Hidden Gems & Where To Find Them
(4 min read)
Attention spans are pretty short these days. When a new movie, series, or album drops, they have a hot second in the spotlight before we figuratively and literally scroll past them. We’re just inundated with so much “new” that we immediately move to the next thing, feeding the ever-present FOMO.
We get it. Knowing what’s new is exciting and sometimes essential.
But what about the thrill of discovery?
When you fall in love with a song you’ve never heard before only to find an extensive discography. When you uncover a series with one of your favorite actors only to find three seasons and an accompanying podcast. Or when you finally try that neighborhood restaurant you’ve somehow missed over the years, only to now save it on your list of favorite meals ever.
These are the moments that we can’t wait to tell our friends about saying “Have you seen this $#!^?” Not because it’s new or trending, but because there’s something special about finding hidden gems.
And if you’re even remotely familiar with the venerated history of library and production music, you know that there are countless treasure chests full of hidden gems still waiting to be discovered.
That’s why we started our Virtual Crate Digging series shortly after premiering The Library Music Film in the United States in 2019. Just as the film shows how crate digging culture has brought new life to vintage library music tracks, we celebrate albums from our own catalog that may not make any sense yet. We know that sooner or later the right music supervisor or filmmaker will hear these and make them the sound of their next story.
We love to share music that might not be the newest but still gets us excited, and Virtual Crate Digging serves as an on-ramp for new ears.
But we’re not alone in our quest to find and share these hidden gems. Our friends at Universal Production Music have a series of their own called Let’s Go Diggin’. Here’s how they describe it:
“In our Let’s Go Diggin’ series, we aim to shed a light on these forgotten gems, why DJs and Artists still delve into the back catalogues of production music and how sounds of the past can be synced into promos and projects of the present.”
Featuring the French library music label Patchwork, their Q&A with Delphine Colin, Senior Labels Manager at Universal Production Music France provides a quick overview and entry point that makes it easy for curious music supervisors to explore. With a vast array of historic labels and legendary archives, we eagerly await more of this series from UPM.
Whether you’re unearthing an archival imprint from the golden age of library music or discovering an unexpected album in a modern catalog, it all adds up to more unique music options in your back pocket.
Just remember that the top hit isn’t always the best one. If you dig a little deeper, you never know what hidden gems will shine for you.
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