Culture . 03/20/2008 12:15 AM . John King

Alexandra Patsavas – if you don’t know the name, then you don’t know one of the most powerful people in Hollywood.

Patsavas has served as music supervisor or music coordinator on more than 60 television shows and (mostly bad) films. You might have heard her work – the soundtracks for “Grey’s Anatomy” or “The O.C.,” perhaps?

She is probably the reason why you listen to The Fray. Or The Postal Service. Or Peter Bjorn & John. Or virtually any other artist whose music has been featured on “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The O.C.,” “Gossip Girl,” “Chuck,” “Rescue Me,” “Shark,” “Without A Trace,” “Criminal Minds” – the list goes on.

Because of her involvement with the music choices on so many television shows, Patsavas is almost single-handedly shaping how people consume music. Rather than hearing something on the radio, people are growing more and more apt to hear music on television and seek out a song or soundtrack.

Visit Patsavas’ profile on IMDB.com and see just how many shows over which this woman has influence. I’ll wait.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0666031/

Yeah. It’s everything. Chances are, more than a few of the tracks you’ve stumbled upon have had “Grey’s,” or “O.C.” album tags, whether or not you fit in the shows’ intended audience.

“Radio has gotten less adventurous, television has gotten more adventurous, records don’t sell in the same way they used to. And so bands are more open to opportunities,” Patsavas said in a Guardian Unlimited interview.

Of course, not every genre of music and certainly not every artist fits within the demographic of “Grey’s Anatomy” or any television show for that matter.

As a result, now bands are trying to write the next “Grey’s Anatomy” closing montage song, best heard with a voice-over from Ellen Pompeo explaining how “sometimes, some people somehow need someone to do something, and other times, other people need others to do other things, or something, but in the end, we all need someone to something something with our somethingeruthers.”

To wit: Mat Kearney’s “Breathe In, Breathe Out,” Patrick Watson’s “The Great Escape,” Vega4’s “Life is Beautiful,” Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars,” and so on. Safe. Mass appeal. Borderline milquetoast.

Now, virtually any song featuring a prominent piano and wistful vocals sounds like The Fray, because dozens of artists are angling for a 30-second clip on “Grey’s Anatomy.” Further, artists don’t have to worry about conjuring music videos — land on “Grey’s Anatomy” and they’ll build a video around you, using heightened dramatic moments featuring characters you know rather than bands you can’t tell apart from one another. Getting Patsavas’ ear is as important as scoring a spot on MTV, or show downtown.

“Patsavas and her team are loyal to the artists they love,” goes the same Guardian article.

Is that a good thing?

Would that any one of us, with our diverse music tastes ranging from classic rock to country to classical to punk and all points everywhere, have such unmatched power to promote music?

In a way, Patsavas’ video is not killing the radio star – it’s simply relocating music that radio won’t touch.

Why radio won’t touch the stuff is easy to figure out. There’s no video component to contextualize the music. If you don’t see McDreamy saving someone’s life, can you fully appreciate the power of “How To Save A Life” by The Fray?

The Fray can appreciate the power of exposure. According to one MTV.com article, the band measures its history by pre-“Grey’s Anatomy” and post-“Grey’s Anatomy,” and saw a significant increase immediately after “How To Save A Life” was used in a 2006 episode. Both “How To Save A Life” and Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars” became Top 5 hits after their appearances on the show. Fans of both can enjoy what they like, but listeners should consider the source. One person can make a difference – in your music collection.

Patsavas has an endless supply of incoming music from would-be music stars just hoping for her ears. They are, after all, the ears of millions of viewers every week.

That’s unsettling.

John King is an adjunct instructor at what seems like every college
in Indiana, but mostly, he teaches screenwriting at Ball State University.



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