La-La Land: The Niche Label Rewriting Soundtrack History

La-La Land Records, founded in 2002, thrives by unearthing and releasing forgotten film and TV music. The label's founders, MV Gerhard and Matt Verboys, meticulously restore scores, even obscure snippets, often sourced from studio archives and composers' personal collections. Their ambitious approach includes comprehensive releases, such as every piece of music from the first six 'Friday the 13th' films.

This strategy deliberately avoids modern music industry norms like streaming and aggressive social media. Instead, La-La Land releases music as limited-run CD sets, a method that has proven remarkably successful. Despite the niche market, the label achieved its biggest sales to date last year, becoming a survivor in the changing soundtrack industry.

The process involves extensive detective work and luck to locate original recordings, followed by complex licensing negotiations with multiple rights holders. This dedication to completeness and quality has earned them trust, allowing them to work with major franchises like 'Star Trek' and 'Harry Potter.'

As archival sources and knowledgeable personnel diminish, La-La Land faces challenges. Yet, they continue to explore opportunities in television soundtracks and video game music, alongside their core focus on classic movie scores, demonstrating a persistent commitment to fans.