How to Choose Background Music for Your Brand Video

A soundtrack can transform your video and take it from being an amateur production to a sleek, professional brand video that will leave an impression on your audience. But how do you go about choosing the right background music for your video?

While you may have an idea in mind of the kind of music you will want in the finished edit, it’s best not to hang all your hopes on a specific song until you have a rough cut of your video. Here are some key considerations you need to be aware of when choosing the background music for your brand video.

This may seem like an obvious point, but you should choose the music that suits the mood you want to evoke. You don’t want to use a mournful ballad if you’re trying to get your audience excited, or something high-tempo and upbeat when you’re trying to be poignant. Sometimes, a deliberate contrast can work really well, such as for comedic effect or to highlight a parallel, but this requires significant forethought and some creativity to boot.

You also need to be mindful of your brand image when choosing the background music for your video. If you know you want something upbeat, pop, hip-hop, soul, funk and electronic music are all good options, but different genres will have different connotations and will be more suitable for certain brands. 

For example, an acoustic track may suit a more rustic brand, whereas a tech-based product or brand video may be better paired with something more electronic and contemporary. At the end of the day, you know your brand better than anyone, so just ask yourself honestly if your music choice gels with your brand image.

When it comes to choosing the background music for your video, it can be tempting to just use your favourite tracks. However, you shouldn’t let your personal preferences cloud your judgement, especially if those preferences do not align with your brand’s image. Even if you have a song that you think has the perfect lyrics for your video, what you create may be better accompanied by something instrumental, so it’s best to approach the process with an open mind.

Unfortunately, you can’t just use whatever songs you want in your brand video without first getting permission to use them. This is why, if you have a specific track in mind, you should check whether you can get a license to use it in your video before you get too attached to the idea and start doing rough edits with the song. The last thing you want is your video to gain some momentum only for it to be pulled or muted for copyright violation.

If you want an original soundtrack for your video, then you can hire a composer who can create something that perfectly suits your video and you also don’t need to worry about obtaining the rights to an existing song. You will most likely have to pay for the rights to use an existing song anyway, so putting that money towards hiring a composer is a great option because you’ll end up with something completely unique, designed to your requirements.

Like most features of your video, personal taste accounts for a lot when choosing background music for your brand video, so it’s hard to lay out a set of rules for all brands to follow. Just make sure that the preferences you’re trying to satisfy are those of your brand, rather than yourself as an individual. 

If you are looking to film or edit a video for your brand, and need professional support, you are welcome to get in touch with us.