Soundtrax Special Edition
September 7th, 2018
By Randall D. Larson
The film music community is mourning the loss of publicist Beth Krakower, who sadly lost her courageous battle against cancer Wednesday, September 5th, at the age of 46. Beth was a great friend to film music, representing composers and record labels with tireless enthusiasm and commitment. Even when she was diagnosed with a few years ago cancer she remained steadfastly positive, always helpful and giving of her time and energy. Last year, after months of treatment, Beth shared the good news that the cancer had gone into remission and her courageous battle seemed won. But earlier this year the news came like a sucker punch that the cancer was back, and her treatments resumed, sadly without success.
Being Beth, she kept working through the end, promoting film music composers with eagerness and creativity. Beth was a constant friend to film music record people as she was to the composers themselves, and she gave journalists and reviewers equal support by facilitating interviews with composers and maintaining a constant influx of press releases and download links to review and promote in columns and elsewhere – always with a smile, a smirk, or a grin. It was always a special pleasure to work with her.
Writing in today’s Variety, Jon Burlingame noted that “Among [Beth’s] clients were MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE composer Lalo Schifrin (who was just announced yesterday as the recipient of an honorary Oscar) as well as composers Bear McCreary, Blake Neely, Jeff Beal, Cliff Martinez, Kurt Farquhar and Ryan Shore, among others. “Beal, who won Emmys for his TV music with Krakower as publicist, wrote earlier today about ‘being in her orbit of joy, dedicated work, and brilliance.’ He spoke of ‘working so hard for so many of us collectively.’ Neely called her ‘a wonderful human [who] lived life the right way: optimism, kindness, laughter and love.’ Shore referred to her as ‘passionate, talented, insightful, courageous, generous, dedicated, fearless.’”
Beth touched so many people in this industry, and the outpouring of sympathy and sadness in the wake of her death across social media is a tribute to how loved and admired she was.
“Selfless to a fault, if you needed her help or advice nothing was ever too much trouble for Beth, and even in her darkest times over the course of her many treatments, she was always willing to put herself out for others,” wrote The Society of Composers & Lyrics in an email to its membership. “As a publicist she was at the top of her game while her experience as a musician, playing violin, viola and saxophone afforded her a distinct perspective not shared by most others in her field.”
“Beth was so much more than just someone we could say we knew and worked with. She was, by every definition, family,” said Mark Banning, art director for a number of soundtrack labels. “I could not be grieving more if it was my mother or sister I had lost. Beth was a guiding light for many an aspiring young film composer and/or musician. You could put your trust in her and she would follow through and deliver. I have so many words I could say and yet somehow, at the same time, I have no words at all. She will always be remembered. She will always be loved.”
In a message to clients, associates, and friends, Javier Garcia and Ashley Moore of The Krakower Group wrote: “Beth was an innovator with a brilliant mind for marketing and business, and an unrivaled passion for music and helping music creators. She built the Krakower Group to serve composers, music supervisors, record labels, and music festivals around the world. Today, the global music community, as well as her family and many friends and colleagues mourn her loss. Beth was generous, kind, and fearless in the pursuit of publicity and recognition for clients. Her wit, kindness, and compassion were some of her most enduring traits, as any who knew her will attest. As a boss, mentor, and friend, she was second to none.
“The Krakower Group will continue to support and champion our clients, and Beth's legacy. To each and every person whose life she touched, we extend our sincere sympathies.”
For more about Beth’s life and legacy, see Jon Burlingame’s tribute to Beth in Variety
Randall D. Larson,
September 7th, 2018
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Randall D. Larson was for many years senior editor for Soundtrack Magazine, publisher of CinemaScore: The Film Music Journal, and a film music columnist for Cinefantastique magazine. A specialist on horror film music, he is the author of Musique Fantastique: A Survey of Film Music in the Fantastic Cinema and Music From the House of Hammer. He has written liner notes for more than 120 soundtrack CDs for such labels as La-La Land, FSM, Perseverance, Silva Screen, Harkit, Quartet, and BSX Records. A largely re-written and expanded Second Edition of Musique Fantastique is being published: the first of this four-book series is now available. See: www.musiquefantastique.com
Randall can be contacted at [email protected]
