It is very hard to overestimate the importance of music for videos of any nature. Of course, there are people who insist that the key role of music in video production is an exaggeration. However, statistics show the opposite.
Music works at the level of our senses and emotions and affects our subconscious. The connection that our brain builds between picture and music is truly magical. They will tell you - Indiana Jones - and the main theme from John Williams will immediately sparkle in your head. Whitney Houston's "I will always love you" is connected inextricably with the movie The Bodyguard. And many people cannot travel around New Zealand without the accompaniment of Howard Shore music.
Regardless of the purpose for which you are looking for music, the tips in this article will help you.
Tip #1: Know where to look
The first and main problem when choosing music for your videos is the source where you get it from. You know that musical works, like any other works of art, are the legal property of the authors and producers of music, as well as studios. You can’t just take and use this kind of music in your videos.
Fortunately, nowadays you do not need to look for contacts of Hans Zimmer with a request to write compositions for your video for $20 each. Firstly, Hans takes much more for his work, and secondly, he simply will not pick up the phone.
But do not despair, beautiful music is not as inaccessible as it may seem. There are a large number of online libraries, for example, our drum background music, which distribute royalty-free music for people's needs. Royalty-free means that you acquire the rights to the music in one click - by acquiring a license. No negotiations and disputes, only a clear scheme of work and quick results.
The choice on such platforms is often very large and everyone can find exactly the music he or she is looking for.
Tip #2: Understand what your video is about
You obviously do not make a video just like that, you are pursuing a goal. Whether it’s a video marketing promotion, a short film or a short commercial, you understand what goals you want to achieve and what feelings you want to evoke in a person. Transfer this understanding to music. Think about what kind of music will help you enhance the effect of your video and evoke the necessary emotions from the viewer.
Tip #3: Look for inspiration from other sources
Music also has another useful property. It is able to inspire us and often it is some kind of musical composition that becomes a trigger that makes you want to make a video. It’s good if this happened to you. But don’t be upset if you are in a different category of people. You just need to listen to music and maybe it will inspire you.
For example, go to YouTube and listen to some kind of music, which, as you think, can remotely be exactly what you are looking for. After the end of the track, try to find something similar (fortunately, YouTube recommendations work fine). Look for inspiration and the right mood for your videos there.
Tip #4: Estimate your capabilities
As we said above, Hans Zimmer takes a lot more than $20 for his work. You should be acknowledged with your budget; you don’t have to pour all your resources into music. For a better understanding, all options can be divided into 3 main variants:
1. No money. Use tracks that are licensed under Creative Commons. Often, they are completely free, and you can use them in almost any task. The only inconvenient moment is that such music often simply cannot be used for commercial purposes. But there are exceptions.
2. Your budget is up to 150 dollars. This is the average and most appealing option in which you go to the site of one of the music libraries and look for what you need. Most often, 150 dollars is enough with bare, even purchasing not just one track, but several. It all depends on the type of license under which you will acquire it. As a result, with that kind of money, you can get quality music for your videos.
3. Your budget is up to 1,500 dollars. Well, now we're talking. For that kind of money, you can hire a professional composer who will write a completely new, custom and unique soundtrack for you. Yes, it will not be Hans Zimmer, but the quality will be high. Clearly describe to the composer what you want from the music and you will get a good result.
In conclusion
It’s not easy to find an ideal track. You need to remember who you will show the video to, what their attitude towards your product may be, what idea you want to convey. Also, you need to keep in mind a lot of such things as the pace, genre, and musical accents. All this is not a simple science and it is very difficult to make a truly accurate hit from the first shot and only true professionals can do it.
But these skills come with experience. Selecting tracks for new videos you will hone your skill and, over time, you will begin to quickly select really high-quality compositions for the desired video.