Video content for websites is becoming increasingly popular, more and more SME’s are utilising video as a communications tool on their site. Whether companies choose to produce video themselves or have it produced professionally, a time will come when you need to select a music backing track to accompany your film.
Selection of audio is a question that we’re faced with a lot, so I thought I’d put together a post outlining some of the options that are available. It’s surprising that some people don’t realise that they can’t simply select a music track from one of their favourite artists to accompany the video on their website. Breaching an artists copyrighted work is a potentially serious offence which could result in legal action being taken if you use an artists work for commercial purposes without proper permissions.
A music soundtrack can be hugely important in creating mood and atmosphere in a video, a well chosen track can really help to add to the story of your brand and it’s selection is something that should be taken seriously. Here’s a breakdown of some of the options that are open to you when choosing your source of music to help choose the option that’s best for you:
Bespoke Music / Sound Design
Often seen as one of the most costly options, but arguably one of the most effective is having a custom track designed to fit your video. If sound effects are to be used to sell the features or benefits of your product or service then it may well be worth considering. Most production companies will have partner bespoke sound design companies that can talk you through the process. Depending on the project the costs can vary hugely from a matter of a few hundred pounds to many thousands, but it needn’t be inhibitively expensive to pursue this option. Many less well known musical artists are open to considering commissions, or may be open to reversioning their existing works for your brand.
Copyright Permissions for Existing Music
This process can vary wildly depending on the copyright permissions attached to the particular track that you are looking to use. The process will inevitably require approaching the artist, or their representative for permission directly, as well as either a one-off fee, or ongoing fees throughout the course of the campaign. Most artists will expect to be rewarded royally for having their name associated with your brand and you should anticipate having to pay thousands of pounds to secure the works of a commercially successful musician.
Library / Stock Music
Frequently the most cost effective solution is library music. There are lots of music libraries available offering a huge selection of different genres and styles of music, designed with exactly this purpose in mind. Licensing is straightforward, and often gives you the option to use several different tracks in one production to help divide the video into segments. Some people have negative perceptions of library music but the industry has come on leaps and bounds and the choice of music available has increased massively. Most good production companies will talk you through the look and feel of your video, put forward a number of different options for you to listen to, and let you make a selection.
Royalty Free Music
There are lots of royalty free music sites available online offering a range of styles of music at no cost. The choice and selection is certainly much more limited than library music but if you’re working on a low budget production then it may be an option worth considering. If you have a royalty free track in mind that you’d like to use then it makes the process much simpler, if you’re looking to select a track then it might be worth bearing in mind the time involved in searching for something appropriate, and making sure you don’t select something which could be detrimental to your brand, for example if you’re a luxury games room equipment supplier looking to portray a sense of exclusivity this may not be the best option to consider. We’ve never used royalty free music on any of our productions because music plays such an integral part in establishing the mood of a video and its choice can make or break a piece of content, this could be worth considering if you absolutely need to keep costs down.