Cue lengths on PD Classical listings

[jonnybutter]

Just a shout out in case word might get back to listing parties for some of these classical pitches:

I notice that it's become sort of an industry standard now to call for cues of 2 minutes or more. Not very long ago, it was common for listings to call for 1.5+ minutes, so..inflation I guess.

It's one thing to deal with this if you're writing an original cue, but on these classical pitches, nothing beats the real thing (i.e. Bach, Mozart). Unfortunately, the 2 min. threshold disqualifies a LOT of music - probably a vast majority of baroque music, and a ton of classical era music too. Movements were just shorter in those days, and you can take only so many repeats (and really, for the piece to work, you want to have the option of doing the conventional take-first-repeat-and-skip-the-second(AAB).

I have timed dozens of baroque movements, and some classical ones, which otherwise would be great for tv/film but are 20-30 sec short. It may or may not be a simple oversight, but if it is, listing parties should know that there's a ton of Bach and Bach era music we can't pitch because movements are too short even if you take all the repeats. Also a lot of earlier classical era music (early Mozart, Haydn, etc.)

EDIT: To make the point, one of the a las is Bach 2/3 part inventions. Some of them are perfect for this application - well known but not too hackneyed, very melodic, beautiful but not too distracting....

I don't think there's a one of them that is 2 minutes long, unless you played them very slowly (I could be wrong - there could be one!). And there are hundreds and hundreds of other good choices just by Bach.

I don't say this to whine. I say it bc libraries should know that a whole huge swath of music can't be pitched.

[admin]

Johnny, I don't think anybody would disqualify a PD cover because it's long or too short, as long as it's in the ballpark. The briefs the INDUSTRY sends out often contain far less info than what TAXI sends, and frankly, they probably wouldn't even think about mentioning track length because there is some level of assumption/expectation that "everybody already knows this stuff."

For many years, they've only dealt with professionals. But in recent years, and largely due to TAXI, they can get great music from people who don't necessarily know all the little ins and outs of the business and practical side of things. That's why we do TAXI TV, the Road Rally, and offer this forum. Our mission is to bring the masses up to speed because it's often about getting the business-y things right as well as the music.

Bottom line, some times the length is mandated for a reason, more often, it's a practical suggestion to make sure you give them more than enough to work with. More is better because it's easier to edit and trim than loop and lengthen.

Hope that helps,
Michael

[jonnybutter]

(I think we were posting at the same time!)

Yes, that does help! I am glad to hear that length requirements might be a little flexible on these PD classical listings. That opens up a lot of material to pitching! The listing at hand (#Y160618SP) calls for 2-3 minute submissions, so since we all have gotten Rs for being a bit short, I thought it was reasonable to assume...

Seems like I've seen length requirements get a little longer for listings in recent months/year, but I certainly could be wrong.

thanks for your help on this!

Jon

Another EDIT: Just wanted to say that an ancillary reason for bringing this up is just that it's kind of fascinating to think about: before about late Mozart or so (certainly Beethoven), there weren't very many continuous pieces of Western music - i.e. movements - that were longer than about 2 minutes. Our perception of time is very flexible when we listen to music (which is one reason why music is so useful for pacing film/video). One of my fav fugues is Bach's b minor from WTC2; it's under 2 minutes if played at speed, but there's so much going on that you feel like you've been on an epic journey by the end. And there are other pieces much longer in minutes that seem light as feathers. Bottom line: music messes with your mind!

[Merryband1]

Jonny, I think you're right about the Two-Part Inventions. Not a one of the ones I play runs more than a minute and a half. And that's stretching it. I remember a commercial years ago that used a Two-Part Invention, and they chopped it all to pieces to make it fit their commercial. Drove me crazy.

I really wanted to submit to this listing, but had some time conflicts with other things I had to do. I'm still going to record some classical piano and guitar, just because they may run it again! Best wishes with your submissions, also!

Merryband

[jonnybutter]

Hi Merryband,

I actually got one of my submissions returned for the main listing this thread was about, because it was too short. I guess I should have called Taxi to find out for sure how strict the time limit was on it.

It's nice to do some classical pieces amid all the other stuff we pitch around here. Good luck in future to you too!

Jon

[Merryband1]

Agreed! I love seeing the classical listings! I just need to work on my chops so I'll be up for the challenge!

Thanks, Jon. Hope we both get some classical forwards soon!

Merry