The Music Week Sync Awards ceremony 2017 is 24 hours away. The votes have been counted and the trophies printed, ready for the best sync work of the past 12 months to be honoured before the great and the good of the industry.
But what will the key takeaways from the night be?
Are we about the see the rise of UK rap music represented, with Tinie Tempah, Tiggs Da Author, P Money, Avelino and Loyle Carner among the shortlisted artists? Will Christmas adverts do well, as in the case of last year’s House Of Fraser spot for Grace and You Don’t Know Me?
How significant will music’s increasingly prolific relationship with televised sport prove on the night, with BT Sport, UEFA’s We Play Strong campaign, the England Women cricket team, the BBC’s coverage of Wimbledon and Channel 4’s Formula 1 coverage all nominated alongside FIFA 18?
Here, Music Week picks five key areas to watch on the night…
IT’S CHRISTMAS
It’s always Christmas at the Music Week Sync Awards… or is it? In 2016, House Of Fraser’s festive spot scooped Best Sync – TV Advert and Overall Sync Of The Year. That’s no mean feat, but can John Lewis’ Christmas spot from 2016 match it this year? Recorded by Vaults, signed to Universal, One Day I’ll Fly Away formed the sonic background for yet another John Lewis classic. That’s up in Best Sync – TV Advert, while BBC One’s Christmas film, backed by Lucy Rose, is up in TV Show (Trailer).
@btsportfootball x @officialAvelino: Long Time Coming
— Avelino (@officialAvelino) May 23, 2017
The #UELfinal is almost here! ????????
?? @AFCAjax vs. @ManUtd
???? @btsport 2 HD
???? 7pm pic.twitter.com/EZn65BPXuA
A SPORTING CHANCE
As outlined above, the sporting end of the ceremony promises some of the hottest competition on the night. Last year, BT Sport triumphed in TV Show – Sport and Sync Team – Broadcaster Music Department sections, FIFA 17 scooped Video Game Trailer and coverage of the Paralympic Games in Rio De Janeiro won in the TV Show (Trailer) category. BT Sport make a strong showing this year, with bespoke raps from Avelino and Loyle Carner among the nominations.
SYNC ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Everyone knows the Sync Awards would be nothing without the artists, and as well as those behind each sync, the six nominees in the Sync Artist Of The Year category will go head to head with a rich variety of sync work. Newcomers Rag’N’Bone Man, Tiggs Da Author and Barns Courtney – who amassed more than £1 million in sync revenue before the release of his first single – do battle with Ellie Goulding, Max Richter and Michael Kiwanuka, whose music was chosen by Baz Lurhmann for The Get Down on Netflix. This is one to keep a close eye on.
THE SILVER SCREEN (AND NETFLIX!)
Twelve months ago, Ben Wheatley’s High-Rise took home the awards for Trailer (Film) and Film Soundtrack, an impressive double whammy. This year, Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, American Honey, Baby Driver, Bridget Jones’ Baby, Pear Cider And Cigarettes compete for the title of Overall Film Soundtrack, while Elle, Gold, Logan and T2 Trainspotting are among the iconic entries in the Film Trailer category. It’s been a huge year for sync on the silver screen, and the film section at this year’s ceremony could be its strongest yet. But spare a thought for Netflix too, it too has made a huge impact on the sync community. Just imagine, what would Stranger Things have been like without that soundtrack?
IT’S A TEAM GAME
As ever, all eyes will be on the awards for Best Sync Team, with indies and majors from the recording and publishing worlds going toe to toe once again. Beggars have syncs from Mercury Prize winner Sampha in their arsenal this year, while Just Isn’t Music, a winner last year, is looking strong once again. And then there are the battles between the majors, the music departments and the supervisors, out on their own in a categorical sense, but very much part of a team in everything they do. There’s a lot at stake this year, make no mistake.
Follow the Music Week Sync Awards on Twitter, Instagram and musicweek.com, and see further coverage in forthcoming issues of the magazine.
For information on how to purchase any last remaining tickets, click here.
