“Dear White People” creator Justin Simien has the perfect joke he’s dying to use on his Netflix series. But there’s just one problem: R. Kelly won’t let him.
“It was the best joke of the series,” Simien told IndieWire on a recent panel at the Atx Television Festival. “It was a play on the ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ song. Because there’s a character [on the show] that thinks he can fly. Guys, it was hilarious.”
The song, however, came with a hefty pricetag. But “on top of that, R. Kelly was like, ‘also, no,'” Simien said. He added, clearly joking, “It was the worst day of my life!”
Clearing music for TV and music may be one of the most time-consuming and frustrating aspects of production. Music supervisors have to balance the desire of showrunners who might have an idea for a song – even if the track might not actually fit – with songwriters who may turn the show down. Or perhaps the copyright holder can’t be found. And even if all of that is cleared, a song may be too expensive for the production.
Read More: TV Academy Adds Music Supervisor, Reality Casting Emmy Categories; Restructures Interactive Awards
“It’s not just picking music, it’s the clearance process, it’s all the paperwork,” said Liza Richardson, who has served as a music supervisor on shows such as “Friday Night Lights,” “The Leftovers” and “Hawaii Five-0.” “It’s dealing with the budget. It’s all of the personalities.”
Added Maggie Phillips, whose credits include “Fargo,” “Legion” and FX’s upcoming “Snowfall”: “It’s studios, it’s managing expectations. Having to talk to a certain rights owner for an hour once a week so that they will give us their song for a certain price.”
Music supervision, in other words, is a craft. And that’s why it’s finally being honored with its own category at this year’s Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Series episodes and specials will compete in the brand new Outstanding Music Supervision category, which honors “exceptional creative contributions to a program through the use of music including the narrative impact of lyric-based songs, both original or pre-existing, the use of instrumental source music, and on-camera musical performances.”
It’s been a long time coming. Music supervisors, led by Guild of Music Supervisors president John Houlihan, have spent years lobbying the Television Academy to create the category. They were first admitted into the organization in 2015, which was the beginning step. Then last fall, the Guild pitched its case for an Emmy category to the TV Academy’s board of governors.
“The central argument was that music supervision is a creative endeavor that significantly contributes to Television storytelling but, up until that point, they were not eligible for any award,” said TV Academy music governor Michael Levine. “The criteria – which emphasize creative as opposed to administrative contributions – were shaped by input from music supervisors, other music peer group members, governors from other peer groups, awards committee members, and the experience of Television Academy staff.”
The recognition is also heartening for a group that has to juggle multiple shows and projects at once in order to make a living. “We’re not exclusive to shows and we don’t get paid the way exclusive people get paid,” Phillips noted. “We’re paid per episode. And there’s no union that represents music supervisors. The pay is a little low, so we have to do multiple projects. It’s hard. I love it though and it’s what I do.”
Up next: Why the Rolling Stones didn’t want their drug song in a show about drugs
Related storiesHow Screaming Beatlemania Comes Alive in Ron Howard's 'Eight Days a Week -- The Touring Years''a Series of Unfortunate Events': Designing Neil Patrick Harris' Tour-de-Force Transformation Into Count Olaf'The Young Pope': How Jude Law Went Weird with Paolo Sorrentino for His Best Work In Years...
“It was the best joke of the series,” Simien told IndieWire on a recent panel at the Atx Television Festival. “It was a play on the ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ song. Because there’s a character [on the show] that thinks he can fly. Guys, it was hilarious.”
The song, however, came with a hefty pricetag. But “on top of that, R. Kelly was like, ‘also, no,'” Simien said. He added, clearly joking, “It was the worst day of my life!”
Clearing music for TV and music may be one of the most time-consuming and frustrating aspects of production. Music supervisors have to balance the desire of showrunners who might have an idea for a song – even if the track might not actually fit – with songwriters who may turn the show down. Or perhaps the copyright holder can’t be found. And even if all of that is cleared, a song may be too expensive for the production.
Read More: TV Academy Adds Music Supervisor, Reality Casting Emmy Categories; Restructures Interactive Awards
“It’s not just picking music, it’s the clearance process, it’s all the paperwork,” said Liza Richardson, who has served as a music supervisor on shows such as “Friday Night Lights,” “The Leftovers” and “Hawaii Five-0.” “It’s dealing with the budget. It’s all of the personalities.”
Added Maggie Phillips, whose credits include “Fargo,” “Legion” and FX’s upcoming “Snowfall”: “It’s studios, it’s managing expectations. Having to talk to a certain rights owner for an hour once a week so that they will give us their song for a certain price.”
Music supervision, in other words, is a craft. And that’s why it’s finally being honored with its own category at this year’s Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Series episodes and specials will compete in the brand new Outstanding Music Supervision category, which honors “exceptional creative contributions to a program through the use of music including the narrative impact of lyric-based songs, both original or pre-existing, the use of instrumental source music, and on-camera musical performances.”
It’s been a long time coming. Music supervisors, led by Guild of Music Supervisors president John Houlihan, have spent years lobbying the Television Academy to create the category. They were first admitted into the organization in 2015, which was the beginning step. Then last fall, the Guild pitched its case for an Emmy category to the TV Academy’s board of governors.
“The central argument was that music supervision is a creative endeavor that significantly contributes to Television storytelling but, up until that point, they were not eligible for any award,” said TV Academy music governor Michael Levine. “The criteria – which emphasize creative as opposed to administrative contributions – were shaped by input from music supervisors, other music peer group members, governors from other peer groups, awards committee members, and the experience of Television Academy staff.”
The recognition is also heartening for a group that has to juggle multiple shows and projects at once in order to make a living. “We’re not exclusive to shows and we don’t get paid the way exclusive people get paid,” Phillips noted. “We’re paid per episode. And there’s no union that represents music supervisors. The pay is a little low, so we have to do multiple projects. It’s hard. I love it though and it’s what I do.”
Up next: Why the Rolling Stones didn’t want their drug song in a show about drugs
Related storiesHow Screaming Beatlemania Comes Alive in Ron Howard's 'Eight Days a Week -- The Touring Years''a Series of Unfortunate Events': Designing Neil Patrick Harris' Tour-de-Force Transformation Into Count Olaf'The Young Pope': How Jude Law Went Weird with Paolo Sorrentino for His Best Work In Years...
- 6/20/2017
- by Michael Schneider
- Indiewire
Similar News
Radio Silence Talk ‘Abigail,’ Their ‘Scream’ Exit and Trying to Make ‘The Shining’ Elevators Jealous
- 4/19/2024
- by Brian Davids
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Vashon Island Film Festival Sets Date for Third Event – Film News in Brief
- 4/19/2024
- by Selena Kuznikov and Jack Dunn
- Variety Film + TV
Formula 1 Driver James Hunt Subject Of Feature Doc From Deep Fusion Films
- 4/19/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
“I’m just not one of those actors”: Jason Bateman Has His Reasons for Always Preferring Straight Man Roles
- 4/23/2024
- by Diya Majumdar
- FandomWire
Peter Bart: In Movies As In Politics, Young Protagonists Are Scarce These Days
- 4/19/2024
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Experts slugfest: ‘Under the Bridge’ is one of the year’s dark horse Emmy contenders
- 4/18/2024
- by Joyce Eng and Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
Derek Luke To Play Johnnie Cochran In Lionsgate’s ‘Michael’
- 4/23/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Minka Kelly & Boyfriend Dan Reynolds Show Off Cute Pda on Lunch Date in L.A.
- 4/22/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
With Talk of More All American Spinoffs Is the Franchise In Danger of Overextending Itself?
- 4/11/2024
- by Laura Nowak
- TVfanatic
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.
More to explore
‘Wednesday’ Season 2 Casts Thandiwe Newton (Exclusive)
- 4/23/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety - TV News
Terry Carter, ‘Battlestar Galactica’ and ‘McCloud’ Actor, Dies at 95
- 4/23/2024
- by Lexi Carson
- Variety - Film News
‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ Trailer: Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds Fight to the F—ing Death in Raunchy MCU Debut
- 4/22/2024
- by Diego Ramos Bechara
- Variety - Film News
Netflix to Present Sneak Peek of New Wallace & Gromit, Zack Snyder’s ‘Twilight of the Gods’ at Annecy
- 4/22/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
‘Lord of the Rings’ Owner Embracer to Separate Into Three Standalone Publicly Listed Entities
- 4/22/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran and K.J. Yossman
- Variety - Film News
Meg Bennett, Soap Opera Actress and Writer, Dies at 75
- 4/21/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Chuwi Is the Voice of a New Puerto Rican Generation
- 4/23/2024
- by Juan Arroyo
- Popsugar.com
Camila Mendes on Why We Need More Latine Representation in Rom-Coms
- 4/22/2024
- by Brenda Barrientos
- Popsugar.com
Saraciea Fennell: "The Black Girl Survives in This One" Is the Representation I Didn't See in Horror Books
- 4/22/2024
- by Saraciea Fennell
- Popsugar.com
Tell Me Más: Bodine Talks New Album "Quemo Lento" and Growing From Hardships
- 4/22/2024
- by Juan Arroyo
- Popsugar.com
The ‘Shogun’ Finale Made It Clear Whose Story the Show Has Been Telling
- 4/23/2024
- by Sarah Shachat
- Indiewire
‘Humane’ Review: Caitlin Cronenberg’s Directorial Debut Is a Sharp but Slight Thriller About a Rich Family Forced to Sacrifice One of Their Own
- 4/23/2024
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Sony Will Be the Latest to Try to Remake ‘Clue,’ This Time for Both Film and TV
- 4/23/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Ethan and Maya Hawke Almost Abandoned ‘Wildcat’ After Discovering Flannery O’Connor’s Racist Letters
- 4/23/2024
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
‘The Ritual’: Al Pacino & Dan Stevens To Lead New Exorcism Film Coming Out In 2025
- 4/23/2024
- by Christopher Marc
- The Playlist
‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ Trailer: Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds Fight to the F—ing Death in Raunchy MCU Debut
- 4/22/2024
- by Diego Ramos Bechara
- Variety - Film News
The ‘Shogun’ Finale Made It Clear Whose Story the Show Has Been Telling
- 4/23/2024
- by Sarah Shachat
- Indiewire
Sony Pictures secures film and TV rights to Hasbro’s ‘Clue’
- 4/23/2024
- ScreenDaily
‘Humane’ Review: Caitlin Cronenberg’s Directorial Debut Is a Sharp but Slight Thriller About a Rich Family Forced to Sacrifice One of Their Own
- 4/23/2024
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Sony Will Be the Latest to Try to Remake ‘Clue,’ This Time for Both Film and TV
- 4/23/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
‘Wednesday’ Season 2 Casts Thandiwe Newton (Exclusive)
- 4/23/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety - TV News
Terry Carter, ‘Battlestar Galactica’ and ‘McCloud’ Actor, Dies at 95
- 4/23/2024
- by Lexi Carson
- Variety - Film News
Netflix to Present Sneak Peek of New Wallace & Gromit, Zack Snyder’s ‘Twilight of the Gods’ at Annecy
- 4/22/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The ‘Shogun’ Finale Made It Clear Whose Story the Show Has Been Telling
- 4/23/2024
- by Sarah Shachat
- Indiewire Television
‘Clue’ Film, TV Adaptations in the Works Under New Deal Between Hasbro and Sony
- 4/23/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety - TV News