Doug Adams

PR writing is a strange beast. I got chewed out once for beginning a press bio with the word "In." "I hate that word! Who uses that word??" 

He just did an entire album of that sort of thing!
 
The new concerto isn't going to but a hard sell because of its quality or relatability. It's a genuinely great work. But it's A) wildly virtuosic, B) long (it'll eat up a good chunk of a standard concert ... not to mention the rehearsal time), C) expensive (it requires a large, top-notch ensemble). 
 
With Willams and Mutter on the docket, tickets will sell. Heck, I travelled nearly 2,000 miles for it! However, I could see it having a difficult journey without these two superstars attached. If young performers take it on, and if the symphonies drop a Beethoven 7 -- or even some of Williams' commercial work -- on the second half of the program, maybe .... 
 
The work deserves it. It's just the logistics that can be nasty. Here's hoping! 

I'll put in online for free after FSM has reached its subscribers. Short version: 
 
-It's a lot to digest
-It's great
-Williams and Mutter are without equals
-It's gonna be hard to get this behemoth into the standard rep 

I'll put in online for free after FSM has reached its subscribers. Short version: 
 
-It's a lot to digest
-It's great
-Williams and Mutter are without equals
-It's gonna be hard to get this behemoth into the standard rep 

I'll put in online for free after FSM has reached its subscribers. Short version: 
 
-It's a lot to digest
-It's great
-Williams and Mutter are without equals
-It's gonna be hard to get this behemoth into the standard rep 

He just did an entire album of that sort of thing!
 
The new concerto isn't going to but a hard sell because of its quality or relatability. It's a genuinely great work. But it's A) wildly virtuosic, B) long (it'll eat up a good chunk of a standard concert ... not to mention the rehearsal time), C) expensive (it requires a large, top-notch ensemble). 
 
With Willams and Mutter on the docket, tickets will sell. Heck, I travelled nearly 2,000 miles for it! However, I could see it having a difficult journey without these two superstars attached. If young performers take it on, and if the symphonies drop a Beethoven 7 -- or even some of Williams' commercial work -- on the second half of the program, maybe .... 
 
The work deserves it. It's just the logistics that can be nasty. Here's hoping! 

I'll put in online for free after FSM has reached its subscribers. Short version: 
 
-It's a lot to digest
-It's great
-Williams and Mutter are without equals
-It's gonna be hard to get this behemoth into the standard rep 

He just did an entire album of that sort of thing!
 
The new concerto isn't going to but a hard sell because of its quality or relatability. It's a genuinely great work. But it's A) wildly virtuosic, B) long (it'll eat up a good chunk of a standard concert ... not to mention the rehearsal time), C) expensive (it requires a large, top-notch ensemble). 
 
With Willams and Mutter on the docket, tickets will sell. Heck, I travelled nearly 2,000 miles for it! However, I could see it having a difficult journey without these two superstars attached. If young performers take it on, and if the symphonies drop a Beethoven 7 -- or even some of Williams' commercial work -- on the second half of the program, maybe .... 
 
The work deserves it. It's just the logistics that can be nasty. Here's hoping! 

I'll put in online for free after FSM has reached its subscribers. Short version: 
 
-It's a lot to digest
-It's great
-Williams and Mutter are without equals
-It's gonna be hard to get this behemoth into the standard rep 

I'll put in online for free after FSM has reached its subscribers. Short version: 
 
-It's a lot to digest
-It's great
-Williams and Mutter are without equals
-It's gonna be hard to get this behemoth into the standard rep 

I'll put in online for free after FSM has reached its subscribers. Short version: 
 
-It's a lot to digest
-It's great
-Williams and Mutter are without equals
-It's gonna be hard to get this behemoth into the standard rep 

I'll put in online for free after FSM has reached its subscribers. Short version: 
 
-It's a lot to digest
-It's great
-Williams and Mutter are without equals
-It's gonna be hard to get this behemoth into the standard rep 

PR writing is a strange beast. I got chewed out once for beginning a press bio with the word "In." "I hate that word! Who uses that word??" 

PR writing is a strange beast. I got chewed out once for beginning a press bio with the word "In." "I hate that word! Who uses that word??" 

I suspect this may be a reference to Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique. The fourth movement, 'March to the Scaffold', ends with a musically depicted execution by guillotine. Though it's not specified in the score, by tradition the drum roll is usually performed on a large field drum with the snares turned off. I think that's what JW is going for here.
 
See also Prisoner of Azkaban, where he calls instead for a "scaffold drum":
 

Wait, someone was supposed to pay me for that!? Rats!
 
Contracts -- at least in my situation -- are not necessarily given expiration dates. Not that I think it would matter in this case. The rights are so specific that you can't really even shop these things around. Between the movie and likeness rights, the Tolkien Estate, and the music publishing, the book needs to be done a very specific way.
 
Right now, I'm trying to see what comes with the Amazon show. My deep hope is that a) it sort of clears up some rights restrictions and b) it rekindles a bit of interest. We shall see. It doesn't help that the Amazon production itself is a bit of an enigma. (Note to Amazon: if you hire me as a music consultant, I will erase that last sentence.)
 
Impossible Silence -- I don't want to get into it, but someone I was close with had a mental breakdown while we were in production. (This was not someone involved with Impossible Silence or film music at all.) Tragically, that person did not survive the ordeal. I turned my attention away from the book during that time, and it's been very difficult to regain momentum. We actually started the ball rolling again in 2019/2020, but the pandemic stopped everything once again. Compared to the suffering others experienced in both these circumstances, the derailing of a niche film music book is, of course, nothing at all. I only mention it to address the question. 
 
Again, I still haven't given up hope. In this instance, putting a little time between writing and publishing actually makes the rights a bit easier. The few things that would had to have been cleared will all be public domain soon. So that's good.
 
And hey, Spielberg is making a movie now that he's been trying to get going since before the days of E.T., so sometimes these things just take a long, long time!
 
 
 
 
 

Wait, someone was supposed to pay me for that!? Rats!
 
Contracts -- at least in my situation -- are not necessarily given expiration dates. Not that I think it would matter in this case. The rights are so specific that you can't really even shop these things around. Between the movie and likeness rights, the Tolkien Estate, and the music publishing, the book needs to be done a very specific way.
 
Right now, I'm trying to see what comes with the Amazon show. My deep hope is that a) it sort of clears up some rights restrictions and b) it rekindles a bit of interest. We shall see. It doesn't help that the Amazon production itself is a bit of an enigma. (Note to Amazon: if you hire me as a music consultant, I will erase that last sentence.)
 
Impossible Silence -- I don't want to get into it, but someone I was close with had a mental breakdown while we were in production. (This was not someone involved with Impossible Silence or film music at all.) Tragically, that person did not survive the ordeal. I turned my attention away from the book during that time, and it's been very difficult to regain momentum. We actually started the ball rolling again in 2019/2020, but the pandemic stopped everything once again. Compared to the suffering others experienced in both these circumstances, the derailing of a niche film music book is, of course, nothing at all. I only mention it to address the question. 
 
Again, I still haven't given up hope. In this instance, putting a little time between writing and publishing actually makes the rights a bit easier. The few things that would had to have been cleared will all be public domain soon. So that's good.
 
And hey, Spielberg is making a movie now that he's been trying to get going since before the days of E.T., so sometimes these things just take a long, long time!
 
 
 
 
 

Wait, someone was supposed to pay me for that!? Rats!
 
Contracts -- at least in my situation -- are not necessarily given expiration dates. Not that I think it would matter in this case. The rights are so specific that you can't really even shop these things around. Between the movie and likeness rights, the Tolkien Estate, and the music publishing, the book needs to be done a very specific way.
 
Right now, I'm trying to see what comes with the Amazon show. My deep hope is that a) it sort of clears up some rights restrictions and b) it rekindles a bit of interest. We shall see. It doesn't help that the Amazon production itself is a bit of an enigma. (Note to Amazon: if you hire me as a music consultant, I will erase that last sentence.)
 
Impossible Silence -- I don't want to get into it, but someone I was close with had a mental breakdown while we were in production. (This was not someone involved with Impossible Silence or film music at all.) Tragically, that person did not survive the ordeal. I turned my attention away from the book during that time, and it's been very difficult to regain momentum. We actually started the ball rolling again in 2019/2020, but the pandemic stopped everything once again. Compared to the suffering others experienced in both these circumstances, the derailing of a niche film music book is, of course, nothing at all. I only mention it to address the question. 
 
Again, I still haven't given up hope. In this instance, putting a little time between writing and publishing actually makes the rights a bit easier. The few things that would had to have been cleared will all be public domain soon. So that's good.
 
And hey, Spielberg is making a movie now that he's been trying to get going since before the days of E.T., so sometimes these things just take a long, long time!
 
 
 
 
 

Thanks.
 
I will be at the premiere of Williams' Violin Concerto #2 at Tanglewood next month, so if anyone else is attending and wants to see a digital version ...  
 

.

Wait, someone was supposed to pay me for that!? Rats!
 
Contracts -- at least in my situation -- are not necessarily given expiration dates. Not that I think it would matter in this case. The rights are so specific that you can't really even shop these things around. Between the movie and likeness rights, the Tolkien Estate, and the music publishing, the book needs to be done a very specific way.
 
Right now, I'm trying to see what comes with the Amazon show. My deep hope is that a) it sort of clears up some rights restrictions and b) it rekindles a bit of interest. We shall see. It doesn't help that the Amazon production itself is a bit of an enigma. (Note to Amazon: if you hire me as a music consultant, I will erase that last sentence.)
 
Impossible Silence -- I don't want to get into it, but someone I was close with had a mental breakdown while we were in production. (This was not someone involved with Impossible Silence or film music at all.) Tragically, that person did not survive the ordeal. I turned my attention away from the book during that time, and it's been very difficult to regain momentum. We actually started the ball rolling again in 2019/2020, but the pandemic stopped everything once again. Compared to the suffering others experienced in both these circumstances, the derailing of a niche film music book is, of course, nothing at all. I only mention it to address the question. 
 
Again, I still haven't given up hope. In this instance, putting a little time between writing and publishing actually makes the rights a bit easier. The few things that would had to have been cleared will all be public domain soon. So that's good.
 
And hey, Spielberg is making a movie now that he's been trying to get going since before the days of E.T., so sometimes these things just take a long, long time!
 
 
 
 
 

I'll be there!

Wait, someone was supposed to pay me for that!? Rats!
 
Contracts -- at least in my situation -- are not necessarily given expiration dates. Not that I think it would matter in this case. The rights are so specific that you can't really even shop these things around. Between the movie and likeness rights, the Tolkien Estate, and the music publishing, the book needs to be done a very specific way.
 
Right now, I'm trying to see what comes with the Amazon show. My deep hope is that a) it sort of clears up some rights restrictions and b) it rekindles a bit of interest. We shall see. It doesn't help that the Amazon production itself is a bit of an enigma. (Note to Amazon: if you hire me as a music consultant, I will erase that last sentence.)
 
Impossible Silence -- I don't want to get into it, but someone I was close with had a mental breakdown while we were in production. (This was not someone involved with Impossible Silence or film music at all.) Tragically, that person did not survive the ordeal. I turned my attention away from the book during that time, and it's been very difficult to regain momentum. We actually started the ball rolling again in 2019/2020, but the pandemic stopped everything once again. Compared to the suffering others experienced in both these circumstances, the derailing of a niche film music book is, of course, nothing at all. I only mention it to address the question. 
 
Again, I still haven't given up hope. In this instance, putting a little time between writing and publishing actually makes the rights a bit easier. The few things that would had to have been cleared will all be public domain soon. So that's good.
 
And hey, Spielberg is making a movie now that he's been trying to get going since before the days of E.T., so sometimes these things just take a long, long time!
 
 
 
 
 

Oh snap I didn't realize you hadn't been paid. What a bummer. And sorry to hear about your acquaintance
 
Yes, here's hoping the Amazon show leads to a release of your Hobbit book (and Hobbit CRs?) 

Wait, someone was supposed to pay me for that!? Rats!
 
Contracts -- at least in my situation -- are not necessarily given expiration dates. Not that I think it would matter in this case. The rights are so specific that you can't really even shop these things around. Between the movie and likeness rights, the Tolkien Estate, and the music publishing, the book needs to be done a very specific way.
 
Right now, I'm trying to see what comes with the Amazon show. My deep hope is that a) it sort of clears up some rights restrictions and b) it rekindles a bit of interest. We shall see. It doesn't help that the Amazon production itself is a bit of an enigma. (Note to Amazon: if you hire me as a music consultant, I will erase that last sentence.)
 
Impossible Silence -- I don't want to get into it, but someone I was close with had a mental breakdown while we were in production. (This was not someone involved with Impossible Silence or film music at all.) Tragically, that person did not survive the ordeal. I turned my attention away from the book during that time, and it's been very difficult to regain momentum. We actually started the ball rolling again in 2019/2020, but the pandemic stopped everything once again. Compared to the suffering others experienced in both these circumstances, the derailing of a niche film music book is, of course, nothing at all. I only mention it to address the question. 
 
Again, I still haven't given up hope. In this instance, putting a little time between writing and publishing actually makes the rights a bit easier. The few things that would had to have been cleared will all be public domain soon. So that's good.
 
And hey, Spielberg is making a movie now that he's been trying to get going since before the days of E.T., so sometimes these things just take a long, long time!