# Pre-show Music



## TechGeek (Feb 12, 2013)

I need to get some pre-show music, but don't know what to play. Any ideas??


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## cpf (Feb 12, 2013)

I chose a soundtrack based on the show, or season. Mostly lyric-free, lots of soundtracks, anything that fits the mood of the show. 

Make sure your licensing is worked out, though.


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## TechGeek (Feb 12, 2013)

its a made up show, so any music works. I just dont know what to play.


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## josh88 (Feb 12, 2013)

Well even if its made up, what's it about? Is there some kind of theme you can reflect. Or do you want the audience in a particular mood? Classical before a show vs. death metal will put the audience in a different starting place.


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## bishopthomas (Feb 12, 2013)

Don't stress too much about it, just put on something that is slightly similar to what the show is. If I'm doing a rock festival I'll put on what I like (obscure indy rock). If I'm doing corporate or banquets it's usually jazz. Sometimes I need top 40. It all depends on the gig. Classical can work but I've found it to be too dynamic; at certain points it's almost non-existent, and others it's mezzo forte. I don't want to be riding the fader during preshow music.


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## Joshualangman (Feb 12, 2013)

As a sound designer, I try to stay away from "preshow music," as in a sort of playlist of songs, and instead often create a kind of seamless soundscape of sounds and/or music for preshow. The idea is to set the stage for the performance from the moment someone walks into the theatre. With rare exceptions, I would stay away from any familiar or recognizable music (unless it strongly relates to the play), and anything that's in the form of discrete chunks like different songs. The whole half hour or so of preshow should be — in my mind — basically a seamless track created for the show.

Then again, not all shows work the same way, and for something informal or a show with a certain kind of aesthetic, a conventional playlist might work fine. But I'd still hope you'd choose songs based on the content of the play!

Then again, some shows — musicals, for instance — don't need preshow at all …


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## Footer (Feb 12, 2013)

(John Scofield plays Ray Charles)

Its our go to pre-show/intermission/post show music... or our default "crazy guy start screaming at the stage at the end of a speech".


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## TechGeek (Feb 12, 2013)

I talked to one of my many TD's and found some artists that would be good for a black history show.

So far I have Louie Armstrong and then I have to look at an old script from a show I just did.

Any other famous old time african american singers???


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## TechGeek (Feb 12, 2013)

> Don't stress too much about it, just put on something that is slightly similar to what the show is. If I'm doing a rock festival I'll put on what I like (obscure indy rock). If I'm doing corporate or banquets it's usually jazz. Sometimes I need top 40. It all depends on the gig. Classical can work but I've found it to be too dynamic; at certain points it's almost non-existent, and others it's mezzo forte. I don't want to be riding the fader during preshow music.



I dont want to ride any faders for this show. Its at my old Elementary School, so I'm pretty much running everything. I'm getting 17 old Strand Century's from my High School for the elementary school and using one of my own intelligents as a special, and renting a 2 or 3 small dimmer packs. I have to pretty much teach the kids what to do as we go through the show, considering that they barely rehearse when ever I can be there.


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## bishopthomas (Feb 12, 2013)

TechGeek said:


> I talked to one of my many TD's and found some artists that would be good for a black history show.
> 
> So far I have Louie Armstrong and then I have to look at an old script from a show I just did.
> 
> Any other famous old time african american singers???



Wow, so many to choose from. Do you have Pandora? That's a great source for the "what's similar?" question. Sometimes I'll just play an I Heart Radio station if I'm trying to keep the music in the same vein. Check out Keb Mo for some more contemporary (and more hi-fi sounding) bluesy "roots" music.


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## Aman121 (Feb 12, 2013)

What time period does the show take place? For example, if it takes place in the 70s, Stevie wonder might be a good choice. If its 50/60s, some of the motown groups and soul groups would work great. Any earlier and id stick with Aretha Franklin, Loui Armstrong, ect. If its just a general history show with no specific time period then anything goes pretty much. Stevie wonder, the temptations, usher, Armstrong, Flo Rida, Zap and Roger, Dizzy Gilispe, Sean Jones, any of the above are great black artists, take your pick.


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## Les (Feb 12, 2013)

I'm still trying to find a show where I can use this music:



(It sounds much better through a PA system or at least good computer speakers/decent headphones)


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## josh88 (Feb 12, 2013)

Do they have to be singers? I can think of cab Calloway, duke Ellington, jelly roll Morton, count Basie, miles Davis, they all fit in the same sort of genre generally.


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## chausman (Feb 12, 2013)

I like Jazz for pre show. I usually use Rhapsody. Except during the holidays, when I find Christmas music to play.


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## NewChris (Oct 15, 2013)

I was wondering what is a good mix of music to play before shows? I am in a high school and i am willing to buy music.


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## marmer (Oct 15, 2013)

Isn't that up to the sound designer and the director for each show? Or, if it's not directly related to the show in some way, how about nothing? There's nothing at all wrong with having the first sounds your audience hears be the show. Generic background music is not necessary. Sometimes we have spoken word meetings or events where the audio company plays some light classical music beforehand. Doesn't do much for me, personally.


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## StradivariusBone (Oct 15, 2013)

In all seriousness, I do run sound for some dinner-type meeting/events and usually light guitar (Los Angeles Guitar Quartet is my usual go to) or soft jazz (Claude Boiling, Stan Getz, etc) works to set an ambiance. As for a show, if the script doesn't call for anything I don't play anything.


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## Walt Michael (Oct 15, 2013)

You say you're in high school... what kinds of shows are you running? School assemblies? Talk to the administrators/coordinators for the show. See what they want! If they don't say anything in particular, but do indeed want music, play music appropriate for the event. i find that sometimes a simple search on Youtube for some sort of long (as in an hour) study music or music appropriate to the audience is useful. Hitting play on an hour long track and not having to worry about it is always nice. For a teenage audience at an assembly, maybe a long dubstep track? Or for a more formal assembly, try a long classical piece?


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## NewChris (Oct 15, 2013)

We have the show Harvey coming up and this would be for our musical, male beauty pageant and straight show and some talent shows. 


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## Walt Michael (Oct 15, 2013)

Play some upbeat music of the Hot 100 if it's for a teenage audience? Pay more attention to music that is mainly instrumental, since it will be hard to hear with all the background noise probably. Somethings like this for entrance music?  Or something more upbeat. Just give Youtube a shot! See what you find! As for the show "Harvey", definitely talk to the sound designer.


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## Chris15 (Oct 16, 2013)

Copyright...
I don't know the rules in the US, but I'll bet there are some and probably you will need public performance licences of some form to play recorded, ie. copyrighted, music in a public setting...


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## TheaterEd (Oct 16, 2013)

I'm going to agree with Chris on this. Especially with the fact that you are talking preshow music for a paid performance. You technically need to have the rights to play any music that is still under copyright. The way I get around this is by playing a Jazz CD that the school band recorded and got the rights to distribute. The last thing you want is the RIAA making an example of you.


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## museav (Oct 17, 2013)

Even if you play music from the related soundtrack you may require separate rights since it is a public performance and usually not part of the show rights. Your school may already have some blanket public performance rights agreements in place, so check with them but do not assume that purchasing music allows for public pre-show or show use.

As far as the specific music, in general I would say it should fit the show and audience, however the Sound Designer and/or Director may have input into that and you may have to run whatever you choose by some administration representative for approval.


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## StradivariusBone (Oct 17, 2013)

There is some leeway in the copyright law regarding educational events though, especially if no admission is charged. The best way to determine it is to simply contact ASCAP or whomever holds the copyright and see what they think. If it's selections from the performance piece then you can contact whomever you bought the rights from. There is a lot of music that is within the public domain too, but you have to be careful to find a recording of such music that is also in the public domain (e.g. Bach's Passacaglia in C minor is in the public domain since it was composed in 1708, but an arrangement of it recorded by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's brass section made a few years back will technically be copyrighted).


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## RikkiHands (Oct 17, 2013)

If there's no sound designer for Harvey, you could also select music appropriate to whatever era your particular production is set in -- i.e. the play was first produced in 1944, so if your director has set this production back then, you could come up with a pretty awesome list of popular music from that time. (no Dub Step for this one!) And probably stuff that's in the public domain if you're concerned about rights issues raised by others here -- for my two cents, for a high school production, the likelihood of someone hauling you in for pre-show music is ..... unlikely! 
Have fun with it. If there's no sound designer, ask if *you* can design the sound. Pre-show and interstitial music can have a strong impact on the overall feeling of the theatrical experience.


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## museav (Oct 18, 2013)

StradivariusBone said:


> There is some leeway in the copyright law regarding educational events though, especially if no admission is charged. The best way to determine it is to simply contact ASCAP or whomever holds the copyright and see what they think. If it's selections from the performance piece then you can contact whomever you bought the rights from. There is a lot of music that is within the public domain too, but you have to be careful to find a recording of such music that is also in the public domain (e.g. Bach's Passacaglia in C minor is in the public domain since it was composed in 1708, but an arrangement of it recorded by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's brass section made a few years back will technically be copyrighted).


As I understand it, 'educational' use is limited to actual educational use and not to it being a school related event. There are criteria such as being directly relevant to an established curriculum, being part of face-to-face teaching, the portion of the coyrighted content used, etc. that can affect whether a use is considered educational use or not. Very simplistically, educational use seems tied to the teaching aspect rather than the venue and thus pre-show music seems unlikely to be defined as being educational use. It is also my understanding that whether you charge admission is usually irrelevant except possibly in establishing the types and amount of damages incurred by an alleged violation and thus indirectly may be a factor in whether a party may chooses to pursue action.

I agree that legal action for such use is unlikely but what concerns me more is the possibility of giving the impression to students that breaking the law is acceptable as long as it benefits you and you don't get caught.


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## StradivariusBone (Oct 18, 2013)

Educational use can be a wide definition in general. Even events like football games are to be governed as an "extension of the classroom". Now, that's not to say that the guy in the press box blasting hip hop is secure in his use of whatever music he chooses, but in my experience in dealing with people who release copyrights, they sometimes are more accomodating for primary and secondary education, especially if you're working directly with the composer or artist. An interesting movement within copyright law over music is occurring in high school marching bands, where it's relatively commonplace for a band director to arrange the halftime show from popular music. There are more and more cease and desist letters flying around each fall. 

When in doubt, call the publisher. It sets a good example for the kids you teach if nothing else.


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## aldenf (Oct 18, 2013)

I'm not going to get in the middle of copyright issue. The law is the law. Follow it or not and deal with the outcome of your decision... All that being said, I have had TONY winning designers hand me a playlist for pre-event walk-in music. I know the tracks weren't cleared or paid for. This happens all the time, right or wrong. The further off the grid the presentation is, the less likely you will draw any unwelcome attention. The likelihood that a high school (or summer stock theater in Des Moines, for that matter) will be served a cease and desist or lawsuit is slim to none. Use your judgement for a one-off. For an open-run show, you'd better have all the necessary licenses. I have had designers/guest engineers plug in their iDevice and cue up iTunes radio a lot recently with an appropriate "station", especially for concerts and events. I'm sure there's an issue with playing iTunes Radio for a paying audience as well, even though they subscribe to the service. These are pretty big national acts, however. YMMV. Follow your conscience... Now to the artistic aspect of the question. For musicals, I almost never play walk-in music (though it's up to the designer/director). Lobby music yes, in the house no. I have a four-hour playlist of show overtures/opening numbers (if the show didn't have an overture or one wasn't recorded) that I shuffle in the lobby and courtyard. It's mostly instrumental. I have gotten a lot of positive feedback from producers, co-workers, patrons, etc. For non-musicals, it's strictly up to the designer/director. Sometimes a specific mood is wanted in the audience to better set up the performance, etc. For events, such as your male beauty pageant and talent shows, I would play walk-in that sets a mood/mindset you would like the audience to be in for the presentation. Be creative, but use some sense. There's a reason the sound designer is a designer and part of the "creative team"... All of this being said, how often do you hear walk-in music for any Broadway show, musical or non? Concert? Event? There may be reasons for these choices (beyond financial)... Good luck with _HARVEY_ and the rest of your year!

~Alden


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## RikkiHands (Oct 18, 2013)

Yes, thankfully, we have the Judiciary to interpret what the law is--and the evolving legal definitions of intellectual property.

To get back to suggestions/advice that NewChris is looking for -- I think Strad had an excellent point about working directly with a composer/artist when possible, and school productions can be good arenas for original music to be workshopped/presented. If that interests you/your director/your designer, you could talk to your school's music dept. to see if anyone in the school community--and beyond--might be interested.


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## carproelsofly (Oct 18, 2013)

To echo what RikkiHands said, how about music written/recorded by your classmates? Or a local band? Would they like some free promotion to a room full of people? Win/win!

Another source I use regularly for this is archive.org. There is a huge library of "community" audio, much of which is Creative Commons or Copyleft - meaning you can use it with a lesser (or no) copyright issues. Check each piece for the usage requirements. (For example: "attribution" is a common one, which only requires that you give credit to the artist.)

For "Harvey", although it's from an earlier period, you might search the Library of Congress archives for out-of-copyright music that will help get the audience into the mood of the piece.


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## carproelsofly (Oct 18, 2013)

More resources!

Checked the Creative Commons website for the first time in a while, and found this:

http://creativecommons.org/music-communities

Many, many options there. As with archive.org, check the individual tunes for which CC license they've chosen.


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## David Ashton (Oct 18, 2013)

I once did a show set in a brothel in a country town, I persuaded the local radio station to record their show from 7.30 till 8.30, so as the audience arrived at 7.30 the "show" was synced to real time, adverts, chat and local news.
When the show started the preset went to black and the "radio" continued, as the lights came up the first actor walked on stage and turned off the "radio".
This was a case of really using the pre-show to get the audience in tune with the show.


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## museav (Oct 19, 2013)

Whhether it was being at a party, on a wharf, in the jungle or whatever, I've also done shows where pre-show was environmental sounds used to help establish the initial setting.


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## Kieran Emerson (Apr 24, 2015)

Can anyone suggest any specific tracks or genre of music that we could play while people are entering the theatre for a small amateur dramatic production?


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## Timothy A. Samuelson (Apr 24, 2015)

I use a huge variety for walk-in/pre-show music. I occasionally do the nature sounds to set the beginning of a show. I use the most recent KidzBop albums for school functions that have the smaller kids in attendance. I have a playlist on Spotify that I use for the older kids which tends to be the current popular songs. I finally took Uptown Funk off the playlist after a few weeks. I love using a group called the Piano Guys. Piano/Classical arrangements of pop songs. Love Chuck Mangione for jazz or evening dinner type events. It really depends on the show, the crowd, the time of year, quite a bit of things. When I ran community theaters, I always got the cast to make suggestions for the pre-show playlist.


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## Jay Ashworth (Apr 25, 2015)

This just resurfaced, I see, and I want to fine down the copyright question.

Does anyone have an authoritative answer to this question:

Does non-dramatic, preshow and intermission fill music need to be covered by Grand Rights? Or are ASCAP and BMI blanket licenses at the venue sufficient to protect the producing agency?

The assumption I'm making is "No; Yes", but if anyone has case law...


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## flowalex999 (Apr 25, 2015)

So I only have done shows for non profit groups so, and even then there has been different rules. One the role was it the patrons who requested what the songs were could get the name and artists but it was not able to be sold from the group. The other I use Creative Commons music and stuff that isn't is only played for less than 30 seconds


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## Fountain Of Euph (Apr 25, 2015)

Wind band music, i have found, is a good go to for preshow. Look at Holst First Suite for militarily band in F, Host Second Suite in Eb, Jacobs Music for a Festival and Original Suite, Vaughan Williams Folk Song suite, and Sea Songs.


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## TimmyP1955 (Apr 26, 2015)

If it's a rock show, I play local original bands, or some of my favorite regional/national acts (that I discovered on Pandora) that never get airplay around here. If it's anything else, I usually play big band and crooners (Sinatra, Nat Cole, Dean Martin, Connick, Buble,....).


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