Once movie and music began to develop, they decided to join in order to offer the best entertainment for audiences. This all dated back since the 1900's where the silent movie soundtrack mostly consisted of a piano. But, 15 years later scores were beginning to be used and in the 50's movie musicals were created ('Singing in the Rain' by Gene Kelly).
But, the highest peak for movie musicals was in the 60's as soundtrack sales flourished. For instance, music in movies which were especially popular are Westside Story and Yellow Submarine.
Examples of some films which became a major success because of its involvement with music is 'Easy Rider' starring Dennis Hooper, Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson- the soundtrack was a collection of rock songs which had a huge influence on the genre. As well as big orchestral music such as 'Jaws' and 'Indiana Jones: Raiders of the lost ark'.
From the examples above, it shows that the combination of the two can be a powerful tool for music promotion. It not only increases the artists platform, but widens their audience which can then lead to more sales and a raise in their profile. Nowadays, an example of how an artist became successful through this is Adele. She was apart of the Skyfall soundtrack which clearly boosted her career and allowed her to reach out to a larger audience which was made up of different age ranges and nationalities. The theme song reached number 1 in several countries and received an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Brit and an Oscar!
Other examples where artists have gained popularity and expanded their audience through movie music is 'I See You' by Leona Lewis (Avatar), 'Safe and Sound' by Taylor Swift (The Hunger Games) and 'Decode' by Paramore (Twilight).
