An annotated bibliography relating different aspects of the Film and Music Industries and their intersection

Charlotte Greenspan writes about the adaptability of Irving Berlin and his music.  Berlin paid attention not only to different ethnicities in his songs, but also to the entertainment trends and technological developments of time.  He also wrote patriotic songs during the First World War.  Greenspan notes that although Berlin was always conscious of the era, there is also a timeless quality to many of his songs.  As sound emerged in film Berlin left the stage and moved to California to write songs for films, one of his first was The Jazz Singer.  After not having much success in Hollywood, Berlin left to go back to the stage, only to return in 1935.  Greenspan writes that Berlin signed a contract with RKO that allowed him more creative freedom than any of the studios he had worked with earlier in his career as well as a good share of the profits.  Greenspan looks at the film Top Hat for which Berlin did the music.  She describes each of the five songs as “unusual in one way or another.”  She also explains how the music functions in early sound films and addresses the issue of why the characters are singing?  Greenspan claims that in this film Berlin wrote songs that interesting so they could be played repeatedly and so they could be recognizable.  This was Berlin’s method of plugging a song in a film.  Greenspan also notes how Berlin lengthened songs and adapted form to fit the film so a piece was not repeated over and over.  She examines this more with an in-depth analysis of Berlin’s song “Cheek to Cheek” which is nine minutes long in the film Top Hat.
    Greenspan then turns to the compiled score for Alexander’s Ragtime Band.  This film is significant because it details the development of the popular song and is also a biography of Berlin, in a sense.  The film’s score only had three pieces composed for it, the rest of the twenty-three pieces were compiled from previous works.  Greenspan uses this film to show how popular songs were placed in film at that time and also shows its significance in the history of film and Berlin’s career. 
    Greenspan concludes her article with an explanation of how Berlin went to Hollywood and adapted himself for scoring films.  He not only developed his style for film music but put songs in films in a way that was original and innovative.
    This article gives an interesting look at the early film score and how the popular song fit into it.  Irving Berlin is an Icon and he demonstrates the connection between the music and film worlds.  He shows how the two adapt and fuse together.

    This article deals with peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing and the film industry.  The ninth circuit court ruled in the case of MGM v. Grokster.  The court ruled that some file sharing Internet services are not liable for copyright infringement committed by their users.  This is a big blow to both the music and film industries.  David Bell and Jeffery Sullivan acknowledge this decision as “legally correct,” but they are also aware of its implications for the entertainment industries.  The sellers of copying equipment are not liable for the use of the equipment in copyright infringement, as decided by the Supreme Court in Sony v. Universal.  Since Grokster and Streamcast were found to have substantially legitimate uses, they fell under the precedent set by the Sony case..  Next, MGM tried to prove vicarious copyright infringement through direct infringement by a primary party, direct financial benefit by the defendants and the ability of the defendants to supervise the users.  This was not proven because the relationship between software provider and user is decentralized and the software provider has no obligation to monitor the actions of its users.  This ruling was appealed. The appeal questions if the defendants are responsible for secondary copyright liability because of the large amount of infringement.  Here, Bell and Sullivan explain the standards for secondary liability.   They argue that the court was to narrow in its definitions for knowledge of infringement and contributions to primary infringement.  Next the article deals with pervious rulings on the case and the necessity of proving legitimate uses if one is to use the Sony verdict in its favor.  The article deals with if and how the Supreme Court should address and respond to this case. The next part of the article explains existing legislation.  It states that copyright holders cannot recover loses from secondary copyright infringement.  It also looks at cases of the record industry against Internet Service Providers, noting the protection of software companies and ISPs.   The article looks at the Induce act, which was brought up fro review recently and would make software companies liable for encouraging copyright infringement.  The article shows the pros and cons of this piece of legislation.  Other pieces of legislation brought up in the article are the Piracy Deterrence and Education Act, the Protecting Intellectual Rights Against Theft and Expropriation Act and the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act.  The article concludes with an explanation of the possible effects of the Supreme Court’s decision on the case.
    The article provides a detailed explanation and example of the copyright issues brought up by P2P technology.  There is a good analysis of the case as well as explanations and references to copyright law and how these issues are being dealt with outside of this specific instance.  The language is a little legal at times, but the article is very comprehensive and informative. 

Robert Faulkner takes an ethnographic approach to how a composer makes it in the Hollywood film industry. He establishes the role of the composer as a freelancer in the industry and looks at how a person breaks into the industry and possibly becomes one of the elite few at the top. There is a lot of competition and it is important to find jobs that expand connections and visibility as well as experience. In the first chapter, Faulkner discusses the inequalities inherent in the film industry and how important productivity, and sustained productivity, is to success. He separates the industry into the center and periphery and describes the process of moving from the periphery into the center. The composer’s role is laid out step by step. Each film and score is a different business and another credit. In Chapter two, Faulkner concentrates on how to break into the industry and the importance of networking and connections. Each score that is composed can make or break a composer and keeping continuous work is another difficult aspect of the industry. Faulkner uses the example of breaking into the industry through Universal TV. He places a lot of emphasis on referrals. Faulkner also details the process of sponsorship and how that aids a composer in coming up in the industry. Sponsorship is risky and tricky, but it is necessary in order to help newcomers climb the ladder. Chapter three looks at the next rung in the climb to scoring fame. In this chapter, Faulkner highlights some of the contradictory things and expectations a composer deals with as he starts to raise his status in the industry. The bulk of the chapter reiterates the importance of social networking and connections as well as the perils and complications of getting typecast and how to avoid it. Chapter four is about the commercial composer and how the commercial and marketing aspects of a film shape and limit and composers work. The exact role of a film composer to a film must be learned and changes for each project. The last part of the chapter deals with the tension between the composer and the commercial viability of the score. In the next three chapters, Faulkner examines the issues surrounding what he calls the middle area as well as issues of career mobility. Faulkner places a lot of emphasis on ties and alliances. Faulkner then turns to the concept of “tall orders.” This section of the book deals with problems that arise within collaborations, the crew and interpersonal relationships and how a composer has to work with and deal with these problems. In the eighth chapter, Faulkner moves back to the centrality model he set up earlier and again examines the importance of having a lot of work and social networking. Faulkner, here, takes a look at some of the major composers who are at the top of the industry. He also looks at how budgets are allocated to the film music and how that subsequently affects the composer and who gets hired for the jobs. Faulkner follows this argument with a chapter on how being at the top then shapes your career and the issues of selectivity. The final chapter is a look at the differences between the major players and the people trying to climb the ladder in. Faulkner begins be restating his points and his arguments about the importance of productivity and continuity and the steps it takes to reach the top of the industry. He shows how the process of a composer is similar to other positions. The book is really great in the sense that because it is an ethnography there were a lot of quotations and factual stories to highlight the points that Faulkner is making. The amount of first hand accounts really allows the reader to get a good understanding of the industry and the process of coming up in it.

Smith, Jeff (Jeffrey Paul). Sounds of commerce : marketing popular film music / Jeff Smith. [0231108621 (cloth : alk. paper)] New York : Columbia University Press, c1998.
Call#: Van Pelt Library ML2075 .S65 1998

Jeff Smith's The Sounds of Commerce: Marketing Popular Film Music details the interaction between the film and music industries in relation to a popular film score and soundtrack. The book opens with a musical theory analysis of the classical and popular film scores. Smith details the history of the pop score and the necessity that it is composed or compiled from popular music genres and styles as well as it being highly accessible to the audience. Smith argues that a pop score can function in the same dramatic manner as a classical score highlighting themes and character traits as well as serving the plot, despite its difference in sound and structure. Smith follows his musical analysis with a more business-oriented chapter detailing the interactions between the film and music industries. He continues with a closer look at cross promotion and beginning in the 1950s, how the emphasis on jazz begins to shift more to pop music. Smith follows his business analysis with case studies on the popular scores of three films Breakfast at Tiffany.s, Goldfinger and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. First, Smith looks at Henry Mancini. work on Breakfast at Tiffany's. In this section he shows how the pop score functions within the larger signification in the film as well as how Mancini took the pop score and used it to make a viable soundtrack album. Smith cites Mancini.s background in Jazz as an important influence on how he was able to adapt the score into commercial success through the monothematic score. Next, Smith focuses on John Barry.s Goldfinger. Here, he shows again Jazz.s important influence on Barry as well as the importance of the musical theme in selling and promoting film. Smith demonstrates how the repeated use of a theme allows the audience to draw associations if they know the reference, while maintaining a function beyond that so the theme functions effectively for those who are unaware of its history. Finally, Smith writes about Ennio Morricone and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. This chapter focuses on the interpolated song, which Smith says drives the narrative and sells itself as a commercial product. Morricone developed a style based on his training and Italian roots which, unintentionally, made his scores extremely popular. Smith also examines the effects of Scopitone and Cinebox on film scores. After the case studies, Smith shifts his focus back to the pop score as a whole first focusing on the 1960s and the compilation score. The final chapter of Smith's book examines theme songs and soundtracks post 1975. This chapter looks at business models, focusing on the music industry and its conglomerates, as well as new functions in the role of film scores and soundtracks such as the position and role of the music supervisor. This chapter shows the development of the studios and music labels and their continuing work together. Smith.s book provides a helpful and interesting analysis of the synergy of the film and music industries. His case studies are interesting choices that highlight many different aspects and functions of the popular film score as we know it today.