Man Made Music, Author at Man Made Music

Man Made Music is proud to be part of television history. Our music served as the main theme, and underscore for big game moments, of Super Bowl XLIX, the most watched program in television history. Over 120 million tuned in and heard our music, which brought incredible energy to a stunning game, filled with lots of boom moments!

This year’s Super Bowl ads were all about brands using music and sound to pull on our heart strings and tell stories. Here are five of our favorites from this year’s spots.

T-Mobile

It’s the music that sets up the gag perfectly. Those piano notes tell us bad things are happening to our connection to Kim Kardashian and our data.

Nationwide

Mindy Kaling and Van Halen make for a powerful combination.

Dove

Nothing can tug the heart strings like the childrens’ voices in this Dove ad.

Geico

Taking a Musicless Musicvideo cue, Geico dials up humor by exaggerating foley. Nothing like the bling of a ring to amplify absurdity.

Coca-Cola

Hundred Waters “Show Me Love” for Coca-Cola is unbeatable.

Bonus: Man Made Music was a part of the Super Bowl yet again. Watch below to experience the power of sound again:

We’re bringing a new dimension to #TBT (Throwback Thursday) with #TBTPlaylists. This week, our music supervisor Kristy Zeigler put together a playlist that represents some of the big hits and events of 1977.

With the death of Elvis Presley, the growth of the punk rock scene and disco reaching the mainstream, 1977 was a pivotal turning point in popular music. Studio 54 opened its doors for the first time (a brief 10 minute walk from the Man Made Music office), cassette sales were on the rise, and the Eagles’ “Hotel California” was at the top of the charts.

When the top 50 albums of the year worldwide include the likes of Elvis, Peter Gabriel, Bob Marley, Steely Dan, The Sex Pistols, Fleetwood Mac, Supertramp, John Williams (for Star Wars), Barbara Streisand, and AC/DC, you know it was an interesting year in music history, to say the least. Enjoy the mix as we take you back to ’77…

It’s been a whirlwind of a week for the launch of The Sonic Boom: How Sound Transforms The Way We Think, Feel, and Buy! Here’s a recap of the best of the best – it’s not too late to share and be a part of the movement.

TIME: “Harvest Boon: 7 Great Fall Books” by Eliza Gray and Claire Howorth

NPR: “From Sizzling Fajitas To The Super Bowl, How Sounds Help Sell”

Inc: “How to Use Sound to Define Your Brand” by Jill Krasny

Advertising Age: “What Does Your Brand Sound Like?” by Max Willens

BuzzFeed: “How Much Do Brands Control Your Brain?” by Julia Furlan

Mashable: “33 Musical Earworms You Can’t Escape” by MJ Franklin

Fast Company: “What Does Your Brand Sound Like?” by KC Ifeanyi

WIRED: “How the Super Bowl and Sizzling Fajitas Manipulate You With Sound” by Nick Stockton

Be sure to follow Joel Beckerman on Twitter and Facebook for all the latest updates.

Welcome to our latest #TBTPlaylist. It’s great to listen to classic songs, but it puts a fresh spin on them to hear them from current artists. It’s also fun to hear them in different genres – putting a punk spin on an oldies song, putting an electronic spin on 80s song (not as extreme…but you get my point.) This is a playlist that captures the fun party from summer, but also winds down a little as you ease back into work, school, etc or whatever it may be. Come to think of it, what classic song would you love to hear someone redo? Enjoy!

When the top 50 albums of the year worldwide include the likes of Elvis, Peter Gabriel, Bob Marley, Steely Dan, The Sex Pistols, Fleetwood Mac, Supertramp, John Williams (for Star Wars), Barbara Streisand, and AC/DC, you know it was an interesting year in music history, to say the least. Enjoy the mix as we take you back to ’77…

Early this morning, YouTube sensation Dan Newbie appeared on The Weather Channel’s AMHQ to present his re-imagined version of the AMHQ theme song written by Man Made Music.

As you can see in the video, Dan uses instruments like wine glasses, jugs, a water bottle shaker and a 5-gallon water drum for the first 40 seconds before letting his music slide nicely into our original theme for the last 20 seconds. Nice work, Dan!

Follow Dan Newbie on Twitter: @DanNewbie
Follow Dan Newbie on YouTube: Dan Newbie
Follow Man Made Music on Twitter: @Man_Made_Music
Follow AMHQ on Twitter: @AMHQ

“Can customers identify your brand with their eyes closed?”

It’s a question posed in the popular blog Marketing Profs about an area of brand identity that deserves a closer look – or listen, as the case may be.

The article rightly calls out Sonic Branding (or audio branding), as a part of a “multi-sensory approach,” which, “when used correctly, has the ability to deliver a distinct branding message – and make it stick once it gets there.”

Undoubtedly, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to make branding messages stick these days. An April 2013 study sponsored by the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement found that 30 – 40% of TV ad viewing occurred concurrently with mobile device usage. Fahey makes the case that brands need a sonic identity just to compete with the digital distractions consumers are inundated with on a daily basis.

The author offers a general recommendation for brands considering a sonic identity: “I encourage you to think beyond licensed music to create distinctive audio signals and compositions. Use them to bring your customers home to the brand and what it represents.”

But the original question – “can customers identify your brand with their eyes closed” – deserves a follow up question, which is, “how does a brand go about achieving that goal?”

First, brands need to understand that there are sonic opportunities beyond the musical notes that appear when a company logo flashes across the screen (also known as a sonic logo). At Man Made Music, we have created original compositions, or brand anthems, and fostered the music licensing process to connect brands to their audiences. Both approaches have appropriate use cases. It’s not a “one size fits all” by any stretch of the imagination.

Second, and perhaps most important, before the creative work can begin, there needs to be strategy. The first step of the strategic engagement is to understand the brand’s audience and brand metrics for success. Instead of asking, “How do we want to sound to the rest of the world,” brands should first ask, “Who is our audience and what should they feel when interacting with us?”

Like visual identity elements, your sonic identity will evolve over time, but the core strategy concepts and brand equity – if done right – will be immutable.

Ultimately, it’s encouraging to see discussions Sonic Branding in the marketing space, and the need for a sonic identity based on current market conditions. But going from a brand without a sonic identity to one so powerful that consumers instantly recognize your brand with their eyes closed is no small feat – and that’s where we come in.

If you’re having a fiesta at su casa tonight, you could go with a traditional tequila-themed playlist for Cinco De Mayo. Time Out LA put together a nice top 10 list:

But if you’ve heard La Bamba one too many times in the office, we’ve got you covered – literally – with some fun non-themed covers that you and your guests will love. It’s not an anti- playist…it’s just an awesome one.

Check out all of our Man Made Music playlists HERE.

This past week, Vanity Fair/60 Minutes polled 1,017 adults ages 18 and older around the country to get their thoughts on music these days – and days gone by. The questions ranged from thought provoking (“Which band would you go back in time to see?”) and fun (“Who would you most like to be in a rock band?”) to downright silly (“What is the sexiest instrument someone can play?”).

But the question that riled up the staff at the Man Made Music offices was, “Which decade had the worst music?” If the Vanity Fair/CBS poll is any indication, we’re living in it. 42% of respondents felt that the 2010s has been the decade with the worst music, with the 2000s lagging behind at 15%.

According to the poll’s organizers, holding onto sounds and styles of a youth gone by isn’t the only factor at play here – even the younger set of respondents were down on the sounds of the 2010s. Vanity Fair’s Digital Director Mike Hogan is probably on to something when he says time helps in weeding out some of the more forgettable music: “…we look back on the 70s and we’re only thinking about the great stuff,” Hogan told CBS This Morning. “We’re not thinking about all the terrible stuff. I remember when people used to think the 70s was the worst music ever,” he said.

We sent the question around internally to see which decade Man Mader’s felt was the worst for music. Some of the responses were too good not to share:

“00’s – 2 words – AUTO TUNE“

“It took me 30 years to detox from Disc-o.”

Here’s how MMM stacked up against the VF/60 Minutes poll:

The 2000s may have taken the title across Man Made’s offices, but as one of our staff pointed out, “2000s are great for karaoke though. It’s like senior prom all over again.”