In June, we spoke with MediaTracks, an MCPS production music library and the organisers of Pride in Sync, an evening celebrating diversity in sync on 8th July at All Is Joy Studios. Held in association with British Film Editors and the UK & EU Guild of Music Supervisors, the event will focus on supporting trans+ creatives.
In this interview, Maria Ángel (she/her) (Operations and Partnerships Manager) and Alex East (he/him) (Sync and Licensing Manager) discuss allyship and explain how diversifying their roster created better quality music.
Pictured left: Maria Ángel (she/her), Operations and Partnerships Manager, MediaTracks; right: Alex East (he/him) Sync and Licensing Manager, MediaTracks.
Great to catch-up Maria and Alex! Tell us how MediaTracks came to champion underrepresented artists in production music.
Alex: MediaTracks has been around since 1998, so over 27 years now. Three years ago, after the original founder, Steve Johnson, passed away, it was acquired by father and son duo Andrew and William Saunders. They wanted to find a unique way for MediaTracks to meet market needs.
Maria: We realised that our roster was very limited in demographic. For example, the only female contribution was one song written by a composer and his wife! And it’s not just our library; only 2.8% of music producers are women. Production music is anonymous, and that’s restricted access for writers from different backgrounds. As a lesbian, female-identifying immigrant, that didn’t sit right with me. So the team agreed MediaTracks would put a face to a faceless industry.
From one composer and his wife, to women, diverse ethnic, LGBTQ+ artists and more, how did MediaTracks increase the representation in your roster?
Maria: We’ve worked with many different partners to diversify our roster, from Carousel musicians with learning disabilities in Brighton to MOBO Unsung, a development program for young and upcoming black musicians organised by MOBO (Music of Black Origin). We host regular writing camps based on sync briefs and our ethos of representation. These events are designed to challenge stereotypes and ensure musicians aren’t boxed into genres based on their backgrounds. At our LGBTQIA+ camp, we had groups writing indie, pop, glam rock, orchestral, and even Celtic music!
Alex: We see these events as long-term investments in top-tier musicians. Participants often leave having published their first ever production track, but also armed with the royalties knowledge they need to make consistent income from their writing. Female-identifying and non-binary composers tell us they felt refreshed to focus their energy on creating music, rather than the usual pressure they feel to prove themselves. The writers build a community they can take with them, and we continue to find new ways to nurture collaborations and bring them on our journey.
What impact have you found from having a more diverse roster?
Alex: A diverse roster doesn’t just improve representation, it creates better quality music for the productions we service. Production music is faceless, so it’s hard for editors to find tracks representative of the stories they want to tell. But so many underrepresented groups have moulded the music scene for decades, and their cultural authenticity makes them a natural choice for certain audiovisual stories. With productions being sold globally, you can’t afford to use, for example, an outdated Western interpretation of Latin music, because if your series is released in Colombia, they’ll call you out! Briefs with specific demographic requirements are in the minority, and if a track’s more functional in the context of the series, we don’t always pitch it as ‘authentic’. But the client can hear the difference, so it wins the brief.
Maria: Also, we’re being realistic. This is a fast-paced industry. Editors like to drag and drop music. We’re not expecting them to stop and Google the artist for every track. But as a music catalogue, we know working with competitive, diverse talent will increase the quality of our tracks and their likelihood of being placed. On the back of that, we’re ethically making the money flow to underrepresented artists. When a client has a similar ethos, that’s brilliant, but everyone we work with appreciates the quality of our roster and commercially competitive music. It may or may not always be relevant that a writer comes from an LGBTQIA+ background. But they might be the best at the job anyway!
Are there any writers you want to shout out? And have the writing camps led directly to sync success?
Maria: Ahhh… we have so many writers! But I’ll shout out two that emerged in our LGBTQIA+ camp. Noëlle Vanyi (she/her) is a singer-songwriter writing in French, English, and Spanish. She’s featured on our Epic Pop Trailers album. And Benjamin David (under the alias David Fraser) (they/them) is a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter featured on our Electric Soul album. Finally, I’ll shout out an artist featured on our Paralympics album. Andrés Godoy (he/him) is a Chilean guitarist with only one hand! His ‘Tatap’ technique needs to be heard to be believed.
Alex: Music from our LGBTQIA+ camp artists will be featured in a big Netflix show this summer, so stay tuned. We’ve also done a Welsh writing camp; we found that the Welsh language is underrepresented in production music, even though Wales is an important place in the TV landscape. 24 hours after we published the album, it got synced on S4C’s Cardiff Ironman coverage. How’s that for instant demand!
Pictured: Pride in Sync 2024.
Let’s talk about Pride in Sync then. What do our members need to know?
Maria: Pride in Sync is about celebrating intersectional diversity. The concept was born when Col Goudie (they/them) (editor of Rogue One, Diversity Governor at BFE) and I connected over wanting to celebrate diversity in our fields, question the status quo, and encourage active allyship. So last year, we hosted over 80 people for an event focused on queerness in production music, with a mixture of LGBTQIA+ people and allies in the room. When an attendee asked Col, “How do you manage to stay creative when you’re so worried about keeping your real identity down?”, an ally friend of mine in the audience had a real lightbulb moment in his understanding of inclusion. And that’s exactly what we’re aiming for. Some people don’t think inclusion applies to them. The truth is, it applies to everyone. And if you give it a chance, you’ll realise that’s the case.
Alex: This year’s event will bring music supervisors, editors, and artists together to stand with the trans community. Too often, trans people are pushed into ‘survival mode’ like “What can I wear?” or “What restrooms can I use?”. We want trans people to know they can have fun too, because if you’re not enjoying yourself, you can’t be creative, and you can’t monetise your talent. Also, the venue, All Is Joy, has a lot of history. It used to be the Warner Bros. dubbing studios, so The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and The Rolling Stones all recorded there. It allows us to have two rooms, one with the bar and networking, and another with the live performances from MOBO UnSung. Beyond the important conversations, it’s just an amazingly fun evening.
Pride in Sync is “open to all, especially allies”. What would you say to someone unsure about coming, or with limited experience of allyship?
Maria: Pride In Sync is an event where everyone is welcome and encouraged to be themselves, including you. Often, people are afraid of saying the wrong words, but this is an open space where you can feel safe to ask questions. It just takes good intentions.
Alex: Speaking as an ally myself, I feel privileged to have learned so much from Maria and the communities we work with. Everyone’s been so lovely and I understand so much more than I did. I encourage everyone to come down, whoever you are, and just to listen. It’s an important part of our lives. Come to learn, meet people, and have fun. And there’ll be drinks tokens on the door!
Maria and Alex invite you to join them for Pride in Sync at All Is Joy Studios, Soho at 6pm on 8th July. RSVP here.
For diversity initiatives and partnerships, contact Maria Ángel, maria@mediatracks.co.uk. For sync enquiries, contact Alex East, alex@mediatracks.co.uk.
Written by David Simkins, he/him.