I have composed music for MTV and VH1 shows, a documentary with Forest Whitaker narrating, and many independent and branded content, with over 13 years of experience in the film and media industry. I'm a Berklee trained film composer and bassist and studied with Matt Garrison (son of Jimmy Garrison, John Coltrane's bassist). I also love cycling.
Chris Joye is a film composer and multi-instrumentalist based in the Seattle area. His credits include original music for feature and short films, commercials, documentaries and he has an extensive original music library with tracks being licensed by MTV, VH1, Red Bull Media House UK, and companies across the world.
He graduated from Berklee College of Music with a dual-degree in Film Scoring and Bass Performance. He studied the traditional approach to film scoring, as well as modern techniques, and studied with some of the leading professionals in their fields.
Upon graduating from Berklee in Boston, Chris moved to various areas, including Chicago and central Illinois, southwest Michigan, Washington DC, Denver, and most recently, the Seattle area. He played in a number of bands, taught music, and continued to score film and media projects, while expanding his industry contacts in numerous cities across the country. He continues to produce albums geared for commercial licensing (formerly under the moniker Cue) and score original films, documentaries, television shows and commercials for local and international producers and directors.
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Interview with Chris Joye Music
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: Rising from Ashes, a documentary about a cyclist who goes to Rwanda and starts a national cycling team. It was a highly inspirational and moving story, told by Forest Whitaker, and was on a topic very, very close to my heart - cycling.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Jonathan Warman
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That I only write advertising music.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What is the story? What is the time frame? What is the budget for music?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: You can find some stock music for your production that may fit fairly well, but remember that anyone in your shoes can also license that same music for something completely different. Why not hire a custom composer to write something that is a direct fit to what you need?
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Ukulele (for good feeling vibes), drumset (to wail on and alert passing ships), acoustic guitar (to work on my guitar chops and write songs), double bass (because it's awesome), and a satellite phone (to call someone to get me).
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Soundtrack composer with indie rock crossover elements.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Keith White. A sound engineer based in Vancouver who works on nearly all of the mountain bike and extreme sports video content put out by riders and companies.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Listen on many devices to make sure your mix is even and clean from a $5 USB speaker set to your car to your phone (most importantly nowadays) to your full studio set up.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Composing music to a locked Quicktime video, with a brief or temp track of what inspired you, is ideal. However, I can work off a script, some adjectives or moods you'd like to achieve, or solely based on what I feel would work for your production.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Olafur Arnalds, Johann Johannsson, Thomas Newman, Michael Giacchino, The Jezabels, The National, St. Vincent, Sufjan Stevens, Deadmau5, Living Sacrifice
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I compose compelling music to accompany moving pictures.
I was the Composer, Mixer, Engineer, Producer in this production
- Film ComposerAverage price - $600 per minute
- Bass ElectricAverage price - $70 per song
I typically allow 3 revisions at this rate. Typical turnaround time varies per project needs.
- Thomas Newman
- Explosions In The Sky
- Ólafur Arnalds
- Sample libraries (8dio
- East West
- Native Instruments
- Spitfire and more)
- Logic
- Gibson RD Artist 1977 guitar
- Yamaha John Patitucci bass
- Pladask Elektrisk Taken and Fabrikat
- Montreal Assembly 856 and CT5
- MWFX Judder
- Two Rock Classic Reverb
As a new provider on Sound Better, I will offer 30% off your first purchase!
