Music Supervisor - Job Responsibilities

Job Responsibilities

The overarching responsibility of a music supervisor is to meet the needs of a project’s director and producer. This means catering to the creative goals of a project under a strict budget: often less than 5% of a project’s total budget (Wierzbicki).

The director/producer will discuss their vision for the project with the music supervisor, and how they expect the music to enhance this vision. The visual media will then be spotted by the supervisor - a process of choosing where selected music will be inserted (Schulenberg). Traditional spots include the main title, opening credits, and closing credits, while additional spots are incorporated to trigger emotional responses from viewers (Austin). Scores, or background music, are also an important consideration for enhancing visual media. Scores can range from the background to a dramatic scene to television bumpers - the music signifying leading into or coming back from a commercial break (Schulenberg).

After being given or creating a budget, the supervisor must select appropriate music for the project - either by licensing existing songs/scores, or creating new songs/scores. If creating new music, the supervisor may become responsible for additional roles, including securing artists or composers, facilitating the production and recording process, overseeing finances, and finalizing post-theatrical uses of the soundtrack (Baskerville). When using pre-existing music, the supervisor’s duties focus on the legal and financial aspects of licensing and negotiating. About thirty to fifty percent of a music supervisor’s job revolves around music clearance alone (Wentz).