Lolol, I'm willing to bet that our chum the dronemeister narcissist doesn't waste a second of his valuable time listening to stuff by unknown hopefuls.
I agree, but I'm sure he hears a lot of current film scores and those are pretty much Hollywood Orkestrated. Just last night I saw the 2016 remake of The Magnificent Seven. They saved Bernstein's theme for the end credits. So, the credits were rolling as a new recording of the original theme was played, at the end of which the new, step-sequenced score took over. The juxtaposition/comparison was so jarring that I'd hate to have been this recent film's composer, despite what must have been a financially lucrative contract.
I mention this as an initial comment to your story about Sony's London offices and their garbage bins for CDs. I remember an interview with a studio executive in charge of music in Hollywood (I do not remember which studios). His desk was stockpiled with demo CDs, end-to-end, about 30 to a pile. He pointed at them saying they represented merely that particular day's deliveries (he had received just as many previously and was expecting the same the following day). How was he expected to examine them all? Answer he gave: He couldn't and he wouldn't. The vast majority would be thrown away. There was no return policy and no allocated space for the CDs in the studios' premises.
As far as grabbing producers' and directors' attention within the first few seconds, I must say that I have no idea what is expected these days. My favourite weighty, powerful, arresting opening of all times is that of Brahms' Symphony N.1. I would say Beethoven's 5th and Sibelius' 4th are not far behind, followed by Petrushka, Carmina Burana, Keqrops, Ein Heldenleben, and many others in no particular order of course and, if amplitude is not a factor, who can ignore the haunting openings of Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto, Music for Strings Percussion and Celeste, Ligeti's Requiem, etc., etc. Would these openings impress the average filmmaker these days? I wish...
And if I have my take on film scores for those arresting first few seconds, would Citizen Kane, North by Northwest, or Vertigo cut it today? I very much doubt it. Maybe Star Wars - A New Hope or Star Trek - The Motion Picture. Maybe... I think they are by now conditioned to only tune in to Trailer (park) / Epic patches and layers.
I know! The next big thing for sample library companies will be 'Openings' (pity 'Big Bang' is already taken...): "In these times of the Clone Wars, you have to impress the filmmakers instantly if you're going to have any chance of securing a contract. 'Openings' is a brand new library, and a fast and sure way of grabbing a director's elusive ear. We have created tons of inspiration patches, lasting anywhere between 4-10 seconds, that will suit all kinds and styles of contemporary cinema. Just select from the Menu - Action, Adventure, Horror, Suspense, Thriller, etc., and the appropriate directory of our headphone-tearing, mind-numbing WAVs will allow you (and countless others) to select the perfect musical introduction that will compel any filmmaker to hear the complete track. Stay tuned, in the next few months we'll be releasing 'Middles' and 'Endings', to complement this release and the complete sham that is commercial film-music composition today.