How can you use licensed music to create tension in your audio content?

1 What is licensed music?

Licensed music is music that you have obtained permission to use from the copyright owner or a third-party service that represents them. This permission is usually granted in exchange for a fee, a royalty, or a credit. Licensed music can be either original or pre-existing, meaning that it was created specifically for your project or that it was already available on a platform or a library. Licensed music can also be either exclusive or non-exclusive, meaning that you are the only one who can use it or that others can use it as well.

3 How to choose licensed music?

Choosing licensed music for your audio content is not a simple task. You need to consider the purpose and message of your content, the tone and atmosphere, the pace and structure, as well as the audience and platform to ensure that you select music that matches your criteria. You can narrow down your search by using filters, keywords, categories, tags, and samples. Additionally, tools such as BPM (beats per minute), key, mood, and genre can help you fine-tune your selection. With careful consideration of these factors, you can find the perfect track for your content.

4 How to use licensed music?

When using licensed music for your audio content, you need to consider several aspects. Volume and balance are important, as you want to adjust the music to your voice and other elements, while avoiding distortion, clipping, and noise. Timing and synchronization are also key, as you need to align the music with your content and create cues, breaks, and changes. You can edit and mix the music to create tension and harmony with your content. Tools like Audacity, GarageBand, or SoundTrap can help you cut, splice, loop, fade, or modify the music. Combining different tracks or layers of music can create transitions, effects, and variations. With careful consideration of these aspects, you can make sure your audio content is well-crafted.

5 How to credit licensed music?

Crediting licensed music for your audio content is not only a legal obligation, but also a professional courtesy and moral duty. You need to follow the terms and conditions of the license agreement that you have signed with the copyright owner or third-party service. When considering the details of your credit, you must think about the format and location, the content and style, as well as the frequency and consistency. For example, do you want to use text or audio? What information do you want to include in your credit? How do you want to phrase and punctuate your credit? How often do you want to credit your music? By crediting your music, you can acknowledge and appreciate the work of the original artists, while also adhering to legal and ethical standards.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?