News | Podcasts | Articles
Featured Composer: Alex B
Alex B is a pop, lofi and hip-hop composer and producer from Brazil who has been active in his home country's independent music scene since the early 2000's.
His music is packed with emotional performances, expressive guitar licks and mellow keys, all blended in passionately crafted sonic atmospheres. He finds inspiration in a variety of contemporary artists, like Mondo Loops, Steven Beddall, FKJ, Tom Misch and classic Brazilian icons such as Tom Jobim, Djavan and Ed Motta.
Member Paul Croteau featured on TAXI TV
We were thrilled to see 52 Cues Community Member Paul Croteau featured on TAXI TV’s “Passenger Profile.”
Another exciting moment? Seeing his name in the music credits of “Spirited,” one of our new favorite Christmas movies!
Playing Guitar with Chopsticks
52 Cues member Nigel M. shared this video with us!
“I'm sure I'm not the first one in this group to have discovered this incredibly talented guitarist on YouTube, but my oh my, what an amazing sound.”
A Chat with ReelCrafter
Household-name businesses are run by real people with a real passion to help others. I chat with Sam Hulick & Sara Pocius about their story ReelCrafter features, future, and maybe even what I got wrong. Plus this week’s featured composer, Daniel Rose!
Featured Composer: Daniel Rose
Daniel Rose is an aspiring composer and producer looking to build a career producing music for film and video games.
Rose has always loved it when he is able to tell who scored a film while watching a movie. While he attended Full Sail University, Dave Kropf introduced him to the world of Production Music. He began to explore production music as a parallel lane that laid very close to my passions and aspirations. He is now using this new lane to build his career as a composer.
The 10 Commandments of Production Music
So much of this gig is frustratingly inconsistent! But I’ve found there are some overarching guidelines which can help govern a lot of our choices. In this episode, I share my 10 Commandments of Production Music! Plus this week’s Featured Composer, Mojo X!
Featured Composer: Mojo X
Mojo X writes an impressive throw-back to the golden age of Broadway.
Featured Placement: NFL Playoffs
A HUGE congratulations goes out to Jeff Hargrove, who scored a key placement on Sunday’s NFL Today on CBS Sports. He caught the coveted Opening Teaser, and we think that his cue could not be MORE perfect for this high-stakes moment!
Jeff Hargrove is a 52 Cues Family member and has completed the 52 Cues Mastermind with Dave Kropf.
January Workshop: Read the @#$%& Brief!
Join Dave Kropf as he takes a deep dive into his method for understanding library briefs and listings. He'll unpack his strategies for decoding terms and translating references for the best chance of placement and forwards!
Plus he'll go over how to avoid some of the pitfalls of cloning and how we can stay original without slipping into "artist brain!"
Featured Composer: Dex Williams
Dex Williams began composing for libraries in 2017, with the help of a friend. He’s earned placements on BBC Springwatch, Housewives of Atlanta, Police Interceptors, and more. He is a classically trained on clarinet and saxophone, and loves to play piano by ear. His musical interests are varied, and he incorporates rock, funk, metal, and blues into his work. He particularly enjoys writing orchestral hybrid music.
Dex is looking forward to focusing his efforts with the support of the 52 Cues Cues Community.
Is One Cue Per Week Really Enough?
I’ve said before that you need 100’s of cues to make a living in the production music industry, but is one cue per week really enough? Today I’m going to unpack and illustrate how productivity and output might not be the linear journey we think it is.
We’ll take a listen to “Waltz of Shame,” the latest submission in my “Year of Taxi” and check in on any forwards or returns.
Featured Composer: Rolf Schild
Rolf Schild is an experienced composer/producer from Germany. He started composing music in 1976 after founding his first band. He’s been composing ever since.
Influenced by the orchestral and fusion bands from the 70's and by his education on classical guitar, his music comprises a huge variety of genres and styles. in 1996, Rolf started to produce music with DAW. He enjoys writing production music and has placements on ABC and hulu.
Read the @#$%& Brief! (Anatomy of a Taxi Listing)
I’ve started my Year of Taxi, and I thought it’d be a good idea to talk about the anatomy of a brief and discuss how everything we need to know is right there in the listing!
We take a listen to "Entered Into Evidence," the first submission in my Year of Taxi and check in on any forwards or returns.
We also take a listen to a dark, moody EDM cue written by 52 Cues Community Member, Rolf Schild.
Featured Composer: Peter Lepahin
Peter Lepahin is an enthusiastic and easy-going production music composer from Hungary. Lepahin started in the DAW in 2020. Since then, he’s signed two albums and is planning to make a living out of production music—while of course enjoying the process and composing!
2022 in Review (and What Comes Next!)
We’ve come to the end of another year here at 52 cues, and it’s been a great one with lots of growth, opportunities, and challenges. So this week I wanted to take a moment to reflect on 2022, talk about some of the wins and losses, and look forward to what’s ahead for 2023!
Town Hall Meeting
Join us for this community-wide meetup where we'll recap the year, talk about the community plans for the 2023, and answer any of your questions!
Coming in 2023: The Year of Taxi, The Briefing Room, Album Accelerator Experience, Workshops, and added benefits for all membership levels!
Wishing you a Krunky Christmas!
We caught this placement live today on the Bengals - Patriots game show open. It certainly put us in the holiday spirit!
We share it with you and wish you a beautiful holiday, wherever you are and however you celebrate.
With all best wishes,
Dave & Shannon Kropf
Getting Into Game Music | With Adam Fligsten
I’m curious about game music! I chat with Adam Fligsten, founder of the music production company Silen Audio, about his journey from production music to game music, and how the library and game music worlds overlap.
Featured Composer: Paul Croteau
Paul Croteau has traveled the world as a freelance sideman on saxophone and sometimes playing keyboards. In 2015 his career shifted from performing to composing, and his music is now used by at least 50 different tv shows across 30 countries.
Happy Holidays!
Holiday Schedule
December 19-22: All the usual 52 Cues Events, Coaching, and Feedback Videos are available.
December 23-30: We'll be celebrating Christmas & spending time in family. Time for some rest, some video games, and some self-care! You can still book coaching sessions or feedback videos for the new year.
January 2: We're back, refreshed and ready to tackle the new year!