Video is a great way to improve your company’s visibility and tell your story. But a good video is only half the story. Audio is a very important aspect of video production process and not only the spoken audio. Queue the background music. You know what we’re talking about, the upbeat tune in the background of a catchy commercial or that inspirational melody during the best part of the movie.

It is often an after thought but should be discussed in the pre-production process. Questions to be asking yourself is who is the audience? What do you want the audience to feel? Is using music expensive? What can music do for the video? Can you use any music? We will cover all of these questions to shed some light on this not often discussed topic.

Making content in today’s work needs to be thoughtful. Visuals chosen for a law firm are going to be very different from visuals for a boutique donut shop. So your music has to be thought about in that way too. Music must accompany the video but not distract. Also thinking about music early in the process lets you factor it into your budget as well. 

Simple background music is good for informationally dense content because music with driving tempos and lots of changes distract the viewer from the more important information. Music for more intentional and emotional pieces can drive the pace, impact the transitions, and evoke a feeling from the viewer. Music has as much power as the visuals when thought of in a meaningful way. 

“As long as we credit the artist, we can use it.”

“We are a non-profit organization we can use this song.”

“The artist won’t notice a little bit of their song.”

The statements above we have heard and are all false. Any licensed song you want to use you need to secure the permission from the artist or purchase a license to use that specific song. The artist can litigate and seek compensation from you for unlawfully using their property. You can use licensed music after you have gotten the artist’s permission but popular licensed music can be pricey. 

The kind of music to use and where you get it from is an important part of the decision process too. Equally as important is the cost of said music. Stock music has become more and more accessible for content creators. At Pathfinder, we use a combination of sources depending on the need of the content we are creating. The sites we get much of our music from is Adobe Stock and Pond 5. There is a vast amount of many kinds of music on both of these platforms with affordable prices. The search tools are great as well because you can look for songs by mood, genre, and tempo. We also work with composers for those projects that need something a little more specific and also is something the client can call their own. 

Contact us anytime for more information about music or any production questions you may have. We look forward to helping you on your journey at Pathfinder!