"We Create Music" Blog

ASCAP composer Geoff Zanelli won an Emmy for his score to the acclaimed mini-series Into the West. Eight years later, the soundtrack has finally been released. Zanelli explains what took so long, and offers some great advice about how to release your own soundtrack a bit quicker than he did.

Insomniac’s Electric Daisy Carnival hits Las Vegas this weekend for a full three days of sights and sounds beyond the imagination. We asked some of EDM's top bloggers to give us their choice for the must-see act at EDC. If you’re among the lucky 345,000 heading to Vegas this weekend, read on for tips on who not to miss.

Bonnaroo’s line-up is always hard to beat. Along with this year's massive ASCAP-member headliners like Paul McCartney, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Wilco, make sure to support some of the Nashville natives that are included in the line-up, like JEFF the Brotherhood, Chris Stapleton and more.

It’s the end of the world as we know it, and Joachim Horsley feels fine. He’s the ASCAP composer behind the apocalyptic romp Rapture-Palooza, out now in theaters. We asked Horsley about his wide-ranging music for the hilarious film while doing our best to avoid fiery meteors and flesh-eating zombies.

The premise of The Purge is as simple as it is horrifying: the American government has instituted an annual 12-hour period where all criminal activity is legal. It’s a nightmarish future that ASCAP composer Nathan Whitehead was asked to set to music. We sent him a few questions to find out how he did it.

"Urban funk soul" singer-songwriter Jen Chapin's newest album, Reckoning, is her first release of all original songs in seven years. Primarily inspired by her husband and sons, Reckoning brings Chapin's story-telling style even closer to home.

Before Midnight, the final film in a trilogy that has narrated a nearly 20-year relationship between director Richard Linklater’s characters Celine and Jesse, hit theaters on May 24th. Giving those characters a musical voice for the first time was Austin-based composer Graham Reynolds, who spoke with us about his score and collaboration.

It's been four years since 30 Seconds to Mars' last album, but their latest, LOVE LUST FAITH + DREAMS, may be the band's greatest recording to date. Read about their progressive sound and the new tools they use to stay connected to their fanbase.

ASCAP composer Michael Giacchino could have relied on Trekkie nostalgia for his score to Star Trek: Into Darkness. Instead, he did what he's always done: he wrote the right music for the story. Before the film's release, Giacchino told us how he did it.

If you were paying close attention to Grammy nominations this past year, you may have noticed something a bit unusual about the Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album category – there were only three nominees. The reason? Well, here’s a simplified lesson in how The Recording Academy selects nominees.