Choosing the right music for YouTube videos & ads isn’t just an afterthought—it’s a key ingredient in the recipe for success on the platform. Think of music as the seasoning: it can elevate your content to new heights or make it completely unpalatable. Our team at SAS always has a blast selecting music for advertisements. Of course, that includes videos and ads on YouTube. With some of our latest placements like the Hyundai Genesis GV60 “Have Fun, Recharge, Repeat” campaign, we felt inspired to break down our process of picking the perfect music for YouTube videos & ads.
How to Choose Music for YouTube Videos & Ads
Understand Your Target Audience for Effective Music Selection
Before you can fully grasp how to choose music for YouTube videos & ads, you first need to identify your target audience. Their age, culture, and community can influence their musical preferences. Knowing this information can guide you in how to choose music for YouTube ads that will strike a chord with your intended viewers.
Defining the Objective and Tone: A Key Step in How to Choose Music for YouTube Ads
A fundamental aspect of how to choose music for YouTube ads is defining the objective and tone. Are you trying to introduce a new product, or maybe elevate brand awareness? The type of music you select should align with these objectives and enhance the overall tone of your message.
Royalty-Free Vs. Licensed Music
As you navigate how to choose music for YouTube videos & ads, you’ll encounter two primary options: royalty-free music and licensed music.
Royalty-Free: This is a budget-friendly option that allows you to use the music multiple times without recurring fees. However, these tracks are often generic and may be used by others.
Licensed Music: If you want exclusivity and greater impact, licensed music is the way to go. While it’s often more expensive, it will make your ad stand out. To see what we have available, check out our catalog!
Consider the Format, Duration, and Timing: Another Big Factor for YouTube Ads
YouTube ads can range from 6-second bumper ads to 60-second narratives. Understanding how to choose music for YouTube ads means considering the length and pacing of your chosen track so that it fits seamlessly with your ad’s duration. YouTube offers different formats such as skippable and non-skippable ads, each with its own time constraints. Make sure the music complements the length and format of your ad.
Skippable Ads: You have a very short time to grab the viewer’s attention. Opt for music that starts strong and makes an immediate impact.
Non-Skippable Ads: You have a bit more time to tell a story. Choose a track that evolves, keeping the viewer engaged for the entire duration of the ad.
Matching Music with Visuals: An Art in How to Choose Music for YouTube Videos & Ads
When considering how to choose music for YouTube videos, always remember to harmonize the audio with the visuals. As the video or ad progresses, the music should evolve in tandem with the visual elements, offering a cohesive and engaging viewer experience.
A/B Testing: Refining How to Choose Music for YouTube Ads
You’ve shortlisted a few tracks and you’re wondering how to choose music for YouTube ads from among them. The next logical step is A/B testing. This allows you to compare multiple options and see which music leads to better engagement and conversion rates.
Professional Consultation: How to Choose Music for YouTube Videos with Expert Help
Expertise matters! If you’re still unsure about how to choose music for YouTube videos or ads, consider using our music supervision services to take the guesswork out of the equation. With the help of our music supervisors, we can tailor the music to the nuances of your brand and the ad’s specific needs.
That’s a Wrap!
So there you have it, a thorough explanation of how to choose music for YouTube videos & ads. Armed with this knowledge, you’re well on your way to creating ads that not only look good but sound amazing too. If you’re still unsure about how to choose music for YouTube videos or ads, connect with our team today!
Have you ever heard a sound that brings back old memories or provokes certain images? Sound is the native language of the brain which is processed twenty to a hundred times faster than visual input. In fact, hearing is the most responsive human sense, and listening to a sound can help predict what we are about to see. For this reason and many more, sound and sound branding are powerful assets in any branding strategy.
What Is Sonic Branding?
With the rising use of sonic channels, relying solely on a logo or visual element to solidify your brand is no longer sufficient. On the other hand, sonic branding can play a much more significant role in making your brand identifiable.
Also known as sound branding or audio branding, sonic branding refers to using music and sound to create and reinforce a brand’s image. It is a collection of audio touchpoints that act as a unique and memorable soundscape for your brand and reflect its personality and values.
This sound can be a melody, jingle, or voice and is simple, short, and emotionally appealing. You can use this branding strategy across various platforms from television commercials to radio ads to get your name out and engage more customers.
Why Is Sonic Branding Important?
As the world is moving into the next phase of technology, dominated by screenless and voice-driven devices, how a brand sounds is paramount for giving it the needed cut-through. Just a few notes and the audience is ready to listen and connect with you. That is the power of effective sonic branding. Brands that invest in this holistic approach can bring many benefits for themselves. These include:
Increased Familiarity
The first major advantage of sonic branding is improved recall and familiarity. According to this study by Spotify, audio ads tend to leave a more lasting impact and result in about 24% higher recall and double the price intent.
Judge for yourself; on an average day, how many logos do you see? The number can easily be between hundreds and thousands. Now, compare it with the number of tunes you hear daily. You get the point.
Because of their rare occurrence, audio messages can effortlessly grab the audience’s interest and increase familiarity by helping your brand get instantly noticed in the crowded market.
Builds a Loyal Customer Base
Sounds can mix with people’s moods and feelings and have a much more emotional impact. Think about all the times you listen to music without any visuals, yet the music makes you feel a certain way.
Similarly, these jingles can trigger strong emotions in the listeners and foster a sense of companionship. This emotional connection is crucial for building a loyal customer base and financial success.
Clearly Conveys Your Message
Using the right sound for your brand can help communicate your message to the target audience creatively, effectively, and better. Each chord and beat work together to convey the brand’s message and familiarize the audience with its objectives and values.
Examples of Famous Sonic Identities
Sonic branding has been used for years by numerous brands to get the upper hand on their competitors by forging a lasting 360-degree user experience. One popular example of this is McDonald’s famous “ba da ba ba ba.” Memorable and instantly recognizable, this cheery tune fills the air with joy and happiness and makes the listener automatically think of a delicious Happy Meal.
And let’s not forget about NBC’s legendary three-tone chime, which has been associated with the brand since the early 1930s. Together with the company, this sound mark has also gone through many updates and rebrands over the years and still manages to hold the same authority, connection, and familiarity with its audience.
How To Find Your Sonic Logo?
The purpose of sonic logos is similar to that of visual logos: to act as a medium of association for your brand and attract more customers. To find the right sonic or sound logo, consider the following points.
Extensive Research
If your brand is already launched, chances are that your future sonic logo already exists. The catchphrase or backing music you use in the advertisement can act as a starting point, and then you can work your way through until you find the perfect sound. Do a sonic branding audit and consider different sounds. Then, choose or create one that matches the brand’s personality and goes with your nature of work.
Keep It Simple
Many of the world-famous sonic logos are just jingles or tunes without any lyrics, and this is what makes them so easily recognizable. With sonic branding, you don’t always have to go over the board since it can get overwhelming quickly and lead to something awful instead. Therefore, it is always better to keep things simple. Just choose a catchy and fitting background sound, throw in a few design elements, and you are good to go.
Create Something Unique
Using other brands’ sonic logos as your own is illegal; even if you could use them, it would certainly not help your brand stand out. That is why your primary focus should be to create unique sounds with a personalized touch that can establish and stabilize your company’s position in the market.
Easier said than done, though. Creating the “it” tune for your brand can take plenty of focus, perseverance, and time, but once you overcome these hurdles, what awaits you is higher engagement, increased sales, and an even greater impact.
Final Thoughts
Sonic branding is the present and the future. With the world’s leading names investing heavily in this strategy, it is a hot topic and is not going anywhere anytime soon. Whether you are an international or a local company, getting a sonic brand identity can add immense value to your business and position it better for success. And isn’t that what we all want?
No matter how beautiful the visuals are, a film needs great sound design to provide an immersive experience to the audience. From background music to dialogue lines, sound design is a crucial component of filmmaking that can enhance the production value of any project. Even though it is mostly overlooked in favor of flashier disciplines, like editing or cinematography, this creative process is just as necessary and works with these elements to deliver a top-tier cinematic experience.
What Is Sound Design?
Sound design refers to developing and editing all the audio in the movie, including the speech, sound effects, ambient sound, and soundtrack. This meticulous work consists of a series of steps, ranging from synthesis to audio manipulation to layering, and is performed by or under the supervision of a Sound Designer.
What Is a Sound Designer?
The sound design team or sound designer elevates the overall creation intent and provides a complete auditory experience. They work with recording engineers, audio editors, mixers, and various other personnel to ensure that your project looks realistic and that the audience is drawn to it.
In the past, sound designers were often the last people arriving on the set and were mainly considered an afterthought. However, with the advent of voice interfaces, 3D audio, and the ever-expanding vogue of immersive experiences, their role is now no less than a necessity.
Whether working on set or post-production, these experts make the magic happen. They clean up the audio track from any unwanted or extra noise, add layers upon layers of SFX, and manipulate audio using various tools to transform a mediocre project into something truly cinematic.
The Importance Of Good Sound Design
Visuals are the first cut in any project, but the sound design is just as important in storytelling and pulling people closer to the picture.
The power of a good sound design is undeniably evident. It tells the story where words fail, sets a tone to the scene, and hints at what is coming next. Most importantly, good sound design spurs emotions within the audience, be it love, sadness, joy, fear, or even contempt, which brings them closer to the movie and makes the whole experience unforgettable. And isn’t it what filmmakers want?
Think of Jurassic Park, directed by Steven Spielberg– would it be the same if you removed all the sound? Or imagine your favorite horror movie without those chilling shrieks and creepy footsteps. Paints the picture, right?
Neglecting your film sound design means bad production value and a worse watching experience. Of course, videos can work without perfect sound, but they will be sub-par at most and would not stand a chance against other blockbusters. And in the competitive world of content creation, where directors are releasing hit after hit, are you willing to make this choice?
What Makes Good Sound Design?
Sound design is multifaceted, and sound designers are equipped with various tools and skills to make the process as smooth as possible. Many factors and elements play a role in a good sound design.
Developing A Vision
The work of a sound designer begins from pre-production and runs through post-production. To kick-start this highly creative and intuitive journey, the sound designer studies the script with the director and asks them about their views and expectations. Some directors already have particular visions regarding the aural landscape, while others are more open to collaboration. The designer may also visit the set or attend rehearsals to develop their vision and determine appropriate music and sounds.
Creating Unique Sounds
Designing audio elements is a specialized and highly technical job requiring high creativity to tackle real and creative sound design challenges.
Real film sound design is the creation of sounds mimicking how they would occur in reality, such as ocean waves or birds chirping. A designer’s goal while working on such audio elements is to make them sound right for their environment. To do this, they can either record the sound by replicating the scene and making a field recording or using unrelated tools to make a unique sound. But what if a particular sound does not exist? This is where creative sound design comes in.
Creative sound design is the production of sounds that are outside reality and have no recognizable sound to use as a basis, such as that of zombies or aliens. Crafting them requires expertise and ingenuity. You can create these sounds using digital tools like filters and oscillators, by manipulating or layering different recorded sounds, and, at times, by merely using everyday items such as soda cans and cutlery.
Again, creativity and experimentation is the key. You would be surprised to know how some of the most legendary cinematic sounds were produced from wholly unusual means.
Examples of Good Sound Design
Different genres call for different approaches. Do you want to put the audience on the edge of their seats? Bring tears to their eyes? Or do you want them to feel the tension during a particular fight scene? A good sound design is the only way of achieving this and building a world beyond the viewer’s eyes.
History is filled with films that take this art to the next level. For starters, let’s talk about the iconic roar of the T-Rex in Jurassic Park, which rattled audiences to their core. Gary Rydstrom created that using a mix of animal vocalizations of tortoises, horses, and crowned cranes. And the specific sound of the T-rex breaths? Well, that was just the sound of air escaping a whale’s blowhole.
The Star Wars franchise further raised the standard for the best sound design through its wonder-filled and exhilarating soundscape. From the electric zoom of the lightsaber to Darth Vader’s menacing breathing, the series invented a plethora of unique sounds through the combination of saber sounds, TV interferences, and moving mics.
Of course, this list isn’t complete without mentioning Halloween, one of the greatest horror movies of all time. The entire score of the movie was composed by the director John Carpenter himself. He experimented with stabs and synth, something never done before, to create a dreamlike, propulsive sense of dread that continues to terrify the audience today.
Final Thoughts
Great sound design is what makes a movie work. From the subconscious hum of strip lighting to the growl of a car engine, it creates realism and carries the entire project in one flow. So, next time you start your film production, remember to call in Score a Score to amp up your project and make it extraordinary.
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.
