Music streaming apps like Spotify and Pandora should allow you to play music anywhere for any reason, right? Unfortunately, it’s a bit more complicated than that, especially if you’re playing music for a business or brand. So, before you begin streaming your favorite Spotify station at your new business location for your patrons, you need to read this.
What Is a Song License?
A song license—also known as a music license—is the permission an artist gives a business to use their songs at their location or within their brand. For artists to permit their music to be played, they must have the work copyrighted. A copyright is the artist’s exclusive rights to their work.
A copyright protects the artist’s work and allows the artist to choose if they want to allow someone to use their music. An artist gives a business or brand permission to use their work through a song license. If a business or brand fails to obtain a song license and uses an artist’s song, the business or brand is subject to copyright infringement.
What Is Copyright Infringement?
Copyright infringement is when you—a business or brand owner—use a copyrighted song in a commercial setting that you did not pay for through obtaining a song or music license.
Copyright infringement is often discovered through video recordings of a business and posted on social media sites. You may be able to hear music being played in the background of the location of the video, triggering a copyright infringement claim.
The penalty for copyright infringements can vary. In the best-case scenario, the video with the copyrighted music playing in the background will be removed from the social media website. The worst-case scenario—what we’re trying to avoid having to happen to you—is that you are hit with hefty copyright infringement fines or taken to court.
What Type of Song License Do I Need?
A song license will be classified as performance or non-performance. A performance music license grants a business or brand permission to use the song for commercial gain. An example would be a dance studio using a song to choreograph a performance. The song is used solely to perform in a commercial setting for a business or brand.
A non-performance music license permits a business to play songs as background noise. No performances are being done while the music is playing. An example would be a doctor’s office waiting room that plays music to entertain patients and break up the silence as they wait.
Think about what type of business or brand you have and ask yourself if you need the music so that customers can perform to the song, or does the music simply need to act as background noise to break up the silence? This will help you determine if you need a performance or a non-performance music license.
Which Song License Should I Choose?
The good news is that you can choose a song license from all the PROs we listed above! This gives you the certainty that you will not be committing copyright infringement.
All you need to do is contact the PRO and request to obtain a license. There is often a step-by-step process on their website to walk you through the process of obtaining the right music license for your business. You will need to pay the annual fee to comply with the license so that you can play the songs without copyright infringement.
When Should I Obtain a Music License for My Business?
We recommend obtaining a music license at the same time you obtain your business license to stay on the same renewal schedule. A business and music license will need to be renewed each year.
If you have already gotten a business license, you should get a music license as soon as possible so that you can begin playing music in your business without copyright infringement.
The cost of a music license may also vary depending on your business type. A larger business with more space or performers may have to pay more money for a music license than a smaller space that does not use performers.
Royalty-Free Music and Live Performers
Songs composed in 1926 or earlier are considered public domain and have no copyright protection. You do not need a music license to play public domain songs in your business or as part of your brand. You can also use live performers at your business. This allows your business to play music without obtaining a music license while promoting a local artist.
Final Thoughts
You will need a song license for your business or brand if you plan on playing music for commercial purposes. If you plan to use music for both performance and non-performance purposes.
The music license permits you to play music in your business and protects you from committing copyright infringement. The music license will need to be renewed each year so that you remain in compliance. If you fail to renew your music license, you lose permission to use the music in your business.
What makes a good podcast is a combination of commentary and audio clips. You will need to obtain a song license to play music and audio clips in a podcast. There are different types of song licenses you can choose for different purposes in your podcast. These include sync licenses, fair uses licenses, and live music publishing licenses. Let’s take a look at each of these licenses, including which one you should choose and why.
What Is a Sync License?
The first type of song license for a podcast is a sync license. A sync license gives a TV show, movie, or commercial permission to use the song in a publication to “sync” the music to the visuals depicted on the screen. For a podcast, a sync license is required because the music is synced with a larger audio file.
A sync license is solely designed to give the publisher permission to use the song in a commercial, TV show, movie, or podcast. However, just because you apply for a sync license for your podcast doesn’t mean you can obtain one. The owner of the song can choose to deny your request if they don’t agree with your podcast’s message.
A sync license differs from a music license in that the rightsholder can ask for as much money as they want for the music or song to be used in the podcast. Another downside of having to obtain a sync license for a podcast is that you must obtain a license from all of the rightsholders of the song’s publishing and recording to get the license to use the song.
The record label is typically the entity that owns the master recording, while the artist, songwriter, or publishing company owns the song’s composition. This can end up being a difficult and costly process.
What Is Fair Use?
Fair use allows a podcast to use a small portion of a licensed song without obtaining a song license. There are specific conditions that a podcast must meet in order to use fair use.
First, a podcast must not parody or comment on the song clip being used in the podcast. The song also must not be transformed in any way from its originality. The only time a podcast can comment on the song clip is if the podcast critically explains the song and what makes up the song. This is when the song can be commented on and used under the conditions of fair use.
Fair use justification can be a slippery slope that can find you in a legal battle that you may be unprepared to fight. If in doubt, you should try to obtain a sync license to ensure you are covered.
What About Live Music Publishing?
Live music may sound like the best way to avoid all of the fees that come from obtaining a song license for your podcast, but there are still licenses that accompany using live music in your podcast. Like a sync license, you will need to contact all of the rightsholders of the song to get the license to use the song in the podcast—even if it is a live piece.
If the artist on your podcast has a record label, you will need to obtain a license from the record label to use the song in your podcast. If the artist is up and coming and does not have a record label and is their own publisher, you will need to obtain a license from the artist.
Make sure you get a license from all parties involved in the song—including the songwriters, publishers, and record labels—to ensure you are covered to play the song on your podcast.
Final Thoughts
Adding music to your podcast is a great way to take your podcast to the next level, but it’s important that you do it the right way so that you don’t find yourself in a legal battle that you can’t afford. If you plan on using songs to sync with the story your podcast is telling, you will need a sync license. Otherwise, you may be able to use small audio clips under fair use justification.
How many brands do you recognize simply from a tune or melody that is played? When you think about it, there are probably a lot more than you realize. That’s why sonic branding is so important. It helps customers recognize your brand by just hearing your brand’s jingle, melody, mnemonic, or tune.
What is Sonic Branding?
Sonic branding refers to the sounds and music that a brand uses to make itself identifiable to customers when it’s heard. To put it simply, sonic branding is brand recognition through music and sound.
Sonic branding can occur in a variety of different ways. It can be through hold music, a notification tone, or a sound effect that the brand uses at different times. Instead of a musical tone or melody, sonic branding can be a unique sound effect, like a swoosh or bubble popping.
Sonic branding is heard in different brands and companies, including McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Microsoft, and Apple, among others. Some may be as simple as ringing a bell in a Taco Bell commercial to a dynamic melody like the Apple iPhone ringtone.
For sonic branding to be successful, it needs customers to recognize the brand by the sound heard. Sonic branding is a marketing strategy companies use to make their brand recognizable to a target audience.
What Makes Sonic Branding Successful?
Sonic branding works by using sound to invoke an emotional response within a customer when they hear the sound, proving the point that audio branding is just as important as visual branding. Many movies have a recognizable sonic signature that helps make the movie identifiable and helps the audience know how to feel.
Emotional Triggers and Responses
Sounds can trigger emotions, often more strongly than visuals can. Pay attention to the sounds next time you watch a movie, television show, or advertisement. While the visual branding will help the audience recognize a logo and scene, sonic branding will incite emotional triggers and responses to help the audience know how to feel.
Another way that sonic identity or sound branding triggers emotional responses is through nostalgia. Often, through a brand’s sound effect or jingle, customers feel emotionally connected to a brand, only to be reminded of that emotional connection when they first hear the sonic brand after years have gone by.
One of the most iconic three words from the 1990s was, “You’ve Got Mail!” This creates an instant nostalgia for those who lived during the days of AOL and its ever-popular email platform that verbally told its users if they had mail when they logged on.
Marketing Brand Strategy
You can use sonic branding to help market your brand. Sound design is a powerful marketing tool that will help you connect your brand to your customers. Many companies and brands use sonic branding for marketing their product or service and brand association. This can be through songs and music, such as a playlist or distinctive sound to market their product, service, or movie. This helps brands create deep relationships and connections with their customers, making them more successful.
Companies also use sound effects and audio identity to enhance the product they’re selling to make the product more appealing and marketable. Combine sound effects with a catchy tune, and companies have figured out how to turn sonic branding into a money-making concept.
How to Use Sonic Branding to Make Your Brand Stand Out
The brand experience is more than just the visual identity of the brand. While a logo will help customers be able to visually identify your brand, sounds can do the same thing. A sound logo can be accomplished through musical instruments, songs, or sound effects. You know that sonic branding has done its job when a customer can identify your brand when they hear a song or sound effect and will be able to instantly associate it with your brand.
You can reach a customer’s emotions and memory quicker by using sonic branding to boost brand awareness. Think of advertising your brand using nothing but visuals. This means no music, no songs, no sound effects, and no branded sound that plays when your visual logo is conveyed at the end.
What will make your brand memorable to the audience who has just watched it? What’s more, how will your audience feel while watching the advertisement? Did they know how to feel solely through the visuals that were provided?
Through music and sound effects, sounds will help tell a multidimensional story and help your audience reach the emotional place your brand needs it to reach. This is how sonic branding makes your brand stand out from the competition and how you need to use sonic branding to be successful.
At a minimum, you should use sonic branding to help brand your company’s identity so that a customer knows your business simply from a melody, tune, or song they hear.
Final Thoughts
If you haven’t considered creating a brand identity by using music and sound, now is the time. In the marketing world, sonic branding can be even more successful than visual branding, especially if it’s done correctly. Musical tunes, melodies, jingles, and sound effects are all great ways to bring your brand to life so that customers remember your brand instead of the competition. A successful sonic brand will not only help customers know how to feel about your brand but can also help customers remember your brand for years to come.
Although the internet has vastly widened the advertising landscape, many big brands still rely heavily on broadcast TV commercials. The majority of TV shows feature highly competitive music spots. As such, it can be challenging to get your music on such commercials. Below is a look at the process involved in selecting a song for a commercial and tips to increase your chances of your music track being selected.
The Journey of a Song in Advertising
The TV and film industries are laden with gatekeepers who determine which type of music and whose music to use in commercials, feature films, and other types of productions. The music selection process is also similar for the video game and trailer industries.
In any project, the music supervisor or creative director is often tasked with finding suitable music. It could be sound effects, custom music, popular songs from different genres such as hip hop, pop music, country, etc., or instrumental versions of the songs. Seeing as music is core to the project, the choice has to be perfect, otherwise, the entire project may fall flat.
At any point, the music supervisors are presented with hundreds of options to choose from, including music samples from an independent musician pool, agencies, music publishers, a music licensing company, and labels, among others. They may also receive suggestions from senior members of the production or editing team.
They spend a lot of time listening to the various options presented to them. They may also work with third-party music licensors to help them narrow down their search to a few options to ensure quality control.
The few remaining options are scrutinized by various members of the team to establish the final pick. It is tested and incorporated into the project accordingly. The music supervisor also has to vet the selections to make sure they would be able to clear the budget and terms the brand or client would need, so it is a multilayered process.
Tips for Increasing Your Chances of Getting Your Music on a Commercial
Gaining music spots on commercials is a highly competitive undertaking and understandably so. The exact payment to the singer-songwriter or publisher varies depending on various factors, but on average it ranges between five to six figures plus backend royalties for every spot that the commercial plays.
Getting your music on a commercial is not only a boost to your income but also sets you up for success in your music career and can give your music massive exposure. A good tip is to partner with a 3rd party licensing company that already has numerous connections to help represent and pitch your material. Below are six tips to help you get your music on a commercial:
1. Produce High-Quality Music
This may seem obvious, but you need to pay attention to the quality of your music. Remember what you may deem quality, may not be considered of high quality by creative directors and music supervisors.
It is important that you invest in professional-level composing, mastering, and mixing to ensure that you are creating music that is on par with commercial production standards. This way, if your music gets discovered or short-listed, you have a better chance of getting to the final selection stages.
Also, your instrumental version of the given song or track should be of high quality. While some projects require an actual song, others require the instrumental. Therefore, if you qualify for sync licensing, the instruments should be able to carry the scene.
Ultimately, the song should have dynamic productions. It should enable the creative director and editor to make cuts without compromising the quality of the music. The instrumentals should provide an elaborate soundscape that builds, drops, and picks up momentum as need be. Of course the creative needs of any given commercial will vary.
2. Determine If Your Song is Good for a Particular Project
Before you submit your music to a creative director or music supervisor, you must understand the type of project you are pitching for. Is it a TV commercial, film, or ad? What vibe are they looking for? Are there specifics on the production dynamics or lyrics? If you partner with a licensing company to represent your music, they can usually help steer you.
You should do thorough research before you send in your music, otherwise, you will be spinning your wheels. If you get a heads up about the project in good time, you can create new music specifically for that project and customize it to suit the requirements.
Platforms such as ispot.tv and tunefind are great places to start your research. They have a catalog of various commercials for different brands. You can also search for ad playlists on YouTube. Take some time to study the commercials and the type of music used for the different brands. As for TV shows, check the music used on each episode, season by season.
3. Network Extensively
Like in most industries, your network plays a huge role in your ability to access opportunities. It is important that you continuously make connections with various industry players. Network with music supervisors and creative directors as well as other stakeholders.
The wider your network, the higher the chances of being referred or headhunted for a commercial. It also gives you access to the key decision-makers enabling you to bypass gatekeepers for you to pitch your music for a commercial, TV show, or film.
4. License Your Music
Another strategy to get in front of the right people is to partner with an established licensing company as they come with a built-in network of clients. Score a Score is one of the top music dealers for TV commercials
5. Build a Strong Digital Presence
Aside from the quality of your music and its compatibility with a given project, the size of your existing audience can determine whether your music is selected for a commercial.
Some music supervisors are keen to work with a musician who already has a large following, as it enables them to tap into it for their project. Besides, marketers, scouts, and other music industry leaders search various online platforms to identify musicians to work with. You can build your audience in a variety of ways, including;
Music streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Pandora
Social media outlets like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and YouTube
Creating a website with your profile and music samples
6. Create an Elaborate Press Kit for Your Music
Sending a prospective client a link to your music on YouTube, Spotify, or SoundCloud may not be enough to make a good first impression. Packaging yourself with a press kit will help you stand out and come across as professional and serious about your work. It also provides the client with all the essential information they should know about you preventing unnecessary back and forth.
The press kit should contain information about your music license history, style of music, music samples, biography, relevant promotional photos, and contact details. It should also have links to your social media pages and music library on streaming sites.
If you have press clips, such as media interviews, live performances, or videos of engagement with fans, provide relevant links. They help to establish your legitimacy. You can host your press kit on your website or a resume/portfolio website.
That’s a Wrap!
There is no doubt that earning music spots in commercials is highly competitive. You need to produce high-quality music that will be compatible with target brands or films. Take measures to get in front of the decision-makers either through networking, license partners, and/or having a strong social media presence. Finally, ensure you have a press kit ready to submit when pitching.
Like most people, you have that one jingle that has become your earworm. It gets stuck in your head and keeps playing, or, as soon as you hear it you can’t help but sing along. Although ad jingles have become less popular more recently, they are still effective. Below is a look at eight reasons why jingle marketing is a powerful tool for advertising.
8 Reasons Why Jingles are Powerful in Advertising
1. A Jingle Can Become a Major Brand Element
Some brands have become synonymous with their jingles. As soon as the jingle begins to play, the audience thinks of the brand. Or, when they hear of the brand they think about the jingle. Some of the most famous jingles are for McDonald’s, Band-Aid, Kit Kat, State Farm, and Toys R Us. As soon as the catchy tunes start playing, listeners immediately recognize the brand.
One of the main goals of branding is to improve brand recognition. Jingles do an excellent job of creating awareness and improving brand identity. You can also use them to improve the recognition of your other brand elements. For example, when used on TV commercials, ensure that the video content features your name, colors, phone number, and logo. You can also incorporate your brand’s slogans and taglines in the jingle. When customers see your other brand elements in various marketing and advertising materials, they can easily recognize your brand.
2. They Promote Word of Mouth Marketing
Jingles are like a good song. As soon as you hear it, you want to tell your friends and family about it. The song may even come up in random conversations. Similarly, you may find yourself humming or singing the jingle around other people.
3. They are Memorable
Jingles are lighthearted and warm. They create an immediate connection with the listeners. They are fun and easy to listen to with rhymes in the lyrics and pitch patterns that enable them to be encoded in the brain easily. As a result, they become embedded in your subconscious. It’s no wonder they keep popping up in mind when least expected. This also explains why people can remember a jingle that they heard more than half a century ago.
4. They Enhance Brand Recall
Since jingles are memorable, they make it easy for customers to remember your business. A good jingle should define clearly what your business offers. Therefore, when they are ready to buy, your brand is top of mind. Ultimately, memorable jingles improve customer acquisition and enhance customer loyalty.
5. They are Attention-Grabbing
In a world of information overload, marketers have to work harder to grab the attention of potential customers. Jingles are one of the most effective marketing tools to accomplish this goal. They are more effective, particularly in this era of information and sensory overload. As long as a jingle is well-written and produced, it is bound to catch your target audience’s attention. It can produce intense emotional and mental stimuli in the listeners.
6. They Can be Used on Different Media
The advertising landscape has changed greatly since the birth of the internet. Earlier on in the digital era, radio and TV were the main media for electronic advertising. Many people relied on TV and radio to get access to information and advertisers were keen to leverage captive audiences on both media to increase brand awareness and drive sales.
Media consumption patterns have since changed. Fewer people now rely on radio and TV as their primary sources of information. More people rely on various platforms on the internet to get information. Also, there is a significant increase in on-demand media consumption.
According to a Quality Logo survey, 63.1% of people watch jingles on TV. Radio jingles come third on the list, with streaming platforms such as YouTube and Hulu being the second most popular media for jingles. People also watch jingles as pop-up ads on websites and browsers, music streaming platforms such as Spotify and Pandora, gaming apps, as well as in-app ads.
One of the top benefits of jingle marketing is that it can be used across the board on various electronic media. They are still effective on radio and TV but they can also be used across various social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
Besides, social media offers the potential for virality. If your jingle is interesting enough, it can be shared and viewed up to millions of times, which broadens your brand reach and awareness. When this happens, it increases your ROI exponentially. For instance, Nationwide has produced several jingles over the years. Their collaboration with Brad Paisley in 2019, is one of their most popular jingles across all media. It has over 9.2 million views on YouTube.
7. They Help Your Brand Stand Apart from the Competition
As is the case in most industries, your brand is most likely one among many others. As such, customers have numerous options to choose from when buying. If a customer is not aware of your business, they cannot buy from you. In the cases when they are aware of your business, they have to have a good first impression to consider your brand when making a purchase.
Jingle marketing can help you stand out among your competitors. Jingles can be used to present your brand personality as likable, interesting, and relatable. They are a unique way to differentiate yourself from your competitors.
8. They are Cost-Effective
Although Fortune 500 companies often splurge on jingle marketing, you don’t have to spend all your company’s revenue on making a jingle for it to be successful. The key is to hire a professional composer who can also help write and sing lyrics (or works alongside someone who does) and your marketing team to come up with jingles that suit your advertising goals. An advertising jingle can constitute catchy tunes such as popular songs or custom tunes. Jingles are cost-effective in that you can use them on a variety of media for a long time. If need be, simple updates can refresh your jingle and continue to wow potential customers.
That’s a Wrap!
Jingle marketing has stood the test of time. Although the pattern of media consumption has changed over the years, they are still effective advertising and marketing tools. Jingles are catchy and memorable. They can be used to achieve various marketing goals including building awareness, driving brand recognition and recall, and increasing sales. They can be used on both traditional electronic media and various online platforms.
The main key to success in jingle marketing is to work with a professional to produce a jingle that scores high. Adhere to the principles of repetition, consistency, and frequency to optimize advertising efficiency.
