Video Background Music: How to Choose for Business Videos

This blog post is all about video background music.

So, you’ve decided to use videos to take your business’ visibility to another level.

Or maybe you dream of becoming the next YouTube sensation.

Whatever the reason, there’s something that plays a crucial role in the video production process - Good Background Music!

Background music is a powerful yet underrated tool that can spice up your videos. Adding attractive visuals, preparing an engaging script, and dressing appropriately is just half the battle.

If you truly want to trigger emotions and ace your marketing efforts, adding music to your videos is the way to go! Well-fitted background music helps your audience connect with the content.

Check out this video by Nike:

Having said that, choosing the right background track is not as easy as picking a random song off the playlist.

It can be extremely daunting to select music that fits the brand image and resonates with the target audience.

In this blog post, we’ll cover six tips to select the perfect soundtrack for your sales videos.

So, let’s get into it!

Decide the Role of Music in your Videos

What role music will play in your video? Will it drive your message forward? Or, simply match what’s happening on the screen?

For example, if you’re explaining a complex topic in your video, you want a track with an even tempo that sparks interest without diverting your audience’s attention.

Or, if you’re encouraging your viewers to take a holiday or try a new adventure, upbeat or energetic music can be your best bet.

Remember: Background music sets the feel and tone of your business video. So, it’s crucial to take advantage of the right soundtrack to send across your message and make your brand memorable.

The role of music in your visual content also depends on the type of video you’re creating. Clear music, for example, works best for live-action videos. Further, you can use dramatic music in your promo videos to evoke emotions.

Select the Right Genre

We get it! Owing to limitless options available, choosing a soundtrack that suits your video theme is not an easy feat.

This is where narrowing down to a single genre can help you out.

There are numerous music genres out there - the list can go on and on. You can elicit almost any emotion with music - it all boils down to finding the right track.

Let’s look at some common genres and the feelings they evoke in videos:

• Ambient - Soothing and calm. Ideal for a young audience in their twenties.
• Comedic - Fun, bubbly, and exciting. Perfect for all (because who doesn’t like some fun?)
• Corporate - Professional, engaging, and persuasive. Perfect for business communications.
• Country - Creates a sense of nostalgia. Suitable for audiences in their forties.
• Electronic - Intelligent and curious. Ideal for a young audience.
• Funk - Unapologetic and hypnotic. Suitable for a young audience.
• Hip Hop - Cool, confident, and fast. Aimed at young and adolescent audiences.
• Rock - Raw and gritty. Perfect for male audiences in their thirties.

Want to know about more music genres? Check out the video below:

Know Your Budget

Like all other video elements, selecting the perfect music for your sales videos also depends on your budget.

Whether you’re tight on budget or have a significant amount of money to spend on your videos, there are background music options for everyone. Let’s find out!

Small Budget

Have a low budget? Fret not! Music under Public Domains or Creative Common license can be your savior. Both of these options are free to use.

However, the only difference between the two is that Public Domain does not require any permission from the person who created the work, whereas, Creative Commons often involves permissions to be used in a commercial video or project.

In short, you can use Creative Commons music only in ways as specified by the license.

Medium Budget

Look for royalty-free soundtracks which can easily be available under $10 to $100.

Contrary to its name, royalty-free music or stock music does not mean ‘free music’. It means you can buy the music track once and use it an unlimited number of times without paying a royalty each time it’s used.

The upside with royalty-free music songs is that they are available in plenty and are often higher quality than creative commons tracks.

Sites like Bedtracks, PremiumBeat, Audio Jungle, Audioblocks, YouTube Audio Library, etc., make it easy for you to search, pay, and download the music you want.

A word of caution, though. Each site has different terms regarding how you can and cannot use their music. So, we advise you to read the fine print for the sites where you purchase the tracks.

Large Budget

If you’re willing to shell out a huge amount of money, there are a wide range of options out there.

One such option is to hire a composer and get custom music made between $300 to $1000. This approach is invaluable when dealing with lots of mood or pace changes in your video, where stock music just won’t fit.

The best part? You can reuse the song as many times as you want for commercial purposes. Plus, you’ll get someone who has an ear for different genres and styles. And of course, you’ll achieve the perfect tune you’re looking for.

There are lots of composers out there looking for gigs. All you need is to Google ‘Business video composer’’, reach out to them with a pitch of what you’re looking for, and create a track that matches your work.

Consider Your Audience

Let’s face it: Your viewers LOVE music! So, when it comes to adding music to your videos, make sure you get it right.

You may have a playlist of your favorite songs, we all do! But, adding those in your business videos is a HUGE red flag. The key here is to add music that appeals to your audience and matches the theme of your video.

In video marketing, everything is ultimately about your target audience. So, knowing about their age, preferences, etc., is essential. The more you research, the more specific you can be about your background music choice.

For example, if your video is aimed at young people, you probably want to go for something like indie, hip hop, groove, or electronic.

But if you know they are professionals in business, it's common sense to put corporate tones, ambient music, or classic rock in your videos.

The following graph by Statista showcases the favorite music genres of consumers in the US, sorted by age group. So, if you know your audience's age, this can help you choose the best music for your videos.

However, don’t be scared to experiment as you might be surprised by what resonates with your audience.

License the Music

Picture this: You’ve spent a huge amount on video creation only to discover you’re not able to share it with your audience because of copyright issues. Quite disappointing, isn’t it?

Every website has different licensing options that you can’t simply neglect. Platforms, especially YouTube, are smart enough to detect the use of copyrighted music in videos.

You can’t just download any track you like and add it to your videos, unless you’re cool with getting your videos blocked or worse, getting sued by the copyright owner.

So, how to avoid such unwanted situations? We’re glad you asked!

Whenever you use someone else's music, you require permission or license, which varies depending on where you get the music and how it’s going to be used.

Take some time to read the rights listed on each license to make sure it’s legal for you to use it for commercial purposes.

Here are the types of music  licenses you need to pay attention to for video production

Royalty free music

Don’t be misled by the title, the term royalty free denotes that once the rights are purchased, the user need not pay an additional amount or needs to pay a small amount for each stream/view on a public platform. Music available on stock music platforms are covered under this license

Sync license

It’s the license to use music in conjunction with moving images/video feed in the background, this is most relevant for video production.

Master license

It’s license for the recording of a musical composition to performed under different circumstances

Creative commons license

Almost all music that falls under the umbrella of creative commons is free to use in their original forms, however make sure to double check the individual licensing conditions for a piece you’d like to use. For eg. If  a composition under creative commons also contains the license for “No Derivative Works” you cannot modify the original composition while using it.

Music in public domain

Music tracks that fall under this category are not protected by copyright hence these are free to use in most cases, however it’s a good idea to get in touch with the creator to get permission to use the track. In some cases the applicability of copyright laws varies based on geographies, it’s better to get such issues cleared from the creator.

Remember: Music composers work hard to create such masterpieces. So, avoid plagiarizing their work and obtain a proper license to get away from any complications in the future.

Get the Volume Right

To create the best possible experience for your viewers, it’s crucial to consider the frequency and tone of your background music.

The goal of background music is to support your visual elements and not overpower them, and vice versa.

Too loud or too soft volume can be distracting to the viewers, and that’s what you want to avoid (unless you want to make your audience annoyed by your poor music choices).

If you’re doing a talking-head video, music can get in the way! Select the song that complements the speaker’s voice, such as bass or ambient sound.

Avoid tracks with sonic elements, like guitar or piano melodies or even whistling, as these compete with the human voice and make it difficult to hear the person speaking.

If your video is purely visual and you don’t have any vocal message to convey rather than some attractive footage, turn the music up and let it play the leading role.

Take this video for example by Grammarly.

Setting the right volume in your video takes practice. Experiment with different sounds before you add them to your videos to make sure that the music is exactly as soft or loud as you want.

That’s a wrap!

Adding the right background music to your business videos can make all the difference. It not only triggers the emotions of your audience but also lets you develop stronger connections with them.

When you get started, it might seem a little overwhelming. But once you’ve been doing it for a while, you’ll get to a point where choosing the right track and editing it comes naturally to you.

So, what are you waiting for? Get StoryXpres Screen Recorder, create your first video, choose the perfect background music, stick to the licensing options, edit it and share with the world.

But above all, be creative and have fun!