The Perfect Music for Your Podcast
I’m Tom, the in-house Music Producer at Sound Rebel. I’m one of the first people you’ll meet when you start working with us during the pre-production for your new podcast, and I’ve written this blog to talk about why music is so important to podcasts, what music you can use and how to get the perfect soundtrack.
Why is it important to have music in my podcast?
Music instantly sets a mood. It tells your audience what the character of the podcast is going to be as soon as they click play, and it and helps you to create a unique identity for your podcast production.
Brands have harnessed the power of music in their marketing campaigns for years in the form of ‘sonic logos’, many of which are arguably as recognisable as the visual brand logo. A few that come to mind are the McDonald’s whistle, the T-Mobile piano or more recently the “did somebody say Just Eat?”
These ‘earworms’ get lodged somewhere deep in the subconscious, floating around your head all day constantly reminding people of the brand they associate the music with.
Can I use any music I like in my podcast?
Every time a piece of music is listened to, there is usually a structure in place behind-the-scenes to make sure that the owner of that music is being paid.
If you listen to your favourite song on a streaming service, then a fee is paid to the creator from the subscription or advertising fees charged by that platform. On the radio, the station broadcasting the music is footing the bill. If you’re in a concert hall, restaurant, bar or shop, the venue will be paying your way. This is a very simplified version of the royalty payment structure but the point is that whenever and wherever you hear music, someone is paying for it.
Podcasts are no different. If you are using music that is owned by someone else, then it is your responsibility to make sure that you have their permission to use that music.
When getting into the world of podcasting, you might hear that it’s ok to use thirty seconds of a song royalty free, no strings attached. This has been coined as “the thirty second myth” and is absolutely not true. You might well be able to get away with using music without permission if you go unnoticed, but you are taking a risk. Regardless of whether it is a second or the whole song, you do not have the right to use that music without prior permission.
The second myth to debunk is that if you are not making money from your podcast, you also don’t need to pay. This is the equivalent of going into PC World and helping yourself to a new iMac but refusing to pay because you aren’t using it for work – unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.
If I haven’t put you off using music without permission already, you can read an example of how wrong it can all go in this blog post from the Keep It Legal blog:
https://lizerbramlaw.com/2019/01/09/podcaster-hit-with-copyright-lawsuit-for-unlicensed-music/
How can I get the perfect music for my podcast?
My role at Sound Rebel is to create music that does the same job for your podcast that the catchy whistle does for McDonald’s.
When you start working with Sound Rebel, I’m one of the first people you will work with during the pre-production stage of your new podcast. We will have a chat about what you would like your podcast to represent, what emotions you want your listeners to feel and what style of music you feel would best suit yourself and your audience. I’ll ask you for references (if you have any) to other songs or pieces of music that you feel are similar to what you would like your music to sound like when it is finished and added to your podcast.
When you are happy with the music, it is then produced into a Production Package containing a main theme along with three condensed variations of the music (lasting approximately five seconds) which can be used at breaks in the podcast to break up the conversation or pivot to a new talking point.
An example we love…
Sound Rebel produces a podcast for the construction trade magazine, The Construction Index, called Re:Construction. The team wanted the podcast to be informative and packed full of solid information, but they also wanted to present it in a conversational style – with lighthearted moments where it suited.
Music production isn’t just about melody – it’s about creating a whole sound for your podcast. Therefore, I added some industrial sound effects to the percussion elements of the track – hammers on metal, wrenches twisting and cranes whirring.
This instantly creates an atmosphere, and lets the listener know what the podcast is about before either of the presenters start talking. It’s also uniquely theirs – this is the sound of Re:Construction.
In summary…
Music sets a mood. Well-produced music makes your podcast sound professional. Bespoke music means that it’s uniquely yours.
It’s not just about staying on the right side of copyright law (although it can be an expensive mistake if you don’t) – it’s about lifting the production values of your overall podcast production and helping you to establish a unique identity in the podcast space.
REFERENCES
Acast - Why You Should Never Use Commercial Music In Your Podcast
● “all podcasters (need) to affirm that they have the relevant rights and permissions to publish all content found in their shows”
● “there’s a difference between commercial music and any music whatsoever”
● Commercial music, however, is broadly defined as, “any music produced that is being marketed directly to the general public by any medium”
● The fact that your podcast is not monetizable is irrelevant. You still don’t have the rights to use any commercial music on your podcast.
● No, any music duration (even less than 10 seconds long) is not permitted. There is no minimum timeframe that is allowed
Michael DeBlis - Can I Play Music On My Podcast?
https://mjdeblis.medium.com/can-i-play-music-on-my-podcast-8d6a304b6a8a
● Before you can play your favorite song on your podcast, you must obtain the rights to both the musical composition and the sound recording
● For popular songs, these rights are administered by an agency that acts as the middleman
● You can’t cover a song either, as it is still infringing on the songwriter’s copyright
● The “30-second myth” - if the owner of those tracks were to become aware of the fact that their work is being used illegally, they could sue the podcaster
● you can be sued for an amount of money that you have been deemed to have wrongfully made by using the right protected content. Statutory damages can be as high as $ 150,000 per song
● There are four ways to obtain the right to include music on your podcast. They are: write and compose the music yourself, have written permission from the artist or owner, use royalty free music, buy the rights to the music you want to use.
Keep It Legal Blog - Podcaster Hit With Copyright Lawsuit For Unlicensed Music
https://lizerbramlaw.com/2019/01/09/podcaster-hit-with-copyright-lawsuit-for-unlicensed-music/
● Universal Music Group (UMG) filed a federal lawsuit against a media group for using 46 separate copyrighted works which they value at $150,000.00 each with the damages alone potentially costing the media group $6,000,000.00.