A decade ago every major film was accompanied with a soundtrack release. In the age of digital singles however, the belief that the soundtrack is dead has taken root and affected both the filmmaking and music communities. With less money to be made from records in general, more and more producers and studios hesitate to consider music as an ancillary revenue stream. But with soundtracks for films like "The Hunger Games," "Twilight" and even "Project X" topping the charts, and the advent of technology such as Spotify, 8tracks, ex.fm and many others...is the soundtrack really dead, or do filmmakers and executives just need a new perspective?

1. The Future of The Soundtrack
Moderator
Amanda Krieg

2. Panelists
● Russell Ziecker - Head of Television Music and A&R,
Lionsgate (Weeds, Mad Men)
● Gabe Hilfer - Music Supervisor, Clearsongs (Project
X, The Wrestler)
● Jonathan Palmer - Columbia Records
● Angela Leus - Director, Film Music, Universal
Pictures

3. The State of Things
"There are a lot of studios who aren't even doing soundtrack deals anymore
because they think it's a waste of time," - Patricia Joseph, Razor & Tie
"While there are still the occasional runaway success stories that create a
false sense that the blockbuster is still an economic force to be reckoned
with...for the most part, looking at the current Billboard Soundtrack charts is
like staring at an elephant graveyard" - Dan Jackson, CMJ, May 2012
"In 2011, soundtracks sold 13.2 million copies in the U.S., according to
SoundScan, 79% below their peak level in 1998, when the Titanic
soundtrack was the top-selling album of the year, and just one of three
soundtracks among the year's top 10 albums" -Ethan Smith, Wall Street
Journal, March 2012

4. ...But Is It The End?
● The Hunger Games and Twilight soundtracks debuted at
No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200.
● The Project X soundtrack made it to No. 8 on both the
Billboard Rap and R&B/Hip Hop Album charts.
● 8 of the top 10 Children's Albums on the Billboard charts
are soundtracks from films or television shows.
● With only a handful of songs in the film, the Drive
soundtrack significantly raised the profile of the film, broke
College and Electric Youth, and has remained in the Top
10 soundtracks on Billboard for weeks.

5. Is it still possible to make money from
soundtracks? How?
● Zero in on your audience
● Lots of exclusive content
● Make it a collector's item
● Identify an aesthetic
● Think beyond the album

6. Zero In On Your Audience
● Most of the soundtracks that make it into the top ten
(especially those that stay there) can be connected with a
pretty specific audience (The Hunger Games, Project X,
Think Like A Man, Hannah Montana: The Movie, Titanic)
● Who specifically does the film/television show appeal to?
Women, teens, teenage boys, urban demographic, etc.
● What is it that appeals to them? Setting? Romance?
Youthfulness?
● Can that be captured in music?

7. Exclusive Content
● Audiences are discovering new music/artists via film
and television more and more.
● Choose the right artist(s) - unknown, with buzz, or
existing band ripe for a new album or comeback.
● Create or secure content that can only be found on
the soundtrack.
● Multiple exclusive tracks per album = incentive to buy
the whole album.

8. Create a Collector's Item
● Only for certain audiences/franchises -
ones that are willing to spend money on
stuff
● Add exclusive extras - original artwork,
lyrics, bonus content
● Effectively tap into the nostalgia or
obsession

9. Identify An Aesthetic
● Is there a setting, tone or style that unites the film?
● The Hunger Games created an album of music, most of
which was not in the film, based on the rustic,
Appalachian setting.
● True Blood doesn't always prominently feature music, but
the soundtrack captures the sex and grittiness of the
show.
● Mad Men capitalizes on the allure of the 1960's with score
music CDs branded as "lifestyle" products at Target.

10. Think Outside The Album
● Both for new revenue streams and marketing
opportunities
● As mentioned, audiences are discovering a large amount
of new music via film and television.
● Are there cost-effective ways to utilize new music
discovery technology? New music technology in general?
● Moonrise Kingdom created character playlists in 8tracks.
● Spotify, Pandora, Rdio, Turntable.fm, ex.fm, StageIt and
many more

11. So is the soundtrack really dead?
No...
Music is an indispensable part of the
filmgoing experience and will always be...
Like the rest of the music industry it is
evolving; there are many areas of potential
yet to be tapped.

12. The Bottom Line
Executives and music supervisors with
extensive experience creating and marketing
soundtracks over the past ten years all weigh
in on the challenges, importance and future
potential of this struggling genre.