Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

SVG Sit-Down: A1 Jeri Palumbo on Becoming a Production-Music Entrepreneur

06/05/2021

SVG Sit-Down: A1 Jeri Palumbo on Becoming a Production-Music Entrepreneur The broadcast-sports veteran is co-founder of new Arena Waves library By Dan Daley, Audio Editor

Thursday, May 6, 2021 - 11:18 am

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

Every production-music library has developed its sports vertical, but, for newcomer Arena Waves, sports is its one and only. Not surprising, given than founding partner Jeri Palumbo has been one of the go-to A1s in broadcast sports for 27 years. The Telly Award-winning musician-turned-mixer has handled sound for NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and NASCAR events, as well as the Super Bowl, World Series, Stanley Cups, and the Oscars. She sat down with SVG to discuss where her new venture came from, where it's going, and what's facing production music for broadcast and live sports.

Jeri Palumbo: Arena Waves is different because we are crafting cues from the bottom up: a user's perspective. We know what they are looking for.

You were a musician before moving into pro audio, a not-uncommon transition for sports A1s. But what prompted this move into production music? What opportunity or need do you see in a market that already has millions of tracks available?

All of my work is deeply rooted in my musical training and background before I moved into broadcasting. As an A1, I had to edit music to fit the broadcast needs. After a chance meeting in New York City with my current partners in Arena [Rich Tozzoli and Pat Finnegan], we had a lengthy discussion about the specifics of how sports music is different from film and television cue, including the vernacular.

I always thought that a music library dedicated to sports would be extremely useful to every aspect of production, and this partnership was ideal not only from a catalog-volume perspective but in the willingness of my partners to curate it into being sports-specific. In addition, we had an enormous talent pool we could combine between us (East and West Coast established session musicians and composers).

It was very natural to take all of my experience, broadcast and music combined, and apply it to this new partnership for the creation and curation of music specifically for the sports and esports market. Arena Waves is different because we are crafting cues from the bottom up: a user's perspective. We know what they are looking for.

What sets Arena Wave apart from competitors? How does your perspective as a broadcast-sports A1 provide unique insights here?

We make super-high-quality cues that are drop-in-ready, no editing required. We've done the editing. Having spent countless hours over the years shaving cues, we understand how time-consuming this is. With our cues, you can plug and play. Or, if you want something very specific, we are happy to do that, too. Arena Waves understands sports, esports and live broadcast production. We know how music is chosen because we've actually sat in that chair for 25 years.

What search technologies and services can Arena Wave provide to clients?

Arena Waves is mobile-platform-friendly. You can work with Arena Waves anywhere from your phone or computer, so there is no downtime on creating production playlists.

We also broke out curated playlists by style for easy searching. What you don't find in our curated playlist, you can find by genre, type, style, etc. in our main search field. In addition, we can deliver the most complicated requests quickly to our clients without compromise in as little as 48 hours.

We also created the Producer's Edge section, where broadcast producers, editors, and creators can get ready-made precision cut-downs for bumpers and highlights, freeing the A1 or editors from having to shave cues or edit. This is specifically helpful for live environments, when time is critical. Producers, A1s, and creators don't have to think about it; they can just add it to their Spot On, Ableton, 360 Systems, or whatever [platform] they are using.

What are Arena Waves' positions on such issues as royalty-free music and how to deal with DCMA takedowns of tracks used by sports?

Since Arena Waves personnel have experience coming from both the music industry and the broadcast world, we are sensitive to these issues. There will always be a place for royalty-free catalogs, and they are appropriate for, say, corporate in-house video or other smaller outlets. However, our talent pool of composers and musicians is top-notch, and Arena Waves will always strive to take care of them. That means getting the most-viable licensing syncs. In regard to DCMA takedowns, if a cut is being used for a professional production without the owner's permission, then absolutely I agree with the DCMA takedown.

A lot of music for sports has settled into some predictable pairings: hip hop for the NBA, pastoral themes for golf, triumphal horns and crunchy guitars for the NFL. Are these genres due for a shake-up?

Like any music bed, it needs to fit the narrative and make sense. Music paints a story on one hand while, other times, it's used to energize. Even though there is a comfortable and somewhat predictable pattern in the sports-broadcast world, we believe it's fresh and exciting to shake things up and try something new when appropriate.

What are the challenges in developing music for sports on the air and in the venue?

The main challenge is understanding the different needs of sports post- and pre-productions vs. a live over-the-air broadcast. Stadium and arena venues handle these differently from live broadcasts, and esports handles it differently from all the above. We understand all these differences because, again, we have sat in the chair of all those positions.

What does the future hold for sports music? Surround? 3D?

A lot! While traditional broadcasts have a tendency to go with what is predictable - stand
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2021/05/06/svg-sit-down-a1-jeri-palumbo-on...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

06/09/2026

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

06/07/2026

Inside OneSoccer's FIFA World Cup Ops: Canada's Soccer Network Goes Behind the Scenes for CanMNT's Historic Moment

Long-developed relationships and informal access, three production models, and c...

06/07/2026

Lumine Group Acquires Imagine Communications, Continues To Build Portfolio of Media Businesses

The deal follows Lumine's recent acquisition of Synamedia's video-networ...

06/07/2026

SVG All-Stars: Stuart Mitchell, Senior Coordinating Producer, Spectrum SportsNet LA

This former SportsCenter producer is shaping local-team studio coverage to surro...

06/07/2026

Case Study: How IMS Productions and FOX Sports Scaled Coverage of the 109th Indianapolis 500

IMS Productions and FOX Sports deployed more than 100 cameras, 32 onboard feeds,...

06/07/2026

Lumine Group Completes Acquisition of Synamedias Video Network Business

Lumine Group Inc. has announced the completion of its acquisition of the Video Network Business from Synamedia. The business will operate as a standalone compan...

06/07/2026

NASCAR and Motorsport Network Announce Content and Commercial Partnership

NASCAR has announced a content and commercial partnership with Motorsport Network, a motorsports and automotive media platform, to distribute NASCAR original co...

06/07/2026

Versant To Acquire Full Swing for Approximately $530 Million

Versant Media Group has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Full Swing, a sports technology company, from Bruin Capital and a group of minority investor...

06/07/2026

DAZN Secures Global Rights to 3ICE Hockey

DAZN has announced global broadcast rights to 3ICE, a professional hockey format featuring three skaters and a goalkeeper per side, with no power plays or offsi...

06/07/2026

Synth Anthology 5 From UVI

Bundle gains 100 new synths & more Synth Anthology 5 the largest and most feature-packed edition of UVI's hardware synth emulation bundle, bringing toge...

06/07/2026

MOTU 16A, 848 & 10pre gain Milan certification

Available now via free firmware update MOTU have just announced that three of their popular audio interfaces now boast official Milan Certification. The 16A...

06/07/2026

Rohde & Schwarz completes Hunter Preliminary Design Review for the Integrated Communications System

Rohde & Schwarz completes Hunter Preliminary Design Review for the Integrated Co...

06/07/2026

The R&S IMAGER from Rohde & Schwarz uses millimeter wave imaging to inspect the quality of packaged goods in real time

The R&S IMAGER from Rohde & Schwarz uses millimeter wave imaging to inspect the ...

06/07/2026

INVITATION FOR SOUTH AFRICAN FILMMAKERS TO SUBMIT FILMS FOR THE 99TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS (OSCARS) INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM CATEGORY

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...

06/07/2026

Digital Domain Appoints Industry Veteran Patrick Davenport as Executive Vice President, Operations

Digital Domain Appoints Industry Veteran Patrick Davenport as Executive Vice Pre...

06/07/2026

Gravity Media USA appoints Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development

Gravity Media USA appoints Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development Brie Clayton July 6, 2026 0 Comments The strategic new appointment supports...

06/07/2026

Remote Editing Without Cloud Storage in Resolve

Remote Editing Without Cloud Storage in Resolve Michael Cioni July 6, 2026 0 Comments This is a step-by-step guide that demonstrates how to setup your...

06/07/2026

Automatic Caption Translation in Adobe Premiere Pro

Automatic Caption Translation in Adobe Premiere Pro Colin Smith July 6, 2026 0 Comments Here I showcase the innovative automatic caption translation f...

06/07/2026

Flavor's FirstEver Managing Director Neal Cohen Retires; Longstanding Executive Producer Kate Smith Rises to Lead the Studio

Flavor's First Ever Managing Director Neal Cohen Retires; Longstanding Execu...

06/07/2026

How Adam Rosenwach Pivoted from Music to Medtech Without Missing a Beat

How Adam Rosenwach Pivoted from Music to Medtech Without Missing a Beat What do the rehearsal room and the boardroom have in common? More than you might think...

06/07/2026

Zhongyi Optics unveils the Dreamy Zone T1 FF Cine Lens Series on Indiegogo with the first drop

Zhongyi Optics unveils the Dreamy Zone T1 FF Cine Lens Series on Indiegogo with ...

06/07/2026

Techtel debuts insyght: making ST 2110 media discovery easy

Techtel debuts insyght: making ST 2110 media discovery easy intellisphereinsyght2026 6 July Written By Suzanne Costello Sydney, Australia - 06 July 2026 T...

06/07/2026

Sky agrees to acquire ITV Media & Entertainment, creating a commercial streaming champion for the UK

Monday 6 July 2026 Sky agrees to acquire ITV Media & Entertainment, creating a ...

06/07/2026

Pico Lopes joins RT's FIFA World Cup 2026 Live panel

Fresh from his World Cup heroics with Cabo Verde, Roberto Pico' Lopes will join the RT panel for Argentina v Egypt tomorrow and for the England v Norway q...

06/07/2026

How Nations Are Deploying AI for Strategic Priorities

Nations have long invested in domestic infrastructure to advance their economies, protect and use their data, and take advantage of technology opportunities in ...

06/07/2026

How Open Models Are Driving AI Research

Every year, the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) reveals where thousands of AI researchers have decided to put their work. This year's ...

06/07/2026

New RT documentary The Girl in the Water follows one family's search for answers following the death of their 23-year-old daughter

A death can be unsuspicious, but it has to be explained What happened to Ke...

05/07/2026

Fox Sports AR/XR Studio Graphics Team Shows Power of Next-Generation Operations

We've gone to another level of integrating the graphics into the set architecture' - Zac Fields, SVP, Graphic Technology and Integration, FOX Sports...

05/07/2026

Free Behringer Synth Editor

Browser-based and desktop apps available Digital Sunset Studios have been busy working on an interesting project: a free software tool that provides compute...

04/07/2026

Inside OneSoccers FIFA World Cup Ops: Canadas Soccer Network Goes Behind the Scenes for CanMNTs Historic Moment

When Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, OneSoccer knew this wasn'...

04/07/2026

Rhodes to launch the MK8/80AE

Celebrates company's 80th anniversary Rhodes have recently revealed that they will be producing a limited run of electric pianos in celebration of their...

04/07/2026

Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program

Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program Brie Clayton July 3, 2026 0 Comments Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...

04/07/2026

iZotope Joins Boris FX

iZotope Joins Boris FX Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026 0 Comments iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

03/07/2026

VSL reveal Synchron Brass (muted)

New bundle & three Single Packs Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...

03/07/2026

London Symphony Orchestra upgrade LSO St Luke's

Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...

03/07/2026

Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV

Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV 3 July, 2026 Media releases National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...

03/07/2026

2023

1 February 2023 SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...

03/07/2026

Broadcast Solutions Acquires BFE

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/07/2026

AdClarity Expands CTV Offering to 20 Countries

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/07/2026

Mountain West Conference Launches SVOD Service With New Revenue Model

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/07/2026

Death Star

Death Star Andy Marken July 2, 2026 0 Comments Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...

03/07/2026

Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's Next

Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...

03/07/2026

July 01, 2026

Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...

03/07/2026

July 02, 2026

Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...

02/07/2026

SVG Students To Watch: Abby Finke, University of Dayton

Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD In the live-sports...

02/07/2026

SVG GameDay, Ep. 22: Winnipeg Jets Kyle Balharry - Going to Work in the Great White North

In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...