How Sync Music Pros Are Surviving COVID-19 | Alec Stern

How is the sync sector adapting to life under COVID-19? We asked leading pros in the space for their survival strategies and assessments of the situation.

The music industry is a diverse and complex ecosystem, and nearly every corner of this business has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. That includes the area of music synchronization, where marrying song with action is the name of the game. On-demand video consumption is surging — that’s the good part. But many productions are now on pause, which means schedules are frozen and critical sync placements are getting delayed. Meanwhile, advertisers are completely realigning their approaches.

So what happens next, and more importantly, what’s the best way for dealing with right now? Leading sync professional, Alec Stern shares his on-the-ground assessment of the disruption, and strategies for dealing with it all.

Sync Music Pro: Alec Stern, Director of Music, DDB

As the Director of Music for the global agency DDB, Alec oversees music for the likes of Miller Lite, McDonald’s, Skittles, The U.S. Army, Coors Lite, and many others. With a background in both music supervision and composition, Alec has licensed some of the biggest songs in music history, working with the likes of Prince, Whitney Houston, John Williams, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, and The Beatles.

COVID-19 is obviously shaking up numerous music industry sectors — how is this impacting you?

Alec: I’m lucky to be healthy and working during this time, where so many are finding their lives upside down right now. During this challenging time, everyone is being impacted in some way and the music industry is definitely not being spared. I’ve gotten emails from friends who are artists, tour managers, agents, licensing representatives, and supervisors who are suddenly finding themselves out of work due to this current climate. It’s a scary time for a lot of people, and I’ve been doing my best to practice gratitude for my own situation while also doing what I can to help those in need.

As a music fan first-and-foremost, it’s obviously always been important to me to support artists — it’s why I do what I do and that will always be the most gratifying part of being a music supervisor in my book. But it’s easy to get stuck in old habits and give less thought and attention to independent recording and touring artists in favor of chasing famous songs or easier clearances. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that- everyone grinding in this incredible industry of ours is worthy of getting the work they are able to get, regardless of their size — but after all of this began, I’ve found myself really realigning and focusing on trying to work with artists directly since they arguably are the ones in the industry being hit hardest right now. 

I know too many musicians whose entire year’s income went up in flames because live performances have been halted; I want to do something to help their situation. I’ve found myself really reinvigorated by finding more unknown independent talent to pitch for the projects I’m working on. Knowing that by putting an independent musician’s music in a commercial I’m working on could help offset some of the worry they are feeling right now with how they are going to survive in this current climate, it’s honestly given me a creative recharge I didn’t realize I needed. I’m finding a real sense of purpose in what I’m doing right now. It’s not saving the world by any stretch of the imagination, but if it’s helping anybody, it feels more worthwhile than ever.

How are you (and your business) adapting?

Alec: The clients I work with have all had to completely rethink their entire marketing and brand strategies during this time. Everyone seems to be aligned to the idea of wanting to do something, but what that looks like will vary from client to client, and that’s a good thing. Overall, I’ve been excited to be working on a lot of projects with real positive intention behind them, and projects that are being executed in inspiring ways.

As for me, I’m just working to remain creatively engaged and responsible during this time. I’m trying to focus my energy on the ways I can use my resources to help others. I want to help; whether it’s making connections on a personal level, to allocating a greater percentage of the songs I pitch to independent artists, I want to be able to say I used my resources to help make some small dent of a difference.

How do you see things for the industry — and sync in particular — progressing in the short and long term as a result of all this?

Alec: I think for a while, we will see a turn away from the flashy “look at me” mentality that is always going to be a part of advertising, in favor of a quieter more human approach. I think there is going to be a desire to tell human stories and find emotional common ground. And if done respectfully and with real tangible action to back it up, I think this is nothing but a wonderfully positive direction for things to be heading in. This is, of course, a very thin tightrope to walk for many brands, and we will see some do it more effectively than others. But my hope is that in the rush to join this larger cultural conversation, one that in one way or another does really affect everybody, brands and marketers at large will take the time to be thoughtful and meaningful in how they are communicating.

In terms of music, we’ve already seen a massive uptick in brands using extremely famous songs in their COVID responses, which I think makes a lot of sense. I think you will continue to see artists of all sizes and levels of fame wanting to get involved in some way or another, and often the way to do that is by saying yes to a sync request. That’s how something like David Bowie’s “Heroes” can wind up in a major brand spot right now — if the message is right and if the brand is seemingly doing good for communities in need during this time, I think you will see more artists or estates saying yes when maybe previously that wouldn’t have been the case. I think there is a shared responsibility and desire to help, and if brands and artists can find ways to collaboratively give back, even if it’s just making people feel good for a second with the pairing of a great song with a great message, it’s something worth doing.

Can you share a story of the community coming together to help fight this?

Alec: My faith in music, musicians, and my friends in the industry has been reaffirmed many times over in the last several weeks. I’m seeing people use their gifts as a way to bring people comfort and create connections during this time of isolation. I’ve seen GoFundMe pages for musicians who are ill, many of whom don’t have adequate health insurance. I’ve seen major music software companies, streaming services, and even local studios give products and services away for free or at heavily reduced rates to give people stuck at home something that will bring them new creative outlets. We all came together to mourn and remember John Prine through written testimonials and achingly beautiful covers. Musicians I know personally have been holding livestreamed tutorials and Q&As about what they do, just as a way to share their knowledge and gifts with anyone interested. Fun dance and singing challenges have been started on Instagram. Virtual release parties and listening sessions have been held. Quarantine playlists have been shared. And while we’ve only just begun hearing it, I have no doubt some absolutely incredible music is being made right now all over the globe from artists we love, and many who are finding their voice for the first time right now. Some of this obviously makes a larger impact than others, but in this time of isolation, it’s been extremely heartwarming to see so much connection being made through music right now, although I would have expected nothing less.

This post is part of the a new series: The New World of Sync, where we speak with sync music pros in our community about how they’re adapting to the new and changing landscape of the industry. Remember to sign up for our blog to find out when new posts in this series go live.

The content of this post was adopted from an article originally published in Digital Music News, as a broader partnership with Songtradr.

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