5 Essentials to Consider When Choosing
the Music for Your Company Video
It is easy to take the music behind a commercial, television show, movie or video for granted. The soundtrack is playing along behind the dialogue and changing scenery. As long as the music supports the message and the mood, you may never become consciously aware a soundtrack is present. But what happens when the music conflicts with the images or the actor’s words? When a soundtrack is a poor fit, the effect can be jarring for a viewer. This is why it is important to carefully consider the music and how it will support the mission, vision and message your company video intends to promote.
A Word About Choosing Your Own Music
With the number of aspiring vocalists and musicians in this country today, practically everyone knows someone “in the music business.” However, this doesn’t mean that someone — or their aspiring friend or family member — is qualified to record or choose the soundtrack for your corporate video. Music is called a “universal language” because it transcends words. Imagine for a moment you are watching a video from your own company, but the language is unfamiliar to you. In this case, all you would have left is the music to speak to you.
The Five Essentials of Choosing a Soundtrack
Three of the five essentials of choosing the best musical “fit” for your company video relate to how human beings process sound: genre, tempo and emotion. Two of the essentials relate to the business of selecting a piece of music for use in a professional video: copyright and source (independent versus professional).
Genre, Tempo and Emotion
Genre, tempo and emotion influence how your target audience will relate and react to your company video — or not. Choosing the perfect musical fit is like creating an “ideal customer” profile against which to measure your sales and marketing efforts. Genre relates to whether the music sounds more like rock ‘n’ roll, country western, pop, punk rock, classical or another category. Tempo relates to speed, pure and simple. Some musical pieces are played at a fast pace while others are soft and flow. Emotion relates to how a listener feels while listening — energized, nostalgic, joyful and melancholy are common emotional responses while listening to music.
Copyright and Source
The other critical component to selecting the music for your company video boils down to how easy it is to gain rights to use the music and how expensive it will be. Using an independent songwriter’s musical score will cost less than a clip from Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
With these five essential tips as resources, you will have the confidence and information to choose the ideal musical piece to support your next company video. If you want some further guidance, contact the professionals at Aurora Coast today.
