HBO’s going all in on the soundtrack for Vinyl, the network’s new music biz drama set in the early ‘70s. With a six-figure music budget per episode (via Billboard), the show will feature newly recorded and previously released music from artists including Iggy Pop, Otis Redding, former New York Dolls’ frontman David Johansen, Chris Cornell, and Grammy nominee Sturgill Simpson.
And the first season won’t just have one soundtrack set for release to the public — instead, it’ll have a new one for each episode in the first season.
With the help of Warner Bros.’ Atlantic Records, HBO will release the full-length compilation Vinyl: Music From the HBO Original Series – Volume 1 two days before the February 14 series premiere. Then, Atlantic and HBO will release a new EP previewing the music “featured in and inspired by the upcoming Sunday’s episode” each Friday before the show airs. A second full-length soundtrack will be released on April 15, two days before the show’s season finale.
“There’s such an opportunity to [release] music around these weekly episodes,” said Atlantic Records’ exec Kevin Weaver to Billboard. “There was a wealth of amazing music, plus this idea of curating a music experience connected to the show by adding some inspired-by content.”
The releases will feature “up to 30 songs” on the long end, with music supervision from Randall Poster and Meghan Currier. In choosing songs for Vinyl, Poster explained to Billboard that he wanted to find a “novel” way to showcase the shifting music of an era on the brink of pushing punk rock, disco, and rap to the forefront. “How do you set the stage for this revolutionary moment?” The show’s executive producers’ Martin Scorsese, Mick Jagger, and creator Terence Winter will also offer input on the soundtracks.
Vinyl tells the story of music exec Richie Finestra (Bobby Cannavale) trying to keep his record company afloat in a changing industry. As was the case in the ’70s recording industry, the series isn’t just about the music and the money: also expect lots of sex and drugs on the show.
Olivia Wilde, Juno Temple, Ray Romano, Andrew Dice Clay, and Jagger’s son James also star in the series, which will hit HBO February 14.
