After nearly 30 months of litigation, DMX, Inc., a leading provider of commercial music services, won its rate court proceeding against performing rights organization BMI. In a July 26 opinion and order (click to download), federal district judge Louis Stanton of the Southern District of New York ordered BMI to provide DMX with an adjustable fee blanket license (AFBL) that allows DMX to make deductions from its BMI license fee bill for performances of music that DMX licenses directly from music publishers and writers.

This has the direct effect of creating a financial incentive for DMX and any other music user who receives the AFBL license to license performing rights directly from publishers and writers. Local television stations have already requested the AFBL, and other companies are expected to follow soon.

DMX’s accounting to publishers and writers for direct licensed works features quarterly accounting 45 days after the end of each quarter, as opposed to the typical performing rights organization schedule of 9 or more months after a performance. DMX also provides direct counts of the number of plays of each work.

The precedent has the potential to fundamentally change the landscape of performing rights in the US, as currently most music users use a blanket license from the US royalty societies which provides no financial motivation to direct license music. The AFBL gives copyright owners the ability to directly license their own content when they determine it is in their interest to do so, and is expected to put pressure on performing rights organizations to reduce administrative fees and increase transparency as they compete to offer both music users and copyright owners better value and service.

Ron Gertz, Chairman of Music Reports, Inc. which handles licensing and royalty administration for DMX said, “This is a historic decision that is going to provide real opportunities for music publishers to promote their catalogues directly with music users, increase their revenues and obtain much more transparent accountings than ever available before.”

Christopher Harrison, DMX’ General Counsel said, “DMX believes that securing licenses directly from music publishers presents an opportunity for the publishers – and the writers they represent – to receive greater royalties through DMX’ increased use of their musical compositions. In addition, DMX’ royalty reporting is completely transparent, allowing publishers to see exactly how many times each one of their songs was performed on DMX’ service and the resulting royalty payments.

R. Bruce Rich, senior partner and co-head of Weil, Gotshal & Manges’ IP & Media practice, who represents DMX, describes Judge Stanton’s decision as “a gratifying affirmation of the role of the BMI rate court as a means of establishing meaningful alternative license structures to the blanket license. The Court’s implementation of a sensible crediting mechanism against blanket license payments otherwise owing where a user such as DMX has made significant investments in direct licensing should have broad application for other industries.”

BMI issued a statement late yesterday stating, “We strongly disagree with the court’s decision in the DMX case, which ignores the long history of Performance Right Organization (PRO) licensing agreements in the background music industry. We are examining the decision in depth and evaluating the basis for an appeal.”

When a music performance is direct licensed, a deal is struck between the broadcaster and the copyright owner of the music that represents a direct payment for performance royalties, and those performances no longer are licensed through the performing rights organizations. These direct payments can take the form of a single lump-sum buyout of the performing right or a series of payments that are paid as long as the program is broadcast.

The creation of a widely available broadcaster direct licensing credit for individual works has the potential to profoundly affect how composers and songwriters are paid for public performances, as many more broadcasters could be in a position to realize significant cost savings by direct licensing the performance right directly from composers or as part of the composer’s agreement with a production company.

The resulting shift of the performing right licensing process away from royalty societies and into individual, private deals with production companies, music libraries and composers could create major changes in how composers and songwriters are paid performance royalties for their music as private negotiations by individual copyright owners replace collective representation by the performing rights societies. For example, production companies that own copyright as a result of composer work-for-hire agreements could be paid a direct license fee by one or more broadcasters for score music they own. What portion of those direct license fees would be payable to composers depends entirely on the individual composer’s agreement with the production company.

Music libraries could also find themselves in the position of being potential middlemen in negotiations for direct license payments with production companies, leaving composers dependent on whatever language may be in their agreements with music libraries to determine what portion of direct license fees, if any, is paid to the composer. So-called “retitling” libraries who do not own copyright may represent a better option for composers in this situation, since they do not own copyright and cannot grant a direct license unless their contract specifically gives them the ability to do so.

At this event, NARIP has invited top experts to face off in a live negotiation of key deal points and contractual issues in a music license agreement. They will also discuss marketing music for film and TV to make it more attractive to buyers, where to find them and how to put yourself in line for the best possible deal.

Topics Covered Include:

The right time to make a deal.

Major areas of negotiation, including:

* Terms
* Options
* Fee ranges
* Deliverables
* Clearances
* Things to avoid
* Closing the deal

A sample license agreement will be distributed at event.

Also:

* Case studies: what works, what doesn’t and why
* Making the pitch: necessary elements
* Timing
* What music buyers such as music supervisors, ad agencies and gaming companies really look for
* How to increase the impact and marketability of music

GUEST SPEAKERS

John Houlihan, Music Supervisor, Houlihan Film Music
Other speakers TBA.

WHEN

Wednesday, September 22, 2010
6:00 p.m. – Registration and networking
7:00 p.m. – Program begins
8:15 p.m. – Break
9:30 p.m. – Program ends

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Artist Managers, Producers & Artist Reps
Record & Music Publishing Executives
Licensing & Film Professionals
Anyone seeking to create or enhance revenue from music licensing.

WHERE

Los Angeles Film School
6363 Sunset Boulevard
Hollywood, CA 90028

Major cross streets: Sunset & Cahuenga

Parking

Free street parking available after 6pm (read signs!) and paid parking available in the LA Film School parking lot (first lot on Ivar south of Sunset).

REGISTER NOW

$20: NARIP Members
$40: Non-members
$75 for lawyers who wish to receive MCLE credit

Attention attorneys: receive MCLE credit for attending this program for only $75. Request for MCLE Credit approval is pending.

3 WAYS TO REGISTER

1. Online: www.narip.com (just scroll down)
2. Phone: 818-769-7007
3. Walk-up (if space permits)

Advance RSVP encouraged.
Pre-paid admission guarantees seating.
No refunds.
We appreciate your cooperation.

QUESTIONS?

Call us at 818-769-7007 or email info@narip.com.

Participants will benefit from the mentorship of Emmy Award-winning composer and arranger Richard Bellis. Author of The Emerging Film Composer and member of ASCAP’s Board of Directors, Bellis has coached the workshop for the past twelve years, and led a panel selection of the twelve workshop participants, who were selected from several hundred applicants worldwide. The workshop was originally founded by the late film and television composer Fred Karlin.

“With this program, ASCAP introduces these 12 talented composer participants to Hollywood’s elite, including award-winning film and television composers, orchestrators and top-tier business professionals,” said Bellis. “In addition, participants receive a rare glimpse of what it’s like to be an A-list film composer. They are given a scene to score from a major motion picture and then surrounded by every benefit and luxury afforded a big budget music score – music editor, scoring mixer, contractor, copyists and a 65 piece L.A. studio orchestra on one of the largest recording stages in town. There is nothing like this workshop anywhere else in the world.”

This year’s workshop is partially supported by The ASCAP Foundation with an additional contribution from ole, one of the world’s largest independent, full-service music publishers. “One of ole’s core endeavors is to support and develop promising talent and our creator community,” says David Weitzman, director of Business Development at ole.

With an ideal combination of state-of-the-art facilities and access to some of the industry’s most renowned professionals, the four-week power-packed workshop assigns each participant a three-minute scene from a well-known feature film. They have 9 days to compose an original score to fit the scene which concludes with a scoring session with L.A.’s finest session musicians from the Recording Musicians Association on the legendary Eastwood Scoring Stage at Warner Bros. Studios. Armed with state-of-the-art tools, the participants have the benefit of working with a team of professionals, including a music editor and Pro Tools operator, recording engineer and booth recordist, music librarian and prep service, and a musicians contractor. On the last day of the workshop, ASCAP screens all of the clips, complete with effects and dialogue, in a theater at the Directors Guild of America. Each composer will walk away with an impressively competitive top-of-the-line demo, invaluable resources, and a head start to launching a career as a composer.

The workshop has guided talent in taking their craft to the next level, and has produced a large number of success stories. In previous years, the workshop has featured top ASCAP composers as speakers including: Sean Callery (24, Bones, Medium), John Debney (Predators, Iron Man 2), Michael Giacchino (Star Trek, Up, Lost), Mark Isham (The Secret Life of Bees, Bobby) Randy Newman (Toy Story 1, 2 & 3, Leatherheads), James Newton Howard (Salt, The Dark Knight), Mark Snow (Ghost Whisperer, The X-Files), Brian Tyler (The Expendables, Fast & Furious, Eagle Eye) and Hans Zimmer (Inception, The Dark Night).

Industry veterans who regularly contribute their time and talent to the program include: music editor Michael Ryan co-founder of Mad 4 Music, Jo Ann Kane Music Services, legendary recording engineer Armin Steiner, contractor Peter Rotter, RMA International President Phil Ayling, orchestrator David Slonaker, scoring mixer John Rodd and concert master Endre Granat.

The 22nd annual ASCAP Television and Film Scoring Workshop participants include:

PETER BATEMAN
Website: www.peterbateman.com
Hometown: Culver City, CA / Reading, U.K.
Peter studied music at the University of Birmingham, U.K, and moved to Los Angeles in September 2007 to study film composition at UCLA. Over the last three years, Peter has assisted and orchestrated for a variety of film and video game composers. He has also written music for short and feature-length movies. In 2009, Peter was a recipient of the Pete Carpenter Fellowship.

“Working ‘behind-the-scenes’ as an assistant or orchestrator can cause you to lose sight of the bigger picture. The ASCAP workshop is the perfect way to connect with top flight industry professionals and get hands-on experience on a composer-level, and remind myself why I came to Los Angeles in the first place. Thanks ASCAP!” – Peter Bateman

ERIC JASPER
Website: www.ericjasper.com
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Eric received a Bachelor’s degree in music composition from Stanford University and continued his studies at the Scoring for Motion Picture and Television graduate program at USC’s Thornton School of Music. In 2009, Eric won a Los Angeles Area Emmy award for a documentary that he scored and co-produced. Eric’s recent projects include arranging music for a musical that is in development, and writing for a series of promotional films for the LA Kings. In addition to his own projects, Eric has worked with LA composers on several feature films as an orchestrator, synth programmer, and technical consultant.

“It is an honor to attend this prestigious workshop in the company of such talented composers. The opportunity to meet and learn from the industry’s finest professionals is invaluable.” – Eric Jasper

JUSTIN KEARIN
Website: www.justinkearin.com
Hometown: Sydney, Australia
Justin is a freelance musician, composer and arranger based in Sydney, Australia. He has just completed scoring his second feature film and past credits include a string of TV commercials and title music for ABC television programs. In 2009, he was employed as an arranger for Australian Idol and is in demand as an orchestrator with works performed by many of the major Australian orchestras and the Danish Radio Orchestra. In addition to film scoring, Justin is an experienced songwriter with one of his songs being recently selected by Chinese superstar, Andy Lau, for his next album to be released later this year.

“I am very excited and honoured to have been selected for the workshop. It is not often that one is offered an opportunity to learn from the best in the business, and I look forward to sharing the experience with the eleven other talented composers.” – Justin Kearin

JOEL KREIMEYER-KELLY
Website: www.joelkk.com
Hometown: Pasadena, CA / Tucson, AZ
Joel is a Los Angeles-based composer who completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Arizona and the University of Auckland. He continued his studies at USC through the Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television program and is currently pursuing a career in the music industry in the Los Angeles area.

“It is such a privilege to be included in the ASCAP film scoring workshop this year, as the opportunities it presents for meeting wonderful people within the film industry is unparalleled. To learn from, and work with, some of the best in the business as well as all the talented participants is a true blessing and a great honor.” – Joel Kreimeyer-Kelly

JJ LEE
Website: www.jjleemusic.com
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA / Boston, MA / Seoul, South Korea
JJ’s background in classical and jazz composition account for the lush, sophisticated orchestral scores with hints of jazz harmony that are hallmarks of her work. A pianist from age five and Berklee graduate who left her native Korea to pursue a career as a film composer in Hollywood, she has amassed an impressive list of credits in a short amount of time. Working in a wide range of media, she has scored and orchestrated film, television and video games. Among her credits are “At The Movies,” “Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands,” “Transformers II,” and “Gears Of War II.” She has been honored with a Sundance Composer Fellowship and Jerry Goldsmith Film Scoring Scholarship.

“As a young composer, being selected for the ASCAP Television and Film Scoring Workshop has been a dream of mine. I am excited by the challenge it presents to step up to the next level and the opportunity to meet and interact with fellow composers, both peers and industry titans.” – JJ Lee

CHRIS LORD
Website: www.chrislordmusic.com
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA / Boston, MA
Christopher pursues a modern, hybrid orchestral style that strives to complement narrative theme with musical tone. He has composed for indie features (Blind Ambition, Taxiwallah), network television (At The Movies) and video games (Transformers 2, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands). He is currently working on the upcoming ABC police procedural, 187 Detroit. In addition, his orchestrations can be heard on films such as Evan Almighty, My Best Friend’s Girl, and Hotel for Dogs. A Sundance Composer Fellow and graduate of the Berklee College of Music, Chris resides in Los Angeles.

“While it’s true that summer brings many distractions, the ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop offers the unprecedented opportunity to work with and learn from the best in the business as well as record with a full orchestra of the finest studio musicians. What could be better than that? Besides, I don’t tan well. “- Chris Lord

LAYLA MINOUI
Website: www.laylaminoui.com
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Layla received her Bachelor of Arts in Music Composition at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she began to collaborate with different film directors. Not long after, she graduated the University of Southern California with a Graduate Certificate in Scoring for Motions Pictures and Television. In recent years, Layla has worked on several independent films and is currently working with composer Robert Duncan on various TV series such as Castle, Lie to Me, and The Gates.

“In this industry, there’s nothing more valuable than gaining the knowledge and insight of our industry professionals. The ASCAP Workshop is providing us with this opportunity to explore the many different aspects of the film music industry. Not to mention, having the opportunity to conduct for an extraordinary group of musicians. I’m so thankful to be a part of this experience and wouldn’t miss it for the world.” – Layla Minoui

DAMIAN MONTANO
Website: www.damianmontano.com
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA / Albuquerque, NM
After graduating from Rice University with his Bachelor of Music degree, Damian moved to Los Angeles to complete his Master’s degree at the University of Southern California, and pursue his dreams of writing music for film and performing on film scores. Since then, he has worked on projects ranging from scoring for television and feature film to writing works commissioned by the Houston Symphony and the LA Chamber Orchestra. As a bassoonist, he has performed on scores such as Alice in Wonderland, Bolt, Hancock, and Spider-Man 3.

“I’ve been looking forward to doing the ASCAP film scoring workshop for years and was thrilled to be accepted this summer! I’m excited about the invaluable hands-on opportunity of working with the industry’s top professionals and further developing my skills. I have had the chance to work on the scoring stage as a musician, and I’m grateful that ASCAP is providing me the amazing opportunity to experience recording with an LA session orchestra from the other side as a composer!” – Damian Montano

PETE SEIBERT
Website: www.peteseibert.com
Hometown: Santa Monica, CA
Pete graduated from the University of Virginia in 2008. An accomplished musician, his credits range from winning the Pittsburgh Young Artist Competition with a performance of Rachmaninoff’s 2nd to string arranging for producer PJ Bianco. Over the past year, he has worked on the films Dear John (additional arranging), Fame (conducting/piano), and Alice in Wonderland (scoring assistant).

“This is the first chance I’ve ever really had to meet a group of young composers. I can’t wait to learn from them and hear their stories. The same goes for all of the guest speakers, ASCAP people, and studio players involved in the workshop. I am ridiculously excited for this summer.” – Pete Seibert

COREY WALLACE
Website: http://coreywallace.com
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA / Chicago, IL
Although initially an engineering student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Corey began full time music study after scoring his student film. After graduating in 2008 with a BM in Music Composition, Corey continued his film scoring studies at USC’s Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television (SMPTV) program, graduating in the spring of 2009. Since leaving USC, Corey has scored 3 independent feature length films and has continued to work on high profile USC projects.

“My desire to be involved with this workshop is simple. It’s a professional development workshop, and I am a developing professional. Everything I’ve done for 7 years has been aimed at getting me to this point, and I want to keep heading in the right direction. Also, as someone who works tirelessly to always have live musicians in my recordings, I am very appreciative that ASCAP provides this opportunity to work with some of LA’s finest studio musicians, and gives us the chance to prove what we can do with the same resources as A-list composers.” – Corey Wallace

OLIVER WALLNER
Website: www.oliverwallner.com
Hometown: Vienna, Austria
Oliver received his Master’s degree in Music and Media Psychology from the University of Vienna and studied composition privately. Since 1998 he is working as a composer, audio producer and sound designer for film and interactive media, both as a freelancer and as an in-house composer for Austrian Gaming Industries. 2010 he also joined the team at Audiovibes Studios, Vienna.

“I’m really looking forward to learning from some of the best in the industry and recording my music with arguably the best session players in the world. I feel honored to be one of the few who have been selected for this workshop – it’s a unique opportunity, and also a childhood dream coming true!” – Oliver Wallner

LAURENT ZILIANI
Website: www.laurentziliani.com, www.pearupmedia.com
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA / Cannes, France
A native from Cannes, France, Laurent graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston where he pursued a Film Scoring Major. Upon graduation in 2007, he moved to Los Angeles assisting and orchestrating for composers such as Christopher Young and John Frizzell. In 2008, he co-founded PearUp Media, a music production company that specializes in music services for all types of visual media. Laurent is a versatile composer that has written music for feature films, documentaries and numerous short films. His most recent work includes music for the feature film “Suing The Devil” directed by Tim Chey starring Malcolm McDowell.

“Knowing that many successful composers working today once participated in the ASCAP workshop, I feel very fortunate and honored to be selected this year. l truly believe this opportunity will be very helpful to my career for several reasons. First of all, I will have a chance to improve my writing and orchestration skills, as well as my dramatic understanding of film scoring. I will also learn about industry-related topics such as business, contracts, publicity, and so on, which are so very important in our line of work. I am really looking forward to meeting the speakers of the workshop as I know that ASCAP will bring in leading professionals from various fields of our industry. And of course, I am very much looking forward to the recording session, especially since it will be the first time for me to record with an A-list orchestra at a state-of-the-art stage.” – Laurent Ziliani

Vitello’s (upstairs)
4349 Tujunga Ave
Studio City, CA

The group will be studying Maurice Ravel’s masterwork Daphnis and Chloe Suite #1. This will be an in-depth examination of Ravel’s art and the technique of his orchestrations and music. Each month’s session will include a special performance by an instrumentalist giving insight into how to get the most out of your composing and orchestration your instrument. This month: special musical master artist Emil Richards, Percussion

Ron Jones brings his professional knowledge and experience to create and present an innovative look into this work. No homework is required, but there are detailed notes and a course of study that one can download and work on at home. It is intended for professional composers and orchestrators, but will be accessible to students, musicians and those interested in learning more about Ravel and this work. This is part of a continuing series.

To get on the e-mail list for course info, please e-mail Ron Jones at ron@ronjonesproductions.com. The notes for the study are available to anyone, so those who are not in Los Angeles can join in the study. Follow this link to download the notes: www.ronjonesproductions.com/ravel

Cost: $25, which includes a lunch of various pizzas, pasta, salads and beverages (tax and gratuity included)

For Reservations: Call Vitello’s at 818-769-0905 or April Williams at 818-632-4868

The event will be held from 7:00-8:00 PM in BMI’s Los Angeles office at 8730 Sunset Blvd., 3rd Floor West.

Space is limited: RSVP to classes@blacksandmusic.net or visit http://www.blacksandmusic.net/class for more information.

Also Worth Picking Up: Despicable Me, Dexter Seasons 2 / 3, I Am Love, Iron Man 2, Knight And Day, Live Evil, Oscar: The Color Of Destiny, Office Space / Idiocracy, Shiver and The Mean Season


To purchase the soundtracks from this list, click on the CD cover

1) I AM LOVE

Price: $13.99

What is it?: If there’s a marble-skinned actress who’s inspired works of musical art, then gaze no further than Tilda Swinton, whose movies have played muse to gorgeous scores by the likes of Sally Potter (ORLANDO), David Byrne (YOUNG ADAM) and Peter Nashel (THE DEEP END). And Swinton’s flicks don’t get any artier than this Italian-set exercise in bourgeois ennui, which doesn’t so much inspire composing originality as it does this assembly of greatest hits by the American Avant-gardist John Adams.

Why should you buy it?: The decision of LOVE filmmaker Luca Guadagnino to “score” his movie with Adams might be the most noteworthy exercise in matching image and already-existing “classical” music since Spike Lee applied Aaron Copland’s Americana to the basketball matches of HE GOT GAME. Yet when it comes to the glorious villas, food and sensuality that’s all about Italy’s disaffected jet set, you couldn’t find a more glorious match than the lavish magic to be had in such off-kilter Adams works as “Foxtrot Orchestra,” “The Death of Kinghoffer” and “Fearful Symmetries.” Adams unique approach is wrapping what might be considered minimalism in a glorious wash of rampaging orchestra melodies- the kind of music that does anything but lie there unnoticed amongst LOVE’s skin and scenery.

Extra Special: You couldn’t imagine the soundtrack for I AM LOVE landing anywhere else than with Nonesuch Records, a home to such like-minded American avant-garde composers as Philip Glass and Steve Reich. If anything, I AM LOVE’s beautiful assembly of Adams’ noteworthy tunes will inspire further exploration by those new to the work of this lion of accessible, experimental music. I confess that I am one of those listeners to be thusly inspired.


2) IRON MAN 2 (Score CD)

Price: $10.99

What is it?: Nowadays, it almost seems impossible to see superhero underscores fly in on time to simultaneously hit with their film’s release, which usually favors those super-villainous rock soundtracks first. But fear not when it comes to IRON MAN 2. While we’re still waiting on that Christopher Young SPIDER-MAN 3 CD, this generous serving of John Debney’s music for the red and gold avenger definitely suffices when it comes to a super-heroic summer scores.

Why should you buy it?: While Ramin Djawadi gave the first IRON MAN a propulsive techno edge, it’s Debney’s previous association with director Jon Favreau on the kid’s fantasy film ZATHURA that’s finally brought this composer into the Marvel fray. While the electronic edge is definitely present, this new IRON MAN score benefits greatly from the inventive orchestral power that Debney brings to the suit. The Russian shocker Whiplash gets an ominous Soviet-sounding orchestra (complete with a Stalin-era chorus), while the ethnically non-descript Black Widow receives a slinky femme fatale groove, all as Tony Stark revs up his car with James Bond-style spy jazz. Perhaps even more entertaining is Debney’s Walt Disney-via-Howard Stark ditty “Make Way For Tomorrow,” a wonderfully saccharine 50’s era hymn to the joys of capitalism. And when it comes to battles, the kind of epic adventure scoring that Debney got to swing with most notably in CUTTHROAT ISLAND is back here in spades. For in an era when superhero scores are getting darker than dark, it’s nice to have ol’ shellhead showing up with a sense of actual, soaring fun.

Extra Special: Of course there’s nothing wrong when that other IRON MAN 2 album consists of AC/DC classics. And like Djawadi, Debney conjures matches their metal some great guitar thrash, especially when it comes to Whiplash’s furious energy. Between his acoustical work here and the grunge sound he’s given to this season’s PREDATORS, John Debney might just be film composing’s new answer to Angus McKinnon.


3) OFFICE SPACE / IDIOCRACY (1200 edition)

Price: $19.98

What is it?: From desk drones to couch potatoes, few filmmakers-cum-animators have satirically nailed the stupidity of America like Mike Judge- especially when it came to inspiring the composers of his oft-quoted, live action efforts OFFICE SPACE and IDIOCRACY. Now La La Land plays dumb by releasing the very smart musical scores of John Frizzell and Theodore Shapiro, whose work ranges from tick-tock tropical madness to a Neanderthal spin on PLANET OF THE APES.

Why should you buy it?: Stupid is as stupid scores when comedy soundtracks often force their laughs, which makes the eccentric approaches of OFFICE SPACE and IDIOCRACY seem positively intellectual. Frizzell plays the madness of the work place with timely suspense, “Mmmm yeahhhh” sustains and a gonzo combo of yodeling, ukulele playing and Stephen Foster’s “Beautiful Dreamer,” all inspired by the hypnotic effects of Hawaiian Shirt Day. As for a full body latte world taken over by Carl’s Jr., Shapiro takes his symphonically primeval page from the tribal percussion that once gave Charlton Heston ape chase, topped off with bull-headed military strains and a knowing dose of dramatic pretentiousness- not to mention the dumb ass guitar licks and monster truck hollers of Mike Judge himself.

Extra Special: Extensive liner notes feature new interviews with Judge, Frizzell and Shapiro, who reveal Judge (once a professional musician himself) as being particularly astute when it comes to directing two of the more eccentric, and memorable comedy scores in cult film history.


4) OSCAR: THE COLOR OF DESTINY (1,000 edition)

Price: $19.98

What is it?: In addition to their CD Club (which just announced a mega-SPARTACUS for August), Varese Sarabande has also has started up a limited edition category to spotlight under-the-radar scores by notable composers, both European and domestic. And one of their most impressive selections for the honor thus far is OSCAR: THE COLOR OF DESTINY, Diego Navarro’s gorgeous ode to the doomed Spanish surrealist painter Oscar Dominguez.

Why should you buy it?: Though you might not have heard of either man, Navarro’s OSCAR has the kind of lush, romantic power that will definitely pique further exploration. Like so many notable composers emerging from Spain as of late, Navarro exhibits an astonishing command of orchestrally-driven melody (as well as more intimate piano playing), complete with choruses and sweeping themes that speak the international language of conquering the world with ill-fated artistic aspirations. It’s the kind of all-out, thematic musical passion that we rarely get over here. But thanks to Varese, Navarro is allowed to make an impressive U.S. soundtrack introduction, along here with a suite from his equally poetic, if more patriotic take on space exploration for LOOK AT THE MOON.

Extra Special: With their impressive sonic clarity, you’d think that OSCAR and MOON were taken from those picture’s soundtracks. But in fact, both are the result of excellent live playing at a movie music concert held on the Spanish island of Tenerife, home to a film score festival the likes of which fans can only dream of over here. Thankfully, the rousing sound of OSCAR is certainly the next best thing to being there.


5) THEY WON’T STAY DEAD (Music from the soundtrack of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD)

Price: $23.99

What is it?: Original music wasn’t one of the luxuries George Romero could afford when he made his ultra-low budget zombie film. Instead, his undead would be propelled by a vast, chilling selection of tunes culled from the Capitol Hi-Q production library. And we aren’t talking about the reading kind.

Why should you buy it?: Sure, new music would’ve been nice for NIGHT OF LIVING DEAD. But there was something very appropriate about the over-the-top orchestrations and eerily shimmering strings and electronics that filled its soundtrack. These tunes also fleshed out the impoverished musical coffers of the likes of TEENAGERS FROM OUTER SPACE, the kind of grade-Z exploitationers that would influenced Romero to make his own “A” picture here. While the director would continue to use library music (more out of self-referentialism than necessity) alongside John Harrison’s score for CREEPSHOW and Goblin’s progressive rock tunes in DAWN OF THE DEAD, Romero’s tasteful tracking of malefic “stock” music in NOLD remains unequalled.

Extra Special: There’s a lot of love in that farmhouse from album producer Jim Cirronella, who has truly spruced up the sound of DEAD’s choice cuts into music worth sonically fearing again. Better yet, it all works as one rampaging, moaning musical voice- further proof of Romero’s eccentric musical tastes. One can only imagine Cirronella’s formidable task of tracking this library music down, let alone remastering over 40 tracks into a very nice package that does the LIVING DEAD proud, especially with informative liner notes that describes how Romero re-animated this all-purpose stuff into one of the creepiest “unoriginal” soundtracks of all time. You even get the pristine audio from the NOLD trailer to put the last nail in it soundtrack coffin.


Also for Your Consideration


DESPICABLE ME

Former N.E.R.D. singer Pharrell Williams is the evil mastermind of this kid-friendly CD, which certainly shows he can play hip-hop to the younger set after collaborating with every artist from Jay-Z to Snoop Dogg. Here he’s rapping in the voice of the not-so arch villain Groo, conjuring cleverly evil lyrics for the title tune, pure soul joy in “Fun, Fun, Fun” and “Prettiest Girls,” and sweet, lullaby rhythms about the joys of moon-snatching in “Rocket’s Theme.” Additional disco cuteness is topped off by the likes of The Sylvers and the Bee Gees. But if there’s one tune that truly steals DESPICABLE ME, then it’s the discombobulated piano and electric funk percussion of Agnes’ single-minded lyrics for “The Unicorn Song.” About the only thing DESPICABLE about this album is the complete absence of Heitor Pereira’s memorably energetic score for this surprisingly fun, and just a bit sentimental CG toon caper.

DEXTER SEASON 2 / 3

If America’s favorite TV serial killer got his oats from being raised by an unhinged father, then it seems only natural that DEXTER’s composer Daniel Licht got his seminal training under HELLRAISER horror maestro Christopher Young before setting out on his own with the blood-curdling likes of CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT, AMITYVILLE 1992 and BAD MOON. Yet it’s Licht’s equally busy work on such indies and TV series as PERMANENT MIDNIGHT, SPLENDOR and KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL that’s allowed him to combine the best of both sounds since DEXTER’s cable inception. This seemingly nice guy has gone about his business season after season with an eclectic vibe that encompasses every alt. approach from tropical guitar to tribal percussion and tinkertoy bells. In fact, you’d think serial killing was a downright, playful and folksy occupation over seasons 2 and 3, except for the fact that Licht makes sure all of this stuff is just a bit off, if not downrightly unhinged. Now some of DEXTER’s best musical slashes over the period get their MP3 due from Milan, revealing a hypnotic method to Licht’s madness that only gets more intriguing with each season. And if serial killing for mass consumption has proven one thing, it’s that slaying keeps one busy, if not downright pleasurable in Licht’s inventive hands.

KNIGHT AND DAY

Though Jason Bourne might not have cracked a grin when being pursued by John Powell’s hyper-rhythms across three films (and counting), you can be sure that such hip, light-hearted action pictures as THE ITALIAN JOB, JUMPER and MR. AND MRS. SMITH got their groove on with a wink and a smile thanks to the propulsively inventive approach of John Powell. So it’s no surprise that KNIGHT AND DAY would call upon his services. And much like the arch sound he’d employed for Brad Pitt and Angelina, Powell brings on his once-unlikely musical grab bag of tangos, military percussion, lush orchestrations and rocking vibes to Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. While it’s not exactly fresh anymore, Powell’s sheer, clever energy helps makes KNIGHT AND DAY just as much tremendous fun as a film and a listen, once again proving that bullfighter music-on-speed exotica can have a double-shot of thrills and whimsy for a score that’s equal parts toe-tapping and trigger-pulling.



THE LEGEND OF THE 7 GOLDEN VAMPIRES (1,000 edition)

James Bernard certainly scored some kooky Hammer horror in his famed tenure at the English studio. But nothing took the cake like their 1974 mash-up of Dracula and martial arts footcuffs as a dying Hammer desperately sought new ways to pump new blood into their gothic formula. However, the result would be one of their more innovatively entertaining efforts, given no small amount of symphonic class by Bernard. Arguably the best composer of Hammer’s horror stable, Bernard applied the famed theme he’d been using since 1958’s HORROR OF DRACULA to a venture that saw the vampire lord go way East, complementing his brooding sound with some lovely Chinese music along the way. Even more surprisingly, Bernard’s action music proved to be adept at catching the dubbed high-kicks that the Shaw Brothers brought to the castle. Even neater on this album (its history once again given Hammer liner-fu by Randall Larson) is the accompanying “Story Album,” with star Peter Cushing’s lilting voice describing the insanity as music and sound effects play underneath. For horror music fans, it’s a combo that makes these VAMPIRES a golden musical ticket indeed.

LIVE EVIL

After using near-screeching strings to hugely unsettling, if not exactly easy listening effect for GRACE’s killer baby, scoring Tim Thomerson’s vampire-busting priest for LIVE EVIL must have seemed like a romp in the park for composer Austin Wintory. Even if the music budget for Jay Woelfel’s undead flick likely sucked, you wouldn’t be able to hear it in Wintory’s energetic and ambitious strains, which slam in every bit of EVIL’s genre-bending insanity with Lisbeth Scott’s creepy religioso voice, rock guitars, gongs right out a Spaghetti western, haunted house organs and even piano excerpts for Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” for that extra touch of class. Driving LIVE’s parade of bullets, swords and fangs is melodically suspenseful action that shows Wintory’s promise as a swiftly rising composer who truly knows his musical chops- especially when they’re in the service of slicing and dicing vampires in the desert.

THE MEAN SEASON (1,200 edition)

Few composers know how to play a chase between hero and killer like Lalo Schifrin. But where his jazzily propulsive, crime noir style was usually in service of a cop (a la Schifrin’s classic score to DIRTY HARRY), 1985’s THE MEAN SEASON gave Schifrin the chance to make the musical cat and mouse game even more creative, especially since it’s following the lethally co-dependent relationship between intrepid (if sleazy) newspaper reporter Kurt Russell and Richard Jordan’s serial murderer. This neat, unsung thriller gives Schifrin truly interesting avenues for the pursuit, capturing the eerily sweltering heat of its Miami setting through menacing synths, lush romance, tensely building strings, fish house Muzak, and even a orchestra that almost screams “big city newspaper!” It’s a score that’s certainly one of Schifrin’s most impressive genre entries (no more so than in a positively rollicking car chase cue), especially with the Intrada limited edition not only containing its original soundtrack, but dozens of brief, even more stylistic “stinger” cues to complement this SEASON’s suspensefully sweltering atmosphere.

SHIVER

Movie Score Media continues its mission of scaring the pants off of us with their cool assault of Spanish horror scores. And one of its more menacing proponents is Fernando Velazquez, who certainly helped put this new musical genre on the map with the creepy kids’ tunes of THE ORPHANAGE. Now more trouble follows as a sunlight-adverse teen ends up being accused of carnage in the forest-filled mountains, which is all the excuse that Velazquez needs to go for an alternately brooding and full-throttle mix of melodic tension and gigantic orchestral shrieks. His SHIVER ends up far more a jump. It’s an atmospheric score that would be just as home in an old Universal Wolfman picture as it is this distinctly Spanish exercise in terror. But of all the visceral musical effects on hand, nothing quite chills in SHIVER like a foghorn effect that Velazquez conjures through an instrument’s rubbed skin- a sound more effective at conveying eerie isolation than all of the musical noise in America’s SHUTTER ISLAND.



SORCERER’S APPRENTICE

No matter who’s scoring it, you can nearly always tell a Jerry Bruckheimer soundtrack by its relentlessly driving rhythms, a wall of pop-inspired sound with precious few peaks and valleys. It’s an in your face to traditional melody that reaches its exhaustive apex with APPRENTICE. But then, who better to get for that than Yes-man Trevor Rabin, who might have thought he’d sweated it all out with star Nicolas Cage and director Jon Turteltaub after two NATIONAL TREASURE movies. But pour on some of that old black magic, and Rabin’s surging strings, samples, and choral spells slam into overdrive. Adrenalin junkies will dig this, especially when it comes to Rabin’s catchy march theme for the badass wizard. As for the Paul Dukas melody that’s somehow inspired this madness, it’s been updated, rebooted, and then some, with Rabin doing his own version of switched-on classics to make the brooms and mops romp about to the famed music in a way that will likely cause Dukas purists to rive from their graves- while doubtlessly cracking a smile on the crowds watching SORCERER’S APPRENTICE in the multiplex. But then, Rabin only lives in Bruckheimer’s universe. And the fact that he’s able to cast his own spell for Bruckheimer’s ADD answer to Dormammu proves more than ever that Rabin is this musical style’s answer to Doctor Strange- conjuring a cool vibe that’s the equivalent of slamming down Red Bull and heavily buttered popcorn.


CLICK on the album covers to make your hardcopy or download purchase, and find the soundtracks at these .com’s: Amazon, Buysoundtrax, Intrada, iTunes. Moviemusic, Moveiscoremedia, Screen Archives and Varese Sarabande

L.A. Scoring Strings “Lite” contains full section patches, but not the divisi ensemble patches nor the first chair solo strings. LASS Lite work have the same patch functionality as the full version including the ART and Auto Arranger scripts, plus all the remaining scripts that come with the full version. LASS Lite also has the LASS legato sound and short articulations.

L.A. Scoring Strings First Chairs are the solo strings recorded in the same stage position as the full library.

Audiobro has set up a dollar-for-dollar upgrade path to the full library L. A. Scoring Strings Library.

Both libraries are downloadable in Kontakt 4.1 format using the new Native Instruments NCW loss-less compression format that saves both hard disk space and reduces download times.

FMM – So what’s behind your stepping down after three and a half years of writing for Film Music Magazine?
PA – I’m a polio survivor and a while back I came down with post-polio which is a resurgence of the virus. I lost my ability to hold a pencil and play keyboards. But the Lord has been faithful in healing and restoring me. Now I’m back to a point where I can hold a pencil and play keyboards. So while I’m still young enough, I want to write music instead of writing about people writing music.

FMM – How long did it take to come back?
PA – Close to a decade.

FMM – How has this impacted your approach to writing and sequencing music given the time it takes to do it?
PA – Even though I’m able to work pretty much a whole working day now, I still have to be “obsessive” in a healthy way about time management. So I’ve zeroed in on a collection of libraries that do what I want musically and enable me to work very efficiently with my time.

FMM – How did you arrive at what you wanted musically with so many libraries out there?
PA – I did for myself what I teach my students and hopefully got across in the column which is testing a library against real music to see what the library will and won’t do. My teaching principle is that, “The music never lies,” which means that when you test a library against a recognized score, you know what the library will or won’t do beyond the demos.

FMM – What music did you use for the basis of your testing?
PA – My own books in the Professional Orchestration series, especially volume 2A, Orchestrating the Melody Within the String Section, and then selected scores from Vaughan Williams, Ravel, Debussy and few others.

FMM – What are you looking for when you’re testing, for example, with strings, since those are the “hot” libraries?
PA – No doubt some will argue with me on this, but from an orchestration perspective part of what we call the “Hollywood sound” from a live player perspective is the deft use of unison and octave combinations. The next aspect is vertical harmony in two or more parts, then divisi. So when you’re testing a string library, you’re looking to see if the octave combinations sound realistic without the dreaded organ/accordion sound, and whether or not unison combinations sound like they’re supposed to vs. sounding like a big layered synth. With vertical voicings, do you get the organ/accordion sound? Beading? Those are the musical questions I wanted answered.

FMM – What’s the big lesson you learned from all this testing?
PA – That you’re never going to replace a real string section. Just go to a concert, score in hand, then go right home and play your string libraries. You’ll know. And once “you know” sample libraries are then put in a much more realistic perspective.

FMM – What are some of the projects you’re working on?
PA – I have several works of Debussy I’ve orchestrated that I’m releasing probably in 2011 at this point. I have two historical fiction works I wrote I’m producing as audio books and doing the underscore for, along with pitching the stories for made for TV movies. There’s the continuation of the Professional Orchestration series, and other titles I have lined up. I’m also midway through a new translation and setting to music of the Beattitudes from the Sermon on The Mount. So I have a very busy music production schedule ahead of me, and I’m ready to get on with it.

FMM – What was some of the marketing background you brought to the column?
PA – Jingle production lead me to the ad agency business and working with media. So I actually have my own TV commercial reel. I was also fortunate to work with radio programmer Jack McCoy’s company, RAM Ratings, a competitor to Arbitron, when I was doing high level media research for the Pepsi bottlers. Working with Jack’s organization enabled to apply some concepts I learned from Time-Life which enabled me to develop radio/artist ratings geodemographically by zip code which eventually became Arbitron Information on Demand. So I definitely had hands-on with the other side of the music business, which is what happens after the album is pressed.

FMM – What did you learn from that experience?
PA – Well, even then, for radio song playlists were being developed and organized by computers and highly detailed logs which definitely shows you song rotation and how that impacts broadcast royalties at the radio level. I learned that there are a lot of music styles that barely or rarely get airplay. And one thing I definitely learned from Jack’s people and their song rating service is that within less than 30 seconds a listener could tell you if they liked a new song or not.

Learning that was quite useful. But from a writer’s perspective, it reinforced that people are still looking for passion in a performance and a strong melody. It also reinforced the importance of TV broadcast income since so much music rarely gets radio airplay. And for today, it certainly speaks to the alternative broadcast income potential from the Net, if you can get it.

FMM – Is there a message there for film composers?
PA – Yes, because of music technology a composer should think of him or herself as a recording artist, not just a hired hand, since they have the tools necessary to produce almost anything. If you can bring your attitude to think this way, then the real message, which has been true, now, for several hundred years is that a composer is an entrepreneur and must approach the world accordingly.

FMM – Where does a composer who hasn’t been to business school learn this?
PA – Well, I never went to business school. I graduated from Berklee. But doing work in the ad agency business taught me the importance of the Sunday New York Times Business section, which you can now read online, at least today, for free. And I’d read every article whether it had to do with music or not. Then I’d read the arts section. Then there are plenty of books like This Business of Music. The Trump Organization has a lot of entrepreneurial titles, too, that are all quite good. And I think Jack Welch’s Winning is really a must read.

I will say, however, that I have to pay homage to the publisher of Music Connection magazine who in a seminar I attended when I first got to L.A. for expressing this so neatly, taught that many people in music believe that success comes from lightning striking, as opposed to doing basic business career planning. I once heard Dolly Parton talk about how she sets five year goals.

I’ve found that if you discuss business or goal planning too loudly other composers will define you as a suit, diss your outlook, and not really think of you as an artist. Like it or not, we are entrepreneurs, we are the CEO’s of our career, and we do run a business the purpose of which is to merchandise our copyrights and creative works.

FMM – How did your business outlook impact how you wrote reviews?
PA – For product reviews, my objective was to write musical applications reviews that answered the question, “If I buy this product can I really make music and how long will it take me to learn it?” As a writer, that question is prime on my list.

FMM – You didn’t do a lot of the customary technical reviews over the years.
PA – I didn’t do any! And I didn’t see a need to since really Sound on Sound edited by Paul White and Virtual Instrument magazine published by Nick Batzdorf already do an excellent job of that. Since most FMM readers were already reading those pubs, I thought, “Let’s go in this musical direction instead, and talk more from a performance/orchestration perspective.” As the CEO of my career I run a music production house. So I want music production input to guide my buying decisions since what I buy impacts how and what I produce.

FMM – How did Alexander/TrueSpec being a dealer help you in writing the reviews?
PA – When you’re a dealer and customers aren’t happy, you hear it first. You ask them what their system specs are and so you start building a database of insight as to what’s going on in the field. That’s helpful. The next step is going back to the developer and pointing out the problems. Most work with you, some go, “it’s their system it’s working fine here,” but you still set them up best as possible with tech people who will help them get the issue resolved. So I would say that the “help” aspect was having the big picture to see what’s going on at multiple levels.

FMM – What’s the #1 customer service problem?
PA – I think there are two. The first is having a realistic machine to run the library and the second is system integration. Again, for today, these are critical business issues when you’re the CEO of your own music production house. This is not rocket science. You cannot be writing and producing when you’re screwing around for hours or for days with system integration issues.

FMM – What did you see that FMM readers needed to know, then, about computers?
PA – The business question everyone, amateur or pro, needs the answer to is, “What are the true specs of the system needed to run the software to achieve its advertised results?” Getting this question answered costs an inordinate amount of time for any composer or their tech. And time is money. Just read the various forums to see how much space is devoted to answering that question. What you’re seeing now, as a movement within music technology, is customers relying on each others testing and reporting test results to arrive at a kind of group consensus as to what the true specs really are for a system or a certain product or product line. That’s a “peoples use” of the Web, but it can pose problems for both the manufacturer and the customer if the customer testing isn’t really solid from an empirical perspective. I think this problem can be more easily dissolved if the manufacturer provides three system specs of good, better, and best to set customer expectations.

FMM – How do complaining customers offset sales and what should developers do about it?
PA – Complaining customers inject fear into buying that can delay purchasing. Remember, with rare exception, you can’t test drive a library like you can a car. There are no “lemon laws” for sample libraries. So once the package is open and the seal on the software broken, that’s it. It’s yours, legally. So the customer is going to hold back on that purchase until the “all clear” is sounded, usually on the public forums.

FMM – And what should developers do about that?
PA – As best as possible, get someone from within the organization who writes in a friendly manner and have them start asking the basic system questions on the public forum. Find where the issue is. And then remember, being banned from a forum is now a badge of honor. So it’s even more important to establish the technical issues, which also demonstrates tangibly true customer care.

FMM -Do you think developers in music technology ship product too early intentionally?
PA-Overall, I think it occasionally happens. But I’ve beta tested for several large companies, and a real battle developers face, and it’s a tough one, is finding qualified beta testers. At one point, you could get a pretty good crew when libraries were more expensive, and, when there were fewer developers. Back then a composer/beta tester could justify the participation time. But as libraries keep coming down in price, and the number of sample library developers keep going up, a working composer cannot as easily justify the time spent beta testing. It takes an astronomical amount of time to thoroughly test a library.

FMM – For over a year now you’ve been writing that the 8-core Mac Pro is the desired system. How did you come to that conclusion?
PA – Again, I’m the CEO of my career, and readers of FMM are the CEO’s of their career. Buying a system is a business decision that also involves depreciation, property taxes to your local city, and other tax issues typical reviews don’t cover. So with that in mind, I want/need to make the decision right the first time since I’m making a multi-year purchase. There are no “tea leaf” readers for music technology. So what I did was look for what the developers and producers were posting on the various public forums about their systems. When a developer, for example, posts that their product runs flawlessly on a Mac Pro, I look at that as the true system spec. Not that the product won’t run fine on other systems like an i7 Quad, but that’s the system they said the software worked flawlessly on. So that would be the one I’d look to get on the Mac side.

Now, since sample libraries are dual platform, then on the PC side, that Mac Pro 8-core compares to a Dual Xeon 5520 CPU. So you have a starting point. After that it’s find a motherboard that can handle a bozooka amount of RAM. Then, fast hard drives, because fast hard drives means more polyphony which makes maximum advantage of RAM, unless you’re going to load the library into RAM. My personal opinion is that for the PC, getting a motherboard than can’t handle at least 24GB of RAM is a very unwise decision.

Now, one more point on CPUs. Keep in mind that it’s really difficult to come out and make definitive statements about one CPU vs. another because music technology lacks a Consumer Reports or Tom’s Hardware who have the money and the machines to chart the variables and do the necessary testing to give buyer guidance. So from my perspective, any comments I read about CPU performance on a forum I view as anecdotal information.

FMM – Your take on 64-bit technology?
PA – Simplified production. The clear advantage is simplification by consolidating down to just one or two, or maybe three systems. Three companies that I’m aware of today for producing native 64-bit libraries that read all the RAM in a system are Native Instruments with Kontakt 4.1, Spectrasonics products, and the Vienna Instruments and Vienna Ensemble PRO. So for a new system, to me, the best investment is going to an all 64-bit native system restricted to 64-bit native libraries.

FMM -What trends do you see with sample library development?
PA-I see two. First is the continuing rise of the composer/developer. It’s easy to rattle a quick list: Audiobro, Cinesamples, Cinestrings, the guys who made Heavyocity, Project SAM, Sonokinetic in the Netherlands, Spitfire Percussion, Tonehammer, Wallander Instruments, and others. Most of these companies are selling direct to customer and some through a select dealer list. The customer result is a sharper price because they’re bypassing going through the big distributors around the globe. Some do have that large company distribution. But mostly they’re developing their own customer base so that they can control their own distribution.

The second trend is that sample library sales will continue to sag at the retail level in favor of direct digital downloads and direct sales from developers to customers.

FMM -Unlike other reviewers you wrote quite a few business articles. Why was that?
PA-Again, given the blessing of the marketing background I’ve had I wanted to give back a bit by mentoring through print. Right now, and I hate to say this, but film and TV composing has devolved down to commodity pricing. When I got in L.A., composers were getting $25,000 fee just for the score of Murder She Wrote and other one hour shows. Back then when real estate values were really low compared to today, you could get two to four shows a year and have a very comfortable life, financially. But with electronics and package deals, that’s changed. And unfortunately, because the industry is dominated by publicly traded companies, composers just don’t read publications like the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal to understand early how part of their financial fate is being decided by Apple, Comcast, NBC, GE, and a whole host of other publicly traded companies.

FMM - Do you really think it’s that important for composers to read the Wall Street Journal?
PA-I’ll respond with a series of questions. Who determined the financial value of an MP3 of an individual song or track? Who determines how much a composer gets on an Internet viewing of a program? Who determines how much a composer gets when I watch, say, the movie Thirteen Days for free on Netflix? Or programming on Hulu? Or Fancast? And where do you read about it first?

FMM – So what you’re advocating, if I’m hearing you correctly, is that composers need to read outside the standard industry publications.
PA – Absolutely. I mean, look. New York Times, online for free so far. Los Angeles Times, online for free so far. Bloomberg, online for free. Business Week, online for free. Fortune, online for free. Fast Company, online for free. CNBC, online for free. Reuters, online for free. At news.google.com, you can set up your own customized news feed! There’s plenty of opportunity out there to learn business from a huge variety of online sources, that for now, are free.

FMM – You had good relationships with both Henry Mancini and Jerry Goldsmith. What did you learn from them you can pass on to Film Music Magazine readers.
PA – The importance of developing strong themes, mastering two- and three-part counterpoint, and contrapuntal imitation.

FMM – A lot of the younger composers aren’t going to agree with you.
PA – Craft is the rudder of your career.

FMM – So true. Peter! Thank you! It’s been a great run.
PA – Live long and prosper! Thanks for the opportunity. I’ve enjoyed it.

Peter can be reached at lacomposers@gmail.com or visit his website at http://www.alexanderpublishing.com