Television music curation in the playlist era

Abstract

Today’s technologically eclectic media landscape – dominated by streaming algorithms, curated playlists and TikTok-spawned virality – has elevated the role of the television music supervisor. Film and television soundtracks, previously influenced by mixtapes and compilation CDs, have become inexorably shaped by the rise of streaming. Digging the infinite crates of the internet for rare and recycled tracks from yesterday and today, music supervisors for shows like High Fidelity (2020), The Bear (2022–present), Atlanta (2016–22) and Russian Doll (2019–present) have sculpted distinct sonic identities that grab viewers on-screen and retain their attention through their ‘Official Spotify Playlists’. This article traces the possibilities of the soundtrack in the playlist era through case studies of HBO’s eclectic anthology series High Maintenance (2012–20), as well as the unprecedented resurgence of Kate Bush via Netflix’s Stranger Things (2016–present).