Delivering Creative Music Solutions to a New Generation: FirstCom Music Celebrates 35th Anniversary

DALLAS - Aug. 19, 2015 - PRLog -- FirstCom Music opened a tiny office in Dallas with a staff of four in 1980. They began inspiring creativity in the US Radio broadcast community by offering production music libraries, advertising sales libraries and ID packages designed to enhance station and advertiser image. In the early years of the industry, music was pressed and distributed on vinyl record. In 1985, the company made a bold move by introducing broadcast producers to a new era of innovation with the release of one of the world’s first production music libraries on CD.

By 1990, FirstCom was regarded as an industry leader and innovator. Zomba Enterprises, the largest independent music publishing company in the world, recognized the potential of production music and snapped up the company. Their growth continued with the overwhelming demand by producers for superior music and one-stop licensing. The internet was quickly recognized as the new frontier for expansion. FirstCom embraced the technology and was among the first in the industry to make it possible for users to download production music from the web.

The introduction of the Master Series was yet another benchmark for the industry and blurred the lines of stock music with the star power of the pop music industry. The series incorporated and promoted the contributions of GRAMMY-winning artists, like Nine Inch Nails’ Charlie Clouser and Bush guitarist Nigel Pulsford within their libraries. The success of the Master Series lead Zomba Music’s Clive Calder to initiate the Zomba Writers Program for FirstCom, using Jive Record’s pop writers to contribute contemporary songs to FirstCom’s Film/TV catalogs. What followed were a series of acquisitions and ownership stakes by the company, starting with the OneMusic Library in 1997, which enabled producers to remix to their specific needs. The 1998 launch of the Gotham Music Library in partnership with New York producer Manny Kallins brought a one-of-a-kind music style from a circle of Big Apple musicians and writers. To address the needs of evolving music trends, Velocity Music was created in 1999. As current music continued its mashup of hybrids and genres, producers Ehkomusic jumped on board in 2006, bringing with them artists such as Adrian Quesada (Groupo Fantasmo, Spanish Gold), Goodwill & MGI (Pitbull, Twista) and Symbolyc One (Eminem, Kanye West).

The turn of the new millennium would be the springboard for groundbreaking technology from FirstCom. An example is the introduction of the first music library designed to create and mix new music for Surround Sound, distributing mixed media double-sided DVD’s that included pre-mixed music in 5.1 formats and the components for the producer to create their own Surround mix. Technology was evolving at rapid speeds and so was the music industry. In 2003, FirstCom Music was acquired by Bertelsmann Music Group when they purchased Zomba Enterprises, LLC. Four years later, the acquisition of BMG Music Publishing by Universal Music Group spurred the creation of Universal Publishing Production Music.

Under the umbrella of the world’s leading production music powerhouse, FirstCom continued to grow their robust catalog via the acquisition of popular music resources, such as MasterSource, which was founded by well-known musician Marc Ferrari. FirstCom’s dedication to writers and artists remained the foundation of their diverse catalogs. The creation of Roadside Couch Records in 2006 provided a home to indie artists and singer-songwriters. The label's more notable artists include Holiday Mountain, Saint Pepsi, and Kaliyo.

In 2011, the acclaimed BBC Production Music library came on board, and brought the revolutionary BBC Orchestral Tool Kit. This was followed by an exclusive deal in 2012 with Mannheim Steamroller to create the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Collection. Continuing to add depth and variety to their catalogs, the Mexican Music Library was released in 2013 to fulfill the growing demand for authentic Mexican, South American and Caribbean music. Later, FirstCom would enter into an agreement with Universal Music Group’s world-renowned classical label Deutsche Grammophon to represent their production music catalog. This extraordinary catalog rounds out FirstCom’s international music offering that includes Chappell, MusicHouse and Galerie. The introduction of Build Destroy Music, which was incorporated into its Chronicles of Hip Hop catalog, marked another step for authentic, artist-driven music. BDM is produced by DJ Skee, one of the highest regarded producer/DJs in the world.

Today, FirstCom offers a full range of creative music solutions including music supervision and bespoke music. This is punctuated with the win of both Best Jazz and Best World Music categories in the 2014 Library Music Awards held in London. Their music can be heard in commercials for top brands. Popular TV placements include: Good Morning America, American Idol, The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, and Saturday Night Live. Plus, blockbuster films such as Woody Allen’s Irrational Man, Iron Man 2, Silver Linings Playbook, Still Alice, and Captain America just to name a few.

Keeping a vigilant watch on production demands and trends, FirstCom continues to expand their presence by offering relevant solutions for their clients. Responding to the need for quality, easy-to-access sound effects and production elements, FirstCom teamed with renowned sound editor Rob Nokes to give producers online access to an astounding 50,000+ sound effects with the addition of FirstCom SoundFX. The company also signed Jonathan Elias, one of the most awarded music companies in the history of broadcast advertising, to an exclusive production music deal. Most recently, FirstCom launched the FCAnimated series in response to the music content and format needs of digital media and game producers.

FirstCom Music’s innovation and staying power are unprecedented. After more than three decades of music excellence, they are continuing to collaborate with the very best artists and writers to position their catalogs and services to be a go-to creative resource for the next generation of producers, editors, and music supervisors.