ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the sonic representation of true crime in audiovisual media through a focus on Crimesonics, a US-based production-music library. Media producers can use this pre-existing catalog to source suitably ‘Crimey’ music for their shows—as a way of saving time and money in postproduction—rather than employing a composer to write an original score thatengages more directly with the specific demands of a real-life narrative. CrimeSonics’ varied selection responds to prevalent programming trends, with recent albums of music including ‘Criminal Minimalist’ and ‘Killers Volume One’, in addition to collections of sound design and effects. These CrimeSonics albums function as a lens through which to explore the composition, branding and synchronization of production music, targeted towards the particular requirements of true-crime television.
The study comprises three sections: first, it draws on original interview testimony from composer Brooke Mitchell, exploring how she negotiates between her own creative judgments and the pragmatic requirements of television editors in preparing her tracks for true-crime productions; second, it analyzes how CrimeSonics markets its music to true-crime media producers, for example, through the utilisation of specific album titles and descriptions; third, it examines the placements of the same CrimeSonics tracks in different television contexts and the resultant implications for audience experience. Together, these areas foreground the role of production music in shaping the sound of true-crime media and underline the ethical implications of the creation and marketing of this musical content—especially when dealing with the dramatization (and sensationalization) of traumatic real-life events.
