You can listen to the interview here:

http://www.digitalproductionbuzz.com/BuZZ_Audio/Buzz_120517_Arnold.mp3

Or hear the entire show here:

http://www.digitalproductionbuzz.com/2012/05/16/digital-production-buzz-17-2012/

“This is The Place” Local Image Campaign

We are excited to announce we have a new promotional product: A fully-produced Local Station Image Campaign called, “This Is The Place”. We’ve created a market exclusive music package that includes 60s/30s/15s/10s and IDs with both male and female vocal versions. Also included are HD video elements.

Check out our microsite, “This Is The Place” for details and to view all video versions:
http://stephenarnoldmusic.com/thisistheplace

Give us a call for more info:
214-726-1600

DALLAS, April 24, 2012 | SHOOT Publicity Wire | — Viewers who tune into CNN International’s long-running show, “World Sport,” see sports news unfolding on a global scale, with breaking information on soccer, golf, tennis, motorsports, the Olympics, and more. Sonic branding experts Stephen Arnold Music composed the enduring new theme and music package for “World Sport” that lives up to CNN International’s reputation for elite news reporting.

The soundtrack involved the Stephen Arnold Music team bringing in top players from the Dallas and Ft. Worth Symphony Orchestras to provide the organic distinction and depth of using real instruments in the arrangements. It was the latest assignment in a growing string of CNN International themes written by Stephen Arnold Music, which also includes “International Desk,” “Inside the Middle East” and “Inside Africa.”

The Show of Record
As CNN International’s flagship sports show, “World Sport” demanded a new theme that would timelessly capture the triumph, agony, anticipation and communal spirit of athletics. Equally important, the music needed to transcend regional tastes, while giving CNN International producers the flexibility to easily fit the compositions to graphic elements of varying durations.

The composers at Stephen Arnold Music relied on their deep experience in composing major network themes, for clients across the globe, to make music that was the perfect ft for “World Sport.”

“This is sports news on the world stage, and the music needed to be as big and powerful as sports itself,” says Stephen Arnold, President of Stephen Arnold Music. “For us, capturing that drama meant writing intricate arrangements with plenty of depth. To appeal to CNN International’s global audience, we knew the music had to be cinematic in scope.”

Athletic Composition
Stephen Arnold Music took an orchestral approach to the network’s needs, recording live strings, horns, and percussion and also wove in subtle electronic elements, to complete a multifaceted package of themes for “World Sport.” Moods ranged from the main theme of eventful anticipation to dramatic, driving, competitive, and high energy, to somber and serious.

The result is a distinctive sonic signature for “World Sport”, where memorable hooks and an instantly recognizable sound will keep viewers connected to the show for years to come. “Sports themes have the power to become a part of people’s lives,” Stephen Arnold concludes. “The new music for ‘World Sport’ helps reinforce a long-term brand for this globally respected program.”

About Stephen Arnold Music
As a multiple Emmy, Addy and Promax Gold award-winning music production company, Stephen Arnold Music has over 15 years of success in delivering the sounds that make a difference to networks, television stations, advertising agencies, film studios and video game companies the world over. The company’s Commanding Sonic Branding approach to music production and commitment to industry-leading service is at the core of its promise. For more information, please visit www.stephenarnoldmusic.com.

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Contact Info
Right Word Media
Ray Ecke
p. 973.726.3797
f. 973.726.3798
c. 201.741.1092

DALLAS, TX March 26 – The Vault, the licensed music collection from sonic branding experts Stephen Arnold Music, have expanded the size and scope of their catalog through a partnership with the elite UK collection Production Music Online (PMOL). The development adds hundreds of titles across multiple genres to The Vault – the extremely selective “anti-library” of ready-to-license music for broadcast and cable TV use.

Visitors to The Vault can now access PMOL’s Latin, Orchestral, Metal, Rock, Africa, China/Far East, and Science/Tech collections. Throughout 2012, The Vault will add more than 25 new PMOL volumes, comprising hundreds of highest-quality tracks.

PMOL has distinguished itself by working with many of the UK’s most in-demand film and TV composers, including Patrick Wilson (“Desperate Housewives,” “Dateline NBC,” “Today,” “The Tonight Show,” Dumb and Dumber) David Lowe (BBC News Theme, Abu Dhabi TV, TV2 Norway), Daniel Hewson (Groove Armada), and Dominic Miller (Sting).

“Every volume that goes into The Vault needs to have the ‘Wow factor’ from start to finish, and the music of PMOL more than qualifies,” says Stephen Arnold, President of Stephen Arnold Music. “Our partnership with PMOL makes The Vault a better tool than ever to quickly locate and license outstanding music.”

In addition to PMOL, The Vault also offers The Stephen Arnold Music Collection, high-end compositions from their custom music division; The Artist Collection, selected tracks from established hit songwriters like Greg Barnhill, Tom Freund and Diana Krall; and H2U, a top European collective that excels in electronica, techno, rock and beyond.

About The Vault:

Featuring a fast-moving web interface, an extremely selective catalog, and exclusive representation, The Vault is staffed by Stephen Arnold Music’s highly experienced team of full-time composers, providing content creators with a full-speed path to 100% licensable music, handpicked for maximum impact in TV, film and streaming media.

For more information visit:
http://anti-library.com
http://search.stephenarnoldmusic.com

Today the 2012 Edward R. Murrow Awards were announced by RTDNA (The Radio Television Digital News Association). Congratulations from all of us here at Stephen Arnold Music to this years winners.

RTDNA (formerly known as RTNDA) has been honoring outstanding achievements in electronic journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards since 1971. Murrow’s pursuit of excellence in journalism embodies the spirit of the awards that carry his name. Murrow Award recipients demonstrate the spirit of excellence that Edward R. Murrow made a standard for the broadcast news profession.

In honor of Edward R. Murrow and this year’s award winners, we thought we would post this clip from the George Clooney movie “Good Night, And Good Luck” – A riveting speech given by David Strathairn as Edward R. Murrow at RTNDA in 1958.

You can view the complete Murrow Awards winners list here »

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice. Practice. Practice.  This guy, Brodie Cumming, might not be playing the Hall, but he’s cornered the internet with almost five million views of his video, “100 Famous Rock Guitar Riffs – one take”, so maybe a new standard has been set.

It’s pretty impressive how Brodie strings together a medley of 100 of rocks most memorable licks (the ones that have been lodged in your brain since childhood) into a single ripping guitar demonstration. What it really drives home is just how expressive an electric guitar is in the right hands. There’s soul, crunch, menace, heart, sorrow, pain and love residing on every fret board. It’s modern, but timeless. Our own six string maestro, Stephen Arnold, composes all the themes he writes on guitar, matching the tone he’s seeking with the perfect instrument from his extensive guitar collection.

When you watch this video, you will realize how music creates such a powerful connection to our emotions and memories, not to mention this could probably be the beginning of a new Rock ‘n Roll trivia drinking game: “Name That Riff”.  It could work like those spelling bees where you keep guessing until you miss, then you have to drink a shot (we suggest tequila). This would continue until one person could get through the entire seven minutes of this video without making a mistake (okay, Stephen already scored 100!).

So, good luck guessing.  And remember kids, like Ron Wood says, “If you’re going to drink, do what I do… take the limo”.

Stephen Arnold Music Creates Sonic Brand for China Central Television America Launch
Mainland China’s Predominant Network Debuts US Programming from Washington, DC Studios with Custom Music from Sonic Branding Experts

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DALLAS, TX – With the launch of China Central Television America (CCTVA), the network has expanded the presence of mainland China’s predominant television outlet – with 42 channels reaching some 1.2 billion people — into the U.S. market for the first time. With so much riding on the launch, the CCTVA turned to the sonic branding experts Stephen Arnold Music to create the music behind much of their original programming.

The Stephen Arnold Music team wrote the music themes for its three flagship shows — “The Heat,” “Americas Now,” and “Biz America.” With deep experience creating strong sonic brands for all of the major news networks, including CNN, HLN, CBS, MSNBC, Fox News and others, Stephen Arnold Music was more than ready to deliver something extraordinary for CCTVA’s debut.

International Ambitions:

Broadcasting from a new production center in Washington, DC, the launch of CCTVA represents as a unique chance for the network to reach out to American viewers and provide its global audience with diversified news coverage. Stephen Arnold Music created three distinct themes for each show, recording driving scores that met CCTVA’s call for a high-end, international feel.

“The CCTVA keywords were ‘visceral,’ ‘emotive,’ and ‘forward-looking,’” says Stephen Arnold, President of Stephen Arnold Music. “Each theme we developed reflects those qualities, while standing on its own as a unique composition.”

Triple Play:

For the South America-focused broadcast news magazine “Americas Now,” Stephen Arnold Music’s composers combined flamenco guitar and Latin percussion to set an inspiring tone with a hint of tension. A current affairs talk show “The Heat” theme sears with distorted electric guitars over charging rhythms and electronic elements. The daily global news program “Biz Asia America” is elevated by Stephen Arnold Music’s memorable piano hooks and mid-tempo groove, punctuated with bold rock guitar strikes.

“We appreciated the opportunity to score to picture for CCTVA’s shows,” notes Arnold. “The visuals helped us tap into the attitude and power that each piece required.”

For Arnold, every arrangement the company creates is a custom sonic signature, mindful of the elements needed for credibility with today’s viewers. “News organizations are experimenting more,” he observes. “Their music has to tap into what audiences hear on their mobile devices and YouTube. Our latest sonic brands for CCTVA reflect that connectivity.”

Beautiful Coffee Table Book Focuses On Award-Winning Composer’s Collection of Rare Guitars

DALLAS, TX — “You don’t have to know music to appreciate A Story of Six Strings,” says Dan Rather, legendary journalist, former CBS Evening News anchor, and current anchor and managing editor of HD Net’s Dan Rather Reports.

Written by award-winning composer and sonic branding pioneer Stephen Arnold, A Story of Six Strings provides a rare trip down memory lane. “This is a beautiful book,” says Rather. “Beautiful for its photographs, the words that take us on a magical journey, and the deep emotions it evokes.”

Set against some of America’s most majestic landscapes, A Story of Six Strings intersects Arnold’s lifelong passion for music with breathtaking photography to tell a distinctive story through his personal collection of rare and unusual guitars.

“If you like guitars, you’re going to love this book,” says rock music icon Steve Miller. “The combination of cool guitars, brilliant photography, and funny stories results in one of the best guitar books I’ve seen.”

Featured instruments range from Arnold’s first guitar, a 1959 Sears Silverstone Acoustic, to an 1840 handmade French parlor guitar, with a fascinating variety of unique Martin, Gibson, and Fender guitars collected along the way.

“A Story of Six Strings is a memorable anthology that spans decade after decade of personal and professional experiences,” says photojournalist David Woo, a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist. “Pairing each instrument with an appropriate landscape to help paint a visual picture and tell a compelling story helps bring the guitars to life.”

Arnold, often referred to as the “most heard, least known composer in America” (his work includes memorable scores for CNN, CBS, ABC News, The Weather Channel, ESPN, and more), begins each chapter with a story headline highlighting a specific instrument and follows up with an intriguing anecdotal vignette about it. “It was never about the expensive or unique guitars amassed over a lifetime,” he says. “It was about how these beloved instruments have the power to capture a moment and a place in time.”

A Story of Six Strings will appeal as much to guitar aficionados and music lovers as it will to photography enthusiasts, artists, and readers who simply appreciate a good story.

“The same artistry and innovation that Arnold brings to creating musical signatures for our television stations can be found in A Story of Six Strings,” adds Perry A. Sook, chairman and president of Nexstar Broadcasting Group, whose television stations have featured Arnold’s compositions for years.

Like a memorable tune, this book will resonate long after the last page has been read. To learn more visit: www.AStoryOfSixStrings.com and www.StephenArnoldMusic.com.

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About Stephen Arnold Music:

As a multiple Emmy, Addy and Promax Gold award-winning music production company, Stephen Arnold Music has over 15 years of success in delivering the sounds that make a difference to networks, television stations, advertising agencies, film studios and video game companies the world over. The company’s Commanding Sonic Branding approach to music production and commitment to industry-leading service is at the core of its promise. For more information, please visit http://www.stephenarnoldmusic.com.

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Whitney Arnold - Manager of licensing and content for Stephen Arnold Music's The Vault.

What do Latvian Festivals, nights out in Manchester and the current Billboard #2 song all have in common? Why, Stephen Arnold Music, of course!!

Before being brought in to oversee Stephen Arnold Music’s library – The Vault – I was “lucky” enough to be a gigging Sound Engineer most recently based in London.

But before I could spend my days relaxing in my corner office listening to music all day, I had to up and move to Texas.

Trying to plan an overseas move – including arranging visas for my wife and 1 year old son, booking flights, shipping all our worldly possessions (not too many of these…), and arranging where we would be living once we got off our transatlantic flight – all during the busy festival season in Europe, was going to be very difficult.

So difficult in fact that it was impossible. And I found myself in Latvia at the end of August facing the grim reality that my current tour was ending, my wife had quit her job as a teacher and we were visa-less.

And then my FOH desk (a supposedly solid-as-a-rock Soundcraft Vi6). Fell over and died. In a field. In Latvia.

As my FOH engineer, Dave Macdonald, and I discussed our options (we were a 60+ input completely self-contained production, already fully line-checked and going on in 20 minutes) the lighting boys on the platform above kicked over a bottle of wine and drenched one of the 2 house festival desks (a Yamaha PM5D) in a nice sticky red wine glaze, rendering it as inoperable as our own digital desk!

All I can say is that cross-patching an entire stage box while dropping a dozen or so inputs to get into a 48 channel line system in Latvia in the rain with 10 minutes till change over is not much fun. But….it worked. Hallelujah.

And that, believe it or not, is how I came to be mixing the string section for what is currently Billboard’s #2 song: Adele’s “Set Fire to The Rain” from the album Live at the Royal Albert Hall.

Maybe it was coolness under pressure, maybe it was the can-do show-must-go-on attitude. Probably it was the free drinks I kept pretending to buy him. Whatever the reason, Dave asked me to lend a hand with his regular gig – Adele.

Supported by Amos Lee and recent Grammy winners The Civil Wars, the tour culminated in a live recording at the Royal Albert Hall. It was an incredible night whose highlight, undoubtedly, was the 20 ft mirrorball dropped in for the encore. (I know what you’re thinking, “who has a 20 ft mirrorball?” His name is Mirrorball Mike)

My job that day and every day was to build monitor world, set the stage monitors, mic the band, and mix the support bands (monitors). For the 3 London shows at the Hammersmith Apollo and Royal Albert Hall, a 12-piece string section was brought in.

For all the techies, FOH PA was L’Acousitcs K1 and V’Dosc for the Albert Hall and hangs of KILO for smaller theaters. Adele’s engineers – Dave MacDonald and Joe Campbell – worked on Allen & Heath iLive Consoles. Support and strings were mixed on Soundcraft Vi1’s. On stage were 7 pairs of D&B M2’s plus in-ear monitors for Adele and her two back-up singers. There was also a thumper and hard-wired ears for the drummer.

The strings were 8 violins (grouped as 1st as 2nd strings), 2 Violas and 2 Cellos. Violins and Violas were mic’d with DPA 4040 and 4041’s, Cellos used DPAs and Schertler contact mics. They each had their own independent hard-wire in ear monitors. In total that’s 8 stage mixes (including thumper), 4 in-ear mixes for Adele and her band, and 12 in-ear mixes for the strings.

All went well – as they always do during live taped shows, right? – and soon I was on my way stateside with my family, visas and all, to our new life in Texas.

It wasn’t until just last week, during the Grammy’s I noticed that the 2 performers singing in the middle of the audience were the support act I had mixed a few months before – the Civil Wars. While my wife “pretended” not to be impressed, I was really excited to see everyone recognized for what I always knew were incredible musicians and fantastic people to work with; Adele herself took home 6 Grammys that night.

Then I noticed on this very blog, on the right hand side, the Billboard top 10 songs. And there was my last gig listed as #2 – Adele’s “Set Fire To the Rain” Live at the Royal Albert Hall.

So you see everything has a purpose, and even potential disasters can turn out to be blessings in disguise.

And the best memory from those few weeks in September 2011?

Obviously the day Pat Baker, our production manager, gave everyone 3 weeks of per diems before a day off in Manchester, UK. Oh my. But that is a dirty roadie story for another time…

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Whitney currently manages licensing and content for Stephen Arnold Music’s library, The Vault, and his office is a converted closet.

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The producers wanted a very distinctive sound that closely matched the energy and personality of the show’s host.  We were given key words such as energetic, exciting, probing, dramatic, modern, catchy, strong downbeat, music mash-up, etc.  So we set to work on creating a variety of grooves and melody ideas to explore some directions.

We ended up with a diverse package consisting of elements from rock, electronica, dance, and hip hop – all built around a strong 4 note logo melody.  Our team used an innovative blend of live guitars and bass with loops, effects, and other electronic elements.

HLN’s 2011 ratings broke records for the network, and we’re thrilled that this is the fifth show on their current schedule that we’ve been a part of.  Along with “Jane Velez-Mitchell,” our sonic brands are on “Dr. Drew,” “Prime News,” “Showbiz Tonight” and “Morning Express with Robin Meade.”  Thanks to HLN for having us back once again!

Jane Velez-Mitchell can be seen on HLN, Mondays through Fridays at 7pm EST.