# @billboard on YouTube

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://youtube.com/watch?v=aNtiEg-1hRE
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/70526452-billboard-youtube
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/76b68e5add.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-09-10T12:00:06.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Billboard (@billboard) — https://gondola.cc/billboard

## Caption

'Dancing With the Stars' music director Ray Chew breaks down how 'DWTS' pulls off live music every week—“unbaking the cake” on arrangements, managing rehearsals, and executing under the pressure of live TV where “there is no do-it-again.” Ray also shares how he got his start (including 'Saturday Night Live' and Showtime at the Apollo), what goes into the 'Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade' broadcast (including “rainy day vocals”), and what he learned from working with legends like Quincy Jones and Alicia Keys.

00:00:00 Ray Chew intro  
00:02:15 What a music director does  
00:05:10 Inside DWTS week: “unbake the cake”  
00:09:35 Contestants + learning ballroom fast  
00:13:05 DWTS evolution + show-day schedule  
00:17:33 Live music on TV: “unicorn” + shoutouts  
00:22:12 Macy’s Parade: cues, pre-records, failures  
00:26:10 No do-overs: contingency plans + pressure  
00:29:42 Music clearance: licensing realities  
00:33:46 Early career: first call + jingles  
00:37:14 Alicia Keys, Quincy Jones + lessons  
00:47:02 Longevity, mentoring + social media shift  
00:51:44 Big-event mindset: Super Bowl + leadership  
00:55:14 Games: Spin the Record + What Would You Cue?  
01:02:01 Wrap-up + outro

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About: Billboard is the world's most influential music media brand, with an unmatched authority among artists, fans and the industry. Billboard powers the ultimate global music destination and magazine, featuring unrivaled reporting on music news, issues and trends, the industry’s definitive charts, encompassing the most complete and well respected database of charts across all music genres, and elite conferences and events which regularly convene the industry and consumers around important conversations. 

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#RayChew #DancingWithTheStars #SaturdayNightLive #MacysThanksgivingParade #OnTheRecord 

Ray Chew on Music Directing Live TV: DWTS, SNL & Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade | On the Record 

Billboard
https://youtube.com/billboard

## Stats

- **Views:** 2,529
- **Likes:** 23
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 2

## Tags

saturdaynightlive, raychew, macysthanksgivingparade, dancingwiththestars, ontherecord

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