The Rise of WaterTower Music's Soundtrack Legacy

WaterTower Music is a record label based in Burbank, California, serving as the in-house music label for Warner Bros. Entertainment. The label was founded in 2000 by Jason Linn under the original name New Line Records. This founding coincided with New Line Cinema’s push to expand its music operations and to release soundtrack albums for its slate of films.

In its early years as New Line Records, the label focused on signing a variety of rock and pop artists. These included bands such as The Sounds, which is a Swedish indie group, and American indie acts like Paris, Texas, Midnight Movies, and Robbers on High Street. The Angel, a trip hop artist, was also signed to the label and composed the score for the 2000 film Boiler Room. The soundtrack for Boiler Room as well as The Angel’s 2001 album No Gravity were both released by New Line Records.

Other artists on the roster in the early 2000s included country singer Allison Moorer, synthpop band Echo, R&B band IMx, and metal band The Blank Theory. IMx released a self-titled album with the label in August 2001. The Blank Theory released Beyond the Calm of the Corridor in September 2002. The Sounds’ album Living in America was released on November 11, 2002. It later charted in the United States, peaking at number 107, which provided important visibility for the band outside of Sweden.

New Line Records was responsible for releasing soundtrack albums for films produced by its parent studio, New Line Cinema. A notable example is the release of the soundtrack for The Cell, scored by Howard Shore and released on September 5, 2000. Trevor Jones composed the score for Thirteen Days, which was released as a soundtrack album on December 1, 2000. Rolfe Kent’s soundtrack for About Schmidt came out on December 20, 2002.

In 2004, director John Waters, who released many of his films through New Line, curated A John Waters Christmas, a holiday album that reflected his offbeat sensibility. That same year, New Line Records put out the soundtrack for Waters’ film A Dirty Shame.

The label was not included in the 2004 sale of Warner Music Group to private investors. While Warner Music Group was sold by Time Warner, New Line Records and its catalog were retained, as they were owned by New Line Cinema itself and not directly by Warner Music Group. This allowed New Line Records to keep control over their soundtrack portfolio.

In early 2008, a major corporate restructuring took place. New Line Cinema ceased operating as an independent unit and was folded into Warner Bros. Pictures as a label. New Line’s film, music, and television operations were integrated into the larger Warner Bros. Entertainment organization, meaning the label became part of Warner Bros.’s music division, which was ultimately owned by Time Warner.

On January 15, 2010, New Line Records changed its name to WaterTower Music. With this rebranding, Jason Linn, the founder, began reporting to Paul Broucek, who was the president of music at Warner Bros. Pictures. This move also marked a strategic shift for the label. WaterTower Music stopped signing and releasing albums from rock and pop artists, instead focusing exclusively on soundtracks for Warner Bros. films and television shows.

The label’s name and logo are derived from the famous Warner Bros. Water Tower, a landmark on the studio’s Burbank lot.

With the rebranding in 2010, WaterTower Music began to assemble a roster of composers known for their work on major studio film and television productions. These composers included Hans Zimmer, who is known for scoring blockbuster franchises, Howard Shore, who won Academy Awards for his work on The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Ramin Djawadi, who composed the score for HBO’s Game of Thrones.

In addition to Zimmer, Shore, and Djawadi, the label’s artist roster included Junkie XL, also known as Tom Holkenborg, Ryan Shore, Alan Silvestri, Lorne Balfe, Steven Price, Ludwig Göransson, John Powell, Daniel Pemberton, Andrew Lockington, Michael Giacchino, Thomas Newman, Danny Elfman, Joseph Bishara, Christophe Beck, Alexandre Desplat, Rupert Gregson-Williams, John Debney, Mychael Danna, Jeff Danna, Mark Mothersbaugh, James Horner, Max Richter, John Murphy, and Benjamin Wallfisch. Many of these composers have scored major Hollywood films, making WaterTower Music’s catalog one of the most prominent collections of contemporary film music.

WaterTower Music is responsible for the release of soundtracks for several significant film franchises. For example, the label released the soundtrack for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, composed by Nicholas Hooper, on July 14, 2009. Later, the label released scores for the Fantastic Beasts films, with James Newton Howard providing the music for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in 2016 and its sequels.

The label’s catalog also includes soundtracks from New Line Cinema productions such as Wedding Crashers, which had both a music compilation album and a score, and the musical Hairspray, which was released on July 10, 2007 and reached number 2 on the US album charts.

WaterTower Music has released the scores for Christopher Nolan’s films produced by Warner Bros., including The Dark Knight Rises (Hans Zimmer, July 17, 2012), Dunkirk (July 21, 2017), Interstellar (original soundtrack, November 17, 2014; expanded edition, November 13, 2020), and Tenet (Ludwig Göransson, September 3, 2020). Each of these albums accompanied high-profile releases and contributed to the critical and commercial success of the films.

The label distributes its albums in the United States through Warner Records, while international distribution is handled by Warner Music Group. In Japan, distribution is managed by Spotify. In March 2010, WaterTower Music switched its distribution from Warner Music Group’s Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA) to Fontana, which is Universal Music Group’s independent distributor. In 2019, the label’s distribution returned to ADA, reuniting Warner Music Group with its former parent company Warner Bros.

WaterTower Music holds the rights to soundtrack albums originally released on MGM Records, which became defunct in 1982. Time Warner acquired the rights to MGM’s pre-May 1986 film library in 1996, leading to WaterTower Music holding rights to many classic soundtracks from MGM’s archives. However, rights to the non-film related albums from MGM Records are controlled by Universal Music Group, which means WaterTower’s control is limited to soundtracks tied to motion pictures.

Among the label’s significant soundtrack releases are those for blockbuster franchises and major tentpole films. The Dark Knight Rises soundtrack helped cement Hans Zimmer’s reputation for dramatic, immersive film music. The Man of Steel soundtrack, also by Zimmer, was released on June 11, 2013. The Pacific Rim soundtrack, composed by Ramin Djawadi, came out on July 9, 2013.

The Lego Movie soundtrack, composed by Mark Mothersbaugh, was released on February 4, 2014 and reached number 37 on the US charts. The label also released the score for the sequel, The Lego Movie 2, with both the original soundtrack and the score by Mothersbaugh available in early 2019.

Steven Price composed the score for Suicide Squad, which was released by WaterTower Music on August 8, 2016. The film’s companion album, Suicide Squad: The Album, was released three days earlier, on August 5, 2016. These albums accompanied one of Warner Bros.’s most important DC Comics adaptations of the decade and contributed to the film’s branding.

WaterTower Music has also released scores from the Conjuring Universe films. Joseph Bishara composed the music for The Conjuring 2, which was released on June 3, 2016. Benjamin Wallfisch provided the score for Annabelle Creation, released on August 4, 2017. Wallfisch also scored It, which was made available September 8, 2017, and IT Chapter Two, released August 30, 2019.

The label’s catalog includes music from major television series. Ramin Djawadi’s score for Game of Thrones has been released season-by-season, with the Season 4 soundtrack released June 10, 2014 and the final season’s music arriving on April 28, 2019. Max Richter’s music for The Leftovers was released across three separate albums, the first on December 2, 2014, the second on February 19, 2016, and the third on June 2, 2017.

WaterTower Music has also partnered with HBO for soundtracks from hit series. Blake Neely’s work for the Arrowverse shows—Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl—has been released through the label. The Riverdale television series’ musical soundtracks and scores are available as WaterTower releases, including special episode albums like Riverdale: Special Episode – Heathers: The Musical, released March 21, 2019.

The label is responsible for the soundtrack to In the Heights, a musical film adaptation written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The soundtrack was released on June 10, 2021, coinciding with the film’s debut as a major summer release.

WaterTower Music has also released soundtracks for more recent Warner Bros. films, including the score for Barbie, released August 4, 2023. The soundtrack for Dune, composed by Hans Zimmer, was released on September 17, 2021, with a follow-up for Dune: Part Two released February 23, 2024.

In early 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav considered selling the company's music assets, including WaterTower Music, in an effort to cut costs. The company sought a sale price of around $2 billion, but the best offers came in at $1.2 to $1.3 billion. The main sticking point for buyers was the stipulation that Warner Bros. Discovery retain control over how certain valuable soundtracks would be used, lowering the value of the deal in the eyes of bidders. As a result, the sale was ultimately called off.

WaterTower Music’s releases are not limited to English-language or American productions. The label has distributed soundtracks for international series such as No Mundo da Luna, a Brazilian HBO Max series with a soundtrack by Xuxa Levy, released January 20, 2023, and ¡García!, a Spanish HBO Max series with music by Eugenio Mira, released January 27, 2023.

Throughout its existence, WaterTower Music has maintained a strong connection to animation and family entertainment. The label has issued soundtracks for shows like Steven Universe, with original television scores for each season released between May 29, 2020 and September 25, 2020, and for Adventure Time: Distant Lands, with the Obsidian soundtrack released December 4, 2020.

Among its animated film releases, WaterTower Music handled the soundtrack for Space Jam: A New Legacy, which was released on July 9, 2021. The film’s original score, by Kris Bowers, was released a week later on July 16, 2021.

The company’s reach includes releases from classic properties. The Wizard of Oz 75th Anniversary Soundtrack was released on April 15, 2014. The Doctor Zhivago Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, originally tied to the 1965 David Lean film, was reissued by WaterTower on August 3, 2014. The Blazing Saddles soundtrack received a 40th Anniversary Edition release on December 15, 2014.

WaterTower Music is also the home of the scores for the recent DC Extended Universe films, including Aquaman (Rupert Gregson-Williams, December 14, 2018), Shazam! (Benjamin Wallfisch, April 5, 2019), Joker (Hildur Guðnadóttir, October 2, 2019), Birds of Prey (Daniel Pemberton, February 14, 2020), and Wonder Woman 1984 (Hans Zimmer, December 16, 2020).

The label’s catalog features music from television miniseries and limited series, such as The White Lotus (Cristobal Tapia de Veer, July 11, 2021), Mare of Easttown (Lele Marchitelli, May 30, 2021), and Perry Mason (Terence Blanchard, June 22, 2020).

WaterTower Music has also partnered with Apple TV+ for soundtracks. Ted Lasso: Season 2 (Marcus Mumford and Tom Howe) was released September 17, 2021. Shrinking: Season 1, with music by Tom Howe, was released March 24, 2023.

The label is responsible for soundtracks for spin-offs and special event series, such as House of the Dragon: Season 1, composed by Ramin Djawadi and released October 23, 2022, and the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts special, with music from John Williams and the Synchron Stage Orchestra, released April 15, 2022.

In 2023, WaterTower Music released the soundtrack for Barbie, one of the year’s most high-profile Warner Bros. films, as well as soundtracks for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (Rupert Gregson-Williams, December 22, 2023) and Wonka (Neil Hannon and Joby Talbot, December 8, 2023).

The label’s television portfolio includes soundtracks from HBO original series like The Gilded Age (Harry and Rupert Gregson-Williams, November 26, 2023), True Detective: Night Country (Vince Pope, February 18, 2024), and The Regime (Alexandre Desplat and Alex Heffes, April 7, 2024).

WaterTower Music has also issued soundtracks connected to animated series like Animaniacs, with multiple season soundtracks released between October 30, 2020 and September 8, 2023, and Bugs Bunny Builders: Season 1, released January 6, 2023.

The label released the soundtrack for Dune: Part Two, composed by Hans Zimmer, on February 23, 2024. This album continued WaterTower’s long-standing relationship with Zimmer and Warner Bros. on epic science fiction and fantasy releases.

WaterTower Music’s catalog includes hundreds of scores and soundtracks from Warner Bros. and associated studios, making it one of the most prolific soundtrack labels in Hollywood history.