That means 3 things: great football, million dollar ads and MUSIC.

For us in Dallas, the Super Bowl is something of a mirage these days (even if it was at Jerry World last year). This wasn’t the case in the 90’s. The ‘Boys, led by the Triplets (Troy, Emmitt and Michael) won 3 SB’s. But, with just 1 playoff win in the last 15 years, we can only relish the good old days… but I digress.

Super Bowl ratings have always been sky high. Not just because of the spectacle of the game, but also because of hi-profile commercials. And, in the last 20 years or so, who performs musically at halftime has almost become as important as who plays in the game!

It started with the King of Pop at Super Bowl XXVII (1993) when he sang Heal The World. And we all remember his sister’s wardrobe malfunction when she was singing with Justin Timberlake (Super Bowl XXXVIII). Other notable entertainers have been U2, Prince, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney, to name a few.

Last year Dallas’ own Stephen Arnold Music got overlooked (not really) and The Black Eyed Peas performed… This year, in Indianapolis, the ageless Madonna is scheduled to perform.

Other music that comes to mind around Super Bowl time is The Super Bowl Shuffle by the 1986 Super Bowl Champion Chicago Bears:

But my all-time favorite football tune was composed right here at the SAM studio for the New Orleans Saints, who went on to win Super Bowl XLIV in 2012. It’s called Big Thang:

These days good football isn’t the only key ingredient to a successful Super Bowl. Good music matters too!

This Saturday night on PPV, boxing’s pound for pound best, Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao fights Juan Manual Marquez. This will be their third confrontation, the first ending in a draw and the second in a split decision. It’s another huge event for our client Top Rank Boxing, and we’re very excited to be a part of it.

Top Rank’s Creative Director Phil Smith wanted a “cinematic adventure piece”. Stephen and the production team worked off a creative brief that asked for a pounding, high-impact track that emphasized strings and percussion and led to a dramatic crescendo. The end product is the track we’ve named King of the Mountain.

The promo is currently being seen in 130 countries around the world, on networks like the BBC and SOLARtv, which is based in Pacquiao’s home country The Philippines. The spot also ran during all nationally televised NFL games this week, and on HBO and ESPN, among many other outlets.

And best of all, soon after the Pacquiao fight, we’ll be licensing the track as part of our library, The Vault.

CNN will use the music in a range of shows and promotions during the week leading up to the commemoration, and a secondary, more sparse arrangement will play behind CNN’s live coverage of the unveiling of the 9/11 Memorial on Sunday, September 11.

In the creative process with the network, CNN requested that we compose music that carried a sense of dignity and remembrance. At the same time, the music had to fulfill more practical needs by effectively branding and unifying CNN’s weeklong coverage of the commemoration.

This assignment continues our longstanding relationship with CNN.  Still, this opportunity is unique.  Branded music is about making an appropriate emotional connection with the viewer.  The range and complexity of emotions surrounding 9/11 goes far beyond words.  We are very proud to take on the important and sensitive task of translating these emotions to music.

This music will support CNN programs during the week and through the September 11, 2011 coverage, including:

• Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports: Terror in the Dust (Sept. 7 at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT and Sept 10 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT)
• Beyond 9/11: Portraits of Resilience (Sept. 9 at 11 p.m. ET/8 pm PT and Sept. 10 at Sept 10 at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET/PT)
• Footnotes of 9/11 (Sept. 11 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT)
• Beyond Bravery: The Women of 9/11 (Sept. 11 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT)

“Troubadour TX”

… is a 22 one hour episode television series following talented singer songwriters as they chase their dreams across the Lone Star State. Debuts all across America beginning September 22.

This is a clip from the Promax NYC “Marketing Genius” session this June showing the creative behind

WGNO-TV, New Orleans’ “God Bless Louisiana” campaign.

Be sure to stop by our display at this year’s PROMAX in New York at the Grand Ballroom Entrance, 3rd Floor. We’ll be giving away five amazing items: A one of a kind, “Hendrix” replica Fender Strat, a Fender Telecaster autographed by Tom Petty, two beautiful Texas leather jackets, and Stephen’s book “A Story of Six Strings.” Drawing this Thursday, June 30th, 12:30pm. Details Here!

Also, Stephen & Chad will be speaking in two great sessions. Be sure to stop by for “Marketing Genius” on Wednesday and “Music, Sound Design and the Art of Sonic Branding” on Thursday.

Stephen Arnold – Marketing Genius Session
Wednesday, June 29th, 5pm
Grand Ballroom

Join a panel of industry-leading opinion makers as they take on judging the industry’s best promotions and marketing campaigns. In this insightful and entertaining session, marketing and creative executives present their original briefs, show the resulting works and brace for the candid feedback from those behind some of the biggest brands out there.

Moderator:
To Be Announced

Judges:
Susan Credle, CCO, Leo Burnett USA
Judah Friedlander, Comedian & Actor, 30 Rock
John Miller, CMO, NBC Universal Television Group; Head, NBC Sports Agency

Presenters:
Stephen Arnold, President, Stephen Arnold Music
Bruce Brauer, SVP, Creative Services/Advertising & Promotions/Marketing Agency, CBS Television Stations Group
Bear Fisher, SVP, Creative Director, E! & Style Networks
Terence Lee, Founder, Principal & Creative Director, ROGER

Chad Cook – Music, Sound Design and the Art of Sonic Branding
Thursday, June 30th at 11:30am

PromaxBDA BOOTCAMP 2011
America’s Hall II

Music, Sound Design and the Art of Sonic Branding

You’ve got killer copy and eye-popping graphics – but alone those are not going to cut it. Music is the most effective way to reach your audience, allowing consumers to emotionally connect to your message and brand. Hear from an expert in the art of sonic branding, original music/sound design and the use of licensed music open your mind and ears to the science of choosing the right music for your promos and branding.

Speakers:
Chad Cook, VP, Creative Director, Stephen Arnold Music
John Dance, Senior Writer/Producer, On-Air Promotion/Marketing, CNN
Mary Jo Smith, Creative Director, Alternative & Comedy Series, ABC Entertainment Marketing

And now, the drawing:

And the winner is … Chris Beeler from KPTM-TV in Omaha.  Congratulations, Chris!

We’ve got a lot of exciting things coming up this spring and summer, so stay tuned.  We may just surprise you!

Listen to Aerial, and leave a comment below for your chance to win a vintage Martin acoustic guitar.

You can check out the actual guitar here (thanks, Stephen):

Drawing to be held on Tuesday, May 17th 2011.

click here for contest rules and eligibility requirements

Given HLN’s sonic brand — which tends to feature a quick, upbeat pace — and Dr. Drew’s popularity with younger audiences, we went with a highly-charged, guitar-oriented theme that felt like a good fit not only for the host and his audience, but for HLN as well.

Let us know what you think. You can check it out here, or on HLN tonight at 9pm.

We had this idea. With so many stations dealing with reduced staffs and working within increasingly tight budgets, we wondered wouldn’t it be cool if we could create a fresh, no-hassle on-air look for the morning news — an increasingly valuable part of every station’s daily schedule.

Thus “It’s All About Early’ was born.

This is a video AND audio package designed to make local stations look and sound better immediately and affordably.

And it seems to have struck chord with many. In fact,  thanks to some amazing client feedback we’re heading back into the studio to cook up a second round with slightly edgier look and sound.

Stay tuned for that. In the meantime click here to check out our current “It’s All About Early” campaign.