BENGALURU : Many of us have had our initiation to Western classical music through cartoons, with shows like Tom and Jerry, and Loony Toons using rich orchestral scores as the auditory backdrop to their main characters’ antics. Somehow, watching the Roadrunner and the Coyote wasn’t complete without a lush string section in the background, punctuated with silly sound effects.
This trend has continued over decades with placement of music in television and film (as opposed to composing music specially for TV and film). In the early 2000s, angsty teenage shows like the OC and One Tree Hill were known for their placement of great (and usually relatively unknown) music, and music supervisors for these shows were given a lot of credit for their cult following, and simultaneously launching many musical careers.
As OTT (Over the Top) platforms like Hotstar, Amazon Prime and Netflix gain popularity in India, with Indian content, it’s a great opportunity for artistes to get their music in front of newer audiences. OTT platforms are becoming even more relevant, with the Star network planning to shut down over 100 cable channels to focus on Disney+ (Disney+ Hotstar in India). Many shows like The Family Man, Made in Heaven and Mirzapur have hooked audiences with their gritty story lines and stellar productions.
As these shows build cult followings, people also pay attention to the soundtracks, and often, instead of one artist composing all the songs, music supervisors find and place different (already existing) music suited for the context. Bands and artists who have been featured in popular shows have seen spikes in their following, and have been able to capitalise on their presence on OTT platforms.
For artistes who are trying to reach bigger and wider audiences (which is pretty much every artist), reaching out to production houses and music supervisors is a good way to see if you’ve got music that might suit the next big show on a streaming service. And if you’re a person waiting to binge-watch the next season of The Family Man, make sure to find the artistes behind the songs. (The authors run SaPa - the Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts)