Harcourt's eclectic vibe infuses new endeavors

HarcourtWhen Nic Harcourt, among the last remaining large-title tastemakers left on terrestrial radio, ankled as musical director of L.A.'s KCRW and host of their "Morning Becomes Eclectic" enter in 2008, it came towards the finish of the era -- ten years by which he grew to become perhaps probably the most influential DJ in the united states. Using the KCRW show still thriving underneath the auspices of recent host Jason Bentley, Harcourt has nevertheless stored plenty busy, helming an invisible show on KCSN while running his SamLuna Media company. But it's with two new endeavors the music curator is starting on which he calls the "next phase" of his career. Last spring, Harcourt became a member of MTV because the network's first music supervisor in residence. He'll function as song selector for approaching scripted shows for example "Among The Finest My Pants Back," in addition to talking to for that MTV-Extreme Music joint project Hype Production Music, which seeks to put unsigned artists' music in MTV Systems programming. Meanwhile, he's becoming host for DirecTV's "Guitar Center Periods," which broadcasts from the music chain's Hollywood store, mixing musical performances from the kind of Peter Gabriel, Blondie and Bad Religion alongside frequently-revealing interviews between Harcourt and also the music artists. "I am in a roundabout way active in the booking. What I've been able to perform is make suggestions," Harcourt stated of his "Guitar Center" role, observing with particular pride the part he performed in ushering SoCal indie bands Delta Spirit and Saint Motel to the platform. For the time being, Harcourt appears to savor his more laidback role using the program, that has seen him branch into music far outdoors what could have been his safe place throughout his "Morning Becomes Eclectic" tenure. "It's exciting to sit down lower with Peter Frampton, who I'd never performed during my entire career in radio," Harcourt stated. "I'd not have imagined myself meeting with (Social Distortion's) Mike Ness, but which was this type of good interview. It is the unpredicted stuff that result in the show, like when Darlene Harry begins speaking about smoking weed in mattress, and you just need to be ready for this." For his position with MTV, Harcourt noted that his overall role continues to be entering shape. Although the network has endured some withering critique previously over its surrender of the music-based format in support of reality skeins, MTV's recent endeavors in to the worldwide music sphere using its Iggy platform, along with the Hype Production venture, appear to mirror a concerted effort to create more eclectic music back to its programming -- a trend Harcourt hopes to take part in. "I am sure they'll continue dragging 'Jersey Shore' in to the ground, but they are really attempting to bring a diploma of music back with these scripted shows," he stated. "This is an chance to place unsigned indie bands available in to the world." Music bites Despite some under passionate responses to the trailer, Relativity Media's Tarsem Singh-directed "Mirror Mirror" arrived a coup using its employing of composer Alan Menken to attain. The pic would be the eight-time Oscar winner's first film-scoring assignment since penning Disney's "Twisted" this past year. Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood continues to be drawn on to attain Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Actual.Inch Greenwood gained kudos for his feature film-scoring debut with Anderson's previous feature, "You Will See Bloodstream," that was controversially ruled ineligible for Oscar consideration within the music category. On the web radio front, Obvious Funnel introduced the appointment of Bob Stohrer to chief marketing officer of their Obvious Funnel Digital branch, in which the former Sprint Nextel professional will build up marketing efforts for that broadcaster's iHeartRadio online platform. Meanwhile, The planet pandora hired on former Bebo professional Michael Chuthakieo as executive director for national entertainment sales. Zynga, whose social-media videogames "FarmVille" and "FrontiervilleInch have formerly solicited mix-marketing endeavors from Rhianna and Dr. Dre, correspondingly, has introduced another, pairing Michael Buble with "CityVille." The neo-crooner, whose "Christmas" compilation presently sits atop the album chart, will debut exclusive material and lend his avatar to the overall game in a few days. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com