Two Fife composers are celebrating after securing deals to supply the Coalition for Equal Marriage and an American TV show with their music.
Craig Sutherland and Andrew McDonald of Megalith Music have seen their work go global after scoring music for the Coalition for Equal Marriage’s recent campaign ‘Home Coming’, which has had nearly 750,000 views on YouTube. Their music has also been used in Richard Branson’s own film made in support of the gay rights organisation.
The former plumbers, who became friends after jamming together at Dunfermline High School, set up their own music production company, specialising in creating scores for television, film and viral campaigns, last year after approaching Business Gateway Fife for assistance.
Since then the musicians have worked with a diverse range of clients that include a major German sporting brand, clothes label Boxfresh, care home provider McCarthy & Stone, and stamp investment company Stanley Gibbons. Most recently the duo has secured an American agent in Los Angeles who has signed a deal that will see their music feature in a new Warner Bros series, which is still under wraps and due to air next year.
Craig (26), from Kincardine, said: “Music was always more than a hobby for us but we went down the traditional college and trade route when we left school. We were miserable in our jobs and the idea to become professional composers arose after we were asked to help someone score a piece of music for the ‘Right Big Blether’ campaign launched at the Scottish Parliament. That kick started us into thinking we could actually make a living out of creating our own music.
“The music industry is highly competitive and it has been challenging but we’ve invested a lot of money and we are happy that our hard work is starting to pay off. A lot of the work we have secured has come through contacts made through social media – our first job arose from someone looking for composers on twitter while our agent in LA came through Facebook. We’ve been extremely lucky. Each new job we complete increases our credibility which will help us secure more work.”
He added: “We went to Business Gateway initially for funding advice and attended the Business Start Up workshop. The seminar made us realise we could actually make a go of things on our own and really gave us confidence. Our adviser has also been very supportive and, at the moment, because we have invested heavily in equipment, is providing guidance on how to form a business partnership. He’s always on hand and has been a great resource to have.”
Graeme Allan, Business Adviser, Business Gateway Fife said: “Like many business owners, Craig and Andy tried their hand at other lines of work before realising that their passion could be turned into a successful venture. Their talent is helping Megalith Music make a name for itself not just in Scotland but abroad. We are glad that our start up workshop programme and one-to-one advice has been of benefit to them and we will continue to support them as they grow.”
Craig and Andy have now been commissioned to produce a score for a feature length horror movie which is being directed by Fife-born Lawrie Brewster, and believe the fact they use live instruments, not synthesisers, helps make their work stand out.
Andy (27), from Dunfermline, said: “The horror movie is a great challenge and one we are relishing, as writing scores for films is what we want to do. Between us Craig and I can play the guitar, bass guitar, piano and drums. Between us Craig and I can play the guitar, bass, drums and piano. We use this to our advantage when composing and recording, maintaining an authentic feel to our music which we hope sets us apart.”
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