With two months to go before the release of its big-budget film “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” the Walt Disney company wants very much to whet audience appetites by placing music from the soundtrack on radio and music-video channels.

But Disney’s tricky marketing strategy for “Narnia” – which includes aggressively courting Christian fans who can relate to the story’s biblical allegory while trying not to disaffect secular fans – is particularly tricky when it comes to music.

The spiritual character of “Narnia” is being reinforced with the debut on the charts last week of a Christian pop album of music inspired by the film. But prospects for a previously announced secular soundtrack now seem cloudy, executives involved in the process say. Disney executives say that at the very least the CD will be delayed beyond its planned Oct. 25 release.

Mitchell Leib, president of music for Disney’s Buena Vista film unit, said he still expected to assemble and release a secular soundtrack before the film’s Dec. 9 opening. But he cited production snags. He said he was still awaiting a recording by the rock band Evanescence that is intended as the film’s closing song. He added that planning had also been complicated by last-minute decisions about how music will be used in the complex, special-effects-laden film.

The Christian-oriented album’s status as the only “Narnia” musical project in the marketplace, for now at least, could upset the studio’s plan to balance two audiences. “If they go ahead and release only the one soundtrack, I think they’re risking being identified as turning toward a blatantly religious company, which does turn some people away,” said Chris Ahrens, founding editor of Risen, a San Diego-based lifestyle magazine that explores the spiritual beliefs of entertainment figures. On the other hand, Mr. Ahrens said, if the music strikes a chord in the Christian market, “I think that’s huge for Disney in terms of the movie audience.” He added, “It seems like a huge gamble.” …

…And the album already appears to be crossing into territory where the genre is rarely marketed, said Bill Hearn, the president and chief executive of EMI’s Christian Music Group. EMI has been promoting “Narnia” songs to mainstream radio, and Mr. Hearn said 16 stations playing “adult contemporary” music have added Mr. Chapman’s song “Remembering You” to their playlists. The music video for the song is also expected to be included on the film’s DVD, he said.

“We believe these songs are appealing to anyone who loves ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,’ not just to the Christian audience,” Mr. Hearn said. “The songs are written specifically to reach a wide audience.”

For the rest, visit the New York Times

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EMI’s Narnia Music Behind the Scenes video has appeared at HearItFirst.com. It has interviews and clips from Steven Curtis Chapman, Jars of Clay, Bethany Dillon, Jeremy Camp, Nichole Nordeman and Rebecca St. James. It’s well worth checking out to get a good preview of the Inspirational Soundtrack!

From HearItFirst.com: It’s a given, we’re all excited for the movie, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. For another guaranteed boost in your excitement level, watch some behind the scenes footage on the making of the soundtrack for the movie. Hear from Steven Curtis Chapman, Jars of Clay, Rebecca St. James, Jeremy Camp and others as they share their experience with the Narnia soundtrack. The movie trailer plays right after the footage so be sure to watch all the way through!

View it here!

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We have some more information on the forthcoming Narnia project…

EMI Music – the world’s largest independent music company – recently announced plans to partner with Walt Disney Studios and Walden Media to produce two soundtracks of music inspired by what is one of 2005’s most anticipated films, a live action adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ best-selling classic, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

EMI Music’s Nashville-based EMI CMG will release both “inspired by” soundtracks and has announced an all-star line up for the first in the series of releases: an Inspirational soundtrack CD, Music Inspired By: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, featuring recordings from artists that combined have sold in excess of 23 million albums.

Five-time Grammy Award Winner Steven Curtis Chapman leads the pack with the project’s debut single and video, “Remembering You,” which will release to Christian radio formats nationwide on August 5th. Jars of Clay (”Waiting for the World to Fall”), Jeremy Camp (”Open Your Eyes”), TobyMac, Nichole Nordeman (”I Will Believe”), Rebecca St. James (”Lion”), Delirious (”Stronger”), Kutless, Bethany Dillon (”Hero”), Chris Tomlin (”You’re The One”) and David Crowder Band round-out the line up thus far. The Inspirational CD will release on September 27th.

A second soundtrack of songs inspired by the film will release October 25th and feature mainstream pop and rock artists.

Regarding his participation in the soundtrack, Steven Curtis Chapman commented, “So much has already been brilliantly communicated by C.S. Lewis with this story, so writing for it was kind of an overwhelming task,” said Steven Curtis Chapman. “This story leaves me with wanting to remember what it means to experience Spring or new life. “Remembering You” is a song from the perspective of a lot of the characters at the end of the story saying, ‘whenever I see the first signs of spring, I’ll be remembering you, Aslan, the story and what is to come.’”

“EMI CMG’s partnership with Disney and Walden Media holds an unprecedented visibility and marketing opportunity for the participating artists, allowing their music to reach a global audience,” stated EMI CMG’s President and CEO, Bill Hearn. “Disney and Walden Media have shown a tremendous amount of passion for the music and we are excited for them to incorporate this ever-expanding genre that perfectly compliments the theme of the film.”

Promotions for the Inspirational Inspired-by project began recently, when HarperCollins, publisher of the Chronicles of Narnia book series hosted a celebration in New York for the forthcoming movie release in conjunction with the American Booksellers Association.

Sparrow Records singer/songwriter Bethany Dillon premiered her song, “Hero,” from the project at that celebration. Promotions will also include soundtrack music being featured as part of the interactive marketing plans with www.narnia.com and its development of NarniaMusic.com, which will feature artist interviews, shots from the studio, song samples, promotions and more.

Read More about the artists involved!

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EMI CMG will release two soundtracks of songs inspired by one of the year’s most anticipated films, a live action adaptation of the best-selling C.S. Lewis classic, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. The projects are being produced through a partnership between EMI CMG’s parent company, EMI Music, and the film’s producers, Walt Disney Studios and Walden Media, according to a joint press release.

The film will be released worldwide on Dec. 9. The first project, a soundtrack of original songs inspired by the film featuring Christian artists is scheduled to be released on Sept. 27. The artists who will be participating on this album include:

· Steven Curtis Chapman
· tobyMac
· Nichole Nordeman
· Jars of Clay
· newsboys
· Jeremy Camp
· Rebecca St. James
· Chris Tomlin
· Delirious?
· Bethany Dillon
· David Crowder Band

This album will be followed by a soundtrack featuring mainstream pop and rock artists, which is scheduled to be released on Oct. 25. “EMI CMG’s partnership with Disney and Walden Media holds an unprecedented visibility and marketing opportunity for the participating artists,” said Bill Hearn, EMI CMG President and CEO. “Disney and Walden Media have been hands on partners in the creative process for this recording. Their passion for the music is contributing to an extensive marketing campaign for this soundtrack, integrating it seamlessly into the marketing effort surrounding the film’s release.” In addition, EMI CMG Distribution and Walt Disney Records (WDR) also announced a partnership that will give CBA retailers access to Walt Disney Records’ vast library of family-friendly audio products. “Walt Disney has created movie classics and beloved animated characters that have been loved from generation to generation, and with Baby Einstein, Playhouse Disney and the upcoming Chronicles of Narnia, Disney continues to be the most recognized and sought-after brand in family entertainment,” said Rich Peluso, president of EMI CMG Distribution.

“We are pleased that Disney has allowed us to partner with them in bringing selected content to the CBA market.” Added Robert Marick, Sr. Vice President and General Manager, Walt Disney Records, “We are pleased to have EMI CMG deliver our valuable brand to serve the Christian retail marketplace with our diverse line of music and products. EMI CMG holds an impressive track record in the marketing and distribution of children’s products to Christian retail and shares our goal of offering consumers quality choices in family friendly entertainment. Our new partnership will augment WDR’s existing distribution agreement with Universal Music & Video Distribution. We are excited for the immense opportunity that lies ahead and we welcome EMI CMG’s experienced sales, marketing and distribution team.”

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EMI Music – the world’s largest independent music company – will work with Walt Disney Studios and Walden Media to produce two soundtracks of music inspired by what is one of 2005’s most anticipated films, a live action adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ bestselling classic, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. The two soundtracks, to be released by EMI on worldwide basis, will feature songs from some of today’s best selling artists.

EMI Music’s Nashville-based EMI CMG will release a soundtrack of songs inspired by the film featuring mainstream pop and rock artists on October 25. A second record featuring today’s most popular artists in the Christian music genre will be the first to release on September 27. Radio singles and music videos from each record will bow in August.

“The appeal of C.S. Lewis’ classic series is universal, and his writings have stood the test of time bringing pure enjoyment to generations of readers,” said David Munns, Chairman and CEO, EMI Music North America. “EMI is delighted to be working closely with Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media to deliver music inspired by The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe film to fans around the world.”

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, first published in 1950, is the second and best-known novel in the seven-part Chronicles of Narnia series by noted Oxford author C.S. Lewis. The series has sold more than 85 million books globally to date and has been published in 29 different languages.

“Aligning Disney and Walden Media with EMI Music worldwide made perfect sense for this project right from the start. EMI’s global reach, internationally acclaimed artist roster and diversely experienced management team ensures us the consummate music collaborator for this awesome property. It’s really a pleasure for us to team up with EMI on this one,” said Mitchell Leib, President, Music & Soundtracks Walt Disney Pictures and Television/Buena Vista Music Group.

The film, produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media, will be released worldwide on December 9.

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is directed by Andrew Adamson, who also directed the Academy Award winning animated film Shrek and Shrek 2, produced by Academy Award winning Mark Johnson (Rain Man), with a screenplay by Emmy Award winning Ann Peacock (A Kiss Before Dying), and special effects provided by WETA, the winner of four Academy Awards for The Lord of The Rings.

“Keeping the integrity of C.S. Lewis’s cherished work has always been the #1 goal for Walden and Disney,” said Lindsay Fellows, Vice President Motion Picture Music, AFG/Walden Media/Bristol Bay. “EMI’s team understands this and their musical contributions will have a major impact on his legacy and this amazing film.”

EMI is currently in discussions with some of today’s best selling artists about their participation in these soundtracks. Be sure to watch for confirmed artist announcements from EMI in the coming weeks and months.

EMI Music is the world’s largest independent record company, operating in nearly 50 countries around the world. Its record labels include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol, EMI, EMI Classics, Manhattan, Mute, Parlophone and Virgin.

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