THE GREATEST SHOWMAN : Soundtrack

[jo]

Very good! A teenaged trio does improvised interpretations!

[jo]

Parodies inspired by songs from THE GREATEST SHOWMAN!

[jo]

Sometimes you can appreciate the beauty of the song more fully without the choreography --

[jo]

FROM NOW ON is becoming more popular for covers --

[jo]

Great harmony between Father and Daughter singing A MILLION DREAMS --

[jo]

Music media in the UK analyzes the success of the soundtrack album of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN --

www.musicweek.com/labels/read/i-ll-be-very-surprised-if-there-isn-t-a-stage-adaptation-what-s-next-for-the-greatest-showman/072282

Excerpts --

“We’ve still got a couple of big opportunities with the soundtrack still to come, and the digital release on TV,” said Warner’s Derek Allen. “And we’ve got the DVD release in mid-May. Historically, those have always been big opportunities for soundtracks as well. It feels like it could get another bump there.”

There may be other big opportunities ahead, too.
“In the next five years I’ll be very surprised if there isn’t a stage adapation that’s introduced,” Cineworld’s head of film Stuart Crane predicted. Watch this space...

Hope it is sooner than that

Jo

[jo]

Jonathan Frewen
@europeanhigh


#TheGreatestShowman's 14 weeks as the UK's No 1 Album tomorrow puts it comfortably in the Top 20 out of 1,114 to have reached the top since 1958 by most weeks at No 1; Summer Holiday/Cliff & Shadows 1963 and Brothers in Arms/Dire Straits 1985/6 are the 2 others to have 14 weeks.
4:57 PM - Apr 26, 2018

[njr]

They are using a bit of “this is the greatest show” to advertise the celebrity/all-athletes Dancing With The Stars on ABC. It starts April 30th and only runs 4 weeks I believe.

[jo]

Must be the most difficult to cover --

*Killer lyrics
*No-beat missed syncopation
*No pauses


But this high school theatre group gives THE OTHER SIDE a try!

[jo]

A jazz marching band playing FROM NOW ON --

Look at some members applauding as they recognize the music from THE GREATEST SHOWMAN!

[jo]

This must be the entire school body/whatever congregation proclaiming that THIS IS THE GREATEST SHOW!

[jo]

Not sure what has been nominated here for THE GREATEST SHOWMAN.

www.classicfm.com/events/classic-brit-awards/news/nominations-full-list-2018/

John Debney/Joseph Trapanese
The Greatest Showman – OST
Atlantic/Warner

It lists Trapanese and Debney for their work on the soundtrack of TGS - and as produced by Atlantic/ Warner.

Trapenese and Debney worked on the film scoring which was likely produced by FOX itself, not Atlantic/Warner.

The other nominees were likely nominated for film scoring, too.


On the other hand, the soundtrack itself and as produced by Atlantic was written by Pasek and Paul.

Hmm... which one??


Jo

[jo]

People are fast to catch on --

[jo]

WOW! Excellent and very enjoyable cover of a medley of songs from The Greatest Showman!

Such talent, energy, and enthusiasm from such young performers!

[jo]

Sounds exquisite!

[jo]

Music producer Greg Wells talks about his first film experience producing the original soundtrack --

www.waves.com/producing-the-greatest-showman-greg-wells

Producing the Greatest Showman OST: Q&A with Greg Wells
April 26, 2018

Producer, mixer and songwriter Greg Wells gives us a glimpse behind his working producing and mixing the #1 U.S. Billboard original soundtrack for The Greatest Showman, the musical film starring Hugh Jackman.



From Adele to Katy Perry to Twenty One Pilots, producer, mixer and songwriter Greg Wells has credits on albums selling over 90 million units. Yet he had never worked on a film soundtrack when he was hired by director Michael Gracey to produce and mix the original soundtrack for The Greatest Showman, the musical film starring Hugh Jackman. The soundtrack went on to become the first #1 U.S. Billboard album of 2018 and a number one hit in 77 countries. We asked Greg for a glimpse behind his work producing and mixing the album.



Greg, in what way was this experience different from producing a pop/rock album?

I try to give every song on an album by any band or artist a unique, bespoke approach. I’ve produced all different kinds of music. As long as I love the music, I feel I mostly know where to take it. Genre itself doesn’t make my job easier or harder.


It’s interesting that the film is a period piece, yet the music is contemporary. Was this intentional?

The director and I tried very hard to make things feel fresh and vital, while still realizing that this story took place over 150 years ago. I think staying away from trendy gimmick production was important, because we also didn’t want the music sounding forever locked in 2018.



Did the fact that it would be heard on theater systems affect the way you mixed?

Yes, absolutely. The entire experience was an eye opener because the theater is such an immersive experience. The actor’s eyebrow is 10 feet wide! Everything is bigger and deeper than I would typically frame things, and that affects the music and the mix, too.



Did final mix approval differ than when working with ‘regular’ artists?

For the soundtrack album itself, I had full control while working very closely with the songwriters and film director. For the theatrical movie release, I had very little control. I had to turn over all my mixes to the film studio in the most intricate stem session format I’ve ever been asked to provide. I wasn’t 100% satisfied with the mix of the music in the theater version, and the film studio very kindly let me remix the songs with legendary film mixer Paul Massey for the DVD digital release. This is where the movie will live forever, on cable, hotels and airplanes. I’m happy that we finally got the film mixes right.

Recording strings for the film with arranger Rob Mathes, executive musical producer Alex Lacamoire, and songwriter Justin Paul



Did you play any of the instruments in the recordings?

Yes, many! I came into the movie during the final year of its making. Lots of versions of the songs had already been recorded, and the director gave me a green light to decide what I wanted to keep or replace.


Did you work pre-visuals, post-visuals, both?

Most of the songs had a visual and I loved working to the video clip of a finished movie. The visuals told me what to do with the music. Ironically, after I had worked on the music for a month, the director came to my studio and said I was making the visuals look different in a good way. It’s incredible how the visual informed the audio, and somehow it went the other way too.



Did you use any Greg Wells Signature Series plugins in your mixes?

Yes, often. My signature plugins let me do a lot with just one plugin, there’s so much processing packed into them. The Greg Wells VoiceCentric was used on many lead vocals in the film. I also used lots of my favorite Waves plugins – MV2, Renaissance Compressor, Linear Phase Multiband Compressor, H-Delay and Doubler.

Greg with songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, star Hugh Jackman and director Michael Gracey at his L.A. studio



Working on a film soundtrack for the first time, what was your #1 takeaway from this experience?

The biggest takeaway for me is to follow my gut creatively, because I immediately knew I wanted to take on this incredible project. The gut instinct knows more than any other source of knowledge or opinion. I loved the message of human inclusivity in the story. This movie celebrates people with differences. It celebrates people that are so different, that their own parents were ashamed of them. It celebrates an interracial romance in the 1850s. I don’t want to live in a world where everyone looks and thinks the same, in the same way I don’t want to attend a symphony orchestra performance where all the musicians play the same notes in unison.


Any plans for doing more of this type of work in the future?

I was surprised to find out that working on a movie felt exactly the same as working on a record. It’s all story-driven. The better the story is, the better job I’m able to do. I would love to work with director Michael Gracey again, and who knows what the future holds?


Want to dive deeper? Get Greg’s mixing tips for vocals and your full mix.

[jo]

The Greatest Showman soundtrack album was one of the major contributors to revenues for WARNER MUSIC. Atlantic Records which produced the soundtrack album is part of Warner Music.

Atlantic Records became a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, now the Warner Music Group, and expanded into rock and pop music...

variety.com/2018/digital/news/warner-music-group-posts-solid-second-quarter-earnings-1202800824/

Excerpts --

Warner Music Group Posts Solid Second-Quarter Earnings
By Variety Staff @variety

Variety Staff
Follow Us on Twitter
@variety


Warner Music Group posted strong fiscal second-quarter financial results this morning, with total revenue up 16.7% (10.4% in constant currency) and digital revenue up 24.6% (19.7% in constant currency). Digital revenue represented 56.8% of total revenue, compared to 53.2% in the prior-year quarter.

“We’re having another excellent year with strong momentum around the world in both Recorded Music and Music Publishing,” said Steve Cooper, Warner Music Group’s CEO. “We’re investing heavily in A&R, digital innovation and the transformation of our operations to ensure that we are positioned for long-term success.”

“We showed strong revenue and OIBDA growth in our second quarter,” added Eric Levin, Warner Music Group’s Executive Vice President and CFO. “This is our eleventh consecutive quarter of year-over-year revenue growth and we’re proud of our ability to deliver robust results on a consistent basis.”...

Recorded Music revenue grew 15.3% (9.1% in constant currency), although rowth in digital, physical and licensing revenue was partially offset by a decline in artist services and expanded-rights revenue. Licensing revenue rose due to higher broadcast fee income and greater synchronization activity. Recorded music operating income was $80 million up from $69 million in the prior-year quarter, and operating margin was flat at 10.1%. Top sellers included Ed Sheeran, “The Greatest Showman” soundtrack album, Bruno Mars, Dua Lipa and the Japanese rock band Wanima.

[jo]

This is utterly fantastic and adorable entertainment from the singing and dancing FACULTY members of a high school!

LOL - so funny!!

My favorite -- eat your heart out, Zendaya

[jo]

From a contestant on THE VOICE --

[jo]

Ice Skating Show dancing to THE GREATEST SHOW!

[jo]

Park safely, so the children sing!

With apologies to Pasek and Paul

[jo]

BEST-est covers ever!

http://instagram.com/p/BilZerKDyPP

http://instagram.com/p/BimAGPhj35k

[jo]

Unebelievable energy -- THE GREATEST SHOW!

[jo]

[jo]

On the USA Billboard200 -- it is still enjoying a good run. It ranks # 5 as of week ending May 12, 2018!

www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200