Why Music Plays an Important Role in Video

The Importance of Music

Music touches us – it is a universal language of human-kind. Whether it is being listened to or performed, it is incredibly unifying. Music grants us feelings we can not convey by simply talking. The influence music has on human emotion makes it an extremely powerful tool for us in the world of marketing, or for anyone who produces video.

Music in video can serve several functions. It can help craft a wide range of emotional responses from an audience, create rhythm for clips and scenes, and emphasize the overall story, even in marketing. Music adds to the experience of a video, regardless of if it is a blockbuster film, television sitcom, advertisement, or brand video.

If you are having trouble understanding the importance of music in video, imagine you’re watching a movie, television show, or commercial, silent except for dialogue. Although some films use this technique to convey a sense of gravity or silence, most of the time, it can be highly uncomfortable to watch.

When you’re producing a commercial or another video to market your business, most of the time you want to make your audience as comfortable as possible. A video created specifically for a business might include music so the audience feels at ease and develops a connection to the company.

The Role of Music in Your Video

Music plays a vital role in video – it is one of the most crucial steps in post-production and is an excellent way to capture attention and communicate your brand.

Although music is a key component in video, a beginner may overlook its importance or choose a song just because they like it, which is detrimental to the success and quality of a video. Experienced editors effectively choose music that enhances the video and communicates the main message. Given the thousands of songs that exist, choosing music for your video may seem intimidating, but it is going to help your video and your brand more than you can imagine.

As you start to develop your video, the information outlined below can help you better understand why music plays such an important role in your video, and how to choose the right music for your video and brand.

Music Captures Attention

Music holds the attention of an audience – it shapes emotion and motivates viewers. Whether it is inspirational or sad music, it can be used as a signal to help viewers know what to pay close attention to and how to feel.

Music builds value, making a product more memorable as the music lingers in a viewer’s mind. Whether it’s a high-energy brand video or a down-to-earth explainer video, you want your music to be personalized instead of using generic stock music. Stock music is a less expensive alternative to the use of well-known music in a video. However, a lot of stock music sounds almost the same – using it might not make your video or company memorable. 

For example, commercials and radio stations use original, catchy jingles to establish their brand and make them recognizable to audiences. Using music to establish an emotional connection with a brand increases brand recognition and drives customers to discover and share more of your brand’s content.

Music can give your business the boost it needs in order to win the war for attention and develop a genuine relationship with viewers.

Music Communicates your Brand

Music is a key component in conveying your business and brand message. Music speaks volumes about your brand, which is why the role of music is so important in video. Both puns intended, music accompanying your video must be in tune with your message. Every choice you make surrounding your business conveys something about your brand- including music! If you are making multiple videos within your company, music can vary quite a lot from video to video. It’s one of the things that help distinguish your videos from each other. Music reinforces the specific message your brand is trying to convey to an audience and reveals your brand’s personality.

Music also establishes mood and elicits certain emotions. With the right music, you can make someone associate your brand with a certain feeling, enabling them to take interest in your company, brand, or product. Ideally, the music in your video creates a positive feeling and therefore, gives the viewer a positive feeling; or it might convey the gravity of a situation which your business is helping to resolve. 

Think of music as an opportunity to create meaning for your brand by employing interesting musical pieces. Through the right music choice, the customer imagines your identity, and buys into the message of the video. With music, your video, and therefore your brand and product, adopts meanings which are inherent in the music.

Selecting the Right Music for your Video

Selecting music that is the right fit for your video can seem like a daunting task. Music selection typically occurs in the post-production process, after the sense of the video is established by dialogue and b-roll. However, it is never a bad idea to start thinking about music from the planning stages.

The first questions you need to ask yourself when selecting music for your video are:

What is the goal (or primary message) of my video?

Your music choice should both reflect and compliment your primary message.

Who is my main audience?

Considering the demographic of your audience when selecting music is an important factor. Knowing your demographic can help you tailor your music choice to their interests.

What is the tone of my video?

Another significant factor to consider is the tone of video you are creating. For example, a fast-paced video advertising a sports car might contain energetic, heavy-hitting music. However, if you use that same type of music for a somber healthcare company video, it might take attention and credibility away from the message because the song is not a proper fit. Using the wrong music can have a devastating effect on your brand.

Similarly, if you are creating a video for an insurance company that is professional and intellectual, you might not want an energetic, electrifying piece of music accompanying your visuals. Instead, a light and simple piece of music might better suit the tone. 

You should establish the mood of the video you are creating first, and the type of music will follow. If your music choice does not reflect your brand, you are going to confuse your audience and deliver the wrong message.

What is my budget?

If you are working with a lower budget, you might want to consider using royalty free music, which means that no one owns the copyright to the music and no royalties must be paid.

Once you clearly understand your goals and can answer these questions, you will be able to choose the right music. 

The Finale

In today’s digital world, capturing an audience’s attention is more challenging than ever. Therefore, the role of music in video is more important than ever. Online video consumption is growing more each day, and in turn, brands increasingly need to stand out among the clutter. Including the right music in an entertaining and unique brand video is a great way to grab attention and communicate your message.

At Boston video production company, Skillman Video Group, we are determined to educate you on the video ecosystem and all of its moving parts to satisfy all of your video needs. When helping our clients with music selection, we ask them to visit our online music library and choose 2-3 songs. We make a final determination from there, or provide alternatives if the suggested song does not fit.

We encourage you to explore our website for more information on anything video related. If you would like more information on this topic or are looking to get started on your own video project, contact us at [email protected]. We can’t wait to hear from you!