The Aqua League interviews with The Certified Genius of iStandard Producers

First off, congratulations on your most recent placement of your track “Fiction” with Fast & Furious 6. How did you guys go about making that happen to get your song placed in such a major film?

Thanks, it’s much appreciated.  Originally the track was released through our indie label Ironhorse Music Group, LLC. From there we were able to secure the placement for the film through our partnership with publishing administrator, InDigi Music, as well as the music editor at Universal Pictures.

To back track a little, you also placed your record “Big City (Remix)” in Fast Five; what steps have you taken to keep that relationship going so you could place two songs in subsequent films from such an epic series?

We pretty much followed the same steps except for working with the music editor, which had changed between the two films.

Have you guys had a chance to see Fast & Furious 6? How does it feel to hear your music in such a major film (if not with Fast & Furious 6 then with Fast Five)?

Yes, we ‘ve had the chance to see both films with a couple of friends (we had about 40 people with us to see Fast & Furious 6 on opening night). It was surreal to actually hear our material played on the big screen, and it helped that it was a good movie as well.

When you made “Fiction” and “Big City (Remix)”, did you specifically make these tracks to shop for film placements? If so, what are some of the differences you take into consideration when creating a track for film versus a record to shop for an artist?

No, both of them weren’t initially created for licensing purposes. “Fiction” was created as a digital release. Whereas “Big City” was created for MTV’s Real World, during the season that they filmed in Brooklyn. They were looking for songs to represent New York with out actually saying New York similar to Jay-Z & Alicia Key’s “Empire State of Mind”.

In both instances you want to create something that has a feeling, the difference with television and film is that you want to add elements that create dramatic tension that helps support the scene.

I see that in 2005 you signed a licensing deal with MTV that enabled you to place your tracks in shows such as Run’s House, MTV Cribs, Pimp My Ride and much more. Can you guys elaborate on that deal a little bit and how the whole situation came about?

We worked closely with the music and media department at Viacom. We pitched 30 tracks to them initially, and they immediately placed 19 of the 30 tracks that we sent them. One of the first shows that used our material was the Fake ID Club. Soon after, it circulated to the other MTV shows then onto the sister networks  (Bravo, VH1, and the Speed Network) under Viacom.

Seeing as you’ve done a lot of work for film and TV, both on the major and independent levels, and those opportunities tend to be overlooked by producers, what is your advice to help open someone’s mind to these opportunities and what steps can they take to get started with placing their music in film and TV spots?

The first thing you want to do is create tracks without samples unless you’re able to legally clear them. The next step is to set your self up with a PRO (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC if you’re in the US) both as a writer and publisher on the business side of things. On the artistic side you want to create tracks that breathe because you’re composing music that supports a scene, so you don’t want your musical elements to be too busy.

In 2012 you were the recipients of the ASCAPlus Award; can you tell us about that experience from how it feels to have your talent recognized on such a large scale to the steps it took to get to that point?

It was really cool to be recognized by ASCAP for the work that we’ve done so far. However to get there you really have to put the work in, believe in yourself and stay persistent. No matter how cliché that sounds, it’s true.

I’m a firm believer in the statement that teamwork makes the dream work and Aqua League is a perfect example of that, not only with being a production duo but by also being teamed up with Ironhorse Music Group (IHMG). Can you talk about working together as a production team and your situation with IHMG as well?

It’s dope working with a label like IHMG because we’re allowed such creative freedom. We get the opportunity to work with recording artists as well as film and television projects, exposing us to different genres of music, which sets up a great environment for creativity. Working together allows us to feed off of each for ideas, new tricks, and techniques.

Thank you both for your time with this interview, I really do appreciate it. What’s next for Aqua League in 2013? Let us know where we can find you online too and feel free to drop any last shout outs.

We have another placement in Despicable Me 2, and we’re planning to release the Velvet Gentleman which is the 3^rd installment from our instrumental LP series. We’re working on finalizing some upcoming placements as well as looking to work with commercial artists. You can keep up with us online at www.ironhorsemg.com or via Twitter @aqualeague.

Shout out to J Hatch, Rhythm J, Jeremiah, yourself and the rest of the staff at iStandard for this opportunity.

Posted By The Certified Genius