Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Tech Focus: Production Music, Part 1 - Technology, Business Upheavals Create Challenges and Opportunities

07/06/2023

Tech Focus: Production Music, Part 1 - Technology, Business Upheavals Create Challenges and Opportunities AI and the RSN bubble are among current disruptions in the sector By Dan Daley, Audio Editor

Wednesday, June 7, 2023 - 7:00 am

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

Production music has been one of the stabler sectors of the sports-media business. Football always seems to want its triumphal horns and crunchy guitars while golf relies on its pastoral themes, and so on. That's even as sports clients ask for more of the same but different, or modern takes on classic themes, as the head of one music house phrases it. It's a typical pattern for sports-production music: the classic themes endure, but elements of the current culture find their way in.

But, as in other media sectors, a combination of technology and business disruptions has been churning the waters around production music. Players in that market are aware of it but say it's too soon to tell how it all will play out.

AI Is on the Horizon As is likely to happen with everything AI touches, artificial intelligence will probably affect production music, eventually.

Sound Ideas Sales Manager Peter Alexander believes that no algorithm could effectively imitate the emotional qualities that music for sports applications requires. You need to be able to get crowds up on their feet and cheering predictably, he says. It's hard to imagine a machine able to compose at the same level as a human, at least not without human supervision. But it's still early days, so it's hard to predict how AI will shake out for production libraries.

AI has drawn wary looks from the music industry in general: composers see it as potentially replacing them; publishers view it as the next iteration of sampling, which uses data from existing IP - a sound or a song - as the basis for a new work, a path some expect AI to follow in music creation.

However, production-music companies may take a more nuanced view of AI: as both a source of potential infringement but also as a way to lower the costs involved in music creation and production.

The AI is definitely a topic of consideration in the production-music sector. According to Morgan McKnight, executive director, Production Music Association, a non-profit that works with production-music libraries, composers, performing-rights organizations, and technology solutions to promote the sector, AI is viewed by many as potentially one more tool to help foster the use of production music, particularly from established providers at a time when almost anyone can make credible music on an iPhone and an app.

It's too early to tell what the impact of AI will be, she explains, but it's seen already as potentially a tool that could make life easier, such as metadata for creating remixes.

She adds that new avenues, such as social media, create more demand for production music and stimulate the need for variations, such as alternate mixes. Hopefully, it becomes another way to create stories for sports and contribute to the authenticity of those stories.

AI-based music-creation platforms are proliferating. Bandlab's Songstarter will generate three unique musical ideas for composers. Splice offers a similar CoSo tool, and TikTok owner ByteDance is reportedly readying its own app for its 1 billion users.

RSN Disruption = Opportunity Recent disruption in the RSN sector, which has seen streaming and cord-cutting push regional networks like Diamond/Bally Sports to the financial edge, has the potential to create opportunity for production-music providers, says Whitney Arnold, president, Stephen Arnold Music.

Stephen Arnold Music's Whitney Arnold: A lot of teams need to create their own brand identities through music.

We're seeing a lot of teams taking back their broadcast rights and, with them, the need to create their own brand identities through music, he says. When they were part of a larger network brand, there was often a one-size-fits-all approach to music and graphics for all the teams and leagues broadcast by a network. Now we can help them choose and create custom music branding.

Stephen Arnold Music Director, Brand Strategy, Russell Boiarsky points out that, even as sports moves into new distribution paradigms, such as Apple's acquisition of MLS streaming rights, a team's desire to hold on to its own identity branding will survive, creating a need for vendors like production-music houses to take on creative duties.

[This shift] is going to create a ton of new opportunities, he says. But it's going to be the Wild West out there for a while.

Matthew Gutknecht, director, sports entertainment, APM Music, believes that the classic broadcast-sports model remains strong for many leagues and teams though not for every market.

APM Music's Matthew Gutknecht: When technology outpaces legalities, you have to wait to see a legal precedent set [for AI]. It'll all get figured out.

The Diamond situation has touched so many of our clients in basketball, baseball, hockey, and other sports locally, he notes, but the full impact won't be felt immediately but rather as each sport's next season comes around. He adds that litigation and other disruptions, such as the legal kerfuffle between the Phoenix Suns and Mercury teams and Bally Sports, will increase that uncertainty.

Yes, he continues, there will be opportunities [for production music], but the larger picture is that the whole local and regional and OTT broadcast ecosystem has changed drastically. We're monitoring all of that.

Gutknecht takes a similar view with AI, waiting for its inevitable legal concerns to show some resolution: When technology outpaces legalities, you have to wait to see a legal precedent set. This is like sampling was years ago
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2023/06/07/tech-focus-production-music-par...
See more stories from svg

North America Stories

06/08/2026

ASG Ups Michele Ferreira to Chief Business Officer

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/08/2026

WNBC and WNJU Expand New York Giants Deal

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/08/2026

Utah Scientific to Highlight NBOSS at IBC 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/08/2026

Disney, TikTok Ink Global Short-Form Content-Sharing Deal

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/08/2026

Kane Peterson Joins QuickLink's North America Team

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/08/2026

FCC Returns $881 Million in Unused TV Broadcaster Relocation Funds

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/08/2026

PlayBox Neo to highlight secure and scalable workflow del...

At this year's SET EXPO, PlayBox Neo will present recent innovations across its PlayBox Neo Suite and integrated range of broadcast media solutions. By show...

06/08/2026

Modern Streaming Solutions Private Limited Partners with...

Live demo at IBC2026 VisualOn Booth, Hall 5, Stand A55 Amsterdam, Netherlands Modern Streaming Solutions Private Limited, a rising force in India's dig...

06/08/2026

How Karukera Studio Built a Media Production Hub with SNS EVO

How Karukera Studio Built a Media Production Hub with SNS EVO Melanie Ciotti August 5, 2026 0 Comments Hero images displays Karukera Studio in Sainte-...

06/08/2026

NHK drama series Rosanjin no Kamado shot on PYXIS 6K

NHK drama series Rosanjin no Kamado shot on PYXIS 6K Brie Clayton August 5, 2026 0 Comments Blackmagic PYXIS 6K and DaVinci Resolve Studio capture the...

06/08/2026

Camera Match: AutoSetup 3d Plugin / script for Photomontages- Cinema 4D

Camera Match: AutoSetup 3d Plugin / script for Photomontages- Cinema 4D Jamie Cardoso August 5, 2026 0 Comments If you do any kind of Architectural Vi...

05/08/2026

SVG Regional Sports Production Summit 2026: All Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

RSNs, teams, leagues, and streamers explore the present and future of local spor...

05/08/2026

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Hitachi Vantara's Lenny Khaitov on Building Resilient Data Infrastructure for Sports Production

As sports-production workflows generate larger volumes of unstructured data and ...

05/08/2026

NESN's Women's Celebration Night Returns With Expanded Focus on the Next Generation

Three aspiring broadcasters will contribute on-camera and inside the production ...

05/08/2026

Union County Paints an Authentic Picture of Recovery and Community

Adam Meeks attends the premiere of his film Union County, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Sundance Institut...

05/08/2026

Australia's retirement sector advertising rises more than 10% as millions plan for life after work according to Nielsen

Advertisers invested $53.6 million in the retirement sector in the last 12 month...

05/08/2026

New Nielsen data shows IKEA's New Zealand launch attracted more than 243,000 shoppers in the last month

Nielsen CMI and Ad Intel data reveals who's visiting IKEA, where else they s...

05/08/2026

Nielsen expands Four-Screen Ad Deduplication across CTV in Japan

Media buyers and sellers can now compare deduplicated campaign reach across computer, mobile, connected TV and linear TV across all measurable CTV publishers in...

05/08/2026

Stranger Things,' Bluey,' The Pitt' Top Nielsen's Streaming Charts Through First Half of 2026

Stranger Things' Leads All Streaming Titles with 23.3 Billion Minutes in Fir...

05/08/2026

Live Media Group, Gravity Media Strike Deal on U.S. OB Fleets

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

05/08/2026

Beyond VVC: Call for Proposals for Next-Gen Video Coding

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

05/08/2026

QuickLink Expands North American Team With Appointment of...

QuickLink, the leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest integration solutions, announces the appointment of Kane Peterson to its Nort...

05/08/2026

Seven in 10 UK advertisers exceed production budgets desp...

XR research reveals marketers believe they have control over production costs, yet budget overruns, campaign delays and creative cutbacks remain commonplace Se...

05/08/2026

Game On Live Studio Uses Blackmagic Design to Stream Tropical 7s

Game On Live Studio Uses Blackmagic Design to Stream Tropical 7s Brie Clayton August 4, 2026 0 Comments Every match of world's largest youth rugby...

05/08/2026

Chris Fitzgerald to Head TDC's Experiential Growth

Chris Fitzgerald to Head TDC's Experiential Growth Brie Clayton August 4, 2026 0 Comments Technical Direction Company promotes Chris Fitzgerald to...

05/08/2026

Gravity Media, Live Media Group Form Strategic Partnership

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

05/08/2026

Samsung Launches World's First HDR10+ Streaming on Prime Video

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

05/08/2026

Profuz Digital unveils new advanced search capabilities a...

Profuz Digital is set to launch a powerful upgrade to its Profuz LAPIS digital media management platform at IBC this year at Stand 8.A88. France Galop, Canal+ F...

05/08/2026

KRK Brings Advanced Wireless Control to Professional Moni...

KRK, a Gibson brand and leader in professional studio monitoring for nearly four decades, launches its new V Series Five Studio Monitors, the latest evolution o...

04/08/2026

MLB's Jason Hedgcock on Using the Cloud To Produce World Baseball Classic Games for Netflix Japan

Live production in the cloud is a growing trend across the industry, and Major L...

04/08/2026

Major League Soccer Names Larry Berg as Next Commissioner; Will Take Helm in 2027

LAFC co-managing owner will succeed Don Garber on Jan. 1, 2027, as league prepar...

04/08/2026

Foresight: Driving Growth Through Broadcast Flexibility - A Calrec + PGA TOUR Case Study

In 2022, when the PGA TOUR was breaking ground on its new, state-of-the-art broa...

04/08/2026

Dealer Cam Debuts as Omaha Productions Takes World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table Live on ESPN

Provided by POVORA, the new camera angle offers a dealer's-eye view of the c...

04/08/2026

USL To Trial FIFA's Football Video Support System During 2026 USL Cup

Spiideo will provide the camera setup, with NEP handling broadcast integration and off-site video operations...

04/08/2026

Game On Live Studio Deploys Blackmagic Design Workflow Across 15 Fields at Tropical 7s

Production team streamed more than 750 youth rugby matches using ATEM switchers,...

04/08/2026

NDI, KTC Partner To Develop Network-Native Commercial Displays

Agreement gives KTC early access to NDI's Advanced SDK for integration across commercial displays, digital signage, and interactive panels...

04/08/2026

IBC2026: IBC Innovation Awards Finalists Highlight Advances in AI, Cloud, Open Standards, and Accessibility

Twelve projects across four categories recognize collaborative work in productio...

04/08/2026

Ekstraklasa, Live Park Select Hawk-Eye for Tracking, Offside, and Broadcast Technology

Multi-year agreement will introduce SkeleTRACK, semi-automated offside, automate...

04/08/2026

Radio France Deploys Redundant Lawo AoIP Workflow for 2026 Concert de Paris

Three mc 56 consoles, dual A__UHD Core engines, RAVENNA networking, and HOME management supported live sound, monitoring, and international broadcast production...

04/08/2026

IBC2026: Haivision to Debut Makito ONE, Falkon X4 in Europe

New contribution products support ultra-low-latency video transport across fixed, remote, and mobile production environments...

04/08/2026

IBC2026: Chyron to Highlight AI, Cloud, HTML Graphics, and Sports-Analysis Tools

Company will showcase updates across PRIME, Chyron LIVE, Paint, virtual production, newsroom workflows, and venue control...

04/08/2026

TAB Show 2026: MultiDyne to Showcase Fiber-Transport and IP Infrastructure Tools

Exhibit will feature SilverBack, VersaBrix, VersaFrame, VF-9100, and FiberSaver-10G platforms...

04/08/2026

IBC2026: TAG Video Systems Adds MXL Support, Containerized Deployment, Expanded QC Tools

Platform updates target cloud-based production, high-density ST 2110 monitoring,...

04/08/2026

Gravity Media, Live Media Group Partner To Expand U.S. Mobile Production Facility Operations

Live Media Group will take control of Gravity Media's U.S. mobile-unit fleet...

04/08/2026

Blendkit Expands Beyond Blender

Blendkit Expands Beyond Blender Brie Clayton August 4, 2026 0 Comments Popular 3D Asset Library Launches Alpha Plugins for Maya, Godot, and Rhino Blend...

04/08/2026

QC: Artificial Intelligence's Big Hammer Finds Another Nail

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

04/08/2026

The AI Dilemma: Can C2PA Keep a Video's Provenance Intact?

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

04/08/2026

BPS Gaining Traction in Broadcast and Other Sectors

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

04/08/2026

Ikegami to Demonstrate Latest-Generation UNICAM Product R...

Ikegami has chosen the 11-14 September 2026 International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam as the European market launch venue for additions to its UNICAM p...

04/08/2026

Appear unifies hardware and software for live production...

Appear (IBC2026 booth 1.C61) will showcase new X & VX Platform capabilities that extend broadcast-grade performance from venue to cloud Appear ASA (OSE: APR), ...