Monotone, Inc. and Search Party Music form new music initiative, “The Combination Project”

There has never been a more opportune time for agile and alert music companies to create and channel music and music-driven content. That is the conclusion drawn by a pair of today’s most creative entertainment business executives, when film, television and advertising music supervisor Randall Poster’s Search Party Music and talent manager Ian Montone’s Monotone, Inc. announced the formation of The Combination Project; a one stop shop for joining great music to dynamic visuals.

The Combination Project will fully integrate Monotone’s artist roster with Search Party’s music supervision, commercial and integrated media clients. Under the new company, Monotone’s catalog of music will be centralized in one place so Search Party clients can easily access and license music for projects, as well as work with the new company to create original music and music driven content.

Search Party has its headquarters New York and in Portland, where Managing Director Sara Matarazzo will oversee the venture.

Poster, who has served as a music supervisor for all of director Wes Anderson’s films over his two-decade-long career, and counts directors Martin Scorsese, Richard Linklater, Todd Phillips and Sam Mendes among his regular confederates, has taken Search Party to the forefront of the commercial and branded arenas, providing music and creative on TV commercial campaigns for Nike, Google, Target, Old Navy, Budweiser and American Express, among others, looks to the partnership to create opportunities for both companies.

Says Montone “Our artists have always been inspired by Film and TV and have a deep respect for the creators who understand the art of great story telling. As a management company, we are always looking for opportunities to tie our artist’s music with great visual art. Over the last 5 years, Monotone and Search Party have built a great working relationship.  In a very crowded marketplace, partnering with Search Party creates one roof with a diverse catalog of exceptional music being handled by a company who intimately understands the vision of our artists and has proven to be the go-to agency for the greatest content creators and brands of our day.”

“This is the wave of the future” says Poster. “Getting artists involved in a much earlier phase of the creative process in a collaborative manner. Artist’s like Jack White and Danger Mouse have demonstrated an insight and genius for building visual imagery around music and we want to broaden the scope of their ingenuity.”

Search Party founder and Chief Creative Officer Randall Poster is the go-to soundtrack maestro for many of the world’s most creative and musically adventurous filmmakers. He started music supervising on Larry Clark’s hit 1996 film Kids and has since become a key collaborator for several high-profile directors working in both independent and commercial cinema. Poster has created acclaimed musical identities for all of director Wes Anderson’s films, including Fantastic Mr. Fox and the current Moonrise Kingdom, Todd Phillips’ The Hangover Part II, producer Martin Scorsese and creator Terrence Winter’s HBO series Boardwalk Empire and the Todd Haynes-directed miniseries Mildred Pierce. Poster produced the critically acclaimed Buddy Holly tribute, Rave On… and the recent Fleetwood Mac homage, Just Tell Me That You Want Me, both for Hear Music/Concord. He also recently co-produced the LCD Soundsystem documentary, Shut Up and Play the Hits. His commercial campaigns includes Nike’s “Find Your Greatness,” a Muppets spot for Google, Old Navy, Target, Reading is Fundamental PSAs, a Hyundai commercial directed by Wes Anderson, J Crew, American Express, Brooks Brothers and Budweiser, among others.

Ian Montone is the founder of the music management company Monotone, Inc. and co-founder of the media and production group LBI Entertainment. Monotone, Inc.’s clients include Jack White, The White Stripes, Foster the People, The Shins, Vampire Weekend, Danger Mouse, James Murphy, The Dead Weather, Ratatat, Broken Bells, The Raconteurs, Cold War Kids, Pete Yorn, among others. Under the aegis of LBI Entertainment, Montone, along with his partner Rick Yorn, manages the careers of Jude Law and Jamie Foxx. Before founding Monotone, Inc., Montone was a partner at the law firm of Davis, Shapiro, Lewit & Hayes, LLP, focusing on music and entertainment.