J.J. Foxx is Associate Creative Director and Senior Producer for Creative Services Group, Clear Channel Radio’s in-house radio and online advertising arm.  CSG develops new and innovative ways to market products and services through radio.  Foxx’s award-winning writing and producing and decades in national radio has lent a hand to such major brands as VISA, FOX Television, Sony Pictures, Lionsgate and more.  Affix Music’s Simon Horrocks checks in with J.J. to talk about CSG’s role in Clear Channel’s radio advertising and Affix Music’s role in their creative process.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6phhkdAKnI

Taking the old school arcade-style gameplay of the original NFL Blitz and combining it with the technology of today’s video games, the new NFL Blitz from EA Sports will feature composer and producer Michael Woodruff’s works “Agro” and “Punk”, two ultra-contemporary, intense and high energy tracks, straight from the Affix library.  Whether battling your rival in a 7-on-7 grudge match, fighting your way through the Blitz Gauntlet, or taking over the online Battle Boards in Blitz Battles, Michael Woodruff ‘s tracks scream COMPETITION in each two minute drill.

While composing music for games is one way to enhance the emotional connection with players, it requires large audio budgets and a long lead-time, which are limited for most video games.  Affix provides relevant, dynamic music options that create that connection between screen and player, at a reasonable price and with just minutes of turn around time.  Electronic Arts, a leading international game company, backs that idea by employing the use of Affix’s music in their games.

Expect NFL Blitz to hit shelves and consoles in early 2012.

Promotional videos and trailers get viewers amped for TV episode, movie, and video game releases, and our music makes that happen.

From the Academy Award Winner Brian Grazer, “The Playboy Club” visits the 1960s, where in the center of Chicago lies the legendary and seductive Playboy Club, a living, breathing fantasy world filled with cocktails, music, glitter and of course, beautiful Bunnies. But all that glitters isn’t gold, and in the back rooms and alleys behind the club, life happens – both good and bad.

Web promos for the NBC series were produced by Liquid Soul Media, a lifestyle marketing agency based here in Atlanta, and featured two Affix tracks for two different looks in recent episodes.  Jaspect’s horn-heavy, jazzy “Uppity Negro” is front and center for the “Vegas Style” promotional, joining the ranks of PVD’s “Interlude” in a separate Season One promo.

The Playboy Club – “Vegas Style”
Featuring Affix Music: “Uppity Negro” by Jaspects

Like many of our clients, Liquid Soul utilizes the Affix licensing platform as a self-serve database and licensing tool, which has proved to be highly efficient for the company.  The platform’s search tool organizes tracks by genre, creator, even tempo and moods, to ensure targeted, quality search results.  Once you’ve found what you like, the platform’s streamlined licensing process makes price quotes and checkout easy.  Of course, Affix also offers full consulting to deliver tracks to you based on your criteria, without your having to spend any time in our database.

Affix has a longstanding and trusted relationship with Turner Broadcasting Networks, providing music for TNT, TBS, and Cartoon Network promos and programming.  The Atlanta-based media tastemaker recognized that the rhythmic nature of a large portion of Affix’s catalog fits their Latin America brand, Boomerang Brazil, beautifully.  The “Capricho Moments Ação” promo features “Love Is Blind”, a track by Atlanta-based producer Brian “B.Stylez” McCarthney.  “Capricho Moments” the TV show highlights 14 fashion school students who compete for an internship at Capricho Magazine.

Capricho Moments – Ação
Featuring Affix Music: “Love Is Blind” by B.Stylez

Capricho Moments - Ação from Vivi Arias on Vimeo.

“Parks and Recreation” is responsible for major primetime placements for Affix, and they’ve come back for Round 2 for the current season. Sam Rhansum’s “Shorty”, “Just Dance” by Sweatbox Productions, and “Get Up” from Tigga Bounce were featured in a late fall episode.

“Teen Mom 2” broke viewership records for any MTV Networks show, with 3.6 million viewers watching the premiere.  “16 and Pregnant” gained just as impressive numbers, and Affix’s music is all over both shows.  “Teen Mom 2” pulled 14 songs over four episodes, just topping “16 and Pregnant”’s double digit usage over multiple episodes in the latest season.

Some projects call for very specific styles and emotions in their musical accompaniment, and others could span a wide variety of types.  VH1’s “The T.O. Show“ provided Affix with a broad description of what music would fit well with each project, and Affix took creative initiative to make suggestions about what would best accompany the show’s programming.  Affix’s expertise shined through – the show is using 13 songs from the catalog, to span six episodes.

ABC’s “Charlie’s Angels” has represented Affix as well, with John Forbes’ Latin-full mix “Bailer-Dance” in a recent episode.

“Trends with Benefits”, a new show on TBS, provides insight and advice from experts on trends on all sorts of topics, such as dating, food and beverages, and pop culture.  The show airs on Saturdays on TBS, with shorter segments available at TrendswithBenefits.com that provide “snackable content and social media commentary focusing on trends from that week’s show.”  Dave Herrero’s song “Swingy Dingy 2” is in the “Popular Apps” episode, and the “Chocolate Pairing” episode showcases “Drifting” by Michael Woodruff.

Trends with Benefits – Popular Apps
Featuring Affix Music: “Swingy Dingy 2″ by Dave Herrero

Trends with Benefits – Chocolate Pairings
Featuring Affix Music: “Drifting” by Michael Woodruff

The use of video on the web is exploding.  At Affix, we’ve certainly seen the uptick across the board in licensing music for use on the Web- from programming to advertising to promos.  We thought we’d take a moment to highlight a few of our favorite, recent examples using Affix music to target audiences effectively.

Web Programming

Push.ca is a Canadian website that creates original video, photo, and written content around skateboarding and snowboarding.  Together with Lenny Rubenovitch at Underexposed Agency, they harness a dedicated crew of writers, bloggers, photographers and filmers to offer up high quality, exclusive entertainment content.  Enjoy their piece on Barry Walsh, part of their 8-part video series on “Living Legends” presented by Degree.

Featuring Affix Music: “Vibe Out”, “QJM” and “Welcome to the Show” by PVD & “Oxy Teacher” by Frankie P

Web Advertising

Social media strategists Everywhere use their experience in social media, advertising, PR, marketing, entertainment, radio, and television to help brands build better social connections everywhere.   Their unique strategy of content and events creation was the concept behind this Martha Stewart Pie Pop-Up Shop piece for Macy’s.

Featuring Affix Music: “You’re My Fur” by Kabao

Since 2008, Whynatte- the cutting-edge, ready-to-drink, coffee-based energy drink- has cultivated a rabid following by blending social situations and social media as the pillars of their brand marketing.   Music has always been a key component of Whynatte’s marketplace connection through support of artists & events that reflect the brand’s attitude.   We were honored when they found our music and licensing solution the perfect combination to promote The 1st Anual Whynatte Mixology Competition.  Oh, and did we mention we’re fans?

Whynatte Mixology Competition 2011 from Whynatte on Vimeo.

Web Promo

In 2010, Tony Rouse launched the Atlanta Food Rave, the city’s ultimate culinary experience featuring the Atlanta’s hottest chefs, best food and most fun all had in one night.  More than a meal, think of it as “Culinary Nightlife.”  Social media played a big part in making the inaugural event award-winning.  Always looking to up his game, Tony looked for the perfect musical complement to his 2011 online announcement video.  We think he found it.  Tickets are on sale for the 2nd annual event on September 23.  Affix will be there.

Featuring Affix Music: “Record Breaker” by Twentyone

User-Generated Content

Teymur Madjderey is a professional photographer based in Cologne, Germany.  Like many photographers, he also enjoys videography.  In March, he traveled the U.S. with Mercedes Benz for their F-Cell World Drive, and along with a friend, decided to make a short film about his experience and share it on his blog.  Check out the first part of the film below:

Featuring Affix Music: “Love Says Goodbye Hello Again” by Spencer Garn & “Neighborhood” by Sam Rhansum

Affix Music offers music licensing solutions designed to make licensing music for the Web easier and more profitable for everyone involved.  As specialists in the field, we understand new media, its music needs and its concerns.  We offer premium, independent commercial music at affordable, published rates for the most common types of web usages and can create custom licenses for clients with more complex rights requirements.  Our licensing platform allows a fast moving media marketplace to license quickly with confidence 24 hours a day.  Price any of our music online at www.affixmusic.com or contact us at (404) 460-8562 x100 or licensing@affixmusic.com.

Lenny Rubenovitch, Owner and Founder of Underexposed Agency, talks about his top-notch video production company with Affix co-owner Simon Horrocks.  Underexposed has partnered with Push.ca, a Canadian company that creates original video, photo, and written content around skateboarding and snowboarding.  Rubenovitch films and produces videos for the site, and employs the use of Affix music to further enhance the level of quality for Push.

Check out the interview with Lenny as he talks about his passion for skateboarding and snowboarding , how his business became such a success, and how Affix has become a part of creating his high-quality work.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfhJbBjXC6w

For an example of Underexposed’s outstanding work utilizing music from the Affix catalog, check out the “Living Legends: Kale Stephens” video below featuring music by The Hero Brothers and Michael Woodruff:

Warner Brothers Pictures recently chose “Amante Del Vino” by Michael J.  Thomas from the Affix catalog for the new Matt Damon action-thriller Contagion.

The Steven Soderberg directed film centers around the threat from the outbreak of a deadly disease and the CDC team chosen to deal with problem.  The star-studded film includes Lawrence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Winslet.

Contagion brought in $23.1M last weekend making it #1 at the box office.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sYSyuuLk5g

Michael J. Thomas is a North Florida Smooth Jazz Saxophonist who has performed with Dave Koz, Richard Elliot and many others.   At Affix, we’re proud to represent Michael’s work, including “I Think About Amy” which was recently the most added song nationwide on Smooth Jazz radio.  Click here to listen to Affix’s license-ready playlist of Michael’s music.

Spring has sprung in a big way here at Affix, and the temperature isn’t the only thing heating up.  Among other placements, NBC’s Parks and Recreation and MTV’s 16 and Pregnant are particularly notable.  No matter how many times it happens, we get excited any time that our Music Providers have the chance to be featured on such large stages, and we want to highlight these placements specifically as they showcase both the appeal of our catalog and Affix’s ability to deliver custom cues for clients’ specific needs.

Parks and Recreation chose The Beat Geeks upbeat tune, “Pump It Up” (listen below) for episode 309, “April and Andy’s Fancy Party.”  This marks the second primetime placement Affix has secured for the group in the past five months.  16 and Pregnant turned to Affix for custom instrumental pieces that matched the program’s introspective and dramatic theme.

We source license-ready, original music from hundreds of different writers, artists, and producers to ensure that our content will fit any situation – from the comedic to the dramatic and beyond.  Head over to www.affixmusic.com to access our catalog in its entirety.  You can log in to search for specific themes, tempos, titles and more as well as preview and license music on the fly.

Sprite Step Off II recently selected Affix Music’s catalog to provide the soundtrack for highlight videos of the company’s search for the nation’s top college step teams. Based on elements of dance and marching, Stepping has deep roots among college students in the Urban community. Like the music that Affix represents, Stepping is more than an art form, it is a lifestyle centered on confidence and attitude.

This year’s Sprite Step Off awards scholarship prizes to top regional and national teams, with the national first place team taking home $100,000 in scholarships.  Video highlight reels from each of the seven regions represented will stream on the Sprite Step Off website and each will feature music from the Affix Music catalog.  We are proud to take part in the celebration and recognition of Urban culture in American youths.  Click here to watch the highlights and hear the music!  

Affix partner, Simon Horrocks, will speak to students in the Music Business program at Kennesaw State University at 3:30 & 5pm on March 24.  Both sessions are open to students only.