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How production music is used in film and television

How production music is used in film and television

Every piece of music used in a movie or a television program was written and composed by artists who own the rights to their music. When sinister music plays in the background during a horror film, or when an upbeat ditty plays during a cartoon, someone, somewhere wrote and performed that music. Then the production team which created the film or cartoon reserved the rights to that music to be used in their project. While classical and popular music can be used (often at great expense) to secure the copyrights and licenses to operate in the background of a project, it is more common that the team chooses a track from a production music library instead.

What is a Production Music Library?

Production music catalogs own and control all the copyrights associated with the music available in their library. This is different from the publishers of classical or popular music: those entities will frequently own less than half of the composition copyrights and will need further approval from other artists and producers to grant licensing permissions. Because production music libraries own all the copyrights, they can provide licenses for music without needing the additional consent of composers or artists associated with the work.

Why Use Production Music?

The content from a production music library is paid for in advance, and the music production company owns full licensing rights. This makes it easier for people producing in any medium – radio, television, podcasting, cinema, etc. – to find and use music without having to deal with the complications of acquiring music licensing rights. Commissioning music from classical or popular formats can be arduous and expensive, and frequently takes time, often months or years. Production music, like that available in the libraries of Level 77 Music, sidesteps all those problems with pre-licensed works at a reasonable rate. Additionally, production music is frequently accessible at the click of a button.

Easy Access Via Music Libraries

Production music is not a new phenomenon. In fact, it is almost 100 years old. In 1927 De Wolfe Music created the first set of pre-licensed tracks to use for cinema projects, when movies transitioned from silent films to “talkies.” While the first production music libraries were relatively small, and did not offer a wide range of styles, this is no longer the case. Modern production music libraries frequently have tens of thousands of tracks available with every style and sub-genre of music imaginable. These tracks are readily available for use in any production. Level 77 offers music that can be used in a podcast or radio advertising bed grouped by album and playlist, as well as by theme. This organizational structure makes it easy to find the perfect track for any production requirements, whether that is background music in a movie, or a legally licensed TikTok track.

How Can Production Music Improve a Project?

The music in the background of any project impacts the tone, tension, and vibe of the entire work. Cinematic style music can create tension for important scenes, while television style music can operate as a transitional piece to move from one advertisement to another, or to transition back into regularly scheduled programming. Music becomes perhaps more important when dealing with radio content. Because radio is exclusively audio, the background music becomes more than simply a non-diegetic reference point to control the mood, it typically becomes the centerpiece of the entire project. Level 77 has a variety of radio production beds which can enhance the general feeling of any radio advertising or production project.

Production music is an important part of the film and television industry. The streamlined access to background music can significantly shorten the timetable on any project, and costs pennies on the dollar when compared with securing the rights to popular music tracks. The vast libraries of music available mean that any tone or mood can be accommodated quickly and easily, all while enjoying the benefits of having fully licensed music. Music copyright law is complicated, and securing licenses could mean contacting multiple entities who own a portion of the rights to a track. Using production music, which was pre-licensed, can avoid the pitfalls of copyright law while providing a wider variety of styles. Selecting a company like Level 77, with its massive music library and easy browsing format, can make accessing music rights for film and television projects inexpensive and painless.

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Production Music: What it is and why you need it

Production Music: What it is and why you need it

Production Music: What it is and why you need it

Professional quality music can be difficult to find, particularly since using someone else’s music comes with the headaches and challenges of getting a music licensing agreement. Radio, film, podcasting, youtube production, even social media all use music to help create a mood or a tone to the work, but every one of those tracks requires purchased rights to music. Production music companies have created libraries of available music and have already secured the rights. A company like Level77 offers thousands of musical options for all your production needs with a broad range of licensing agreements and music rights which can be customized to your personal needs.

What does the term “Production Music” mean?

The rights to publish music are typically shared between the creators of the music and the company which publishes the music, although performers and lyricists may also have a share of the rights. Because multiple parties are involved, getting full rights to a piece of music can be a complicated endeavor, and prohibitively expensive. Production music is music which is owned by a single entity, making the rights acquisition process significantly easier and more streamlined. Licensing for a particular track can be offered with fasttracked music access at attractive rates because production music companies have already purchased full rights to the music from all parties involved in its creation and recording. A company which specializes in music production, like Level77, has already done all the legal and bargaining work in advance to allow you effortless access to content which can satisfy all your musical needs.

How can I choose the best production music?

Selecting the right music for your product can be difficult, but it begins by having a clear vision of the sort of music you would like to use. Then browse Level77’s libraries of production music. There are a wide variety of genre’s and styles encompassed within Level77’s libraries, all offered at competitive rates with almost instantaneous turn-around on rights and privileges to the music. However, being open to different styles of music can often produce a track which was not what you originally imagined, but is the perfect fit. The vast libraries offered by Level77 allow you to explore a myriad of musical options.

Who is making the music in the production music library?

The outstanding selection of tracks available in Level77’ libraries are the result of its efforts to collaborate and create with some of the best freelance musicians in the world. Every genre and subgenre of music you can imagine is available because of Level77’s long-standing relationship with production music teams. Many of these artists have been working with Level77’s production team for over a decade, producing thousands of tracks which are perfect for your project. The impressive array of musical options allows you and your team to explore music and think outside the box without limitations to time or access. This is because Level77 has already done the legwork, and all the tracks are available with full rights and privileges at a price that can fit your budgetary needs.

What about music beds?

In the world of radio, television, and cinema music beds are the instrumental music or sound effects which run in the background during a promotional announcement. While pop music can be used, the vocals and dynamic range found in most pop music can clash with the vocals being laid over the top of a radio music bed, for example. Production music companies like Level77 have a large library of radio production beds or musicbeds in general which can provide an equalized audio backdrop which does not conflict with the vocal track. Having access to music licensing materials such as this can help you quickly produce high-quality audio.

Almost every commercial, podcast, and Tiktok video has a soundtrack running behind it, giving it that professional sheen and shaping the tone and energy of the producton. Using pre-recorded tracks from Level77’s expansive libraries allows you to find the perfect track which no one else has, and have full licensing, all with a price and a process which will make you wonder why you ever considered using anything else.

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