Frequently Asked Questions
Our FAQ page aims to cover the questions we get asked on a regular basis.
This is about using less biased and more dependable search criteria to classify music better - making relevant songs more searchable in order to help film producers feel more confident about their music choices. Film producers feel more confident about their music choices, saving time and money with award winning results.
By tightening up the reference terms used for music search vague references become more eloquent, results faster and campaigns more effective. Songs become more searchable.
5 Benefits of ethical music search
- TIME - Improve the turnaround of music search by equipping music searchers with easy ways to articulate their expectations of music based on more objective terms that are more easily understood by music suppliers
- QUALITY - Improve the relevance of the music search result to the message being delivered in the content
- REACH - achieves access to more relevant and authentic audiences
- STAND OUT - a lost song, strong lyric or musical juxtaposition creates striking award winning content
- VALUE - a strong, well-connected song choice can save money creating locations, recruiting cast or time spent negotiating and hiring bespoke music creators that may or may not hit the brief in time.
Music is as important as the cast, the location, the grading. Think about your music search supply chain and how it serves your needs. Are you trawling? Or are you diving for pearls?
When you’re contacting artists think about the context of your requirements.
Unconscious biases are social stereotypes about certain groups of people that individuals form outside their own conscious awareness. If we can identify subjective tag behaviours that open music search to unconscious bias, we should work towards educating against this behaviour. This regulation begins with our own behaviour.
When describing words for music ask yourself if someone you don’t know would easily recognise the context of the words you use to get the most relevant and meaningful result. If you’re unable to describe music a good music supervisor will assist you to articulate your needs.
Contact HotHouse Music for training and information about ethical music search.
For some searches computers are useful. But often song search can benefit from human discussion. Based on foundations of trust, music supervisors reaching out to labels or publisher, can uncover nuanced hidden gems and rediscover unexpected songs that otherwise would be overlooked by algorithms or lyric searches to help tell a story or point audiences to a certain product.
Auto tagging tools and briefs supplied by music supervisors regularly use words that I consider to be subjective - they have no technical context. Without context they are open to opinion of the person giving the word. They need to adopt the objective tags (instrument, vocal style, BPM) supplied by rights holders to communicate that context. This reliance on subjective ‘non-music technical notation language’ lends itself to the unconscious bias of the supplier of those words which are passed to music supervisors. Often it leads to protracted music searches which wastes time.
An example is a client asking for something ‘bigger’. The number of stakeholders involved in music search has the potential to create a misleading search of chinese whispers. The rights holder sync person judges ‘bigger’ against the music supervisor they know but not within the context of the original client supplying that criteria.
Once you find the song that is going to best help tell your story, HotHouse Music know how to locate the correct point people to seek the relevant legal approvals to achieve permission to use the songs that will help tell your story.
Assume that if a brand says recognisable this links to their reach
Think about what the brand is asking - how do you measure if a song is famous as opposed to being sonically familiar based in its musical elements. As a rights holder - assign examples to each point to help people navigate this.
Read our full article on defining recognisable music in 10 steps.
In May 2021, Apple Music launched Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos. Dolby Atmos Music is a 360 immersive audio mix inspired by Dolby Atmos moving sound playback beyond traditional left or right associated with stereo. Dolby originally designed Atmos for cinematic experience and their music developments have made their technology accessible to music listeners through platforms like Apple Music and Amazon HD. These developments drew attention to applications of immersive sound which for many, ambisonics or live sound has been performing in immersive or 360 for generations.
HotHouse Music launched the initiative Spatial Sound in 2021, in order to investigate, demonstrate and shine a light on the pioneers of complex audio play back. We recommend that you refer to our regular articles and updates. Get started by reading the full article - What Does Spatial Sound Mean to You?