Universal Production Music: The Impact of Music in Sport and Campaigns (A Review)
Reading Time: 10 minutes
Speakers
Alex Mearns – Universal Production Music UK, Senior Key Account Manager (HOST)
Nicolas Gallet-Charrier – Eurosport, Manager Post-Production Editor
Lucas Spry – Universal Production Music, Music Director US
Gerdine Lindhout – FIFA, Head of Experiential Marketing & Promotion
Gareth Allison – BT Sport, Music Supervisor
INTRODUCTION
After a difficult year of sporting events being called off due to the pandemic, the year of 2021 was brimmed with sporting events such as the annual Nascar Cup Series and Ryder Cup, quadrennial sporting events like the Euros, the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics to special events such as the recent Fury vs Wilder fight. More so, within each of these events, the placement of music plays a crucial part in how the events are promoted and remembered for years to come - from use within promotional campaigns to match highlights. With the pandemic causing a decrease in live music, which would hit the music industry as many songwriters and curators who rely on royalties as their income wouldn’t have this revenue stream, they were doubly hit when there was a reduction in sports events in 2020 whereby opportunities for music royalties that could be generated at these events through mechanical and syncing royalties was also unavailable.
As many sports and music enthusiasts know, sports content for both TV and online broadcasting embeds music which supposedly aims to boost motivation, team morale and instil a sense of community by bringing fans and general spectators together with anthems. With that being said, Universal Production Music provided a unique panel discussion on 13th October 2021. Its aim was to bring together players within the different facets of music production in sport together. It was evident that the breadth of chosen speakers sat at various stages in the pathway of music usage within sports and sport campaigns and all were able to provide their insights on the process of how music is specifically tailored in order to be heard within sports arenas or for specific broadcastings, and then how the long list of these specific tracks/playlists which are curated are then chosen by specialists to represent the events.
How do the players within the industry work together?
Alex began the discussion by leading with introductions on how the relevant speakers make their contributions within the industry. So to begin with, Gareth described his role of being a Music Supervisor and his contribution to the world of broadcasting. He described how he oversees every aspect of sport related to music. This can be commissioning title music, finding and licensing music for promotional purposes, drafting regulatory reporting obligations and ensuring that composers and artists get paid. Then the same question was asked to Lucas who was asked about how he got his career started and what his contribution to the music supply chain within sport is. He explained that at the time he set foot in Universal, his music genre listenership revolved around contemporary music styles which was typically Top 40 Hip-Hop and Pop. As a result of the knowledge he gained from taking an interest in these genres, he became responsible for bringing together rosters of artists and composers to make music. He mentioned in particular that he was fortunate that at the same time he entered the industry, the sports industry were becoming aware of his role, particularly with bringing teams together to curate music specifically for sports events. He continued to say that with the regular schedule of music being released on a Friday, that music would eventually be integrated within sports programming by the following Monday, and he was attracted to that fast-moving environment. He understands that stakeholders expect quick wins, and that immediate gratification which is common for college graduates to expect out of a job, was ever present in this job too so it was a lucky opportunity where this type of activity and reward could take place.
Much of the topics of discussion revolved around what makes engaging sports content with respect to music. The general response was that that viewers wanted to watch channels which has music that is befitting to every frame. Moreover, the specialists know that consumers tune into certain sports channels as they are on some level aware that the company has hired the right music specialist. Consumers can pick up on the fact that the person in charge of music selection has demonstrated their wide musical knowledge to appropriately fit the scene on screen. It’s all about fitting the ‘right’ music to help promote the story in the intended angle.
Furthermore, when it comes to a new sports season the question was asked as to whether specific music genres or styles are considered in anticipation for certain big events, and the obvious answer was YES. For example, Gary mentioned that he was part of the team curating the music to be implemented within the Fury vs. Wilder event and that was a huge responsibility for BT since they were the British broadcaster for that event and their consumers would have expectations that the right music would match specific scenes on the screen. He mentioned that the entire process (from music selection, to deals with composers) is a massive undertaking and just for one event, a project begins six weeks in advance. Then the pressure hits the fan closer to the time of the event and especially so when working with events taking place in different time-zones, such as boxing fights in Vegas and requiring to be available at all hours in order to green light last minute changes and decisions. Sometimes project deadlines are cut to fine threads with the anticipation of those last minute amendments or changes. Gary explained that with football and rugby games, the editing which integrates music must take place on the evening of the match in order for it to be broadcasted almost instantly. I assume this is to appease football fan anticipation and this quick turn around is what makes BT stand out and gathering consumers.
The Outputs of Music in Sport
Gerdine stated that FIFA isn’t just a federation - it’s a worldwide reknowned brand which means that this increases consumer demands and expectations. She discussed that with this responsibility of working for such a brand, there were many tough decisions to make regarding marketing and music curation/selection during the beginning of the pandemic, which was the beginning or mid-season for many football related events and a lot of marketing-related decisions needed to be made. How do we still keep fans entertained and engaging during a time where there is a lot of uncertainty with sports and sports broadcasting? She explained that with her colleagues, they were focussing on generating a campaign called ‘what does the world need from FIFA right now?’. Gerdine continued to explain that FIFA wanted to launch "The World Cup At Home” since it was an event that brought much of the world together, which was something humankind needed at that time. This project would entail broadcasting World Cup moments in order for viewers to re-familiarise and re-live the games again. Embedded within these broadcasts were platforms which brought aware self-help messages and particularly was carried by the song ‘Love Me Again’ by John Newman to reinforce the sense of love and uplifting individuals and communities during a period of uncertainty. Gerdine reported that she was proud that FIFA were able to create such a campaign so swiftly since FIFA had never before been so agile on building campaigns or making such quick decisions (on music choices for example), and most importantly it had to be something that would make a difference to the fans. On another point, she discussed how important integrating the 5 senses is to sports fans and bringing about familiarity to brand identity. It’s no secret to knowing that the power of music heightens and elevates the power of sports and remembering certain moments in sports, and Gerdine mentioned that whilst sport used to be predominantly visual, nowadays the audio is just as important - it helps amplify brand identity and consumer connectivity to the brand. As a result, the sports industry has brought in teams specifically to deal with music matters for this very reason over the past couple of decades.
The Inputs [Product Creation] of Music in Sport
Lucas on the other hand discussed the input of music to be used in sport. He explained that there are sessions where analytics are used to find out who the audience is and what makes their clients “happy”, as this emotion is one expects from the world of entertainment. He explained that his team would determine what elements of music work and doesn’t work, with particular reference to tempo, genre and arrangements - what are the right musical ingredients to be used to which promoters and marketing teams might want to use for specific events? Lucas said in his opinion the drums is the most important element of the song within sport. In particular one which is well mixed and has a strong presence (seeing as it is difficult to successfully record and produce a crisp drum sound anyway). If the song’s foundation slaps the rest of the song can be worked around it. In particular the first snare sets the tone for the remainder of the song as that’s what gets listeners initially engaged. When incorporating music to sports promotional campaigns, aligning the audio to the visual is just as important. This might be having frames of a basketball player making a dunk which plays at the same time as a drum hit in order to enhance the importance of this action and moves the story along quickly. This is especially noticeable to audience’s watching screens in a stadium - every sound and every image generated has to be precise and in alignment as attention spans are so short during these events. Lucas continued in saying that one of Universal Production’s KPIs is to create a new brand of hip-hop which can be integrated within sports campaigns. This is because the genre is known for and incorporates lyrics that are boastful and self-centered. So there is the challenge to refocus music to incorporate lyrics that instil a sense of community and teamwork instead - teams do have to bear in mind they do not tread over cultural insensitivity taking into account the origins of American hip-hop.
Making Long Lasting Memories with Music Within Sports
Alex moved the conversation to music being tailored to specifically defined events, in particular, the Men’s World Cup in Qatar 2022. Gerdine and Nicolas both mentioned that their intention is to pick the correct music which represents the identity of the host country, without it coming off as being cliche. Since their jobs revolves around branding and marketing the right campaigns and the music to fit, with rare sports events such as this it’s common for the song or catalog to be anthemic. Think of the percussion on Hips Don’t Lie (Bamboo Remix) by Shakira ft. Wyclef Jean for the 2006 Men’s FIFA World Cup Final or the trumpets on One Moment in Time by Whitney Houston for the 1988 Summer Olympics. The responsibility that comes with choosing music to represent specific events is enormous - each song is specifically created and then chosen to fit the mould of story the relevant event's Board of Directors want to generate: be it hope, courage, strength, determination etc. Moreover, to prevent cultural clashes or backlash for insensitivity, Universal Production Music and all its stakeholders work alongside with local consultants in the event’s host country. This helps provide greater insight into what the most appropriate song elements should be and then the composers and company decision makers end up not appearing tone deaf. It also allows the firms to collaborate in unfamiliar territories which which helps with networking and forging new relationships. The sound’s identity is important to the demographic... so it’s a tight balance of not polarising new fans whilst not straying too for left field with long standing fans.
CONCLUSION
All in all, the event was an interesting insight. It helped viewers understand the to the day-to-day lives of these specialists and to comprehend how serious decisions are made within this industry for something we might perceive as so trivial. However, once you break down the individual elements you realise how each and every step of the music supply chain in sport has a big impact, be it on the rest of the industry, to regulators and most importantly for our memories to keep hold of for the future.
