THE MODERN FILM COMPOSER – “Where did all the music go?”

In my quest to becoming an every day working film composer I have made a few substantial connections that would normally reap the benefits of networking. In other words, getting work. Although it is not for the lack of trying on either party, it sure seems like the end of 09 and beginning of 2010 has felt the pinch of the faucet turning off.

One might say it was just a matter of time before this “recession”, code for “depression”, has affected the entertainment industry, which I am willing to accept. The issue that dumb founds me is the fact that there is more content on T.V. than there ever has been in the history of television. Truth is, there are probably a lot more films being released because a lot of them go to DVD a lot faster these days. So why is it that the ever so important aspect of story telling, on any level, that music brings is being pushed to the back of the line?

You might think that I’m crazy because all the big shows are still doing well. Lost, Amazing Race, Hells Kitchen, etc. And there are a whole lot of new shows popping up on the networks as well, but us back end supporters are being squeezed by cheap libraries and licensed bands. I’m all for both, believe it or not, but how much is being lost in quality for the saving of a few bucks? Maybe a lot, maybe a little. At the end of the day the giant corporations that back all of this content don’t really care. It’s all about the money. At what point do the numbers start to make sense again after somewhere in the back section of the company assets in a housing tract that was a complete loss is compensated by the success of the next hottest singing high school show about bliss. Sorry, long winded… it’s the only thing that really makes sense though.

All of this falls in line with the fact that the infrastructure that has supported the television industry is in complete confusion. Advertising dollars are being redirected and big networks are not the ones making ALL of the blockbusters anymore. Everything as we know it is going to change and no one seems to know when and how… including Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien.

The truth is, it’s like any other industry. There is a pyramid of what is the most successful and profitable. The biggest bang for the buck is at the tip of that pyramid, but is also the hardest to squeeze your way into. The shows that are making money are still making a lot of money. The budgets keep coming and studios are banking on the next big hit. But the people making that hit are staying put, perfectly happy. The trick of course is to get into the next one, slipping in under the radar… or just bulling your way through the crowd. Either way, it’s about the tight nit peeps at the tip of that pyramid. I’m still working on how to accomplish that… I’ll keep you posted.

One thing is for sure, artists typically are not driven by money. They are driven by the art and fulfillment of that project. The budget crunchers are only driven by money. What’s the point of investing in something that isn’t going to reap a profit. So here’s the thing about it. Without the artists there is no content, and without content you have no product, and with no product you have nothing to sell, and with nothing to sell you have no income. On the flip side, without the money, you have no tools or way to sustain yourself, so with no tools, there is no art, and if you have no art you are no longer an artist. So at the end of the day… we need each other. There’s no other way around it, and there is no reason to fight it.

If you bring back the music, you bring in the money!