Meet the Team Behind the Classical Pop Covers on Bridgerton

In our latest “Happy Hour” event, we had the pleasure of speaking with Aron Silverstein and James Curtiss of CMH Label Group. Both had a pivotal role in placing Vitamin String Quartet’s classical pop covers in Bridgerton, which has wowed viewers worldwide. The duo discussed how the string arrangements became a much-beloved part of the show, their work on Bridgerton, plus numerous other film and television projects. And again, our panel answered your questions about music supervision and how artists can increase their chances of landing a sync placement.

Happy Hour Guests

Aron Silverstein — Aron is the Head of Film & TV Licensing at CMH Label Group, representing in-house music series Vitamin String Quartet, Rockabye Baby, and more. His recent career highlights include a multi-spot Netflix Halloween ad, work on Judd Apatow’s film The King of Staten Island and Apple TV+ shows Dickenson and The Morning Show, a national Clorox TV spot, and four much-publicized VSQ placements in Netflix’s smash Bridgerton. Aron also helps manage all live and video production for the VSQ.
James Curtiss — James is A&R and Project Director at CMH Label Group, where his creative vision and deep knowledge of the musical landscape have helped shape the prolific Vitamin String Quartet series. James has led the charge on hundreds of VSQ album projects, including their on-screen appearance in the fan-favorite “Blair’s Wedding” episode of Gossip Girl. He even gave the project Vitamin String Quartet its name.

The interview was conducted by Songtradr CXO, Victoria Wiltshire.

Kicking off our hour-long conversation, the pair joked that their 19th century period costumes — a much-adored aspect of the hit television series — were in the laundry. Nonetheless, Victoria played the part by wearing her best Bridgerton-inspired dress.

Successfully Recording Classical Pop Covers

After acknowledging the enormous success of VSQ’s classical pop covers, we asked our guests why they think the arrangements resonated so well with audiences. James replied that no one had asked that question before. So while he took time to reflect, Aron gave it his best shot. He explained that covering Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish worked brilliantly because it offered something familiar – modern pop music – while also relating to the onscreen action set in 19th century Britain.

“It’s kind of the perfect storm,” expressed Aron. “If you watch the show, you’re like, ‘I know that melody? Oh, it’s Ariana Grande!’ That discovery portion for the viewer is really exciting because you get the best of both worlds. It’s not just a pop track out of nowhere [that] completely pulls you out of the show. You still have the familiar sounds, like strings, and you’re seeing violinists on camera, so it all fits. There’s just a bit of a twist.”

“Obviously, the source material was something that people really responded to,” added James. “But the idea of contemporary classical music mixed with a period piece vibe… we’ve kind of been down that path before. We had successful sync placements in Westworld, and we had a slew of placements in this TV show called Rain that ran on CW. That’s a perfect example of where the whole milieu was very medieval and had big, epic storytelling, but they wanted to keep it contemporary.”

The conversation then turned to Vitamin String Quartet’s origins. James explained that it was a label creation founded in the late-90s to produce tribute albums. Originally nameless, it was only after CMH Label Group digitized the VSQ catalog that a more identifiable label became necessary.

“We needed to put all of these albums together under a unifying umbrella, so we thought, let’s just give it an artist name,” explained James. “The subsidiary label at the time was called Vitamin Records, and we struggled at the time to figure out what to name this. Then I eventually said Vitamin String Quartet.

“What also happened not too long after was that Leo Flynn, who is the brand manager and one of our creative directors alongside me and the rest of the team, he and I started getting more involved in trying to shape this and make it sound more like an artist. We gave it an aesthetic, a sound, an approach… It was just one of those things that took off and got a life of its own online.”

Despite being a label creation, there are real musicians and composers behind the scenes. By giving fans names and faces to latch onto, James and Leo helped VSQ reach new heights.

Working with music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas

One of the many reasons the music in Bridgerton made waves is because of Grammy-nominated music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas. Before the recent Netflix series, her most notable work had been on Grey’s Anatomy, The O.C, and Gossip Girl. On that last show, during episode 100 of Gossip Girl, Alexandra and VSQ teamed up for the first time. Echoing a point James made later about where the string quartet’s classical pop covers seems to fit, VSQ performed Pat Benetar’s “We Belong” and INXS’s “Never Tear us Apart” during character Blair Waldorf’s wedding. James explained how that first collaboration with Alexandra and her music company Chop Shop Music Supervision came about.

“They were looking not only for a string quartet to have the music featured in the show, but we were also on camera very briefly. That was one of our first appearances on camera for people to see us, and it was also one of the biggest placements we’d received up until that time.”

Comparing Gossip Girl to Bridgerton, James noted that Gossip Girl’s music supervision team knew what song they wanted VSQ to cover. However, for Bridgerton, the music brief was more open-ended.

“When Gossip Girl happened, they had one song in mind, with the potential of maybe doing a second,” explained James. “But essentially what happened was that the publisher of the song they wanted to use was like, ‘no, we don’t let people use that song anymore for any purpose.’ So they came back to us and said we couldn’t use this, but we have another song in mind; however, it’s not in your catalog. So we just said we’ll cover it, we’ll cover it for you right now. And while we whipped that up, they also saw that we had this INXS cover.

“So that one was very much like they knew what they wanted, they couldn’t get what they wanted initially, and so they commissioned us to do one, and then they had a second song that they pulled from the catalog.”

Handling the Bridgerton Music Brief

The process for Bridgerton was different. James explained that the music supervision team had a few ideas, but that they weren’t requesting a specific piece of music. “They just gave us the brief and we reacted to that,” he said.

“The brief very much outlined that this is a romantic show, this is the plot, it is a very female character-driven show. It’s definitely going to be airing on the side of cooler and more contemporary.”

“So the first round of songs we sent them, some of them might have been a little too indie and a little too cool, but a lot of that first wave of songs were informed by that,” explained James. “We were looking for female artists that we had covered. We were looking for contemporary artists, and we were trying to slant things a little more romantic, maybe a little more playful.

“So, to Aron’s point, you have to work with the brief that you’re given. And hopefully, the people that are handing you those briefs have as much detail as we were given for Bridgerton because it was a lot for us to play with.”

Aron then weighed in with some general advice about how to present and handle a music brief. He began by emphasizing the importance of actually reading and responding honestly.

“If you’re getting briefs coming in from a production company, read them and make sure you’re really responding. If they’re looking for something and you don’t necessarily fit the brief, don’t force it.”

“A brief should cover the same amount of material from one brief to another,” continued Aron. He then listed these key points that should appear in every music brief:

the title of the project
a synopsis breaking down the actual concept
whether it’s a film, television, or advertising project
a description of the scene where the music will be placed
whether they’re interested in a particular track; or
a reference to outline the feel of the music they’re looking for

Questions From the Songtradr Community

Echoing the format introduced in our last “Happy Hour,” dubbed ‘Reporting on Music in the Digital Age,’ we put questions from our Songtradr community to our expert panel. Keeping it concise, Aron and James spoke about the importance of finding a niche and offered advice to aspiring songwriters and producers hoping to land a spot in the next big Netflix series.

Which was Vitamin String Quartet’s favorite song to compose or perform?

“It could be almost any song of the last Björk album that we did,” answered James. Aron chose a Daft Punk song called “Touch.”

What was your reaction to the overwhelmingly positive response from audiences around the world?

“Overwhelmed is a good way of putting it,” declared James.

“One thing that was really cool, and I think the whole team felt it, was that people heard us on Bridgerton and then checked us out on Spotify,” announced Aron enthusiastically. “It feels like it landed because of the show, but also because there is a lot to explore in the catalog. That was really cool. It was initial support, and then continued support.”

How do you decide which projects you will license music to?

“We haven’t yet been hit with a project where we were ethically or morally against what was going on,” declared James. “Every time someone approaches us, it seems fun. It seems to fit in our world.”

What do you notice music supervisors look for when licensing music for film and TV?

“It depends. Certain people have their own style. They work with certain types of shows, and they want certain music cues, so everyone has their world that they live and operate in,” said Aron.

“We’re lucky that what we do fits well with a couple of common threads,” continued James. “One is that characters in movies and shows are always getting married, and they tend to be younger people. So they’re always looking for a contemporary song that’s been translated to a string quartet because people do that in real life. We are constantly approached by fans who are like, ‘We want your sheet music, will you play our wedding?’ So, narratively, that works when you’re in a show like Gossip Girl or Modern Family where people want our music for wedding scenes. And then on the other side of that — which is where you run into your Bridgertons and your Westworlds — people have some narrative juxtaposition that they want to make. Where they’re doing this period piece, but they wanna evoke something modern.”

What tips do you have for artists trying to license their music?

“Do the research. Do the homework. Know your own material and your catalog,” explained Aron. “If you have lyrics, what are you thematically singing or talking about? Make sure you can advocate for your own material, and then figure out where it can live. Find the production company, or the team and the music supervisor that might be working on that project, and be nice and cordial and polite and send them your music.”

“If it’s a good fit, I think the music supervisor genuinely appreciates it even if it’s not the right fit for that show… do your homework, and I guarantee it will pay off. Even if that placement doesn’t, you’ll learn how to do the research and reach out, and you’ll refine that process.”

James reiterated Aron’s point but added another little nugget of advice about working with labels, publishers, and others in the music industry.

“You should understand who it is that is representing your material because you don’t necessarily want to be led astray. And you also don’t want to be placed in a position where you’re just ticking a box for them either. So again, this goes back to being your authentic self and doing the work; know who it is you’re working with, and don’t just jump into any situation to have your music represented. The business part of show business is key – you have to do the work.”

Do you have any tips for artists trying to find their niche so their music is more discoverable to music supervisors?

“Find a niche and fill it,” asserted James. “There is no denying that cover songs are one of the key components for music licensing. If you have a gift for interpretation, if you have a gift for arrangement and understanding the voicings that can be taken from an original piece and restructured to make something unique, that’s a benefit.”

“You’re not going to get every single brief. You’re not going to get every single placement, and that’s OK,” pronounced Aron. “You don’t have to fit every single music cue that’s out there in the world. Make what you want, what you’re happy with and are proud of, and it will fit where it needs to. When you’re really excited about the material, people know.”

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