All The News That Fits...

February 2010

I am currently working on all of the orchestration for a new Tom & Jerry movie being developed by Warner Brothers.  It is scheduled to be released later this year.

January 2010

On Wednesday, January 20th, I will be one of the guest speakers at an ASMAC panel discussion on videogame music, moderated by Shawn Clement.  This Luncheon will present composers who’ve found a place in Video games and will discuss what led them to this particular media, the special compositional considerations video game composition entails, and other avenues they may still be exploiting to make a living in this very competitive and volatile marketplace.
 

December 2009

Two tracks of mine are in the movie Everybody's Fine, starring Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore, and Kate Beckinsale.  Placement by Marc Ferrari at MasterSource.

September 2009

Toy Story Mania!  Toy Story Mania! was released today,  September 15th, exclusively on the Nintendo Wii™.  Toy Story Mania! has rapid fire shooting galleries and minigames while featuring the iconic characters and humor from the popular Disney/Pixar Toy Story franchise.  My music has been associated with Toy Story since winning the  2002 G.A.N.G Award for the score to the PC game Disney/Pixar Learning 2nd & 3rd Grade w/Buzz Lightyear. It was great to revisit the Toy Story world again.  Writing a score for such well-known movie legends as Woody and Buzz Lightyear is a both a challenge and a pleasure.

June 2009

I've been busy writing all of the music for the upcoming Disney Interactive game Toy Story Mania!.  Pictured at the right, I'm checking out the game exhibit at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles.  Toy Story Mania! has rapid fire shooting galleries and minigames while featuring the iconic characters and humor from the popular Disney/Pixar “Toy Story” franchise. Developed by Papaya Studio, Toy Story Mania! will be available this fall exclusively for Wii.

May 2009

My song At The Checkout Counter  plays in the Simpsons episode “In The Name of the Grandfather.” This track is part of the MasterSource library, and was placed by them.  The episode first aired March 22.

January 2009

At this year's Game Developers Conference I will be the returning champion for Lennie Moore's Composer Challenge.   My assignment is to take on three new challengers of experienced and emerging videogame composers to see who can create the most interesting music under a difficult design challenge.

This year, the assignment will be to design a 60-second, 2-layered cue made entirely out of human voices for a post-apocalyptic game entitled VOX HUMANA. Composers can only use the human voice. This includes samples of human voices, choirs, solo voices, or they can use live voices in their recording. They cannot use any other samples, synths, or acoustic instruments; only voices. They CAN manipulate this material any way they see fit to create their compositions.

You can hear the music that I wrote for this challenge here.

November 2008

Family Fest presents: Movie Games This Wii Playzone title is being released in November.  Composer Tom Salta and I created all of the music for this Ubisoft game.  Movie Games invites players into a brand new theme park that has just opened right next to their house.  There are 20 movie-themed mini-games in 5 different movie universes rendered in stylish cartoon style: Science-Fiction, Pirates, Spy Action, Jungle Adventure and Haunted Mansion.

October 2008

Petz Sports: Dog Playground The release date  for the upcoming Ubisoft game, Petz Sports, will be November 4, 2008.  A trailer for the game featuring my theme music is available at the Petz Press Portal.  The gameplay really lends itself to an upbeat, rhythm-section oriented approach for the music.  I really enjoyed working with Ubisoft again on this title.

August 2008

Playing with Dogz

I recently finished the score for the upcoming Ubisoft game, Dogz 2008 (working title).  Dogz 2008 will be available exclusively on the Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo. Dogz 2008  gameplay will be designed to take advantage of the Wii system’s technology and full utilization of the Wii Remote™. Dogz 2008 is scheduled for release in Holiday 2008.

In Dogz 2008 (working title), players can adopt a dog from 18 different breeds, train their dog to compete in races, dress him or her in more than 100 outfits, and engage their dog in different activities including jump roping and playing catch at the park. A new feature will also allow dogs to travel to other Wii consoles and interact with other dogs

February 2008

This year at the Game Developers Conference I was one of the panelists for Lennie Moore's Composer Challenge.  The task was to create a main title theme for a horror game using only a set of provided samples of children's toys.  I ended up being the winner of the challenge, and I look forward to coming back next year as the defending champ!

December 2007

On December 9 at the Spike TV Videogame Awards, hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, EA's SKATE won the award for Best Individual Sports Game.  I contributed four music tracks to the game, which is designed to create the most realistic skating experience possible.  SKATE beat out other nominees that included Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08.

August 2007

The Golden Compass Sega has licensed a piece of my music, Dreaming of Home, in trailers for the upcoming video game  The Golden Compass, based on the highly anticipated new film from New Line Cinema. Watch the trailer on the Sega website. Dreaming of Home is the first piece that plays, for about the first 30 seconds of the trailer.

July 2007

I recently contributed four music tracks to the upcoming EA game SKATE. The game is designed to create the most realistic skating experience possible using next-gen consoles.  "it's clear that Skate is not to be taken lightly. This is as real a skating experience as you can get on a console." (IGN). SKATE will be in stores in September.

June 2007

Billy Martin produces new game music compilation,

and contributes the song "That was Then (This is Now)"

    GAME MUSIC CENTRAL PRESENTS
            ”BEST OF THE BEST:
       A TRIBUTE TO GAME MUSIC”

18 Tracks Inspired by Some of the Greatest Games Ever Made,
Performed by Award-Winning Celebrity Game Music Composers


San Jose, CA – June 1st, 2007 – Game Music Central today announced that the same composers who created the music for God of War, EverQuest, Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, Hitman, Jade Empire, King Kong, Myst, Prince of Persia, Splinter Cell, Lord of the Rings, Outcast, Rayman, SOCOM and World of Warcraft have joined together to produce Best of the Best: A Tribute To Game Music, the world’s first compilation CD featuring music inspired by some of the greatest games ever, performed by award-winning celebrity game music composers. This Collector’s Edition CD includes a 6-page booklet with photographs and printed autographs from the 20 featured composers.

The CD is available exclusively at GameMusicCentral.com, a brand new online music store and community dedicated to people with a passion for games and game music.

“Game Music Central is a great place for gamers and game music composers to connect,” said Tommy Tallarico, Composer and Co-executive producer of Video Games Live. “Game Music Central has videos of the composers in recording studios and message boards where gamers can interact with the composers themselves and actually ask their favorite composer a question.”

 For Game Music Central’s first game soundtrack release, 20 award-winning video game composers recorded all new performances of music inspired by some of the most popular video games of all time, including: God of War, Super Mario Bros, World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy, Super Metroid, Earthworm Jim, Medal of Honor, Kingdom Hearts, and many more, all available on one Collector's Edition CD.

For more information, please visit GameMusicCentral.com.

March 2007

Funky Sax Trax Released! Funky Sax Trax is a collection of saxophone oriented, instrumental groove tracks, perfect for background use in TV, Film, and Game projects. The tempos range from ballads, medium grooves, party grooves, and uptempo/rock tracks. All selections are written, performed, and produced by Billy Martin, with one stop synch and master licensing by Lunch With Picasso Music.  Listen now at FunkySaxTrax.com

January 2007

Recently I've been writing additional music for Disney's Yin Yang Yo. This show is about two rabbit siblings named Yin and Yang that have super hero abilities, such as kung fu and magic, to defeat enemies, such as evil roaches and a moose. With the help of their leader Yo, the old, arrogant panda, they plan to use the way of Woo Foo to save the world from evil. Currently airing weeknights on ToonDisney.

August 2006

I'll be in Indianapolis for the Video Games Live concerts on August 11 and 12.   I will be appearing in the industry Meet and Greets after each show.  Video Games Live™ features music from the most popular video games performed by top orchestras and choirs around the world, combining exclusive video footage and music arrangements, synchronized lighting, solo performers, electronic percussionists, and unique interactive segments to create an explosive one-of-a-kind entertainment experience.

June 2006

I was one of three composers who contributed music to Universal's Land Before Time: The Day of the Flyers.  This latest installment in the long running direct-to-DVD movie series will be available in stores later this year.  The music was recorded with a 60 piece orchestra at the Fox/Newman soundstage in Los Angeles.  You can see some photos from the recording session in the photo gallery.

May 2006

I recently scored a promotional trailer for the upcoming movie Secrets of the Code.  Secrets of the Code is a spiritual road-trip that explores the phenomenon of author Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. From the sacred feminine in a prehistoric cave in France, to musical mysteries hidden in a chapel in Scotland - from a templar tomb in London to the catacombs of Rome - the film takes the viewer on an intimate journey along the paths traveled by the novel.

April 2006

Associated Production Music, the largest supplier of music exclusively for use in film, television, radio and new media production, has announced ENDGAME, a brand new collection of original music cues created by many of the most successful video game music composers.  I've contributed a collection of cues for this 6-CD set.  According to APM President Adam Taylor, “The quality of the music is unbelievable, and the composers who write for games not only understand how to write music for today’s marketplace, but they have a tremendous ability to compose music that works for media. We’re pleased to offer music from the artists behind the some of the best-selling video games.”

My song Shop Till You Drop appears in the upcoming animated Disney feature The Wild. Featuring the voice talents of Kiefer Sutherland, James Belushi, William Shatner, and Janeane Garofalo, The Wild opens on Friday, April 14th.  For more information on the film, visit www.thewildmovie.com.

February 2006

Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones  has been nominated for Best Cinematic/Cut-scene Audio by the Game Audio Network Guild.  I composed the music for one cinematic in the game.  The G.A.N.G awards will be presented on March 23rd, at the Game Developer's Conference in San Jose.

January 2006

The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences has nominated Chicken Little for Children's Game of the Year.  I contributed music for the gameplay and the original cinematics.  The AIAS awards will be presented on February 9th, in Las Vegas.

November 2005

Ubisoft asked me to score a last minute cinematic addition to Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones.  I had one day to compose and produce the music in order to meet their production deadline.

August 2005

I've just finished working on the videogame Chicken Little for Buena Vista Games.  Chicken Little will be released for all platforms in mid October, and the movie will be released on November 4th.  For this project, I wrote music for the gameplay and original cinematics.  Scenes from the movie used in the game were scored by film composer John Debney.

July 2005

I've written the score for Finding Nemo: Learning with Nemo for Disney Interactive.  This PC game will be released in October.

June 2005

I've written music for 10 new episodes of the short-form series Captian Carlos, which airs on the Disney Channel.  Captain Carlos was recently nominated for an Imagen Award for its positive portrayal of Latino Culture.  Captain Carlos is features a boy who shows us how healthy eating habits make him feel like a superhero (Captain Nutrition).

March 2005

I've been writing additional music for the new Cartoon Network series Pet Alien.  The show is already a big hit in Europe, and is poised to do well here in the U.S.

I'll be speaking at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Thursday Mar 10 as part of the panel Covering Your Assets: Music Publishing Royalties co-sponsored by ASCAP and the Society of Composers and Lyricists.  Other speakers include Steve Schnur (Worldwide Executive of Music and Audio, Electronic Arts) and Shawn Le Mone (Sr. Director Film & Television Membership, ASCAP).

November 2004

On November 9th, I was one of the featured speakers at "The Sound of the Game," a dinner meeting presented by the California Copyright Conference.  Other speakers included Rachel DiPaola from Buena Vista Games, and Victor Rodriguez from Sony.  The panel was moderated by attorney Jim Charne and ASCAP's Shawn LeMone.

June 2004

May 2004

I have been asked to speak at several seminars this year about music for games.  Los Angeles Music Productions put on a seminar in Hollywood called Scoring Big with Music for Videogames.  The Society of Composers and Lyricists hosted a sequel to the panel that I organized last year, called Writing Music for Games Part 2.  And finally, I was part of a panel at the GEMS (Global Entertainment and Media Summit) LA Summit, called The Art and Business of Music for Videogames.

There are some samples available on the music page from my score to Memorick, The Apprentice Knight.  Go to Memorick.com for screenshots, trailers, and more information about this upcoming Xbox game.

February 2004

I’m proud to announce that, for the second year in a row, two games I’ve scored have been nominated by the Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) for  “Best Edutainment/Children Audio”.  The titles I’ve been nominated for this year are:

Spy Kids 3D: Game Over

Disney Princess Royal Horse Show

Last year I won in this category for scoring the Buzz Lightyear game Disney/Pixar Learning 2^nd & 3^rd Grade.  I was also nominated that year for my work on Treasure Planet Training Academy.

This year’s G.A.N.G. Awards show will be on March 25^th at the Game Developers Conference in San Jose California.

January 2004 Disney PC Game is a Bestseller One of the games I’ve had the pleasure to score since the last issue of this newsletter is the Disney Princess—Royal Horse Show for Disney Interactive. This PC game has become one of their top sellers. Designed for younger girls, the players can groom and dress their horses in magical accessories to help them get ready for the royal festivities. www.disneyinteractive.com

Ubisoft Releases Jungle Book for PS2 The Jungle Book Rhythm & Groove, for the original Playstation, has been enhanced and rereleased as a Playstation 2 game. I scored all of the cut-scenes in this game, and it was great fun writing in the jazzy tradition of the Jungle Book. A dance oriented game, the Jungle Book Rhythm 'n' Groove is compatible with any PlayStation®2 dance pad. www.ubi.com/US/Games/junglebookps2/

Sept, 2003

Lilo & Stitch: The Series

I am currently writing music for selected episodes of Lilo & Stitch: The Series for Disney.  The series will have a special primetime premiere on ABC October 12th.  After that it will be part of the ABC Kids Saturday Morning schedule.

July, 2003 Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over I recently scored the PC game SpyKids 3-D: Game Over. Based on the movie of the same name, Spy Kids 3-D plunges kids inside the cyber world of a video game in 3-D with their favorite spies Carmen and Juni. Players can crack secret codes and unlock rewards that they may view with special Spykids 3-D: Game Over glasses.  www.spykids.com

June, 2003

The current issue of Post Magazine has an article on Audio For Games that includes an interview with me.  The article focuses on how to give interactive entertainment projects distinctive and high-quality sound.  You can view the online version at the Post Magazine website.

March, 2003   I am greatly honored to learn that the Game Audio Network Guild has presented me with the "Best Edutainment/Children Audio" award for scoring the game "Disney/Pixar 2nd and 3rd Grade w/Buzz Lightyear."  The awards were presented on Friday, March 7th, at the Game Developers Conference in San Jose, California.   A full story about the 2002 G.A.N.G awards can be found here: http://www.music4games.net/News_Display.aspx?id=161

January, 2003

I have been elected to the Board of Directors for the Society of Composers and Lyricists, the pre-eminent composers group in the US. The new directors were announced at the SCL annual membership meeting on Wednesday, January 15th 2003.  I am currently Chairman of the Website Committee, and I oversee all aspects of the SCL website at www.filmscore.org.  As a composer involved in both games and Film/TV, I'm excited about being able to represent the interests of game composers in the Society of Composers and Lyricists.  View a complete press release here.