{"id":53101,"date":"2022-08-22T19:25:31","date_gmt":"2022-08-22T19:25:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/behind-kate-bushs-stranger-things-sync-deal\/"},"modified":"2022-08-22T19:25:31","modified_gmt":"2022-08-22T19:25:31","slug":"behind-kate-bushs-stranger-things-sync-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/behind-kate-bushs-stranger-things-sync-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind Kate Bush&#8217;s &#8216;Stranger Things&#8217; Sync Deal"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 420px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container\" style=\"padding-bottom:67%;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Kate Bush&#8217;s 1985 single \u201cRunning Up That Hill\u201d has been given \u201ca whole new lease of life\u201d with its starring role in a crucial scene of season 4 of Netflix&#8217;s <em>Stranger Things<\/em>, the music star said in June.  Soon after, the song topped charts in multiple countries, setting records in the process.<\/p>\n<p>The success of the integration has put a renewed spotlight on sync, or synchronization, deals that place music into TV series, films, video games or other content, which has been energized by, among other things, the growth of streaming video services.  (In 2021, sync royalties for licensing songs in media including TV shows and movies totaled $302.9 million, up 14 percent from $265.2 million a year earlier.)<\/p>\n<p><strong>More from The Hollywood Reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cTV in general has exploded in the last three or four years, because of Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney and because everybody else is trying to get into this space,\u201d Tim Miles, senior vp, sync, UK and Europe at Warner Music Group tells <em>The Hollywood Reporter<\/em>.  \u201cBut we have never seen anything like this in terms of getting a number one record,\u201d adds Tom Gallacher, senior director, digital &#038; marketing at Rhino, Warner Music&#8217;s catalog arm.  Warner Music and Rhino distribute music from Bush&#8217;s label Noble and Brite.<\/p>\n<p>Behind the success was much hard work as sync deals traditionally don&#8217;t happen overnight.  \u201cIt&#8217;s not like advertising where we get a very quick &#8216;can we use this song,&#8217; and we have to work out if we can and if they can afford it,\u201d explains Miles.  \u201cTV has a very long timeline.  And because the music was so crucial to this scene, they had to know whether the song could be used.  And it took about two years to really talk through with Kate and her team what this was going to be.  This is probably the longest TV negotiation I have ever seen, because they had to get it right.  The song is obviously so powerful.  They must have had some backups, but I&#8217;m sure this was their absolute favorite.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><button class=\"link caas-button collapse-button\" aria-label=\"\" title=\"\" data-ylk=\"elm:readmore;slk:Story continues\">Story continues<\/button><\/p>\n<p>As is often the case when older songs go viral these days, the interest in \u201cRunning Up That Hill\u201d has led consumers to searching for additional music from the artist, too.  \u201cThere has been a big lift across all the catalog,\u201d including the likes of \u201cBabooshka\u201d and \u201cWuthering Heights.\u201d  \u201cSo people have been going and exploring the rest, which is great,\u201d highlights Gallacher.  \u201cAnd we are working with DSPs [Digital Service Providers], the likes of Amazon, Apple and Spotify, to encourage their editorial teams to promote curated playlists spanning Kate&#8217;s incredible wider catalogue.  Kate is always very careful with what she does, and she takes time to look after her catalog and wants to make sure that it is presented in the right away. \u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 541px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-loader\" style=\"padding-bottom:56%;\"><img class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"Tim Miles\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/9URrzcgFl2yX0i6_RDke8A--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MQ--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/uu\/api\/res\/1.2\/IqVIkaucXCL9xNGxaSH_qw--~B\/aD03MzA7dz0xMjk2O2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/the_hollywood_reporter_217\/760d51f4a2814e986b99e3bf5a942db3\"\/><noscript><img alt=\"Tim Miles\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/9URrzcgFl2yX0i6_RDke8A--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MQ--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/uu\/api\/res\/1.2\/IqVIkaucXCL9xNGxaSH_qw--~B\/aD03MzA7dz0xMjk2O2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/the_hollywood_reporter_217\/760d51f4a2814e986b99e3bf5a942db3\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><\/noscript><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">Tim Miles<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Other artists also have questions about whether they should allow their songs to be integrated into TV, movie, video games or other content.  So what do music executives tell them to lay out the case for sync deals?  \u201cWhen we are talking to some of our artists, who perhaps released music a while ago, we are telling them about the power of having their music used on TV,\u201d says Miles.  \u201cWe explain that it is not just about your song being used on an amazing TV show, which is an incredible thing by itself.  But if it is used in a powerful way, you might get 10,000 people making their own playlist, featuring your song.  And then they might share that playlist on their Facebook or on their Instagram.  And all of a sudden, there are all these almost fan-driven soundtracks produced.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Warner Music executives point out that they had already had a successful integration in season 3 of <em>Stranger Things<\/em>, which used Limahl&#8217;s \u201cNever Ending Story,\u201d which Warner Music distributes.  \u201cWe all saw that and thought gosh, if &#8216;Running Up That Hill&#8217; is used in a similar way, we are in for a treat,\u201d Miles recalls.<\/p>\n<p>He sees the rise of global streamers and other digital platforms as having opened up all sorts of new opportunities for music and artists.  \u201cWe have seen this increase in interest in music,\u201d he notes.  \u201cIf you rewind 10 or 15 years, in the UK we just had the BBC and ITV, and the sorts of dramas they were making didn&#8217;t really use music in the way that we see music being used now.  So it has been really fascinating to see this acceleration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t ignore films as a big potential driver for interest in catalog music either, the executives highlight.  Led Zeppelin&#8217;s \u201cImmigrant Song,\u201d for example, which Warner Music distributes, was featured in <em>Thor: Ragnarok<\/em> and its teaser trailer, leading interest in it to spike on various platforms.  \u201cThat was a great way not just to introduce it to new audiences, but also change the band&#8217;s perception of the way these things can be used,\u201d says Gallacher.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes, songs suddenly end up getting searched even when they feature in films that aren&#8217;t new.  \u201cSometimes they are in a movie that was released 10 years ago, but it has just been added to Netflix,\u201d explains the executive.<\/p>\n<p>TikTok and other digital players have also been providing boosts for catalog music.  \u201cWe have seen other [successes]not film-related, for example with TikTok things like Fleetwood Mac&#8217;s &#8216;Dreams&#8217;,\u201d which in 2020 returned to the <em>billboard<\/em> Charts thanks to a viral video, says Gallacher.  \u201cThere are all these old tracks now just popping up in different ways and being able to find new audiences that are treating them the same way they treat a song that just came out last week.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 541px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-loader\" style=\"padding-bottom:56%;\"><img class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"Tom Gallacher\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/xN8KzIIZ4zmqy7KTKJBwbg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MQ--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/uu\/api\/res\/1.2\/jC92rOxEPDhu.97sG21mLw--~B\/aD03MzA7dz0xMjk2O2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/the_hollywood_reporter_217\/8757d2322a7352d520de6339ee3bc993\"\/><noscript><img alt=\"Tom Gallacher\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/xN8KzIIZ4zmqy7KTKJBwbg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MQ--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/uu\/api\/res\/1.2\/jC92rOxEPDhu.97sG21mLw--~B\/aD03MzA7dz0xMjk2O2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/the_hollywood_reporter_217\/8757d2322a7352d520de6339ee3bc993\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><\/noscript><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">Tom Gallacher<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Overall, it is a different world for music compared to just a few years ago.  \u201cWe live in a world where it is normal to listen to a playlist at home or in the car that has lots of music and from lots of different eras,\u201d says Miles.  \u201cI have got two kids.  It is very normal for them to listen to music from the &#8217;70s, &#8217;80s, &#8217;90s on a Sunday morning.  And I&#8217;m not sure if that was the case 15 years ago, because you had to put a CD on.  And TV obviously plays a pivotal role now because the normality of music from all eras being present means that when a song is used, it doesn&#8217;t necessarily feel old or new.  It just feels fresh.  And I think that&#8217;s the important thing.  TV has a great opportunity to revive songs and show that it is not about age, it is just about how fresh it feels.  As for Kate Bush, that song could have been written this year.  It is so fresh.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So, how does the sync business model work?  \u201cFirst of all, we obviously get paid when a song is used.  Just like the director gets paid, the makeup artist gets paid, we have to be paid, but it is a very fair transaction,\u201d says Miles, without disclosing details.  \u201cWhen we charge, and this is widely known in TV and film, we base it on the film budget.  So, you could be a massive artist using a tiny film, and the film company won&#8217;t have to pay much money for it.  Obviously, if that movie goes on to be hugely successful, we often don&#8217;t get any additional income.  However, if it is hugely successful, and the music is used, then of course, there is going to be a bump in streams and interest in the artist.  But equally, if it is a big, big production, then we will get a fair fee for that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Miles says the Warner Music team uses a system called Color Cues, which it developed to match colors representing different moods with musical works.  \u201cWe are constantly looking for ways of speaking the language of creators,\u201d he explains.  \u201cSo what we have done is we have created, I think, 50 cards with different colors.  So green, for example, stands for natural, beginning, unity, building.  We look at scientific studies into music and color.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Not all songs are categorized on the Color Cues system yet, but \u201cWuthering Heights,\u201d for example, features there as white, which stands for dreamy.  \u201cRunning Up That Hill,\u201d which isn&#8217;t on Color Cues yet, would be between the colors green (building), black (driving) and orange (inventive), with the fact that it straddles so many being a testament to the breadth of the song, Miles says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a team, we are inherently visual in terms of how we interpret music, because we work with creators who create visual content,\u201d the Warner Music executive explains.  \u201cSo, we do a lot of pre-emptive work to categorize our music based on how it looks.  That may sound silly, but color plays a key part in initiatives like this.  It really helps when we talk to directors and creators when they are looking for a song that fits, and they are starting with the visuals.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div style=\"\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-loader noheight\"><img class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/Tn2Gh0yrr5uC7jkDT_qW4g--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MA--\/https:\/\/sb.scorecardresearch.com\/p?c1=7&amp;c2=6035310&amp;c3=10001&amp;cv=2.0&amp;cj=1\"\/><noscript><img alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/Tn2Gh0yrr5uC7jkDT_qW4g--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MA--\/https:\/\/sb.scorecardresearch.com\/p?c1=7&amp;c2=6035310&amp;c3=10001&amp;cv=2.0&amp;cj=1\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><\/noscript><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Click here to read the full article. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kate Bush&#8217;s 1985 single \u201cRunning Up That Hill\u201d has been given \u201ca whole new lease of life\u201d with its starring role in a crucial scene of season 4 of Netflix&#8217;s Stranger Things, the music star said in June. Soon after, the song topped charts in multiple countries, setting records in the process. The success of &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/behind-kate-bushs-stranger-things-sync-deal\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Behind Kate Bush&#8217;s &#8216;Stranger Things&#8217; Sync Deal<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":53166,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/kate-bushs-deal-with-netflix-the-hollywood-reporter\/","url_meta":{"origin":53101,"position":0},"title":"Kate Bush&#8217;s Deal With Netflix \u2013 The Hollywood Reporter","date":"August 22, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Kate Bush's 1985 single \u201cRunning Up That Hill\u201d has been given \u201ca whole new lease of life\u201d with its starring role in a crucial scene of season four of Netflix's Stranger Things, the music star said in June. Soon after, the song topped charts in multiple countries, setting records in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Entertainment&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Tim-headshot-copy-H-2022.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13444,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/metallica-hit-back-at-criticism-after-their-song-was-on-stranger-things\/","url_meta":{"origin":53101,"position":1},"title":"Metallica Hit Back At Criticism After Their Song Was On &#8220;Stranger Things&#8221;","date":"July 13, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cAll of you started at ground zero at one point in time. \ud83e\udd18\ud83c\udffb\u201dPosted 2 hours ago When Stranger Things finally returned to our screens for its fourth season back in May, nobody could have anticipated the huge cultural impact that it'd have. While the Netflix hit was already established for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Entertainment&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":17801,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/stranger-things-kate-bush-running-up-that-hill-youtube-views-top-100m\/","url_meta":{"origin":53101,"position":2},"title":"Stranger Things: Kate Bush Running Up That Hill YouTube Views Top 100M","date":"July 18, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Kate Bush renaissance, fueled by Netflix's \u201cStranger Things 4,\u201d continues to flourish: The official video for the artist's synth-pop classic \u201cRunning Up That Hill\u201d has just surpassed 100 million views on YouTube. Since the premiere of \u201cStranger Things 4,\u201d views of Bush's music video for \u201cRunning Up That Hill\u201d\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Entertainment&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":31799,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/the-recorder-kate-bush-fans-celebrate-the-most-wuthering-heights-day-ever-in-greenfield\/","url_meta":{"origin":53101,"position":3},"title":"The Recorder &#8211; Kate Bush fans celebrate The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever in Greenfield","date":"August 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Published: 7\/31\/2022 11:51:45 PM Modified: 7\/31\/2022 11:48:35 PM GREENFIELD \u2014 With people around the world being inspired by Kate Bush's music, a group of fans gathered at Energy Park on Saturday to celebrate her work.July 30, the British singer-songwriter's birthday, is an international day called The Most Wuthering Heights Day\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Entertainment&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12666,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/stranger-things-music-boss-had-an-inkling-that-metallicas-master-of-puppets-would-make-a-huge-comeback\/","url_meta":{"origin":53101,"position":4},"title":"&#8216;Stranger Things&#8217; Music Boss &#8216;Had an Inkling&#8217; That Metallica&#8217;s &#8216;Master of Puppets&#8217; Would Make a Huge Comeback","date":"July 13, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Stranger Things has done it again: after the first half of the Netflix sci-fi smash's fourth season helped Kate Bush's 1985 single \u201cRunning Up That Hill (A Deal With God)\u201d soar to a new peak on the Billboard Hot 100 last month, Metallica's \u201c Master of Puppets\u201d has made its\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Entertainment&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/II7ly5ZDczrPVc79qc7vsg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyMDA7aD02NzY-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/the_hollywood_reporter_217\/ad9e1fbd58a97778d7a37d0061193d5e","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53101"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53101"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53101\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}