* Music Supervisor: Oversees the music for the film, including obtaining rights to existing songs and commissioning new music.
* Composer: Creates the original music for the film.
* Lyricist: Writes the lyrics for the songs in the film.
* Music Publisher: Controls the rights to the music, including granting permission for its use in the film.
* Recording Studio: Where the music is recorded.
* Music Editor: Edits the music for the film, including cutting and pasting tracks, adding effects, and mixing it with other sound elements.
* Sound Designer: Works with the music editor to create the overall soundscape for the film, including the music, sound effects, and dialogue.
Rights Clearance
Before using any copyrighted music in a film, the filmmakers must obtain permission from the copyright holder. This can be a complex and time-consuming process, especially for big-budget films that may feature dozens of songs.
The music supervisor is responsible for obtaining rights clearances. They will need to contact the music publisher or copyright holder for each song and negotiate a fee for its use. The fee can vary depending on a number of factors, including the popularity of the song, its length, how prominently it is featured in the film, and the budget of the film.
In some cases, the filmmakers may be able to negotiate a flat fee for the use of multiple songs. They may also be able to get a lower fee if they agree to use the music in a non-exclusive way, which means that the copyright holder can still license the song to other filmmakers.
Here are a few lines of audio from an HBO film original song writing and recording:
* "I'm going to sing a song for you,
* About the things I've seen and done,
* And all the people I've met along the way."
These lyrics are from the song "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs," written by Joel and Ethan Coen and performed by Tim Blake Nelson for the 2018 HBO film of the same name. The music supervisor for the film was T Bone Burnett, and the recording studio was Skywalker Sound.