I am consistently seeking out the session musicians responsible for the soundtracks of the films I watch. Unlike musicians who create commercial songs, soundtrack musicians do not often get the attention and recognition they deserve. Working Musicians is a comprehensive book that investigates the roles of musicians in the film and television industries in Los Angeles. The book explores the various contributions of musicians to the industry, including composers, orchestrators, copyists, contractors, performers, recording engineers, and music editors. The book traces the industry through various stages: from meetings with directors, producers, and studio managers about which composers to hire to the final moment when the music is accepted to be used in the production. In this book, Timothy D. Taylor delves into the lives of these musicians, exploring the economic, social, and cultural factors that influence their work. Through interviews with industry professionals, Taylor provide insights into the challenges they...
Review: Working Musicians: Labor and Creativity in Film and Television Production, by Timothy D. Taylor Available to Purchase
Josh Opoku Brew is a Ph.D. candidate in music and Africana studies at the University of Pittsburgh. He is currently a pre-doctoral fellow at the Carter G. Woodson Institute for African American and African Studies at the University of Virginia. His ongoing dissertation, Gifts from Nature, presents a crucial and timely response to the so-called Anthropocene from an African standpoint. Josh’s research demonstrates his broad interdisciplinary approach, spanning popular music, Black studies, sound studies, sustainability, and economic anthropology. His publications appear in Ethnomusicology Forum, Riffs Journal, and Rising Voices, as well as non-academic outlets such as The Conversation and Songlines. As an applied music scholar, Brew is committed to ensuring his research yields tangible benefits for the communities he works with. He is also a musician, composer, and performer with expertise in Afrobeats, Highlife, Jazz, and Classical guitar.
Joshua O. Brew; Review: Working Musicians: Labor and Creativity in Film and Television Production, by Timothy D. Taylor. Journal of Popular Music Studies 1 June 2025; 37 (2): 132–135. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/jpms.2025.37.2.132
Download citation file: