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“Fearlessness,” a riveting spot about what it takes for reporters at The New York Times to get to the heart of a vital news story, won Best in Show for Wave Studios at tonight’s AMP Awards for Music & Sound in New York. The spot, part of the “The Truth is Worth It Campaign created by Droga5, uses on-screen typography, dynamic editing and a compelling storyline, all tied together with a sound design that adds to the suspense and tension of the film.

Held at Sony Hall, the awards presentation, sponsored by the Association of Music Producers, saw Wave Studios, the New York and London-based audio post, mixing and sound design company, win not just the Best in Show but also Best Sound Design and Outstanding Mix, all for “Fearlessness.”

The other top winners at the competition were Droga5 and Antfood Music. Droga5 won in the Best Original Score category for “Major” for Hennessy, featuring music by Philip Kay and Woodwork Music, and in Outstanding Adaptation/Arrangement for “Mama Said Knock You Out” for Chase, produced with Q Department. Antfood Music won in Best Use of Music and Sound in Experiential or Events for “The Ghost & The Machine” for SXSW 2018 and Most Innovative Process & Execution for “Influencers” for Maxon.

To view the AMP Awards winners, go to http://www.awardcore.com/amp/winners/. A full list of AMP Awards winners appears below.

“We had a great turnout for the AMP Awards this year, across the board, from our entries to our juries and judging process to our Curatorial Committee’s contribution to the artists and DJs we’ve lined up, all the way through to our sponsors and ticket buyers,” says AMP National President Elad Marish of Swell Music + Sound. “It’s truly gratifying to be back recognizing the great work that independent music companies, ad agencies, music publishers and others in our industry are doing on behalf of brands – and that’s what the AMP Awards are all about. Congratulations to all the winners!”

Several special honors and recognitions were noted during the AMP Awards presentation, as well as live performances from up and coming artists and DJ sets spun by DJs who come from the advertising music industry.

Apple, which was represented in the AMP Awards winners circle in the Best Original Song category with an entry from agency TBWA\Media Arts Lab for a spot titled “Share Your Gifts,” was honored with induction into the AMP Hall of Fame, presented for Outstanding Achievement in the Use of Music to Define the Brand. Accepting on behalf of Apple was David Taylor, Head of Music / Original Content, Worldwide Marketing & Communication. Apple joined such advertisers as Budweiser, Coca-Cola, Mars, McDonald’s, Pepsi and VW in AMP’s Hall of Fame.

The AMP Awards also presented trophies to Lyle Greenfield of BANG Music and industry veteran Jeff Rosner, in honor of their tireless efforts to launch the AMP Awards for Music & Sound in 2013. Also honored was the late Ryan Barkan, who launched the music department at Droga5 with Music Supervisor Mike Ladman and who passed away in 2017. AMP has renamed the Most Effective Use of Music in a Campaign as the Ryan Barkan Award for Most Effective Use of Music in a Campaign.

Preceding the show, the audience grooved to a DJ set from Ladman and Jay Wadley; Wadley is co-founder of the New York music house Found Objects. Opening the ceremony was the Brooklyn-based artist Idgy Dean, who brought her one-woman performance style to the Sony Hall stage. Later in the show the audience was treated to a performance by The Kraken Quartet; the Austin-based group has harnessed a unique percussive sound that fuses a range of styles and techniques. Closing out the night was Hang the DJ, aka Francis Garcia of Shout It Out Loud Music (an AMP winner tonight for Best Use of a Sonic Logo/ID) and Charlie Davis, Director of Sync at BMG.

Best in Show Choice Unanimous
The selection of “Fearlessness” as the Best in Show and the most-honored entry at the competition was an easy choice for the judges, according to Katy Hornaday, EVP, Executive Creative Director at Barkley. As Chair of the AMP Awards, Hornaday presided over the Curatorial Committee meeting that certified all category winners and selected the Best in Show.

“This year's Best in Show used sound – and at times the lack thereof – to really tell a story,” explains Hornaday. “When you view this piece through the craft of music and sound, you feel this emotional journey that wouldn’t be possible without this sound design. For me, the most beautiful part of this piece is the way the design allows space for different elements at different moments in the spot. It’s not ‘music,’ but when you really listen to the way sounds have been layered and orchestrated, it's beyond artful.

Hornaday says the committee’s decision to award it Best in Show was unanimous: “The key to our overwhelming agreement was the fact that this is a great concept; the spot is excellent. Then when you dig into its craft, it makes you love and respect it even more.”

Overall, the Times campaign has been taking top honors at other advertising awards shows this year, and Hornaday isn’t surprised. “It’s really amazing,” she observes. “The story is emotional. The message is perfect. And then every detail is perfect. Perfect craft can’t elevate a poor concept. And a great concept can’t overcome poor craft. But when you’ve got both in one piece – superb concept married with excellent craft – it’s universally revered.”

The AMP Awards acknowledged the support of the many companies that have helped make the 2019 competition possible. Major sponsors for this year include Groove Guild and Sugaroo! Music. Additional sponsors include ABKCO Music, APM Music, Concord Recorded Music, Concord Music Publishing, FGMK Insurance, Manage Ad Music, Megatrax, Music Alternatives, Musicbed, Music Sales Creative, PostHuman, Reservoir Media and West One Music Group. The AMP Awards gala is being supported by sponsors Audio Network, Dr Priestly’s Fizzy Water, FGMK Insurance, Guitar Center, Heaven’s Door Spirits, Swell Music + Sound and PLAY. Media sponsors include Little Black Book, SHOOT Magazine | SHOOTonline and Source |SHOTS | Slate.

For more information on AMP, visit www.ampnow.com. To view past winners of the AMP Awards, go to www.amp-awards.com.

The full list of 2019 AMP Awards Winners includes:

Best in Show

Wave Studios | “Fearlessness” | The New York Times | Droga 5

Best Original Song

TBWA\Media Arts Lab | “Share Your Gifts” | Apple | TBWA\Media Arts Lab

Best Original Score

Droga5 | “Major” | Hennessy | Droga5 | Woodwork Music / Philip Kay

Outstanding Adaptation/Arrangement

Droga5 | “Mama Said Knock You Out” | Chase | Droga5 / Q Department

Best Use of Licensed Pre-Existing Recording

Droga5 | “Way to Wonder” | Google Pixel | Droga5 / Fred Rogers

Best Sound Design

Wave Studios | “Fearlessness” | The New York Times | Droga 5

Ryan Barkan Award for Most Effective Use of Music in a Campaign

Venn Arts | “Jaybird Presents ‘Run Wild’ (A Global Film Series)” | Jaybird | Camp4 Collective

Best Use of Music in a Promo or Trailer for Film, TV or Game

SixtyFour Music | “The Favourite” | Fox Searchlight

Best Use of Music and Sound in Experiential or Events

Antfood Music | “The Ghost & The Machine” | SXSW 2018 | The Mill

Outstanding Mix

Wave Studios | “Fearlessness” | The New York Times | Droga5

Best Execution of a Sonic Logo/ID

Shout It Out Loud Music | “Comedy Central Sonic Rebrand “ | Comedy Central | Comedy Central and Loyal Kaspar

Most Innovative Process & Execution

Antfood Music | “Influencers” | Maxon | Foam Studio Berlin

About AMP
The Association of Music Producers was founded in 1997 for the purpose of educating its members, as well as the production, advertising and media communities, on all facets of music production, from creation to final use. A national organization, it has chapters in New York and Los Angeles and member representation in cities across the country. From business matters such as production guidelines, composer royalties and music rights agreements to educational seminars, fund-raising events and the industry’s most respected celebration of excellence – The AMP Awards – AMP has turned up the volume on the things that matter most.