In Writing Music for Commercials: Television, Radio, and New Media, professor, composer, arranger, and producer Michael Zager describes the process of composing and arranging music specifically for commercials across the growing variety of media formats. Writing music for commercials requires composers not only learn the craft of writing short-form compositions that can stand on their own, but also understand the advertising business. In this third edition of his original Writing Music for Television and Radio Commericals, Zager walks starting composers through the business and art of writing music that aims for a product's target audience and, when done well, hits its mark. Chapter by chapter, Zager covers a broad array of topics: how to approach and analyze commercials from a specifically musical perspective, the range of compositional techniques for underscoring and composing jingles, the standard expectations and techniques for arranging and orchestration, and finally the composing of music for radio commercials, corporate videos, infomercials, theatrical trailers, video games, Internet commercials, websites, and web series (webisodes). This third edition has been updated to include more in-depth analysis of the changing landscape of music writing for modern media, with critical information on composing not only for the Web but for mobile applications, from video-driven advertising in online newspapers to electronic greeting cards. Zager also includes new interviews with industry professionals, updated business information, the latest sound design concepts, and much more. Writing Music for Commercials: Television, Radio, and New Media features: *Easy-to-read chapters for beginning and intermediate music composition students *Over a hundred graphics and musical examples *Interviews with industry professionals *An assortment of assignments to train and test readers, preparing them for the world of writing music for various media *Online audio samples that illustrate the book's principles Writing Music for Commercials is designed not only for composers but for students and professionals at every level.
Preface Acknowledgments Introduction 1: Advertising Agency and Process Structure 2: Composing for Television and Radio Commercials versus Composing for Films 3: Musical Skills (Approaching Composition for Commercials) 4: Analyzing Commercials (from a Musical Viewpoint) 5: Underscoring (Compositional Techniques) 6: Arranging and Orchestration Concepts (Including Sound Effects and Sound Design) 7: Jingle Writing 8: Composing Music for Radio Commercials 9: Corporate Videos and Infomercials (Long-Form Commercials) 10: Theatrical Trailer Music (Motion Picture Trailer Music) 11: Video Game Music 12: Internet Commercials, Website Music, and Web Series (Webisodes) 13: Sound Design and Foley Effects 14: The Business of Commercials 15: Conclusion Index About the Author
