NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� When a couple decided to take their relationship further on the most recent season of the moment was soundtracked with a familiar song: 鈥淏irds of a Feather.鈥�
It wasn鈥檛 a flash-in-the-pan musical surprise. The season was stacked with familiar needle drops 鈥� 鈥淲recking Ball,鈥� 鈥淗辞濒测,鈥� 鈥淚nto You,鈥� 鈥淟ose You to Love Me鈥� 鈥� a gesture away from the little-known, sometimes generic pop songs that used to meet the show's most emotional moments.
Show creator and Kinetic Content CEO Chris Coelen attributed the pivot to the show's anniversary.
鈥淲e decided, in this Season 8, to coincide with our fifth anniversary, to really embrace popular music in a big way,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd so, we ended up using 鈥� throughout the entire season and in every episode 鈥� we used popular music cues.鈥�
鈥淟ove Is Blind鈥� isn鈥檛 the only reality show that walks the line between what viewers have labeled 鈥渞eal songs鈥� and unfamiliar music.
Where does the unfamiliar music come from?
It鈥檚 not artificial intelligence, where 鈥渘obody controls the copyright,鈥� says music supervisor Jody Friedman. 鈥淭here鈥檚 too much risk involved with using AI music in these projects.鈥�
Excluding big-time pop records, the music used on television comes from a number of sources. It can be custom, original music by the show鈥檚 composers. It can be licensed directly from artists, or from sync agents, production music libraries or a 鈥渙ne stop,鈥� what supervisors call a company that has the rights to license both the master recording and the composition rights.
Music supervisors might also turn to covers of well-known songs. On the most recent season of 鈥淭he Bachelor,鈥� Friedman used a cover of Phil Phillips鈥� 鈥淪ea of Love,鈥� a classic 鈥�50s tune. It鈥檚 more affordable to pay to license a cover than the original recording 鈥� 鈥渁nd creatively, it鈥檚 a modern take on an old song,鈥� he says.
music supervisor Sara Torres also uses covers.
鈥淭hat can bring in other listeners that may not necessarily be into pop, but if they hear the song in a different genre, it might pull them in, to go back and listen to the original version,鈥� she says.
Music libraries 鈥� companies that represent music catalogs for licensing purposes 鈥� are key, too, because if a song is too expensive to license, a supervisor can instead find a song that evokes the feeling of without having to pay for it.
鈥淭he indie libraries, let鈥檚 say, for TV, could be anywhere from $1,000-1,500 per needle drop use,鈥� says Friedman. For TV shows in general, bigger commercial songs can range from $20,000 to upward of $100,000, with high-profile songs earning more depending on the use, he says.
A history of using 鈥榬eal songs鈥� on dating competition shows
The use of instantly recognizable pop music differs from program to program.
has used popular music in the past, but sparingly. Coelen points out the use of Lee Ann Womack鈥檚 鈥淚 Hope You Dance鈥� in Bliss Poureetezadi and Zack Goytowski鈥檚 story in Season 4. But the frequency of Top 40 hits in the most recent season is new.
He says the benefit of using these songs, creatively, is that it 鈥渆levates the experience,鈥� for the viewer: 鈥淓motions are so connected to certain pieces of music, and they can conjure up feelings that we relate to.鈥�
Kinetic Content declined The Associated Press鈥� request to speak with the show鈥檚 music supervisor, Jon Ernst.
鈥淟ove Island USA鈥� featured songs like 鈥淜aleidoscope鈥� and 鈥淧lease Please Please鈥� in its most recent season. Executive producer James Barker points out that the original U.K. show has always used commercial music, and therefore the U.S. version has endeavored to do the same.
鈥淭he show is meant to feel like you鈥檙e on vacation with your best friends. Of course, when you鈥檙e on vacation, you鈥檙e sharing music,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 think that translates into how we create the show.鈥�
Torres agrees. She adds that the show typically uses more commercial music in the beginning of the season, and then again in the finale 鈥� 鈥測ou want that big impact.鈥�
Because the show has a quick turnaround time, with six episodes a week 鈥� 鈥渨hatever happens in Fiji on Monday airs Tuesday in America,鈥� as Barker describes it 鈥� the show team 鈥減re-clears鈥� over a thousand songs, just in case they work for a particular narrative moment. That means requests are sent out to publishers and labels ahead of time, but they're not paid for until the tracks are selected.
A show with more lead time, 鈥淭he Bachelor鈥� has long used commercial songs in its programming. This year's season, the show's 29th, had several memorable musical moments, including a Bad Bunny and J Balvin needle drop when 鈥淚 Like It鈥� played as the cast made their way to Madrid.
鈥淭his is my first season with 鈥楾he Bachelor,鈥� but historically they鈥檝e used Colbie Caillat, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys,鈥� lists Friedman. 鈥淭hey used Billie Eilish last season. This season we used a David Guetta track, Dropkick Murphys for the episode in Boston. There鈥檚 a 迟谤补肠办.鈥�
He adds 鈥淭he Bachelor鈥� does use a lot of recognizable pop songs, typically one or two per episode.
鈥淓ach episode does have a budget. So, while they may splurge on a pop song, the rest of the budget鈥� is spent on other music that comes at a lower cost, he says.
So, will there be more 鈥榬eal song鈥� drops in the future?
For 鈥淟ove Is Blind,鈥� Coelen says simply: 鈥淭he answer is yes.鈥�
Barker from 鈥淟ove Island USA鈥� agrees.
鈥淣ot only are you engaged with the characters, but the songs and artists that you care about listening to at home are being represented on television,鈥� he adds. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a bridge between us all.鈥�
Maria Sherman, The Associated Press
