Finding Music For You Videos
If you're a business owner who's looking to produce your own video marketing content, then probably one of the early questions you'll have is around music.
It's easy to use music that could come with your editing program, but you should look to develop your brand by mixing it up.
So how do you find music? And why should you pay for music when there's plenty out there that I can 'borrow' and use?
Why Purchase Music?
There are afew main legal and practical reasons as to why you should purchase music. Obviously, using copyrighted music without permission can result in legal action. And whilst this is rare, you'll actually find most video hosting platforms will take action. your video could be muted or blocked and ultimately you could get removed from the platform.
Legal and logistical reasons aside, having music in your videos can actually help build your brand - so consider it something that will actually help your business, consider it an asset.
Where Do You Get Music From?
There are quite a few websites out there, but typically we use two sites; Audio Jungle and Premium Beat. These websites provide a wide range of music at reasonable prices, so they are definitely worth checking out. If you're putting out a lot of videos and want different tracks on them all, then it might be worth looking for a subscription-based service as this will work out cheaper.
How We Select Music
Typically our decision process works as follows:
90% of the time we'll use Audio Jungle. For most videos, we're looking for background music, it's not a main feature of the video as someone is talking. Audio Jungle provides a good quality but cheaper (approx $25USD per track) source for us to work with.
For projects that are with bigger clients, the music is the main feature or we just need a better quality of music, we'll head to Premium Beat. Tracks there are a little more expensive, around $50USD per track, but you can definitely hear the production quality difference.
Selecting the Right Track
Selecting the right track for your video is often a big decision, and to it's made harder when there is so much choice out there. So when selecting your track, try to consider whether it matches the style of your brand as well as the pace of your delivery.
Test and Trial
With most music websites you can download a sample copy to try within your video editor - this is a great way to see if tracks work with what you have planned. So don't be afraid to try something that you're not 100% sure on.
As a side tip - when you are testing, try to watch/listen to your video on a device common to your audience. Sure, it's nice to watch your video on the home tv with awesome sound system, but if 99% of your audience is on mobile devices, it wont sound or look the same.
Do I Need Lots of Tracks?
You're building a library of videos, so you need a new music track for each new video right? $25USD a track, haven't we just blown $1,000 on music alone?!
Well, no.
We consider music as part of our brand. Yes it's nice to add new tracks occasionally, but for the most part we use the same tracks a lot of the time. But doesn't this become boring. Well, eventually yes - they'll need a refresh, but often the repetitive use of the same tracks actually helps to build a brand. People hear the music and they start to associate it with the brand/company. In fact, we've done it so much with companies, that we've heard a track we've used on TV and its really strange to see it with another brand.
Let's Wrap This Up
Look, spending money for your business can often be seen as annoying and a waste. Music can bee used for free, but it's best to consider it part of your brand. Trust me $25USD will not break the bank, and it will bring a degree of professionalism to your videos. It's worth it.
As ever, if you're interested in discussing these topics further then I would suggest joining up to our Facebook Group;- How to Shoot Video For Your Business, and obviously if you'd like us to get involved in delivering professional marketing videos for your business, then we'd love to have a chat.
