Hollywood Exec Sounds the Alarm on State of Screen Music in L.A.: “I See the Infrastructure of the Recording Industry About to Fail”
Movie and television scoring work is the latest Hollywood industry being threatened with potential devastation unless action is taken to save it.
So warns Peter Rotter, a music and orchestra contractor who worked on movies such as Avatar, Frozen, and Deadpool, in an open letter to the industry that is serving as a call to arms to mobilize not just the music community, but also studios and production companies.
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“I need to wave the flag of deep concern as I see the infrastructure of the L.A. recording industry about to fail,” Rotter wrote in the letter circulating amongst Hollywood professionals. “It’s only a matter of time until this happens, unless we as a community stand together and support the livelihoods of the people of this city.”
His alarm comes as Hollywood is already reeling from fires, both literal and figurative, on several fronts. From COVID-19 to the writers and actors strikes to contraction post-strikes, the screen industry has been hollowed by hit after hit. That is on top of production fleeing the state, if not the country, mostly due to tempting tax incentives.
One aspect that has been less discussed is the migration of postproduction to points all over the world. Los Angeles is facing a loss of artists, producers and executives ranging from sound to visual effects. Musicians, and the players behind them, are a vital aspect in that.
As an orchestra contractor, Rotter pulls musicians and talent together to build out ensembles that will bring scenes and sequences not just to life but to full emotion, making audiences’ hearts soar in love or burst out of their chests in fear. He has worked on more than a thousand productions: Cross, Moana 2, Transformers One and Juror #2 are recent credits but they stretch all the way to Minority Report, Ice Age and Elf — and is considered the most senior in the business by many.
In the previous century, Los Angeles used to have music drifting up from lots across the studio landscape, but now, only Fox, Sony and Warner Bros. have scoring stages. Rotter has been watching stage work slowly decline over the years, but in the last decade it has accelerated to the point where stages on studio lots now sit empty most of the time. Due to issues such as residuals and union squeeze, it is simply becoming cheaper to farm music overseas. But the music aspect could become the proverbial canary in the coal mine.
“Postproduction is leaving at an alarming rate, and the loss of musicians is only the beginning of it,” said one postproduction executive.
Rotter, who last year won an Academy Award for exec producing the Los Angeles- and music-oriented short The Last Repair Shop, is hoping that just like the artists he brings to the stage, he can trumpet a marshaling of executives and politicians, anyone, who can save what he sees as side of the Hollywood business on the brink of extinction.
“I had to write this to say I see what is happening, and if we don’t step up and revive what we have here in L..A, we will wake up one day and it’s not going to be here,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter. “And we’re a lot closer to that than people think to that.”
Read the letter in its entirety below.
Dear friends, colleagues and music industry leaders and professionals,
As a native Angeleno who grew up and resided in L.A. my entire life, my heart is devastated by the recent wildfires that have impacted so many within our community.
When one hurts, we all hurt … and we are all hurting deeply for our collective family. We are a small intertwined family of professionals (composers, instrumentalists, singers, engineers, music editors, stage crew, copyists, orchestrators, conductors, arrangers, music directors, music producers, music supervisors, music executives, etc.) and with that in mind, I needed to reach out and share my heart with you all.
Before the fires, our music community had been hit hard by COVID, then several back to back strikes as well as the dramatic shift in the level of films and TV shows being made. We have seen work move out of L.A. due to many reasons. I understand that these reasons and decisions are made months in advance and are based on film locations, tax credits/incentives as well as other factors outside of our knowledge that affect these decisions.
As a leader and someone who cares so much about this industry and its people, I needed to reach out personally to see what might be done to keep, bring back or use in part the community that needs you and your workflow now more than ever. Our stages are and have been sitting empty most of the time, with their stage crews having to get part time jobs to supplement their incomes as many of the stages are only working 3-7 days a month. The musicians are not able to make ends meet as the amount of scoring here in L.A. has fallen off the cliff and now on top of that, the fires have caused greater loss.
I need to wave the flag of deep concern as I see the infrastructure of the L.A. recording industry about to fail. It’s only a matter of time until this happens, unless we as a community stand together and support the livelihoods of the people of this city, regardless of union animosity, regardless of your company not being a signatory to the AFM, regardless of lack of tax credits or incentives, regardless of productions being shot out of the jurisdiction of the U.S. or Canada, regardless of whatever might cause you to pause and not consider working here.
As Lincoln once said, “I plead to the better angels of our nature” to help turn this horrible situation around so that we can sustain our industry before it completely collapses here. We are all aware that we need to work together to make this a better workplace for everyone, to discuss work and current business models, to gain tax credits here in L.A. and to make the union restrictions less restrictive so that you WANT to work here. These things MUST take place, and they will, that’s what negotiations and open dialogue is for. We are, however, in the midst of an agreement for both AFM and SAG that will last another two plus years.
I have worked my entire career to build strong relationships built on trust, care and integrity. I ask you as my friends and colleagues to consider what CAN be done now to infuse the blood of our music industry with life.
Our town has become silent, still and devoid of music making. Let us collectively revive the art form that was once heard so loudly before from our historic stages.
I’m always available should anyone want to discuss what might be possible and any steps forward to help make this a reality. Jasper and/or I are happy to act as a conduit with the unions or the musicians.
Thank you for reading, and thank you for your consideration.
With much respect and hope,
Peter
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