The evolution of the music library business has been driven by technological change, notably the digital revolution. Pre-1980 Production library music was born in 1927 with the British company De Wolfe, under the name “pre-recorded music.” It was first available on wax cylinders, and then tapes and LPs. De Wolfe’s eventual competitors came mostly from…
More More More! In Praise of Overproduction
Part 1 I get a lot of my ideas in the sauna. I go in there after my workout, which seems to do as much for my brain as my muscles, oxygenating synapses, clearing out some of the fog. As the temperature passes 180, the heat melts things stuck in my subconscious and they float…
Vanishing Bandwidth for Music
Being born in 1950, my teenage years coincided with the 1960’s. Music was without question the dominant art form in my life. Rock concerts were the most exciting events. When my father took me to hear Martin Luther King speak at Wesleyan in 1963, I was blown away by his thundering voice, but even more…
Penny Wise, Pound Foolish
A couple of times a week Thomas Friedman has a brilliant idea that explains everything in the world economy! Or the world political situation! Or both! That’s convenient, because he also has a column in the New York Times a couple of times a week in which to disseminate these gems. While the Times has…
What is a Music Library?
Music libraries, more accurately described as production music libraries, supply music for productions. Why do you need one? Can’t you just use whatever might sound good from your CD/iTunes collection? No….
Convergence
A frank discussion of the blurring line between “License” and “Royalty Free” production music. Twenty years ago, all music libraries were “License” – i.e., they only offered music on a Needledrop (or per-use) basis, or by Annual Blanket. Around 1990 “Buyout” or “Royalty Free Music” libraries appeared. This was before the internet allowed for individual…
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