing covering Twitch, spanning every genre and mood. Take a look at our hand-picked playlists for inspiration and check out our super-simple subscriptions which make life even easier.
Can You Play Music on Twitch When You Stream?
What else might be covered under copyrighted music on Twitch? The first thing to flag is that if you own a physical CD or an album on iTunes, or pay for a streaming platform such as Spotify Premium, that doesn’t mean that you ‘own’ the music. And beware – if you think that you can play music on Twitch if the content is music-based, then the answer is still ‘no, you can’t.’ Twitch flags the following under examples of types of music you can’t include in Twitch streams or recorded videos such as VODs and Clips:
Radio station-style broadcast – radio station-style broadcasts of recorded music without a live visual performance, unless you own the necessary rights to stream the music on Twitch and have signed a contract with Twitch setting out an exemption for your channel from this rule.
DJ set – playing and/or mixing pre-recorded music tracks, unless those tracks are owned by you or are licensed for you to share on Twitch.
Karaoke performance – singing or performing with a karaoke recording unless you own or are licensed to share that music on Twitch.
Lip sync performance – pantomiming, singing, or pretending to sing to music that is not owned by you or is not licensed for you to share on Twitch.
Visual music depiction – lyrics, music notation, tablature, or any other visual representation of copyrighted music other than music owned by you or music which is licensed for you to share on Twitch.
Cover song performance – performance of a song owned by someone else, with the exception of a live performance in your Twitch stream. If you do perform a cover song in a live Twitch stream, you need to make a good faith effort to perform the song as written by the songwriter(s), and create all audio elements yourself, without incorporating instrumental tracks, music recordings, or any other recorded elements owned by others.
Do You Have to Follow the Twitch TOS, and Can You Play Copyrighted Music on Twitch?
As we’ve said above, you’re not allowed to play music that you don’t have the rights for. If you’re playing music without a licence on Twitch, then you’re violating copyright law and Twitch’s Terms of Service. Want to use copyrighted music? You need that licence.
Many people think that you can use snippets of songs, with a frequent question being, ‘can I use 10 seconds of a copyrighted song on Twitch?’ The answer is still no – whether you use one second or the entire song, any use of copyrighted material without permission is an infringement of copyright. Also, as we flagged above, paying for a streaming service like Spotify and Apple Music doesn’t mean that you can use tracks to soundtrack your content. These services might allow you to stream this music, but the royalties and rights are still owned by the record labels or artists, not by the music streaming services.
And it doesn’t matter if your channel isn’t monetised – the copyright rules still apply to you when it comes to using music.
What Can Happen to My Channel if I Play Copyrighted Music?
If you don’t have the proper licence for the music, then Twitch partner Audible Magic, which scans all of their streams, VODs and Clips automatically for copyrighted content, or the copyright owners themselves may flag that material has been used without permission.
In either case, you’ll receive a DMCA takedown notification, meaning that your content has been taken down. Multiple breaching of copyright laws and DMCA notifications will result in your account being suspended.
In some cases, however, you might receive a warning before a penalty, giving you the opportunity to remove your content, remove the music or purchase a licence for the music you’ve used.
Long-term? Your channel might be terminated. As we mentioned earlier, Twitch as a ‘three strike’ policy for DMCA takedowns. A first offence results in a 24-hour ban. The second activates a 24-hour to seven-day ban, whilst if you pick up a third, it can mean an indefinite or permanent Twitch ban.
Twitch Safe Music
When you want music that you don’t have to worry about, choose Audio Network’s! We have a range of solutions and subscriptions for content creators, making life even easier. All our music is original, high quality and, best of all, will make your content totally unique.
At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!
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Music fans have enjoyed a storming start to 2023 so far. We’ve had huge pop releases from Raye, Lewis Capaldi and Lana Del Rey, future indie classics from Paramore, Lankum and Phoebe Bridgers-fronted supergroup Boygenius, plus storming hip hop from Lil Yachty, Killer Mike and JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown.
But which made the Official Charts Company’s list of the best-selling albums of 2023 so far? As ever, it’s an intriguing mix of this year’s releases, albums that have been on heavy rotation since 2017 and heritage greatest hits collections.
To discover which ‘23 albums are currently rubbing shoulders with the likes of Oasis’ Time Flies 1994-2009, Harry Styles’ Harry House and most of Taylor Swift’s back catalogue, just keep reading. Plus, we round up the latest releases we expect to hit the top 25 in the end of the year chart, as well as the big albums still to come in 2023.
Best-Selling Albums of 2023 So Far
The Weeknd – The Highlights
Taylor Swift – Midnights
Harry Styles – Harry’s House
SZA – SOS
Elton John – Diamonds
Lewis Capaldi – Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent
Eminem – Curtain Call: The Hits
Ed Sheeran – – (Minus)
Fleetwood Mac – 50 Years: Don’t Stop
Lewis Capaldi – Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent
Having ranked at number four in 2022’s year-long chart, Abel Tesfaye’s greatest hits has climbed the rankings to number one. The boost in sales can be explained by the fact his After Hours Til Dawn tour has finally reached Europe, and by the fact the Canadian singer recently took a starring role in HBO’s music industry satire The Idol.
From her rumoured relationship with The 1975’s Matty Healy to the launch of her phenomenally successful Eras World Tour, Taylor Swift has barely been out of the headlines in 2023. As a result, her 10th album has received a big sales boost, climbing to number two in the best-selling albums of 2023 so far. And as the sales records keep coming, you can expect Swift to be placing prominently in the official end of year charts.
There’s simply no stopping Harry Styles’ third album, Harry’s House. Having shifted a staggering 460,000 UK chart units throughout 2022, in 2023 it won Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 65th Grammy Awards, as well as British Album of the Year at 43rd Brit Awards. Combine these big critical wins with the ongoing success of Styles’ Love On Tour stadium shows, and you can see why Holmes Chapel’s biggest export is still dominating the charts.
SZA – SOS
Release date: 9th December 2022
Label: Top Dawg Entertainment, RCA Records
Standout tracks: ‘Nobody Gets Me’, ‘Kill Bill’, ‘I Hate U’
SZA might have released her second album too late to be considered for any of the annual Best Of lists, but she’s truly dominated the charts for the last six months, making history on the Billboard Hot 100 as the longest running female owned number one album this decade. SOS remains a masterclass from the New Jersey-raised R&B singer, and features the huge singles ‘Kill Bill’, ‘Nobody Gets Me’ and ‘Good Days’, plus cameos from Travis Scott, Don Toliver and Phoebe Bridgers.
Elton John – Diamonds
Release date: 10th November 2017
Label: Rocket, Virgin EMI
Standout tracks: ‘Your Song’, ‘Rocket Man’, ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’, ‘Tiny Dancer’
Climbing two places from 2022, Elton John’s greatest hits compilation has made it into the top five best-selling albums of 2023 so far. June’s triumphant Glastonbury performance doubtless gave sales a boost, seeing Watford’s finest winding up his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour with a little help from rising stars Rina Sawayama, Stephen Sanchez and Gabriels’ Jacob Lusk.
Lewis Capaldi – Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent
Release date: 19th May 2023
Label: Capitol, Vertigo
Standout tracks: ‘Forget You’, ‘Wish You The Best’, ‘Pointless’
It’s been a rollercoaster of a year so far for Lewis Capaldi. Fresh from releasing his smash Netflix documentary How I’m Feeling Now, the Scottish singer-songwriter scored a huge hit with his sophomore effort Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent. According to the Official Charts, it was “the biggest opening week of his career and the biggest first week for an album of 2023 so far, netting over 95,000 chart units in its first seven days of release.”
Having had to curtail his recent Glastonbury performance, Capaldi has now taken an indefinite break from touring to “adjust to the impact” of living with Tourette syndrome. To borrow his own turn of phrase, we wish him all the best.
Eminem – Curtain Call: The Hits
Released date: 6th December 2005
Label: Shady, Aftermath, Interscope
Standout tracks: ‘My Name Is’, ‘Lose Yourself’, ‘Stan’
There’s simply no stopping Slim Shady. Since 2005, the Detroit rapper’s ‘05 greatest hits album Curtain Call: The Hits has been a consistent seller. After going 8x platinum in the US in 2021, and a triumphant live performance during 2022’s Super Bowl Half-Time Show, Eminem climbed the UK chart rankings in 2023 to number seven.
Another new Ed Sheeran album can only mean one thing: another shot at chart domination. Concluding his mathematical series, the largely acoustic – (Minus) features production from EDM wunderkind Fred Again, Aaron Dessner of The National and bulletproof pop purveyor Max Martin. We expect to see this one riding even higher in the charts come the close of 2023.
Fleetwood Mac – 50 Years: Don’t Stop
Release date: 16th November 2018
Label: Rhino
Standout tracks: ‘Go Your Own Way’, ‘Landslide’, ‘The Chain’, ‘Dreams’
Fleetwood Mac’s 2018 compilation album entitled 50 Years: Don’t Stop is yet to take its own advice and stop selling. Clearly, none of us can resist the appeal of listening to the rock band’s hits back-to-back, and when a track like ‘Go Your Own Way’ still sounds this fresh, it’s little wonder.
Lewis Capaldi – Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent
Release date: 17th May 2019
Label: Vertigo, Universal, Capitol
Standout tracks: ‘Someone You Loved’, ‘Hold Me While You Wait’, ‘Bruises’
Thanks to the recent release of his second album, Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent, Lewis Capaldi’s debut has received a big sales boost. There’s clearly some serious reverse psychology going on in its playfully self-deprecating title.
Arctic Monkeys – AM
Release date: 9th September 2013
Label: Domino
Standout Tracks: ‘Do I Wanna Know?’, ‘R U Mine?, ‘Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?’
Another Glastonbury headliner receiving a major sales boost, Arctic Monkeys have seen their classic 2013 album climb back up the charts to number 11. Considering how fresh the likes of ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ and ‘R U Mine?’ still sound almost a decade on, it’s little wonder.
Ed Sheeran – = (Equals)
Release date: 29th October 2021
Label: Asylum, Atlantic
Standout tracks: ‘Bad Habits’, ‘Overpass Graffiti’, ‘The Joker and the Queen’
With sales of over 30 million, Gold is one of the world’s best-selling albums of all time.
It’s been re-released a number of times over the decades: in 1999 to mark the group’s 25th anniversary of winning the Eurovision Song Contest with ‘Waterloo’, in 2008 to coincide with the release of Mamma Mia! and in 2014 for the 40th anniversary of the Eurovision win.
A bonafide pop classic, there’s no doubt the compilation got a boost following the opening of ABBA’s immersive live experience in London last year. You can still catch ABBA: Voyage at Pudding Mill Lane’s ABBA Arena.
Pink – Trustfall
Release date: 17th February 2023
Label: RCA
Standout tracks: ‘Never Gonna Not Dance Again’, ‘Trustfall’
Officially the most downloaded album of 2023 so far, Pink’s ninth studio album Trustfall is only the third new album in this run-down so far. That’s 23 years the Pennsylvania-born pop singer has spent at the top of her game– her debut album Can’t Take Me Home came out way back in 2000.
Oasis – Time Flies: 1994-2009
Release date: 14th June 2010
Label: Big Brother Recordings
Standout tracks: ‘Wonderwall’, ‘Supersonic’, ‘Roll With It’, ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’
Rock out and take yourself back to the glory days of Knebworth, Oasis vs Blur and the band’s Britpop heyday with this compilation of all 27 of their UK singles.
Taylor Swift – 1989
Release date: 27th October 2014
Label: Big Machine
Standout tracks: ‘Style’, ‘Shake It Off’, ‘Blank Space’, ‘Welcome to New York’
Thanks to the previously discussed Eras Tour effect, the second album of Tay-Tay’s to make the top 25 albums of 2023 so far is 1989, AKA the one where the princess of country finally went pop. ‘Shake It Off’ and ‘Blank Space’ were the big hits at the time, but for our money it’s ‘Style’ that really stands out.
Queen – Greatest Hits
Release date: 26th October 1981
Label: EMI
Standout tracks: ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Somebody to Love’, ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’, ‘We Are the Champions’
Over 40 years on from its release, Queen’s Greatest Hits is still one of the UK’s best-selling albums. Currently at 25 million+ copies sold, we wonder how long Queen’s record-breaking success will go on.
Ed Sheeran – ÷ (Divide)
Release date: 3rd March 2017
Label: Asylum, Atlantic
Standout tracks: ‘Shape of You’, ‘Galway Girl’, ‘Dive’, ‘Perfect’
The final Ed Sheeran album to make the top 25 of 2023 so far, ÷ (Divide) features wedding favourite ‘Perfect’ and the all-conquering ‘Shape Of You’. Though it’s worth noting that ‘Shape Of You’ was recently overtaken by The Weeknd’s ‘Blinding Lights’ as Spotify’s most-streamed song of all-time.
Taylor Swift – Lover
Release date: 23rd August 2019
Label: Republic
Standout tracks: ‘Cruel Summer’, ‘Lover’, ‘Soon You’ll Get Better’
Hot on the heels of 1989, Taylor Swift’s 2019 album Lover has enjoyed a boost this year, climbing to number 19 in the best-selling albums of 2023 so far. Why not remind yourself of the big hits like ‘ME!’
If there’s one return we’re excited for in 2023, it’s that of former Disney star Olivia Rodrigo. Set to share her second album this September, fans have clearly been getting prepped by revisiting her Grammy-winning debut.
Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
Release date: 4th February 1977
Label: Warner Records
Standout tracks: ‘Go Your Own Way’, ‘The Chain’, ‘Dreams’
Continuing to dominate in 2023, it’s Fleetwood Mac’s seminal 1977 album Rumours – their second entry after aforementioned greatest hits compilation, 50 Years: Don’t Stop.
A bona fide classic, it’s already been certified 15 x platinum in the UK.
Harry Styles – Fine Line
Release date: 13th December 2019
Label: Columbia Records
Standout tracks: ’Watermelon Sugar’, ‘Golden’, ‘Treat People with Kindness’, ‘Falling’
Mr Styles’ second entry on the list has everything you could want: pop-rock, psychedelic pop, folk, soul, funk and indie pop. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified triple platinum in the US and double platinum in the UK.
It was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2020 Brit Awards and received a Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance, together with a Brit Award for British Single of the Year for ‘Watermelon Sugar’.
The highlight of lockdown for many, Taylor Swift’s surprise eighth album saw her making her first real foray into indie-folk with a little bit of help from Aaron Dessner of The National. Three years on, Folklore’s still riding high in the charts.
Despite having now been hiatus for over a year, Perrie, Jade and Leigh-Anne are still on top of the world, with their 2021 greatest hits record, Between Us. The likes of ‘Move’ and ‘Sweet Melody’ haven’t aged a day.
Beyoncé – Renaissance
Release date: 29th July 2022
Label: Parkwood, Columbia
Standout tracks: ‘America Has a Problem’, ‘Cuff It’, ‘Cozy’
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably aware that Bey brought The Renaissance World Tour to Europe this year (reportedly raking in $154 million in the process). And all those sparkly Stetson-ed superfans have helped catapult Renaissance back up the charts.
Contenders for the Top 25
Olivia Rodrigo – Guts
Release date: 8th September 2023
Label: Geffen
Standout tracks: ‘Get Him Back!’, ‘Bad Idea Right?’, ‘Love Is Embarassing’
Olivia Rodrigo was arguably the breakthrough artist of 2021, thanks to her stunning, Grammy-winning debut Sour. Two years on, the Californian singer-songwriter returned this September with her feverishly anticipated follow-up, Guts.
From the beautifully barbed piano-pop of lead single ‘Vampire’ to the attitude-packed pop-rock of ‘Bad Idea Right?’ and ‘Love Is Embarrassing’, it was immediately clear that Sour was no fluke. And audiences agreed too, propelling Guts to number one on both sides of the Atlantic.
Two words for you: ‘Padam Padam’. Yes, the Princess of Pop scored her highest UK chart position in more than 10 years with the lead single from her upcoming 16th studio album Tension. The good news is, the rest of the album more than reaches the giddy heights of that sex-positive electro-pop banger, and was hailed by Pitchfork as Kylie’s “most relaxed album in years.” It went straight to number one in the UK in its first week with 53,000 chart sales (including market-leading vinyl sales), outselling the rest of the top 5 combined.
Albums We’re Excited for in 2023
Holly Humberstone – Paint My Bedroom Black – 13th October
Following in the footsteps of Adele, Florence + the Machine and Sam Smith, Holly Humberstone won the BRITs Rising Star Award in 2022 and has gone on to tour with Olivia Rodrigo and collaborate with Sam Fender and Bombay Bicycle Club.
In mid-October, the Grantham-born singer-songwriter is set to release her hugely anticipated debut, Paint My Bedroom Black. According to Rolling Stone, “[the album] builds on the diaristic storytelling from her first couple of EPs and expands her emotional range.” Get a taster with lead single ‘Antichrist’.
The Rolling Stones – Hackney Diamonds – 20th October
After an enjoyably cryptic teaser campaign, in September Mick, Keith and Ronnie announced their first studio album of original material since 2005’s A Bigger Bang. Hackney Diamonds is also the band’s first LP since the death of drummer Charlie Watts in 2021, though he does feature on a few of the tracks.
So what can we expect musically? Well, with cameos from Elton John, Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Bill Wyman, it’s set to be an impressively star-studded affair. Plus lead single ‘Angry’ suggests the septuagenarians have lost none of their bite. Indeed, the Guardian hailed it a “strutting, barnstorming return.”
Dua Lipa – TBC
Though there’s no confirmed release date as yet, the follow-up to the phenomenally successful Future Nostalgia could drop later this year. Album number three has been in the works for a while and is reportedly “really personal”. We also know it features contributions from Caroline Polachek-producer Danny Harle. In the meantime, you can check out Dua’s Barbie soundtrack contribution below:
At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!
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After four years and four seasons, it’s time to say goodbye to our beloved Sex Education students. But what’s in store for our favourites Otis, Maeve, Eric, Adam and Aimee – plus, of course, Otis’s mum Jean, and Adam’s dad, Michael Groff?
Netflix’s Sex Education thrust its way onto our screens in 2019 with a riot of colourful, 80s-influenced costumes and a school set up that looked like something out of a John Hughes movie (the Independent referred to it as, ‘the most American TV show ever to be set in Britain’). Audiences worldwide quickly fell in love with rebellious Maeve (Emma Mackey) and insecure Otis (Asa Butterfield) as they set up a secret sex and relationships advice clinic at Moordale Secondary, resulting in streaming figures that hit 55 million for season three.
Since its debut, there have been all manner of ups and downs, with Otis and Maeve finally getting together at the end of the last season – before Maeve was offered the chance to study at a college in the US.
Grab an expert recap on the get togethers, make ups, break ups and shake ups from season three with Dr Jean Milburn (Gillian Anderson) before you dive in:
A Change of Scene
So, this time around, it’s all change – not least in terms of the school itself. Moordale has been sold to developers, meaning that our besties have been somewhat scattered. Otis, Eric (Ncuti Gatwa), Aimee (BAFTA-winning Aimee Lou Wood), Ruby (Mimi Keene) and others including Viv (Chinenye Ezeudu), Jackson (Kedar Williams-Stirling), Isaac (George Robinson) and Cal (Dua Saleh) are now attending spectacularly hip Cavendish Sixth Form College. A riot of day-glo colours (‘It’s like Amsterdam! But in space!’), Cavendish is student-run and about as progressive as it’s possible to get (ultragreen, gender-neutral loos, lunchtime yoga sessions, silent discos, a Speaker’s Corner and more) – in other words, the polar opposite of Moordale.
Out of school, Eric might still be struggling to consolidate his status as an out gay man with the views of his church community, but at Cavendish, he instantly finds his tribe, as he falls in with the most popular group – an LGBTQ+ clique nicknamed ‘The Coven’. Conversely, Moordale’s OG Queen Bee Ruby finds herself back at the bottom of the heap without her friends Anwar and Olivia, who’ve gone to a different school.
As for Otis – he’s got competition. When he tries to set up a therapy clinic, he discovers Cavendish already has a counsellor, in the shape of O (Thaddea Graham). A battle ensues for clients and supremacy; Otis brings on Ruby as his campaign manager and both sides resort to some fairly dirty tricks in an attempt to come out on top. Plus, Otis is struggling with a long-distance relationship with Maeve, and the fact that his mum, Jean, who, let’s not forget, nearly died giving birth in last season’s finale, is clearly not coping as well as she thinks she is with newborn Joy. Otis puts in a call to Jean’s sister, Joanna (Lisa McGrillis), to come and help, who crash lands in their house, bringing her own type of chaos.
Maeve is enjoying life at Wallace college in the US, and clearly feels freer, but isn’t sure that her lecturer, Mr Molloy (a fun cameo from Schitt’s Creek’s Dan Levy) rates her as a writer. Adam (Connor Swindells) has decided that college isn’t for him, and has started an apprenticeship at a farm/riding stables, and has to overcome a fear of horses (‘No, I mean, their faces are a completely normal size’); his dad, Michael (Alistair Petrie) is trying to ‘become a better man’ and forge more of a connection with him, which leads to one of the season’s most touching story arcs.
Go behind the scenes to see how it all came together, including costumes, make up and locations:
Rain or Shine
Season four covers a lot of ground, with all the characters being challenged in both new, and old ways. From friendship fractures to the deepest of grief, coming to terms with identity, unresolved trauma and, of course, issues around sex, there’s something for everyone (and plenty of good advice if you’re going through anything similar yourself.)
The main theme of season four, for all the characters, is ‘moving on.’ Carefully paced and plotted, by the series finale, you’ll feel that all the people you’ve come to know and love have some sort of resolution and have grown – even if, for one of the key relationships, things don’t end in the way many fans would have hoped for.
Laurie Nunn, Sex Education’s creator and writer, told Elle that, ‘even though the show is called Sex Education and is so much about love and relationships, I’ve always really felt like it’s actually about friendship and community underneath that.’ The finale avoids everyone being neatly tied up two-by-two; Nunn said, ‘I wouldn’t say that I set out to intentionally do that, but I remember getting to the end of the series and going, “Oh, hardly anyone’s actually ended up together.” That wasn’t necessarily done by design, but I think it speaks to what the show is about, really, which is finding your people and figuring out how to support the people around you better, and that doesn’t necessarily always have to be in a romantic setting.’
Proving her point, why not re-live all the best bits from Otis and Eric’s friendship, courtesy of Netflix:
The Soundtrack
Singer, songwriter and guitarist Ezra Furman is an instrumental component of Sex Education’s soundscape. While composer Oli Julian handles the show’s catchy score, Furman has both contributed her own songs and written many original ones specifically for all four series.
Furman told Netflix’s Tudum that she’s enjoyed how the creative process has evolved over the course of the show. ‘For the first season, they gave me so much [info] because I didn’t know what the show even was. [In the beginning,] I had multiple episode scripts, then they started giving me fewer scripts in advance and were more like, “Here’s the whole arc of the season for Maeve. Here’s what’s going on with her, can you write something for this scene, at this point in the arc?” I love doing it that way.’
One of season four’s biggest emotional moments comes at the end of episode three, a ballad called ‘Tether.’ ‘Because these are well-written, true-to-life characters, it was possible for me to find something I could write that was actually heartfelt,’ Furman said. Throughout the series, emotional moments like this one draw heavy feelings, and it’s often Furman’s music working in tandem to further amplify them. The three new tracks for this final series are ‘You Like Me’, ‘Tether’ and ‘Honeycomb’.
Meanwhile, season four of course has its usual array of eclectic song choices for the soundtrack, from party tunes to tearjerkers. Music supervisor Matt Biffa, who’s worked on all four seasons, has also lent his magic to soundtracks for This is Going to Hurt, I May Destroy You (for which he won an Emmy award) and The End of the F**king World.
Particular highlights are the touching version of U2’s ‘With or Without You’ that Mr Hendricks (Jim Howick) plays at a heartbreaking funeral; Eric getting ready to go out, accompanied by Five Star’s ‘Rain or Shine’; Adam’s dad, Michael, prepping for a big night out to ‘Are You Man Enough?’ by the Four Tops and Aimee’s impromptu photo session with a bunch of garden gnomes, soundtracked by Pink Floyd’s gloriously bonkers ‘The Gnome’.
Here’s the full rundown of all the tracks featured in season four:
Episode One
‘Take Care Of Business’ – Nina Simone
‘Close To Me’ – The Cure
‘Vicious’ – Fat Girls
‘Boyfriend (Repeat)’ – Confidence Man
‘Lilac and Black’ – Ezra Furman
‘Any Way The Wind Blows’ – The Cold Stares
‘Rain Or Shine’ – Five Star
‘Forever In Sunset’ – Ezra Furman
Episode Two
‘What So Never The Dance’ – Bootsy Collins
‘China In Your Hand’ – T’Pau
‘Work That Body’ – Diana Ross
‘I’m Coming Home’ – The Staple Singers
‘Do The Evolution’ – Pearl Jam
‘Hold On I’m Comin’ – The Voltage
‘I Believe In Miracles’ – Jackson Sisters
‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ – The Stooges
Episode Three
‘She Used To Wanna Be A Ballerina’ – Buffy Sainte-Marie
‘Way I Walk’ – The Cramps
‘Dance Across The Floor’ – Jimmy ‘Bo’ Horne
‘Feels Like I’m In Love’ – Kelly Marie
‘Respectable’ – Mel & Kim
‘New Radio’ – Bikini Kill
‘Love Vibration’ – ESSEL
‘Cleo’ – Shygirl
‘Strut’ – Elohim & Big Freedia
‘BANG’ – COBRAH
‘Our Lips Are Sealed’ – The Go-Go’s
‘Tether’ – Ezra Furman
Episode Four
‘Whip It’ – Devo
‘Dream A Dream’ – Bic Runga
‘Are You Man Enough?’ – Four Tops
‘Yes I Do’ – Stefano Richter & Gabriele Mustafa
‘Long Time Gone’ – Bachelorette
‘Dedicated To The One I Love’ – The Mamas & The Papas
Episode Five
‘Rub It In’ – Jack Jersey
‘Tell Me When’ – The Applejacks
‘Don’t You Worry’ – Don Gardner & Dee Dee Ford
‘I Found A Reason’ – The Velvet Underground
‘Sittin’ Pretty’ – The Datsuns
Episode Six
‘Chapstick’ – Todrick Hall (feat. Trixie Mattel)
‘Faith’ – George Michael
‘Tell You (Today)’ – Loose Joints
‘With Or Without You’ – U2
‘The Gnome’ – Pink Floyd
‘Se Not Speaking’ – unofficial
‘Strawberry Letter 23’ – Shuggie Otis
Episode Seven
‘I Got A Name’ – Jim Croce
‘Push’ – Pharoahe Monch
‘Youth Against Fascism’ – Sonic Youth
‘Volunteers’ – Jefferson Airplane
‘You Like Me’ – Ezra Furman
‘Last Goodbye’ – Jeff Buckley
‘This Time Tomorrow (In The Canyon Haze)’ – Brandi Carlile
Episode Eight
‘2 Become 1’ – Spice Girls
‘Honeycomb’ – Ezra Furman
‘Seabird’ – Alessi Brothers
‘That’s A Bet’ – Arnold Albury and The Casuals
‘Footloose’ – Kenny Loggins
‘Colours’ – Donovan
‘Let It Be’ – Aretha Franklin
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Can’t get enough school-set drama? Read our review Sex Education season three, Netflix’s other massive global hit, Wednesday, or if 80s-style teens are more your thing, then of course there’s Stranger Things.
At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!
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Japan is the largest physical music market in the world and its music encompasses a huge range of sub-cultures, covering everything from pop through to the more underground local ska and punk scenes. Take a dive into the most popular genres from JPop and JRock to JSynth and Anime music and find out what contemporary Japanese music everyone is listening to.
Who Is the Biggest Star in Japan?
Oricon provides accumulated physical sales of all entries on its singles and albums charts. According to their records, Japan’s bestselling artist are B’z, a rock duo known for hard rock tracks and pop rock ballads. They’ve released a staggering 49 consecutive No. 1 singles, 25 No. 1 albums and have sold more than 100 million records worldwide.
The bestselling artists in terms of the number of singles sold are contemporary japanese music supergroup AKB48 with 50.8 million. Whilst Ayumi Hamasaki – dubbed ‘The Empress of JPop’ – holds the record for being the biggest-selling solo artist – and for being the first female and solo artist to sell more than 80 million records.
JPop refers to Western-influenced Japanese pop music, which has, over time, become highly influential in its own right. As with pop in the West, however, it’s an umbrella that covers lots of different sounds. Whilst plenty of bands have the classic cutesy, ‘bubble-gum’ sound, others are more on the edgy, dance, R&B or funk spectrum.
In common with Western pop stars, band members and singers such as Morning Musume, Arashi, Perfume, Scandal, and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (dubbed ‘Japan’s Lady Gaga’) attract legions of devoted fans and are trend setters for fashion and style.
The Top-Selling Jpop Band
AKB48 are literally the biggest band in the world, featuring a rotating cast of over 130 members, who have their own theatre in Akihabara, where they perform nightly. The band first formed in 2005 as a girl group – in a world where superstars seemed unattainable, music producer Yasushi Akimoto wanted to create ‘idols you can meet.’ The first 20 members, ‘Team A’, debuted in December 2005, and in early 2006, 18 new members formed ‘Team K’ – by October of that year, ‘Team B’ had joined.
The theatre shows have expanded to an AKB48 café, ‘meet and greet’ events with the fans and special collector’s edition music – plus spinoff groups, such as BNK48 (Bangkok), MNL48 (Manila) and TPE48 based in Taipei. The original band are now a cultural phenomenon, appearing in manga, video games and on their own weekly TV shows, while their YouTube channel has 2.38 million subscribers.
JRock
Most JRock bands are guitar and drum-driven. One of the biggest, L’Arc-en-Ciel, have sold over 40 million records and were the first Japanese act to headline at Madison Square Garden. Sub-genreVisual Rock has a focus, as you’d expect, on how the band looks, with vibrant costumes, bright, flamboyant hair and make-up and a fair bit of drag. Visual Rock bands to check out include DIR EN GREY, the GazettE and X Japan.
JSynth
Japanese electronic music has flourished both in Japan and abroad in recent years. Japanese artists such as Takako Minekawa, Fantastic Plastic Machine, and Kahimi Karie are creating ground-breaking beats.
Hatsune Miku: Japan’s Virtual Pop Star
She started as a personification of vocal synthesizing software, but now turquoise-haired Hatsune Miku is a bona fide star in her own right. She has over 100,000 original songs under her name, over two million Facebook followers – more than any individual Japanese pop star or group – and she’s fronted campaigns for top global brands including Toyota and Google.
Within a month of Crypton Future Media’s release of its computer software application in 2007, it became the highest-grossing software of the time and Hatsune Miku rapidly became part of ‘idol culture’. She now ‘performs’ as a hologram in concert, backed by a live band.
If you’ve seen the Black Mirror episode Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too, where Miley Cyrus’s popstar character Ashley O is transformed into a hologram whom her handlers find easier to manage than the real thing, or read about Whitney Houston’s upcoming tour, eight years after the star’s death, then you’ve seen the ‘reality’ of holographic stars. Is it the future of music? Don’t bet against it.
Anime Music
In the 1960s, anime became a stand-alone music genre, and it’s now one of the most popular types of Japanese music. JPop and JRock stars often lend their talents to anime music – such as the cinematic rock ballad Red Swan, which is the opening theme of Attack on Titan season three. This was created by Yoshiki, the leader of X Japan, and Hyde, L’Arc-en-Ciel’s vocalist.
Spotify’s Global Cultures initiative was launched in 2018 to promote culturally diverse music by surfacing hits from different countries, spotlighting popular tracks that cross cultures. This has definitely created a global audience for anime music, as Noriko Ashizawa, the Head of Content for Spotify in Japan, highlights.
‘The music streaming era only came over to Japan recently, mainly because physical sales are still strong here,’ she explains. ‘However, more and more Japanese artists are finding a lot of potential listeners of their music outside of the country – where physical sales aren’t as popular anymore – on Spotify. Anime is one of the most effective channels to attract global listeners to Japanese music. We’ve started creating a variety of Anime playlists dedicated to each popular series such as Attack on Titan and JOJOs Bizarre Adventure to help promote J-Tracks and spread them around the globe, similar to the recent rise of Latinx music and K-Pop.’
Whether you’re new to anime or a die-hard fan, get a taste with the Attack on Titan soundtrack.
Japanese Music Facts
Did you know that:
It used to be illegal to dance in Japan! The ‘Fueiho Law’, also known as ‘The Flashdance Law’ was passed just after World War II, making it illegal to dance inside music venues which didn’t have a certified ‘dancing licence’. The law has been lifted in recent years, in an attempt to be a bit more tourist-friendly
Japan lays claim to the world’s shortest pop hit. The viral hit PPAP, aka Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen shot Japanese comedian Pikotaro into the Billboard Hot 100 – the first time in 26 years that a Japanese singer had made the US list.
Despite their love of tech, the Japanese still love CDs – 85% of all music sales in Japan are CDs
And it’s illegal to sell a CD for under $25 – leading to a huge market in CD rental services
Wrapping Up: The Sounds of Japan
Japan’s music scene is a vibrant mix of diverse genres, from chart-topping rock acts like B’z to the phenomenon of AKB48. JPop, JRock, JSynth, and Anime music all contribute to its rich catalogue.
In this ever-evolving landscape, Japan’s music continues to captivate audiences at home and across the globe. Whether you’re a long-time fan or new to Japanese music, there’s something exciting waiting for you to explore.
Need Japanese Music for Your Project?
At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!
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