Do you remember when Hollywood movies introduced new songs? It happened this week with the new track “The Hanging Tree” which is sung by actress Jennifer Lawrence and appears on the soundtrack for “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1” . The track has landed at No. 2 on the American iTunes pop single chart.

The song was written by The Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins and the indie band The Lumineers.

According to sources Jennifer didn’t love the idea of singing.

“ The film’s director, Francis Lawrence, recently told Vulture that the actress was extremely anxious about singing the song on set for a pivotal scene in the movie. “

“I knew she didn’t love the idea of singing, but I didn’t realize how nervous she was until when we started the first take, and she was in tears. Not totally broken down, but she was unhappy,” he says. “She would have much rather we used somebody else’s voice. I think she said she wanted Lorde [who sings the movie’s theme song] to do it!”

Kings of A&R has officially launched our Top 8 Emerging Artist Campaign which will be announced on January 10th. Kings of A&R top 8 emerging artists have landed on the iTunes charts, syncs, and major press coverage. To submit music for consideration click here..

The past top 8 emerging artists are below which were featured in September.

Emmy Bachmann – Stranger
Kit Walters – Your Ghost
Colin Huntley – Best I Never Had
The Silent Scene – Collecting Hearts
Sydney Leigh – Crazy Beautiful
The Crazy Carls – Let Me
Colour of London – Heart Attack
Justin Klump – The Night is Young

Emmy Bachmann is a brand new artist on the scene yet has already been dubbed a blond bombshell singer-songwriter by PopWrapped. Our favorite tracks are I Don’t Love Him and Rescue Yourself. Kit Walters has released a new song along with a video Your Ghost. He will release an EP and will headline a show in The Studio at Webster Hall, Sunday September 21st. Colin Huntley is an emerging singer/songwriter & guitarist based in Austin, TX. The video for his single Best I Never Had has already garnered 315,000 YouTube streams. The Silent Scene is on the verge of a breakthrough. The track Collecting Hearts is our favorite and they were also featured on iTunes New & Noteworthy. Sydney has self released her debut EP “Crazy Beautiful”. Sydney Leigh wrote and recorded with Nolan Lambroza (Sir Nolan), Steve Daly (Tracklacers) and Heidi Rojas. The Crazy Carls are making a splash on the scene. The band headlined Florida Music Festival in Orlando with Less Than Jake and Dirty Heads, and were featured on Sunfest with Train, Big Sean, and Ellie Goulding.  Colour of London has released a new track “Heart Attack“, and they have partnered with lifestyle brand, Alex and Ani, who featured their music in commercials and stores around the globe.  Finally, Justin Kump, the singer-songwriter has begun to make a mark. His album debuted on the U.S. iTunes Singer-Songwriter Chart earning him solid press, and Sirius XM invited him to perform on at their studios in NYC. Check out his track The Night is Young.

At Kings of A&R, we get a lot of questions from  artists about how to build their team, especially when and how to get a good entertainment lawyer. We spoke with Ben McLane from McLane & Wong to get some answers to these commonly asked questions. Ben McLane has published articles on the music business in magazines and books including, Alternative Press, & Billboard Encyclopedia of Record Producers, and spoke at numerous music and entertainment/media conferences worldwide, including SXSW and NAMM. He has participated in numerous and diverse projects involving, but not limited to, legendary artists such as Weezer, No Doubt, Eric Clapton, Rolling Stones,  Bonnie Raitt, Cher, Eagles, Guns & Roses, and many more.

What do you do for artists?

We are an entertainment law firm with a focus on music, and we represent artists, producers, songwriters, labels, publishers, etc. Essentially, we handle all of our clients transactional matters such as contracts, advice, negotiations, making connections, protecting rights such as copyright/trademarks, setting up a business entity, resolve/mediate disputes, and on occasion shopping record or publishing deals. Our firm does not litigate.

When should an artist seek out an attorney to add to their team?

It varies, but certainly once the industry starts offering contracts for the artist to sign it is a necessity. Before that, if an artist is serious about a career it might make sense to have a lawyer get involved early to maybe assist them with protecting their rights (trademark/copyright, help the get their band partnership agreement in place, and set up an LLC or Inc.), or to help build the team (i.e., manager and agent).

What do you look for in an artist?

Someone (band, solo act, or producer) who has a unique sound, writes great songs, has charisma, will perform live/tour, and has the drive to make it.

After an artist is finished recording a song, what would be the next step?

These days the best thing would be to post the song to all the relevant blogs, on Twitter, Facebook and also have it available for sale on iTunes. Having a video (even a lyric video) to promote the song on YouTube would also be wise. CONTINUE READING

Buzz Track: Secrets to Shadows

Hailing from Santa Barbara, California, The Blues and Greys infuse indie rock with electronic elements to create a dark pop backdrop over which the unique and ethereal voice of front woman Lindsey Waldon shines. The Blues and Greys have been featured on The Huffington Post, MTV, Absolute Punk and Diffuser.fm featuring their debut Bright Lights EP they released Fall 2013. The band has been featured in national commercials and performed New Noise Music Festival alongside national acts such as Cherub, Dawes, and a sold out show with Norway’s Lemaitre (Astralwerks). With their energetic live show, the band continues to build a solid live following in Southern California.
Contact: tim@theborisgroup.com

Hozier
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22,355 downloads

Mark Ronson
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14,523 downloads

Meghan Trainor
“All About That Bass”
13,281 downloads

Sam Smith
“I’m Not The Only One”
11,732 downloads

Pentatonix
“Mary Did You Know?”
8,379 downloads