ABSTRACT

Before the term "synergism" entered the industry lexicon, the key terms for marketing were "freshness" and "interesting." By 1985, "innovative" or "new" soundtracks were fading. Production pressures precluded synergistic marketing strategy. The crime/action portion of the 105-minute production could easily have been reduced to a Sonny Crockett adventure on Miami Vice. Despite talk of collaborative soundtracks, the labels were playing to the studios' desire to reach the youth market. The artists on scores more often than not, were the second or third choices of filmmakers. Executive producers Jon Peters and Peter Guber had purchased the film rights to the highly praised Terry Davis novel Vision Quest. A small, closely knit operation, it has repeatedly parlayed artist development into chartbusters. Lionel Ritchie, a hot crossover star, screened the film and agreed to write a title song. Another skirmish in the soundtrack-war saga materialized. The charge that the soundtrack was geared to expand the film's audience and generate album sales is undeniable.