Talk:Soundtrack

Merging
I've got to be honest, I've never contributed to this page, but I read it and I don't think it should be merged with film soundtrack. Simply because soundtrack is a thing of it's own. Movies have soundtracks, but games also have soundtracks. This should be rewritten to mention this. The article should be written with the thought of what is a soundtrack in general and not speaking about film soundtrack only. – DarkEvil 06:32, July 13, 2005 (UTC)

I agree 80.179.13.34 23:19, 26 July 2005 (UTC)

Following suggestions of above, I merged the articles, moving film specific references to film soundtrack and adding more info about video game music. Leonsimms 16:01, 27 July 2005 (UTC)

§ The fact that there was no article relating to film soundtracks, I found it appropriate to link it here. Especially since this article didn't reflect any information on any other kind of soundtrack, only on films, it was unneccesary for me to write an all new page all about film soundtracks, when there's nothing about games or book soundtracks as their own pages.

If you look at the end of this article, there is already information about games and book soundtracks.

If you guys are really miffed about the change, then split it into 5: games, books, film, theatre (there're more theatre and opera soundtracks than anything other than film) and general soundtracks.

But I think it's superfluous. There's no need to have multiples where only the one is required.

Another thing to mention is that there's a definite need in this page to note sources.

And some contradictory information is given, such as that the blurb prior to the (absurdly long, considering it's an example) listing of soundtracks. It includes a few notoriously well known for containing pop songs, such as Back to the Future (Hip to be Square & Power Of Love) and Terminator 2 (Guns N' Roses songs), though purports that the ones in the list are only orchestral scores. Either the list needs to be adjusted (or culled), or the blurb needs to be fixed (again, this would need to be done also, in my opinion).

The list is based on bias, and because of this is unsuitable to be used in this instance. To remove from bias, it'd be more suitable to list soundtracks based on their qualifications, i.e.: Box office sales (So Spiderman, Titanic, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings etc belong there) or accoladed films (So whatever's won best original score or things like that in the Academy Awards).

--Lincalinca 04:54, 30 June 2006 (UTC)

Airwolf soundtrack
I'm going to remove the Airwolf references, it seems too much like spam. Before restoring please comment here first Reflex Reaction 20:36, 8 September 2005 (UTC)

POV
The section listing "Outstanding" soundtracks is POV. Either it can be removed entirely, or changed to show, for instance, only soundtracks that have won Academy Awards. Nationalparks 14:10, 23 June 2006 (UTC)
 * Agreed, though the Academy Awards are often not awarded to soundtracks which go on to be considered "classics". I propose that anything listed must (1) earn a nomination in either the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, BAFTA, or equivalent organization with an industry-recognized prestige, as well as (2) soundtracks which are financially successful and sell well. If the soundtrack has not sold many copies and has not received any nominations, it does not belong on this list. --Ilyag 02:25, 4 July 2006 (UTC)

Is this a ok change?
Is this change ok? The previous edit by the ip was reverted correctly as vandalism. Nsaa (talk) 06:34, 26 October 2008 (UTC)
 * No, if you look closely, the person replaced content with the same stuff as below. I reverted it back to how it was the last edit three days ago. ♫ Melodia Chaconne ♫ (talk) 11:24, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

dialogue + sound + music = ?
The article says: "(dialogue track, sound effects track, and music track), and these are mixed together to make what is called the composite track", so

dialogue + sound + music = composite track

but "composite" just means that something has ≥ 2 parts

So is there any other term professionals use for this, that would uniquely define the content (contrary to "composite track" which is very vague)? I have heard "comp track", but this is just an abbreviation for the same thing. --boarders paradise (talk) 19:56, 20 May 2011 (UTC)


 * That part of the article is pretty badly written, and I would imagine is a result of the post at the top of this page, when the articles were merged.
 * The parts talking about composite are probably referring to the sound tracks down the side of 35mm and other sizes of film. Originally just the one, they did not really change much for the first decade or so, then started adding and stereo came out.
 * What did change was the way in which the whole process was completed. As it became easier to transfer recordings (or "records [of what happened]") from one medium to another, several recordings could be combined, taking the live audio from the orchestra/band straight to record and to the film sound track(s). Cloned records could then easily be made from the originals.
 * In 1935 the first 2.1 surround sound came out (as well as predictions of colour film making black and white obsolete!) pg. 171 and quite an in-depth 1935 explanation of the "hill-and-dale" and sideways wax records, as well as covering emulsion and photo-electric methods of recording audio for/onto film on pg. 176. Chaosdruid (talk) 06:02, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

"First" soundtrack album
Off my beaten WP editing path, so I leave it to someone else to hunt for the references, evaluate, and edit as they see fit:

One useful general rule of thumb is that all "first" claims should raise a big red flag, as they usually prove to be wrong unless very carefully qualified. That appears to be the case with the claim that "The first musical film to have a commercially issued soundtrack album was MGM’s film biography of Show Boat composer Jerome Kern, Till the Clouds Roll By [1946]." Setting aside the question of whether Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), previously mentioned in the article, also qualifies as a musical, The Wizard of Oz is usually accepted as one, and a 78 rpm album of its songs (including the deleted "Jitterbug" number) was commercially issued in conjunction with the original 1939 release. If I am not mistaken, all of the recordings were taken from the sound-on-film scoring sessions, and possibly even from the composite soundtrack, and were not record studio remakes. At the least, it would seem that another qualifier or two must be added if the current claimant is to be left standing.


 * Retraction: the Decca Wizard of Oz album sides were record studio remakes, not dubs from MGM optical sound sources. AVarchaeologist (talk) 04:53, 25 August 2013 (UTC)

In the category of single records (as opposed to albums), the "Carioca" number from "Flying Down to Rio" was published as a 78 rpm record in 1933. In that instance, I am 100 percent certain that the audio was taken from the original sound-on-film scoring session (orchestra only, no vocals, dialog or sound effects), and 99 percent certain it is also the exact same take used in the film. Absolutely not a subsequent purpose-made recording. Very unusually for material of its vintage, the original track on 35 mm nitrate film has survived and now reposes in the UCLA film archives. There may well be earlier examples that elude me at the moment—a British release, possibly of slightly earlier vintage, seems to be futilely struggling to emerge from the memory bank.

The statement that "the record producer needed to copy segments from the playback discs used on set, the[n] copy and re-copy them..." is highly questionable. Maybe in one or more instances involving one of the minor record companies, but RCA Victor, and I believe also Columbia, had the facilities for dubbing directly from optical soundtracks to wax master discs in-house by 1929—they had developed a sideline of making sets of Vitaphone-type soundtrack discs from completed sound-on-film productions, needed by theaters not yet equipped for playing optical soundtracks. Obviously, it was easier to edit the sound while it was still on film, so the claimed multiple generations of disc-to-disc editing seem very improbable in the case of soundtrack material. In any case, the "playback discs used on set" would have been audibly the worse for wear after use, and if the studio supplied the raw material in disc form the lacquers would surely have been made especially for that purpose and supplied in pristine condition. A high-quality blank lacquer ("acetate") disc only cost a couple of dollars. AVarchaeologist (talk) 19:33, 20 May 2012 (UTC)
 * Obviously not a reliable source, but there's been a few topics on the forum at FilmScoreMonthly.com about this over the years. That might help. ♫ Melodia Chaconne ♫ (talk) 22:06, 20 May 2012 (UTC)

found this brief explanation from a newspaper dated 1926: ("The Miracle" was the first motion picture to have a musical score specifically written for it) http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%208/Niagara%20Falls%20NY%20Gazette/Niagara%20Falls%20NY%20Gazette%201929%20May-Jul%20Grayscale/Niagara%20Falls%20NY%20Gazette%201929%20May-Jul%20Grayscale%20-%200901.pdf#xml=http://fultonhistory.com/dtSearch/dtisapi6.dll?cmd=getpdfhits&u=fffffffff9900ca5&DocId=2168906&Index=Z%3a\Index%20O-G-T&HitCount=2&hits=7da+82e+&SearchForm=C%3a\inetpub\wwwroot\Fulton_New_form.html&.pdf — Preceding unsigned comment added by Shokorus (talk • contribs) 21:27, 10 October 2012 (UTC)
 * I dunno where you got that info, but the first original score was for The Assassination of the Duke of Guise, in 1908. ♫ Melodia Chaconne ♫ (talk) 01:38, 11 October 2012 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified one external link on Soundtrack. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20090107102952/http://www.fantagraphics.com/artist/woodring/woodring.html to http://www.fantagraphics.com/artist/woodring/woodring.html

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 06:32, 24 May 2017 (UTC)

Cleanup
I will start a cleanup on the article Soundtrack Mysteriumen•♪Ⓜ •♪talk  ♪• look 16:06, 4 October 2020 (UTC)


 * I have moved the current refs to the bottom of the article source, and ordered the refs with wikitext comments for easier managment. I prefer using citation templates WP:CIT and naming references WP:LDR for inline citations WP:IC. I find it easier to work on the main body of the text when there is not too much clutter. The problem with references looks different in the visual editor WP:VE/UG. Mysteriumen•♪Ⓜ •♪talk  ♪• look 17:08, 4 October 2020 (UTC)
 * I have cut the current article into pieces that are transcluded WP:TRANS onto the main article space Soundtrack, to help in working on each pieces from the current article structure WP:LAYOUT Mysteriumen•♪Ⓜ •♪talk  ♪• look 17:37, 4 October 2020 (UTC)
 * The current layout seem to be Lead->Definition->Elaboration. That is a good start, but I am not sure if this is the best layout for this article. I will sift the text to look for other possible layouts.Mysteriumen•♪Ⓜ •♪talk  ♪• look 18:11, 4 October 2020 (UTC)
 * Reference 1 provide little information to the article and seem to serve only as a point of exit. The dictionary definition behind reference 1 is of little use, and should perhaps be omitted.

The lead seem to be built of
 * an attempt at a definition, without references
 * a subject specific elaboration, and special definition
 * etymology
 * an “also known as” section

There are no good references for the lead part of text  (an attempt at a definition, without references) A soundtrack[1] can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film, video, or television presentation; or the physical area of a film that contains the synchronized recorded sound. (a subject specific elaboration, and special definition) In movie industry terminology usage, a sound track is an audio recording created or used in film production or post-production. Initially, the dialogue, sound effects, and music in a film each has its own separate track (dialogue track, sound effects track, and music track), and these are mixed together to make what is called the composite track, which is heard in the film. A dubbing track is often later created when films are dubbed into another language. This is also known as an M & E track (music and effects) containing all sound elements minus dialogue which is then supplied by the foreign distributor in the native language of its territory.

(etymology) The contraction soundtrack came into public consciousness with the advent of so-called "soundtrack albums" in the late 1940s. First conceived by movie companies as a promotional gimmick for new films, these commercially available recordings were labeled and advertised as "music from the original motion picture soundtrack", or "music from and inspired by the motion picture." These phrases were soon shortened to just "original motion picture soundtrack." More accurately, such recordings are made from a film's music track, because they usually consist of isolated music from a film, not the composite (sound) track with dialogue and sound effects.

(an “also known as” section) The abbreviation OST is often used to describe the musical soundtrack on a recorded medium, such as CD, and it stands for Original Soundtrack; however, it is sometimes also used to differentiate the original music heard and recorded versus a rerecording or cover Mysteriumen•♪Ⓜ •♪talk  ♪• look 19:00, 4 October 2020 (UTC)

I tracked down a reference that may serve the article

 Originally published in 1931, Recording Sound for Motion Pictures is based on a series of lectures at the newly created Academy School in Sound Fundamentals. Talkies had burst onto the scene just a few years earlier, and the film industry was moving swiftly; synchronized sound had evolved from a cumbersome technical endeavor to an important artistic component with its own specialized vocabulary, equipment, and techniques. This publication provides a window into both early sound films and the building blocks of the current sound industry. Mysteriumen•♪Ⓜ •♪talk  ♪• look 20:01, 4 October 2020 (UTC)

Reference 2 is a list-article of top product, and it is not clear to what purpose the reference is added. There is information in the referenced list-article that could serve an argument about this type of product in the current state of this section of the article, but that argument is not formulated clearly.

Reference 3 is an important source in finishing the argument this section of the article is trying to make that soundtrack is a product. The source is a behind paywall.

Reference 4 add to the lingo confusion and seem to have important information on one special type of product.

The definition and examples section of the article seem to be confused. Confused and at the same time making an argument that a soundtrack is a product. The confusion seem to be based on sometimes vague and sometimes deep insight into the process of producing a soundtrack product. Lots of examples of products in this part of the article.

The section seem to be built of  Types of recordings
 * In a stretch trying to typify soundtracks, seem like popular wizdom
 * an early example of a soundtrack with a stretch to make the argument that soundtrack is a type of product
 * elaborating on the product argument with another example from a different movie genre, and adding insight into the production process and consumer experience
 * stretch definitions? definition variation
 * stretch insight into special use of term
 * stretch insight into history of term and into history of production
 * confused backward stretch in history and definition, seem to be caught in industry lingo
 * continued confusion on the product and the production
 * some product examples
 * unreferenced record of history, some example products)
 * one special example product
 * unreferenced popular product facts
 * some exceptional example products

(In a stretch trying to typify soundtracks, seem like popular wizdom) Types of soundtrack recordings include:

Musical film soundtracks are for the film versions of musical theatre; they concentrate primarily on the songs (Examples: Grease, Singin' in the Rain)

Film scores showcase the primarily instrumental musical themes and background music from movies (Examples: The Wizard of Oz, Psycho[4])

For movies that contain both orchestral film scores and pop songs, both types of music

Albums of popular songs heard in whole or part in the background of non-musical movies (Examples: Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally...)

Video game soundtracks are often released after a game's release, usually consisting of the theme and background music from the game's levels, menus, title screens, promo material (such as entire songs of which only segments were used in the game), cut-screens and occasionally sound-effects used in the game (Examples: Sonic Heroes, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time)

Albums which contain both music and dialogue from the film, such as the 1968 Romeo and Juliet, or the first authentic soundtrack album of The Wizard of Oz.

(an early example of a soundtrack with a stretch to make the argument that soundtrack is a type of product) The soundtrack to the 1937 Walt Disney animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first commercially issued film soundtrack.[5] It was released by RCA Victor Records on multiple 78 RPM discs in January 1938 as Songs from Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (with the Same Characters and Sound Effects as in the Film of That Title) and has since seen numerous expansions and reissues.

(elaborating on the product argument with another example from a different movie genre, and adding insight into the production process and consumer experience) The first live-action musical film to have a commercially issued soundtrack album was MGM’s 1946 film biography of Show Boat composer Jerome Kern, Till the Clouds Roll By. The album was originally issued as a set of four 10-inch 78-rpm records. Only eight selections from the film were included in this first edition of the album. In order to fit the songs onto the record sides the musical material needed editing and manipulation. This was before tape existed, so the record producer needed to copy segments from the playback discs used on set, then copy and re-copy them from one disc to another adding transitions and cross-fades until the final master was created. Needless to say, it was several generations removed from the original and the sound quality suffered for it. The playback recordings were purposely recorded very "dry" (without reverberation); otherwise it would come across as too hollow sounding in large movie theatres. This made these albums sound flat and boxy.

Terminology

(stretch definitions? definition variation) MGM Records called these "original cast albums" in the style of Decca Broadway show cast albums mostly because the material on the discs would not lock to picture, thereby creating the largest distinction between `Original Motion Picture Soundtrack' which, in its strictest sense would contain music that would lock to picture if the home user would play one alongside the other and `Original Cast Soundtrack' which in its strictest sense would refer to studio recordings of film music by the original film cast, but which had been edited or rearranged for time and content and would not lock to picture.[6]

(stretch insight into special use of term) In reality, however, soundtrack producers remain ambiguous about this distinction, and titles in which the music on the album does lock to picture may be labeled as OCS and music from an album that does not lock to picture may be referred to as OMPS.

(stretch insight into history of term and into history of production) The phrase "recorded directly from the soundtrack" was used for a while in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s to differentiate material that would lock to picture from that which would not (excluding alternate masters and alternate vocals or solos), but again, in part because many 'film takes' actually consisted of several different attempts at the song and edited together to form the master, that term as well became nebulous and vague over time when, in cases where the master take used in the film could not be found in its isolated form, (without the M&E) the aforementioned alternate masters and alternate vocal and solo performances which could be located were included in their place.

(confused backward stretch in history and definition, seem to be caught in industry lingo) As a result of all this nebulosity, over the years the term "soundtrack" began to be commonly applied to any recording from a film, whether taken from the actual film soundtrack or re-recorded in the studio at an earlier or later time. The phrase is also sometimes incorrectly used for Broadway cast recordings. While it is correct in some instances to call a "soundtrack" a "cast recording" (since in most cases it contains performances recorded by the original film cast) it is never correct to call a "cast recording" a "soundtrack."

(continued confusion on the product and the production) Contributing to the vagueness of the term are projects such as The Sound of Music Live! which was filmed live on the set for an NBC holiday season special first broadcast in 2013. The album released three days before the broadcast contained studio pre-recordings of all the songs used in the special, performed by the original cast therefrom, but because only the orchestral portion of the material from the album is the same as that used in the special, (i.e. the vocals were sung live over a prerecorded track), this creates a similar technicality because although the instrumental music bed from the CD will lock to picture, the vocal performances will not, although it IS possible to create a complete soundtrack recording by lifting the vocal performances from the DVD, erasing the alternate vocal masters from the CD and combining the two.

(some product examples) Among MGM's most notable soundtrack albums were those of the films Good News, Easter Parade, Annie Get Your Gun, Singin' in the Rain, Show Boat, The Band Wagon, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Gigi.

Film score albums

(unreferenced record of history, some example products) Film score albums did not really become popular until the LP era, although a few were issued in 78-rpm albums. Alex North’s score for the 1951 film version of A Streetcar Named Desire was released on a 10-inch LP by Capitol Records and sold so well that the label later rereleased it on one side of a 12-inch LP with some of Max Steiner's film music on the reverse.

(one special example product) Steiner’s score for Gone with the Wind has been recorded many times, but when the film was reissued in 1967, MGM Records finally released an album of the famous score recorded directly from the soundtrack. Like the 1967 rerelease of the film, this version of the score was artificially "enhanced for stereo". In recent years, Rhino Records has released a 2-CD set of the complete Gone With the Wind score, restored to its original mono sound.

(unreferenced popular product facts) One of the biggest-selling film scores of all time was John Williams' music from the movie Star Wars. Many film score albums go out-of-print after the films finish their theatrical runs and some have become extremely rare collectors’ items.

Composite film tracks included on record

(some exceptional example products) In a few rare instances an entire film dialogue track was issued on records. The 1968 Franco Zeffirelli film of Romeo and Juliet was issued as a 4-LP set, as a single LP with musical and dialogue excerpts, and as an album containing only the film's musical score. The ground-breaking film Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was issued by Warner Bros Records as a 2-LP set containing virtually all the dialogue from the film. RCA Victor also issued a double-album set what was virtually all the dialogue from the film soundtrack of A Man for All Seasons, Decca Records issued a double-album for Man of La Mancha and Disney Music Group (formerly Buena Vista Records) issued a similar double-album for its soundtrack for The Hobbit.

Mysteriumen•♪Ⓜ •♪talk <sub style="margin-left:-7.55ex"> ♪• look 22:45, 4 October 2020 (UTC)

Reference 5 is sourcing an article complaint on the current state of the industry compared to a perceived golden age of the soundtrack product. It is not clear what purpose the reference is serving, but the sourced article contain gold sentiment and opinion in finishing a possible argument about the history of the product. Later in the article section one can read sentiment from this source in the text and thought about an unreferenced paradigm.

Reference 6 is sourcing a special product, that may be interesting in adding confusion to this article section, or simply expanding our view of what a soundtrack may be. It needs to be established if the work referenced is an important work in the line of what it is doing.

Reference 7 seem to be lost. It is supposed to reference a very special example type of product.

Reference 8 seem to be lost. It is supposed to reference another special type of product.

Reference 9 seem to be a link to a product page in Brazilian Portuguese.

Reference 10 seem to be lost. It is supposed to link a product example

Reference 11 seem to be lost. It is supposed to link a product example

The elaboration and examples section collection seem to be built of pieces that are perceived to be important examples of some types of product. Lots of examples and only sources from news media or primary sources that only serve as links to products. There seem to be an argument that there are paradigms. There is confusion about what the product is because there are different types that are not clear because of a confusion of production and product. Concept is in the mix making things even more confusing in the spirit of postmodernism.

This collection of sections seem to be built of
 * continuing the product argument
 * some special case variations and product types
 * product sale and industry implications
 * imposed convention with poor sourcing
 * elaborating on variations of the product
 * unsourced statement about the content of the product
 * some unreferenced historical facts about product
 * some unreferenced history about product
 * some unreferenced paradigm of product, and consumer experience
 * hidden complaint about the state of the term, and a new unreferenced paradigm
 * History of a specialized part of the industry, that may be high importance for evolution of the product, all unreferenced
 * special type of product, the text piece seem to be cut from context
 * unreferenced special insight
 * unreferenced special examples
 * unreferenced special product examples
 * unreferenced very special example
 * unreferenced very special example and confused mixup of term and imposed term of a concept artist which are of uncertain importance in helping this article
 * unreferenced special history lesson
 * unreferenced special product
 * other special examples
 * one very special example product
 * unreferenced new paradigm, and some examples	 with lost references that make the paradigm plausible
 * unreferenced plausible link to related concept

<p style="line-height:100%;"> Movie and television soundtracks

Main article: Film score See also: Musical film and Music of Bollywood See also: Soundtrack album

(continuing the product argument) When a blockbuster film is released, or during and after a television series airs, an album in the form of a soundtrack is typically released alongside that.

(some special case variations and product types) A soundtrack typically contains instrumentation or alternatively a film score. But it can also feature songs that were sung or performed by characters in a scene (or a cover version of a song in the media, rerecorded by a popular artist), songs that were used as intentional or unintentional background music in important scenes, songs that were heard in the closing credits, or songs for no apparent reason related to the media other than for promotion, that were included in a soundtrack.

(product sale and industry implications) Soundtracks are usually released on major record labels (just as if they were released by a musical artist), and the songs and the soundtrack itself can also be on music charts, and win musical awards.

(imposed convention with poor sourcing) By convention, a soundtrack record can contain all kinds of music including music "inspired by" but not actually appearing in the movie; the score contains only music by the original film's composers.[7]

(elaborating on variations of the product) Contemporaneously, a soundtrack can go against normality, (most typically used in popular culture franchises) and contains recently released and/or exclusive never before released original pop music selections, (some of which become high charting records on their own, which due to being released on another franchises title, peaked because of that) and is simply used for promotional purposes for well known artists, or new or unknown artists. These soundtracks contain music not at all heard in the film/television series, and any artistic or lyrical connection is purely coincidental.

(unsourced statement about the content of the product) However depending on the genre of the media the soundtrack of popular songs would have a set pattern; a lighthearted romance might feature easy listening love songs, whilst a more dark thriller would compose of hard rock or urban music.

(some unreferenced historical facts about product) In 1908, Camille Saint-Saëns composed the first music specifically for use in a motion picture (L'assasinat du duc de Guise), and releasing recordings of songs used in films became prevalent in the 1930s. Henry Mancini, who won an Emmy Award and two Grammys for his soundtrack to Peter Gunn, was the first composer to have a widespread hit with a song from a soundtrack.

(some unreferenced history about product) Before the 1970s, soundtracks (with a few exceptions), accompanied towards musicals, and was an album that featured vocal and instrumental, (and instrumental versions of vocal songs) musical selections performed by cast members. Or cover versions of songs sung by another artist.

(some unreferenced paradigm of product, and consumer experience) After the 1970s, soundtracks started to include more diversity, and music consumers would anticipate a motion picture or television soundtrack. Majority of top charting songs were those featured or released on a film or television soundtrack album.

(hidden complaint about the state of the term, and a new unreferenced paradigm) in recent years he term "soundtrack" sort of subsided. It now mostly commonly refers to instrumental background music used in that media. Popular songs featured in a film or television series are instead highlighted and referenced in the credits, not as part of a "soundtrack".

Video game soundtracks

Main article: Video game music

(History of a specialized part of the industry, that may be high importance for evolution of the product, all unreferenced) Soundtrack may also refer to music used in video games. While sound effects were nearly universally used for action happening in the game, music to accompany the gameplay was a later development. Rob Hubbard and Martin Galway were early composers of music specifically for video games for the 1980s Commodore 64 computer. Koji Kondo was an early and important composer for Nintendo games. As the technology improved, polyphonic and often orchestral soundtracks replaced simple monophonic melodies starting in the late 1980s and the soundtracks to popular games such as the Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy series began to be released separately. In addition to compositions written specifically for video games, the advent of CD technology allowed developers to incorporate licensed songs into their soundtrack (the Grand Theft Auto series is a good example of this). Furthermore, when Microsoft released the Xbox in 2001, it featured an option allowing users to customize the soundtrack for certain games by ripping a CD to the hard-drive.

Theme park, cruise ship, and event soundtracks

(special type of product, the text piece seem to be cut from context) As in Sound of Music Live! the music or dialogue in question was prepared specifically for use in or at an event such as that described above.

(unreferenced special insight) In the case of theme parks, actors may be ensconced in large costumes where their faces may be obscured. They mime along to a prerecorded music, effects and narration track that may sound as if it was lifted from a movie, or may sound as if it had been overly dramatized for effect.

(unreferenced special examples) In the case of cruise ships, the small stage spaces do not allow for full orchestration, so that possibly the larger instruments may be pre-recorded onto a backing track and the remaining instruments may play live, or the reverse may occur in such instances as Elvis: The Concert or Sinatra: His Voice. His World. His Way both of which use isolated vocal and video performances accompanied by a live band.

(unreferenced special product examples) In the case of event soundtracks, large public gatherings such as Hands Across America, The Live Aid Concert, the 200th Anniversary Celebration of the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia, The MUSE Concerts or the various Greenpeace events (i.e. The First International Greenpeace Record Project, Rainbow Warriors and Alternative NRG) all had special music, effects and dialogue written especially for the event which later went on sale to the record and later video-buying public.

Book soundtracks

See also: Category:Book soundtracks

(unreferenced very special example) Only a few cases exist of an entire soundtrack being written specifically for a book.

(unreferenced very special examples) ‘Kaladin’, a book soundtrack to popular fantasy novelist Brandon Sanderson's book, ‘The Way of Kings’, was written by The Black Piper. The Black Piper, hailing from Provo, Utah, is a combined group of composers who share a love for fantasy literature. ‘Kaladin’ was funded through Kickstarter and raised over $112,000. It was released December 2017.[citation needed]

(unreferenced very special example) A soundtrack for J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings was composed by Craig Russell for the San Luis Obispo Youth Symphony. Commissioned in 1995, it was finally put on disk in 2000 by the San Luis Obispo Symphony.[citation needed]

(unreferenced very special example and confused mixup of term and imposed term of a concept artist which are of uncertain importance in helping this article) For the 1996 Star Wars novel Shadows of the Empire (written by author Steve Perry), Lucasfilm chose Joel McNeely to write a score. This was an eccentric, experimental project, in contrast to all other soundtracks, as the composer was allowed to convey general moods and themes, rather than having to write music to flow for specific scenes. A project called "Sine Fiction"[8] has made some soundtracks to novels by science fiction writers like Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke, and has thus far released 19 soundtracks to science-fiction novels or short stories. All of them are available for free download.

(unreferenced special history lesson) Author L. Ron Hubbard composed and recorded a soundtrack album to his novel Battlefield Earth entitled Space Jazz. He marketed the concept album as "the only original sound track ever produced for a book before it becomes a movie". There are two other soundtracks to Hubbard novels, being Mission Earth by Edgar Winter and To the Stars by Chick Corea.

(unreferenced special product) The 1985 novel Always Coming Home by Ursula K. Le Guin, originally came in a box set with an audiocassette entitled Music and Poetry of the Kesh, featuring three performances of poetry, and ten musical compositions by Todd Barton.

(other special examples) In comics, Daniel Clowes' graphic novel Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron had an official soundtrack album. The original black-and-white Nexus #3 from Capitol comics included the "Flexi-Nexi" which was a soundtrack flexi-disc for the issue. Trosper by Jim Woodring included a soundtrack album composed and performed by Bill Frisell,[9] and the Absolute Edition of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier is planned to include an original vinyl record. The Crow released a soundtrack album called Fear and Bullets to coincide with the limited edition hardcover copy of the graphic novel. The comic book Hellblazer released an annual with a song called Venus of the Hardsell, which was then recorded and a music video to accompany with.

(one very special example product) The Brazilian graphic novel Achados e Perdidos ("Lost and Found"), by Eduardo Damasceno and Luís Felipe Garrocho, had an original soundtrack composed by musician Bruno Ito. The book was self-published in 2011 after a crowdfunding campaign and was accompanied by a CD with the eight songs (one for each chapter of the story). In 2012, this graphic novel won the Troféu HQ Mix (Brazilian most important comic book award) in the category "Special Homage".[10][11]

(unreferenced new paradigm, and some examples	 with lost references that make the paradigm plausible) As Internet access became more widespread, a similar practice developed of accompanying a printed work with a downloadable theme song, rather than a complete and physically published album. The theme songs for Nextwave,[12] Runaways,[13] Achewood, Dinosaur Comics and Killroy and Tina are examples of this.

(unreferenced plausible link to related concept) In Japan, such examples of music inspired by a work and not intended to soundtrack a radio play or motion picture adaptation of it are known as an "image album" or "image song", though this definition also includes such things as film score demos inspired by concept art and songs inspired by a TV series but that are not featured in them. Many audiobooks have some form of musical accompaniment, but these are generally not extensive enough to be released as a separate soundtrack. Mysteriumen•♪Ⓜ <sup style="margin-left:+2.0ex">•♪talk <sub style="margin-left:-7.55ex"> ♪• look 01:44, 5 October 2020 (UTC)

Not sure if this clean-up was perfect
The article lacks the link between "incidental music" and 'soundtrack" now, let alone it lacks proofs "OST" is synonymous to "official soundtrack". 81.89.66.133 (talk) 13:54, 13 July 2023 (UTC)