The Benefits of a Music Supervisor :: Interview with Carrie Hughes
by Jordan Passman on May 11, 2012 in Music Supervision
Music supervisors are a tremendous resource for any type of media project. This interview is dedicated to displaying their value in our current industry. Carrie Hughes may very well be the QUEEN music supervisor for reality television.
She has worked on such TV Shows as The Sing Off, Fashion Star, The Hills, The Hard Times of RJ Berger, The Real L Word, America’s Best Dance Crew, Braxton Family Values and upcoming projects Wake Brothers and Buck Wild as a music supervisor.
——————————————-
Jordan Passman: Let’s start with the basics: What is a music supervisor and why would I need one for my project?
Carrie Hughes: A music supervisor oversees all aspects of music in a project. This includes creative decisions such as shaping the signature sound of the show. This is done often in conjunction with a composer and based on direction from the executives. We work to clear all the songs used in a project. We track the cost of all music related expenses to make sure the production does not go over budget. We also manage delivery schedules with composers etc..
Every project should have a music supervisor, no matter what. I can’t tell you how many times I have been called to “clean up” a show that didn’t hire a music sup initially. The bottom line is most producers and editors (love em all) don’t know any real truth about clearance…there are so many mis conceptions out there…”I thought we could use it for like 10 seconds before we have to clear it”…”but the network has an ascap license isn’t that all we need?”..”but they are my friend and said it was cool”. I could go on and on!
I have also encountered multiple projects that just have artists sign materials releases, which is completely different than a master or sync license and completely invalid for music licensing. If you need a financial reason Music Supervisors have the experience and knowledge to know what things cost so when you have a music supervisor on a project you can rest easy that you are getting the best deal.
Lastly there is the creative aspect, we can offer insight on music that the average person can’t. We can take a project to the next level musically and have a substantial impact on the show overall. I like to give The Real L Word as an example, season one did not have a music supervisor it was basically all library music. Season 2 they brought me in and we completely revamped the shows musically. It’s one of the projects I am most proud of, there were so many comments online about how much better the show was with the new music direction, that was such a great feeling for me and really shows how a show can benefit from someone thinking about music. Additionally we are in constant contact with labels and publishers so we know what is being released before the general public and can incorporate that into a project to give it a fresh sound. I also think we as music supervisors are generally less biased when it comes to music placement. We are trained to step back and examine the placement and how it works for the project overall versus just putting in a favorite song. Anyway there are about a million more reasons why you should always hire a music supervisor but I’ll stop there.
JP: How much money should I set aside for licensing music and hiring a music supervisor on my tv show? (I’ve heard your music budget should be 10% of your total budget– is that an accurate rule of thumb?)
CH: It depends, every project is different. I have heard that 10% number before as well but I have no idea where it came from. It really depends on the creative vision of the show and the type of show. Show’s like America’s Best Dance Crew or The Sing Off had to have a decent music budget because they are very music driven whereas shows like Around The World in 80 Plates has a much smaller music budget and relies primarily on composed score. This is another reason you should hire or at least consult with a music supervisor before you budget your project. You need to determine what the musical vision for the show is, how many songs do you plan to use and for what rights do you need to clear, all that factors into the budget. You may determine you can’t afford the music you want for the rights you need so maybe the show needs to do a rescore in which any pop music is replaced with library music for dvd’s or syndication airings. That is what we did with the hills, they used all major label pop songs in the main broadcast version and then I had to rescore everything with cheaper alternative songs for the dvd’s, so there are just many factors and discussions that should happen before you budget a show that it is impossible to give a general number or percentage.
As for budgeting to hire a supervisor it can vary, some sups get paid weekly, some per episode and everyones rates are different. It’s similar to producers, both parties just have to negotiate to where they are happy.
JP: Allow me to play dumb for a moment–If I am currently using a very famous song, and it works perfectly with my scene, can I just use it? What are the repercussions if I don’t pay for it? What’s the broad range of fees for music licensing (from baby bands to stadium rockers)?
CH: No you can not just use it. Repercussions would be rather expensive lawsuits. Licensing fees have such a broad range because it all depends on the level of the artists, the type of use, the rights you are requesting it can be as low as $500 for an indie band up to hundreds of thousands of dollars for bigger bands.
JP: The price of a song will always vary depending on the terms of use within the project…what terms of use do you suggest going after for lower budget indie projects?
CH: Well you can deal with lower budgets a few ways. For TV if you can reduce the rights you are clearing for to maybe TV only for 2 years that is significantly cheaper than clearing for All Media/World Wide/Perpetuity, but then you do have to figure out a plan if you intend to put the show on itunes or dvd and what you will do once the 2 year term is up. You can also reduce the number of songs you use, If you were hoping to use 5 per episode maybe you can only afford 2 but cleared for the broad rights. Lastly you can use cheaper music, there is so much great indie music that works just as well as major label pop music but can be licensed for significantly less. Certain shows can’t get away with that like Dance Crew, Sing Off, Fashion Star, those are big stage shows that people want to hear big recognizable pop songs in but we use all indie stuff in Real L Word and it works very well. So there is always a way to work with a small budget it’s just a matter of prioritizing.
JP: Do you still see value in music soundtracks? Are these a potential moneymaking avenue for a show or indie film today?
CH: I think there is definitely value in soundtracks, just look at the Twilight soundtrack or Glee. I think the key is having something special to offer and making sure that the project is the right project to put out a soundtrack. Not every show should do a soundtrack, it should be a show where music is a key element otherwise it doesn’t make sense. It should also be mutually beneficial to the artists and the company putting it out. For example we discussed putting out a soundtrack for The Real L Word but given our low music budget we use all unsigned artists on that show so would that make for good soundtrack sales? I don’t know. I’d like to think it would do well just based on the reaction of the audience to the music in last season but at the end of the day there is more to it than that. We wouldn’t have a custom track by Bruno Mars to help promote it and we are also not a network powerhouse show like Glee so is the money we would have to put into marketing it worth it? We decided no at this point but maybe we’ll re-evalutate after season 3, who knows!. But I do think if done right they are great for fans of music and as another tool to promote a project or have an additional revenue stream.
JP: What song is stuck in your head right now?
CH: Gotye “Somebody That I Used To Know”…because it’s on the radio every two seconds, it’s ok though I am not sick of yet.
JP: What are some of your favorite bands right now?
CH: I have quite a few I feel like there is a lot of great music out right now
Gotye
Fun.
The Cadillac Black
Chiddy Bang
Of Monsters And Men
Gary Clark Jr
Ghost Beach
A Silent Film (this is a band I have known for years and licensed for a few projects they recently got signed to EMI and are putting out new material, I love them)
Firefox AK (used them on Real L Word last season, they also just got signed to EMI! I get excited when indie bands I have used get signed!)
Stepdad
Amtrac
Sammy Adams
I guess I’ll stop there.
JP: Where is the best music on TV right now?
CH: I loved song selections in How To Make It In America, Shameless, Sons Of Anarchy, The Secret Circle, just to name a few. Those are the shows I am most excited about as a music supervisor I feel like every single song placement on those shows is perfect! The music sups on those do a phenomenal job!
JP: THANK YOU!!!