Hit Song from High Noon Changes Hollywood Business Model

The film "High Noon" (1952) contained an opening theme song that became a hit single record, initially in two versions (Frankie Lane, Tex Ritter). This audio narrative - originally on NPR - argues that the success of the song on its own changed the Hollywood business model with regard to film scores and songs. It is argued that the success of the song underlined the synergy between film (including film promotion and marketing) and the music business, leading to a combination of the two. It also notes a technological change, the move from 78 RPM records to long-playing records which created a larger demand for recorded music. Oddly, the narrative doesn't refer to competition from television, which was of much concern to Hollywood at the time. But it does argue that antitrust litigation that had ended vertical integration between film studios and theater distribution also contributed to the search for new marketing techniques. Finally, reference is made to the (longstanding) globalization of Hollywood films.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Movie-music
• film-score
• high-noon
• Hollywood