Nick Phoenix and Thomas Bergersen of Two Steps From Hell, a duo of composers who write music especially for movie trailers, had no idea when they formed in 2006 that their music would someday gain a large and devoted enough following to create demand for a live performance. Their music was for advertising, and albums were available only to music supervisors within the entertainment industry, not for purchase among the public. But that has changed, and now Two Steps have gained enough public attention to perform their epic music live. Walt Disney Concert Hall, a Downtown Los Angeles venue, hosted the trailer music company’s first concert on Friday night.

While it was once frowned upon to release music to the public that was originally meant to be exclusive to trailer editors, Two Steps is now one of multiple trailer music libraries that have made their music available on sites like iTunes. In 2009, the third trailer for J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek put Two Steps From Hell on the map when it featured their majestic yet ethereal track “Freedom Fighters.” While most of the duo’s profits still come from licensing their tracks for use in advertising for films, TV, and video games, they now also have a lucrative business selling their music to the public.

“We were so focused on providing music for business that when we suddenly realized that the public was also interested, it was flattering and surprising,” recalled Russell Emanuel, CEO of Extreme Music, which distributes Two Steps From Hell’s music. “That said, with the quality of [Two Steps'] competition, in hindsight it seems that this is something that was inevitable.” READ FULL STORY »