For "The Hills", for example, we do present several options.
We'll go in the edit bay and mess around with all of them, and
keep the best. When I get the notes back I start the process
over and spend the rest of the day listening to the songs and
addressing the notes.
Thursday: On Thursday we re-edit and watch the cuts again
to get final approval.
Friday: On Fridays we do our audio mix with an outside
audio mixing company. They really make it all sound fantastic!
So when the producer comes back to you and says sometimes a
certain song you've selected won't work, do you ever find
yourself in a struggle to replace it?
MTV Music Supervisor Carrie Hughes: Yes! For sure.
There's been quite a few times where there is a difference of
opinion. I may think a particular song is perfect, and they
don't. Obviously the producer trumps whatever I say.
There have been occasions where it is difficult for me, because
I think a song works so well that I can't get it out of my head.
It is always in the back of my mind when I'm looking for the new
song, that the old one is actually better.
When that happens, nothing I listen to sounds good enough. It is
a hard process for me. I don't get many notes, but when I do
it's difficult because it's harder to find the song the second
time around because I gave them what I thought was best the
first time around. So then it feels like everything I'm giving
them doesn't live up to it.
Do you have someone you can talk to when this happens? Do you
have someone you can brainstorm with?
MTV Music Supervisor Carrie Hughes: Yes, I have some
great music coordinators that work with me that are very
helpful. I also turn to my editors a lot. If I'm not sure of a
song, I'll ask them if they think it works. They are very
involved in the process.
How much music do you typically need for an episode of “The Hills"?
MTV Music Supervisor Carrie Hughes: For most shows it's
anywhere from 10 to 20 tracks, but on average it's about 15.
In addition to "The Hills", you've also worked on "The Real
World" and "Road Rules" – are there any musical differences
between those shows?
MTV Music Supervisor Carrie Hughes: Yes, I did work on
those for a while. Those shows actually require a lot more
music, around 25-30 tracks per episode. The difference between
"The Hills" and these shows is that there is a solid music bed
under them - it's pretty much all music! "The Hills" is more
transitional music. The music plays to lead from one scene to
another, not all the time.
Do you have a template that you follow for picking music for
each of the shows?
MTV Music Supervisor Carrie Hughes: Yes, there is
definitely a theme story-wise for "The Hills". It is very
dramatic, very girl-driven. The girls are always emotional and
having issues with boyfriends, etc. So most of the songs are
emotionally relevant to the scene (about love, relationship,
loneliness, sadness, happiness, break-ups, etc.). We don't just
put a song in there to have it in there. We use a lot of songs
about relationships with a lot of female vocals to fit with the
theme.
Has there ever been an issue in terms of budgeting?
MTV Music Supervisor Carrie Hughes: Yes, there have been
certain songs we've had to take out even though the producers
were in love with them. Sometimes it is too expensive or we
can't get it cleared in time. It's an issue with a lot of bigger
artists, because they're out on the road and we can't get in
touch with them. Other times they just want too much money!
How many music submissions do you receive? I'm sure you get a
lot of people sending in MP3's and CD's.
MTV Music Supervisor Carrie Hughes: I do. The majority
are CD's - I probably get at least 10 per week, sometimes more.
I also get MP3's and links to websites. I'm still kind of
“old-school” in that I prefer to receive CDs.
With so much music coming in, you must be listening to music
24/7?
MTV Music Supervisor Carrie Hughes: Yes, exactly. The
good thing about my week is that there is some free time in
there, usually when I'm waiting for notes. On Wednesday through
Thursday I usually have some free time. Those are times I can
sit down and listen to music. I usually have a stack of 10 a
week I'll make myself listen to. I also have to do paperwork
during those times. There is a lot of paperwork for this job!
What are some of the things someone should be aware of when
submitting music to you?
MTV Music Supervisor Carrie Hughes:
1) Find out what we need: I would say the most important
thing is to find out what I'm looking for. In the past, when I
worked on shows like "The Real World" there was room for
variety. If I ever got a heavy metal CD for "The Hills" I'd
never use it! It doesn't fit with the flow of the show. That's
why it's so important for people to check what we're looking
for.
2) Follow up: Another thing that is important is to know
when to follow up with your submission. There are people out
there who follow up too much! I have people who call me every
day. I'm not going to license your music just because you want
me to! Follow-up once every month or even every 3 weeks at most
- once a week is a little too much for me. Some people don't
mind that.
3) Build a relationship: Try to build a relationship with
me. When I select music I like to go back to my library and I
steer first towards those people with whom I have already
established a relationship. The artists who send a CD and don't
bother to contact me first to say "Hi, may I send this to you?"
go to the bottom of the pile. Definitely try to build that
relationship and then I'll want to place you more.
One good way is to receive a personal introduction from someone
I know and trust. Other than that, I do answer each e-mail that
I get. It may take me months to reply, but I will. Trying to
contact me before submitting your CD builds familiarity. When I
receive it in the mail, I'll remember you, because you've
contacted me. Something I've never heard of gets listened to
last.
4) Be registered: Before you submit material make sure
that you are registered with
ASCAP,
BMI, or one
of those organizations. I know a lot of artists that are not and
they're not going to get any royalties that way. It's also a
very good way to learn about licensing and all the terms that
are involved.
How much music should they send you?
MTV Music Supervisor Carrie Hughes: That depends. With
Indie artists without publishers or record labels, I just ask
them to send me their whole album. If it's a publisher or record
label we usually ask for 2 or 3 songs from their best artist for this
show as a sampler. We'll pick one and then ask for their full
CD.
Once you place music from unknown bands or artists it must be
very valuable for them even if it’s just a short clip that is
featured?
MTV Music Supervisor Carrie Hughes: Oh yeah, it's great
promotion! We're doing something that's going to air in a couple
of weeks with a band called "The Ruse". They are on the show
because the cast goes to the
Viper Room to see them.
The band is performing live on the show, we’ll use two of their
songs and we'll also be offering a download of their live song
at MTV.com. They're great!
Our viewing audience pays very close attention to the music that
is played on the show even if it’s just a short clip - just the
other week on "Newport Harbor" there were so many comments
online on our message boards asking about a certain artist. So
we posted the information and let everyone know who that was.
That's fantastic promotion!
Also money-wise what's great about an MTV show is that they are
played many times all over the world. Each time the show airs,
the band gets a royalty. I know artists have been able to go on
tour as result of earning enough royalties just by having placed
music on TV shows!
I can’t say for sure that some artists got signed directly
because of a placement on shows, but there have been artists
like "The Fray" who
I licensed for the "The Real World" and "Road Rules"
that were
subsequently signed. Also, similarly,
Will Dailey
whose music I placed on a show called
24/7 was later signed. There are quite a few artists like that.
Speaking about new and up-and-coming artists and bands, you
also manage new talent. I would imagine that there are lots of
opportunities especially from the artist's perspective to know a
music supervisor that at the same time manages them. Are there
certain things you see or learn being a manager that you did not
see being a music supervisor?
MTV Music Supervisor Carrie Hughes: Yes, I manage a band
out of Los Angeles called "The Royal Heist" and they're
fantastic. I have tried to place music for them on pretty much
everything. I do what I can!
I have also started talking to another great L.A.-based band "Sink
To See" about management - hopefully that works out,
because they are also amazing.
Any free time I have goes towards managing them and finding them
new opportunities. It's nice that I have the job I have because
of all my contacts. I know other supervisors and managers, which
obviously benefits "The Royal Heist."
It would take me hours to explain the difference between music
supervision and management, but management is so much more
involved. Supervision, in comparison, is much more narrowly
defined, concentrating primarily on licensing and placing music
on the show.
Managing, on the other hand, is trying to get a band placement,
record deals, shooting videos - all things I would never have
done as a music supervisor. As a manager you have your hand in
every aspect – that's probably the only job that has the ability
to be involved in everything.
Finally, there is a great difference between film and TV,
would you always prefer to supervise music for TV shows, because
it changes every week?
MTV Music Supervisor Carrie Hughes: It's hard to say
because I haven't really done films yet. What appeals to me,
though, about films is that there is such a large budget, and
you have so much more time with the whole scripted process.
We have such a time constraint in TV, especially with reality
TV. It's pretty much a week-to-week basis, whereas films you
work on for 3 or 4 months. I get the impression that it would be
a more leisurely experience. You could really dive into the
music. I could spend a whole week working on one scene for the
film! I could never do that with TV, but I am hoping to find
out!
About MTV Music Supervisor Carrie Hughes
Carrie Hughes is music supervisor at
MTV where she takes care of
some of the highest rated shows on its network such as “The
Hills”, “Newport Harbor: The Real Orange County”, “The Real World”, “Road Rules” and
many others. Prior to working at MTV, Carrie has gained in-depth
experience in the music industry at top companies including
Universal Records
and Dreamworks Records as well as
BMG Music
Publishing. She also manages new and up-and-coming artists and
bands.
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