Stock music

Stock music, also known as production music or library music, is recorded music licensed for use in various media forms, including (but not limited to) film, television and radio.

The main engines of the global stock music market are the United Kingdom and the United States.

Britain has endured a significant influence for stock music, with the US as a dominant force.

De Wolfe Music (or Music De Wolfe) has been a stock music pioneer since its 1909 inception.

In the late-1920's, with sound entering cinema, De Wolfe Music used sound-on-disc and sound-on-film technology to create the world's first commercial recorded music library.

Meyer De Wolfe, who was born and rooted in the Netherlands, arrived in the United Kingdom after the turn of the 20th century.

In the UK, Meyer De Wolfe founded his own company in 1909.

James De Wolfe is Meyer De Wolfe's younger son, who assumed his father's music label after WWII.

Over the years since he took the label from his father after WWII, James De Wolfe expanded his label's beyond British borders.

Alfonso Corelli and Fred Jacobs, both filmmakers, forged a partnership with James De Wolfe, who was Meyer De Wolfe's younger son, to bring his music label to the United States.

During the mid-1950's era, Associated-Rediffusion acquired Keith Prowse Music Publishing and Peter Maurice Music, forming Keith-Prowse-Maurice (KPM).

With commercial television having arrived through both ITV and Associated-Rediffusion, stock music became an integral and a crucial component of television music.

In 1966, in response to pop music changes (being catalyzed by the British Invasion, Motown and Stax movements), KPM pioneered a modern sound in stock music with its 1000 Series.

Robin Phillips is the mastermind of the KPM 1000 Series.

Adrian Kerridge, a veteran engineer in the pop and rock music scenes, is also an engineer of the KPM 1000 Series, under whom it has a crisp sound.

For the KPM 1000 Series, co-created by Robin Phillips and Adrian Kerridge, it juxtaposes classic and traditional orchestration with modern and upbeat pop instrumentation.

KPM also shifted from 10-inch 78 rpm shellac discs into 12-inch 33 rpm LPs with its 1000 Series.

78 rpm shellac discs use faster playback speed, whereas 33 rpm LPs have slower speed and finer, more densely packed microgrooves, giving music a more storage space.

Both Robin Phillips and Adrian Kerridge enlisted musicians and composers from pop, jazz and rock to create a fresh, dynamic sound for film and television for the KPM 1000 Series.

Green is the main colour of the album covers of the KPM 1000 Series, which both Robin Phillips and Adrian Kerridge have envisioned.

Nicknamed Greensleeves, the KPM 1000 Series forever changed stock music (and music overall).

Since the 1960's, stock music labels have used a modern and contemporary sound, pioneered by both Robin Phillips and Adrian Kerridge.

KPM/EMI and De Wolfe are noted labels with the modern Robin Phillips/Adrian Kerridge sound.

With apologies to Cinderella, just before the KPM 1000 Series, which both Robin Phillips and Adrian Kerridge have envisioned, the stock music scene was a banished and isolated servant.

However, the KPM 1000 Series, which both Robin Phillips and Adrian Kerridge have made, is a Fairy Godmother that turned stock music into a princess in a hi-fi and crisp modern pop sound.

Besides, with apologies to Cinderella, the KPM 1000 Series is a glass slipper being fitted by this stock music princess wearing a ball gown to marry the charming pop/rock/jazz music princes. 

Plus, with apologies to the Cinderella fairy tale, the KPM 1000 Series transformed stock music from a vintage pumpkin into a modern-sounding carriage.

Likewise, with apologies to Cinderella, the stroke of midnight marked the magical demise of this staid stock music sound, with new ones coming in.

Wardour Street had been De Wolfe's longtime headquarters until its relocation to Shropshire House on Capper Street in the late-1990's.

Denmark Street, located near Wardour Street where De Wolfe was located, had also been the longtime headquarters for KPM/EMI until its move to Charing Cross the late-1980's.

Soho bridges both Wardour Street and Denmark Street, where De Wolfe and KPM/EMI were based.

Until its relocation to Queens House at Tottenham Court Road in the late-2010's, De Wolfe's primary location was Shropshire House on Capper Street.

The longtime main headquarters of Corelli-Jacobs Recording, which distributed De Wolfe Music in the United States, was based at West 45th Street in Midtown Manhattan in New York City.

Prior to moving to its iconic West 45th headquaters, Corelli-Jacobs, distributing De Wolfe Music in the United States, was at Madison Avenue, Broadway and 7th Avenue.

Sonoton is a company that brings stock music to Germany and endures innovations in this field.

Gerhard Narholz, an Austrian film and television composer and a pop songwriter, is the driving force behind Sonoton and its innovations.

In 1969, Sonoton struck a deal with Berry Music, exposing its catalogue to a global audience.

With Berry Music being purchased in 1973 by KPM/EMI, which was led by Robin Phillips, Sonoton underwent its further worldwide expansion, also marking the birth of its own record label.

The underscore is one of the stock music trends created by Sonoton.

NFL Films is the film and television production company of the National Football League.

Initially known as Blair Motion Pictures, NFL Films has revolutionized the sports filming world.

Ed Sabol and his son Steve Sabol are the NFL Films figureheads, both of whom make this company a success story.

John Facenda, who first earned recognition as the primary news anchor for WCAU-TV from 1948 until 1973, is also the first and most iconic narrator for NFL Films until his September 1984 death.

Sam Spence is the primary music composer for NFL Films from 1966 to 1990.

Cinematic Hollywood orchestral music is the basis for Sam Spence's music work for NFL Films.

Phillip Spieller is the former music director for NFL Films from the late-1960's era to 1984; during his NFL Films, he mixes and curates music for its sports documentaries.

Together, Ed Sabol, Steve Sabol, John Facenda, Sam Spence and Phillip Spieller create the NFL Films hallmarks.

Munich, Germany is the adopted base for Sam Spence and his music work with NFL Films.

During the era prior to both NFL Films and Sam Spence, sports television music frequently sounded ceremonial, specifically fanfares and marches.

Under Sam Spence's influence, NFL Films used cinematic Hollywood-like orchestral music.

In his NFL Films music work, Sam Spence's influence derives from many world-famous Hollywood music composers, like Miklos Rozsa and Dimitri Tiomkin.

Phillip Spieller creates a process in which he combines music cues composed by NFL Films' in-house composers, like Sam Spence, with prerecorded tracks from stock music labels.

Due to Phillip Spieller's process, NFL Films uses its cinematic Hollywood-like orchestral sound.

Network Music, FirstCom and Killer Tracks are stock music labels from radio jingle makers.

The Network Music/FirstCom/Killer Tracks trio revolutionized the stock music scene by adapting the dynamic and high-energy sensibilities being created by radio jingles.

KPM/EMI (and the Robin Phillips/Adrian Kerridge duo) pioneered a modern sound, but the Network Music/FirstCom/Killer Tracks trio (rooted in radio jingles) changed stock music.

For this Network Music/FirstCom/Killer Tracks trio, their innovations in the stock music business are being rooted in business models, technology and production standards.

Craig Palmer is the principal composer of the Network Music Ensemble, indeed its catalogue.

For Network Music, it pioneered the buyout music format, but also elements, like alt-mixes, stings and 30/60-second cutdowns.

Meanwhile, FirstCom is one of the first stock music labels to release albums on CDs.

Likewise, Killer Tracks pushed stock music into the digital CD era.

All in all, the commercial model by the Network Music/FirstCom/Killer Tracks trio was such a success that it laid the groundwork for massive consolidation by major record labels.

Stock music largely used traditional music, notably orchestral and jazz, before the KPM 1000 Series.

From the mid-1960's to the early-1980's, some of the typical styles being used in the stock music scene included cinematic Hollywood, top forty, laid-back and electronica.

In addition to specially-composed tunes, stock music composers also made soundalikes of the top forty songs à la funk and Hollywood-like film scores used in low-budget films/television.

The Network Music/FirstCom/Killer Tracks trio turned stock music into a network television sound.

Brian Nimens, hailing from Canada, founded his own company called Sound Ideas, which is one of the most successful companies in the world specializing in sound effects, in 1978.

Ever since its inception, Sound Ideas has released many sound effects via 20th Century-Fox, Universal, Disney, the BBC, Lucasfilm, Warner Bros., Turner, WB Animation, Hanna-Barbera, etc.

Westar Music is the other company that Brian Nimens founded.

Unconfined to sound effects, Sound Ideas branches into stock music in the royalty-free model.

In Canada, since the 1980's era, Brian Nimens' stock music/sound effects companies, Sound Ideas and Westar, have distributed De Wolfe Music, the world's oldest stock music label.

For SFX, De Wolfe has its SFX library that Sound Ideas distributes.

Plus, Sound Ideas has branched into stock music since the late-1980's, with its spin-off Westar Music doing the same since its founding at the turn of the 21st century.

The Mix and the Turner Broadcast Music Library are noted labels via Sound Ideas.

American Music Company, founded/led by Mitchel Greenspan, who hailed from De Wolfe Music's US branch, became distributed by Westar (which distributes De Wolfe in Canada) in the late-2010's era.

Plus, Southern California has WB/Hanna-Barbera, Network Music, Killer Tracks and SmartSound.

Kevin Killinger composed cues for Killer Tracks, but also his own SmartSound company.

For Cincinnati, it notably houses US President William Howard Taft, who served in this position from March 4, 1909 to March 4, 1913; he was also US Chief Justice from 1921 to 1930.

Not confined to William Howard Taft and politics, his younger brothers are also in broadcast media.

In addition to the Tafts (including William Howard Taft and Taft Broadcasting), Cincinnati is also the birthplace of Ted Turner, who acquired Hanna-Barbera (a longtime Taft property).

Besides the Tafts and Ted Turner, Cincinnati births iconic and world-famous Hollywood icon Steven Spielberg.

Amblin Entertainment is Steven Spielberg's production company.

Dallas-Fort Worth is Jack Waldenmaier's other base, but also the home base for The Music Bakery, a royalty-free stock music label founded in 1990, 12 years after Sound Ideas in 1978.

Steven Wenger is also a musician in the Southern US region.

Having lived in Nashville, Memphis and Charlotte, Steven Wenger had his own company called River City Sound Productions (RSCP).

Cascom and Digital Juice are defunct companies for royalty-free animation, both of which were being rooted in the Southern United States.

For RSCP, it has created in-house cues, but also stock music in the royalty-free model.

RSCP's stock music cues were resourced by Digital Juice for its BackTraxx section in 2001.

Ever since its inception in 1978, Sound Ideas has juxtaposed De Wolfe Music with Warner Bros., which TimeWarner has run since 1990, likewise the owner of HBO (Home Box Office).

Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies is part of the WB empire.

Sound Ideas also uses the other WB assets, like Turner (in stock music/SFX) and Hanna-Barbera (a Taft property that Ted Turner of CNN later took).

For SmartSound, it juxtaposes its in-house cues with some cues being sourced from Sound Ideas (by which De Wolfe/Rouge is distributed in Canada), The Music Bakery and Killer Tracks.

Incidentally, Taft Broadcasting is located in Cincinnati, which also housed Ted Turner (CNN) and Jack Waldenmaier.

Tennessee also uses Ted Turner (CNN), Pat Robertson (CBN), Cascom and Steven Wenger.