Chuck D to Headline 2023 State of Music in Media Conference

Chuck D, legendary rapper and leader of Public Enemy, will headline the Guild of Music Supervisors’ ninth annual State of Music in Media conference. The event will take place on Saturday, Aug. 19 at the Los Angeles Film School in Hollywood, Calif.

Cheryl “Salt” James (Salt of Salt-N-Pepa) will keynote the event, which will celebrate 50 years of hip-hop.

Other speakers include Lorrie Boula, King Tee, Igmar Thomas, Dante Ross, Ananda Lewis, Gustavo Santaolalla, Joel C High, Frankie Pine, Julia Michels and Chris Lennertz, and the music team from Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. There will also be a surprise, pop-up hip hop performance. 

The conference is offering 15-minute, one-on-one sessions for aspiring music supervisors to meet successful people working in the field. This opportunity is open to aspiring music supervisors only. (Music pitching is not allowed.)

Members of the Guild of Music Supervisors and Friends of the Guild will receive a discount on their ticket purchases. Tickets are available to the public at full price and come with a complimentary one-year subscription as a Friend of the Guild. Students and military personnel will also receive a discount to attend.

To purchase tickets to attend the conference, visit the ticketing page here.

The event is presented in collaboration with The Los Angeles Film School.

The Guild of Music Supervisors is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2010. For more information, visit their website here.

Programming highlights include:

Fight the Power: How Hip-Hop Changed the World

Summary: This is a narrative of struggle, triumph and resistance brought to life through the lens of an art form that has chronicled the emotions and experiences of Black and brown communities. In the aftermath of America’s racial and political reckoning in 2020, the perspectives and stories shared in hip-hop are key to understanding injustice in the U.S. over the last half-century.

Panelists: Chuck D & Lorrie Boula

The Origins of Hip-Hop

Summary: This will deep-dive into the inception of hip-hop in the early ’70s and how its unique sound was influenced by jazz and rhythm & blues.

Moderator: John Paul McGee, assistant chair of Piano Department – Berklee College of Music

Panelists: Amani “Burt Blackarach” Smith, music supervisor, Salamani Music; King Tee, West Coast rapper; Cheryl “SALT” James aka Salt of Salt-n-Pepa.

The Golden Age of Hip-Hop

Summary: Hip-hop’s influence on the ’80s & ’90s is undeniable with socially-conscious music in tandem with some of the most iconic photography and fashion of the 21st century. Hip-hop makes an indelible mark on the world with style, swag, and grace while concurrently illuminating often sinister elements of being Black in America.

Panelists: Dante Ross, A&R/producer/author, Stimulated; Ananda Lewis, mom, TV host, health activist, carpenter; Senyon Kelly, operations manager, archives, curatorial, Universal Hip Hop Museum.

The Global Impact of Hip-Hop: Passing the Torch for the Next 50 Years

Summary: Fifty years later, hip-hop is undeniably one of the most celebrated art forms in the music industry, having survived such hurdles as hate, ridicule and censorship. The result has been an augmented global community that has adopted this music as their own, bringing with it a herculean amount of history, context, struggle and joy.

Moderator: Chris Lakey, SVP, global creative synch, Kobalt Music Publishing

Panelist: Igmar Thomas, trumpeter, composer, arranger, bandleader

‘The Last of Us’ (Part II)

Summary: Journey of a soundtrack from video game to Max series.

Panelists: Scott Hanau, score director/music producer, Sony Interactive Entertainment; Phil Kovats, MPSE, senior director of sound, PlayStation Studios; Craig Mazin, showrunner, writer (streaming series); Gustavo Santaolalla – composer (game and streaming series)

‘Daisy Jones and the Six’: Music Supervisor Frankie Pine on Preparing for Successful On-Camera Performances

Summary: An in-depth overview of a music supervisor’s role in pre-production on an intensive on-camera project, and how to set up for success in production and post-production.

Moderator: Amanda Krieg Thomas, music supervisor, Yay Team Inc.

Panelist: Frankie Pine, music supervisor, Whirly Girl Music

Reinventing The Soundtrack of a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Summary: How do you create new music for the most iconic franchise in entertainment history?  For Jedi Survivor, you throw away the rule book and deliver two new soundtracks that stand proudly on their own within the classic Star Wars canon. This session will break down the entire process – from concept and development through recording and release – with the composers and key players behind the acclaimed new Jedi Survivor score and Sounds for the Galactic Skylanes, the first-ever album of original songs from a Star Wars title.

Panelists: Douglas Reilly, vice president, games, Lucasfilm, Ltd.; Steve Schnur, producer, Jedi Survivor & Sounds for the Galactic Skylanes; Gordy Haab, co-composer, Jedi Survivor; Stephen Barton, co-composer, Jedi Survivor; Nick Laviers – audio director, Respawn Entertainment

The Real Deal

Summary: How to score an unscripted series. A conversation with music supervisors and synch reps about how to craft memorable music moments for reality TV on a shoestring budget.

Moderator: Adam Brodsky, owner, Woolly Music

Panelists: Joe O’Riordan, freelance music supervisor; Deja Siegler, CEO/music supervisor, Alooma Inc; Rochelle Holguin Cappello, senior vice president, creative music strategy at Paramount.

Music for the Masses

Summary: Trends, tropes, and techniques for effective advertising music; a conversation about the power of music in advertising, exploring timeless techniques and creative approaches that make for effective campaigns.

Moderator: Jeff Kling, founder, CCO at Das Favorite

Panelists: Josh Marcy, director of music, Media Arts Lab; Ben Dorenfeld, director of music, Anomaly; Jarred Causly, senior music supervisor, Saatchi & Saatchi; Beliansh Assefa, music producer, Townhouse/Grey.

The Music, the Paperwork, and Everything in Between: A Dialogue with Supervisors and Composers on Best Practices and Allyship

Summary: This conversation will explore the relationship between music supervisors and composers. It will highlight each individual role as well as the collaborative effort that is telling stories through music, particularly in film.

Moderator: Sami Posner, music supervisor, Blue Lily and Creative Control

Panelists: Chris Lennertz, composer; Dara Taylor, composer; Julia Michels, music supervisor, Format Entertainment; Joel C. High, music supervisor, Creative Control

Music Clearance 101

Summary: The basics of music clearance and licensing are explained in an easy-to-understand and practical way.

Panelist: Linda Osher, president, LJO Music Consulting

Music Clearance 201

Summary: Advanced topics and strategies in music clearance.

Moderator: Lindsay Wolfington, music supervisor, Lone Wolf Music Supervision

Panelists: Matt Lilley, president, MCL Music Services, Inc.; Karen Falzone, owner, Mostly Music