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- This Month in Music: May 2025
This Month in Music: May 2025
Nadia Mair
May 28, 2025
This Month in Music
From now on, I’ll be sending an email at the end of each month with industry news, music releases, opportunities, and more!
Featured Interviews
 Erich Stem Erich Stem is a composer and professor of music composition at Indiana University (southeast), and has written countless pieces of music in collaboration with university and other orchestras. Join us as we discuss how he writes, his advice for emerging composers, and new ways to think about music. |  Richard Carrick Richard Carrick is the chair of the Composition Department at Berklee College of Music. He has a versatile background both in the countries he's lived in and the career he's had as a composer. Listen to find out where music has taken him and how he's created opportunities for himself. |
Industry News
SoundCloud Revises AI Policy Amid Composer Concerns - Following backlash from composers and rights advocates, SoundCloud adjusted its AI licensing policy to emphasize that AI should support, not replace creators. This highlights a growing push for clear protections around AI-generated music. Read more…
Strauss’ “Blue Danube” Waltz Beamed into Space - On May 31, ESA will transmit the Vienna Symphony’s performance of Strauss’ famous waltz into deep space, marking the composer’s 200th birthday and ESA’s 50th. Composers are invited to submit space-themed works for a companion digital exhibition. Read more…
Sony & Warner Report Revenue Spikes in Q1 2025 - These gains are largely streaming-based—but sync licensing (especially for indie games and short-form video) shows double-digit growth, a positive signal for freelance media composers. Read more…
Music Releases
Listen to the latest and greatest compositions that came out this month, including orchestral works, experimental music, film scores, and more.
Check out the custom playlist I created for you here:
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Upcoming Opportunities:
GameSoundCon 2025
Deadline: June 10, 2025
The premier conference for game music and sound design is accepting speaker and panel proposals. This is a top-tier platform for composers working in interactive and adaptive media.
Hollywood Music in Media Awards
Call for Entries Open
Composers for film, TV, and games can now submit for the 2025 HMMA Awards. Categories include Best Score in Independent Film, Documentary, Mobile Game, and more.
ISCM World New Music Days 2025
Event Dates: May 30th - June 7th, 2025
Location: Lisbon adn Porot, Portugal
The International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) hosts this annual festival showcasing contemporary works. Submissions are typically made through national sections; deadlines vary by country.
Copland House Residency Awards
Deadline: June 2, 2025, at 11:59 PM ET
Offering composers the opportunity to live and work at Aaron Copland's historic home in New York.
NYU Steinhardt Screen Scoring Summer Workshops
Program Dates: Summer 2025
Offers intensive workshops in film scoring, providing hands-on experience and mentorship.
New Music USA – New Music Creator Fund
Opens: November 2025
Provides grants to individual music creators for new projects.
This Month in History
May 7, 1824 – Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 ("Choral") premiered in Vienna. This monumental symphony introduced choral elements into the symphonic form, setting Friedrich Schiller's "Ode to Joy" to music. Learn more here…
May 29, 1913 – Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring premiered by the Ballets Russes at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris. This avant-garde ballet incited a famous riot due to its revolutionary rhythms and dissonances, forever changing the landscape of classical music. Listen here…
Community Corner
I’d love to feature one of YOUR compositions or news about what YOU’RE doing! You can submit to be featured for the next month here:
Please share this with any composers you know who could benefit from and enjoy this newsletter!
Until next time,
Nadia