How Fox Hopes to Build an Empire Via Radio Airplay and Music Fans
Empire, Fox's upcoming hip-hop soap opera, is aiming to win over radio programmers and music fans when it premieres on Jan. 7. Unlike the network's Glee, Fox's last big scripted musical, Empire will feature almost all original songs instead of covers.
"That presents a whole lot of new challenges," says Geoff Bywater, senior vice president of music at 20th Century Fox TV, which produces the show. Unfamiliar tracks can be a tough sell for audiences, says Bywater, but "one thing we really did learn on Glee, as much as we tried, is that trying to get a cover single [on the radio] is difficult. Original music will lend a stronger, credible voice to Empire." (The covers from The Voice and American Idol contestants don't get radio play either.)
Veteran record producer Timbaland and his team (including Raphael Saadiq) are overseeing the music on the drama...
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