The Music+Sound Awards Talk To: Colleen Dahlstrom at McCann

Colleen Dahlstrom is a music licensing and supervision specialist with an unquenchable desire for discovering new music. In her current position as senior music producer at McCann NY, she has supervised and produced music on advertising campaigns for clients such as Microsoft, Mastercard, HomeGoods, Ulta Beauty, Reckitt Benckiser, Smirnoff and Chick-fil-A.

Let’s give the floor to Colleen…

MASA> Can you tell us about the moment you knew music was your path? And how did you navigate the industry to get where you are today?

Colleen> I don’t think there was ever a specific lightbulb moment for me, I just kind of always realised I needed to work with music in some capacity. I grew up surrounded by a family of musicians and its importance was instilled in me at an early age. The spotlight as a performer never really attracted me, but I always loved advocating for musicians and talent and sharing their work with the world. Many folks explain working in advertising as something they fell into unexpectedly. Though I’ve known since college that I wanted to work in synchronisation, the path I took to land where I am in my career was far from calculated. I’ve seized every available opportunity to grow and make sure I’m consistently putting my best foot forward with everyone I work with – no matter the task. Obviously, being hired onto the music team at McCann was a pretty big break in exposing me to mass amounts of music and having a bit more of an influence creatively. 

MASA> What are some trends you're seeing in music for advertising currently?

Colleen> We speak with a lot of brands about using music that distinguishes them from others in their category or industry – something that brings iconicity, distinction, or promotes recognition. Sometimes that’s a specific style of music or a mood that music evokes, but we love it when that translates into a musical connection with an artist and/or their lyrics. With the popularity of sound on platforms, music is being highlighted, and dare I say, valued more and more.

In terms of actual instrumentation, we’ve seen a huge uptick in requests for classical/recognisable recordings, often public domain. Certainly not a new trend, but everything comes back into style.

MASA> Is there a recent ad campaign that you're particularly proud of in terms of music selection?

Colleen> The project that’s stayed top of mind for me is our most recent holiday campaign for New York Lottery. Per director Joe Wright’s vision, we created an arrangement of “Barcarolle” from Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffman with partners Found Objects. It’s always incredibly gratifying to see a vision come to life from the early stages of a project and actually continue to bloom throughout the process. The spot featured a fully choreographed ballet, so laying the foundation of the arrangement was necessary ahead of shoot. Each iteration was more beautiful than the last and our team collectively understood and respected music’s integral role. View HERE.

MASA> How do you go about keeping up with new talent and artists?

Colleen> These days, sacrificing sleep to listen to more music. It’s a labour of love; there’s always more and never enough time to fully immerse myself, but I just do what I can. If I didn’t absolutely live for discovering the latest/greatest, it would completely overwhelm me. There’s also a very special connection formed when I’m able to get out and see music live. I try to attend at least three local shows a week and the full sensory experience really leaves an impression that an audio recording often doesn’t.

MASA> Are you seeing more clients wanting to focus on developing partnerships with artists? 

Colleen> Yes and no. It takes a very specific type of brand to embrace the level of risk that can come from partnering with an artist or celebrity. More often than not, the brands we have who are interested in collaborating with artists are looking for opportunities to showcase up-and-coming talent who share brand values and maybe are a bit more eager to be more involved in the campaign.

MASA> Music and sound are a game-changer for ad effectiveness, but do clients always recognise their full potential?

Colleen> It’s our responsibility as a music team and overall advertising agency to not only explain but emphasise the full potential of music and sound for a campaign. We do this by partnering with the right vendors or suppliers based on each creative brief and by, at the very least, taking the risk to present a wildcard or curveball to show our ability to think outside of the box. 

MASA> How do you think AI is going to change the industry? 

Colleen> On one hand, I want to embrace new technology. So often we place fear in the unknown instead of grasping the opportunity to expand music and sound as we know it. On the other hand, the unknown can be scary, especially with respect to AI. Embracing AI requires a strong respect for existing copyright and the talent that has created music serving as a foundation for AI. We would be wise to carefully approach AI as a tool to push the envelope, but by no means should it be seen as a replacement for human made art from emotion.

MASA> How do you think a competition like The Music+Sound Awards impacts the industry? 

Colleen> Award programs like The Music+Sound Awards provide wonderful opportunities to champion the incredibly inspired and hard work our colleagues and peers pour into these projects. And it shines light on the value of music within the wider industry!

MASA> And lastly, what will you be looking for when judging? What makes a piece of work worthy of a Music+Sound Award?

Colleen> It’s very easy to be captivated by the beautiful visuals and messaging of spots when judging, but it’s our job to focus on how music truly impacts the story versus the story itself. I’ll be listening for music that is unique and of the highest quality, while focusing on the music’s added value to the whole.

MASA> Big thanks, Colleen, for chatting with us! It’s so great to hear your insights and we greatly appreciate you bringing your expertise to the jury this year.

KEY MUSIC+SOUND AWARDS' INFO:

EARLY-BIRD ENTRY DEADLINE: June 5

FINAL ENTRY DEADLINE: June 19

PROJECT ELIGIBILITY WINDOW: Work must have been first broadcast between July 1st 2023 + June 30th 2024

CATEGORIES: Best Composition, Sound, Sync, Re-Record + Use of Production Music across Broadcast, Online, Social + Digital Advertising, Idents + Branding. See site for all details.

NEW CATEGORY FOR 2024: BEST VOICEOVER PERFORMANCE IN A COMMERCIAL

See all details and rules here.