Music and Television Programming: Good Inexpensive
Production Music by Michael Sweeney
Television has taken on an entirely new look and feel, even
in the past decade. What was once an industry based on three
major networks with very limited programs in the 1950’s has
erupted into many major networks and thousands of cable
channels available throughout the world in every imaginable
language. Television has truly become a three-dimensional
experience for producers, directors, project coordinators
and other professionals in the industry, not to mention a
multi-dimensional experience for viewers. With a variety of
genres and styles of programming available, from news
programs and specials to different types and lengths of
commercials, sit-coms, dramas, reality programs, game shows
and countless others, being someone involved in television
production is both wrought with opportunity and teeming with
challenges.
Finding inexpensive background music and production music
for television programs can be much more difficult than
finding it for other types of media projects because the
medium is so diversified and so societally pervasive. As a
director or producer of television programs looking for
ear-catching television music for your show, you have to be
very cognizant of not only your target audience, but also
what you are up against in your allotted time slot.
Sometimes whether a show succeeds or fails has nothing to do
with its quality. Success in television programming has more
to do with what you are up against and the time and day your
program airs. If you are producing a talk show, for example,
you might be on at the same time as more than five or ten
other talk shows. Or your program might conversely be when
no other talk shows are on television, but at a time when
typically people are more likely to watch news programs,
Sit-coms or other types of programming.
Still, choosing the right television music can certainly
help you make the most out of your particular project.
Again, because of the diverse nature of television, there
are many different types of production music and background
music to choose from. There is music for commercials, music
for dramas, music for news programs and specials, music for
sit-coms and many others. As a producer of a television
show, you probably also will have to consider how your music
will blend in with the music of commercials that might air
during your broadcast. Because the line between commercials
and programming has been blurred, starting in the 1960’s
commercials have become an integral part of all television
shows, sometimes not only on network television but also on
cable television. Before the mid-1960’s, commercials used to
have to be signaled in all television programs by an
announcement that they would begin. Similarly, announcers
were responsible for signaling the return of the regular
program. Now, there is not always any clear sign where the
show ends and the commercial begins or vice versa. It’s all
about the timing.
Because Copyright Law has become stricter to account for the
proliferation of diverse recorded music, finding and
affording production music and background music for
television programming has been further complicated. Before
the 1980s, music in commercials and even on many television
programs was limited to jingles and transitional music, most
of which was instrumental or with very brief and simple
vocals. Occasionally lyrics to popular music would be
changed to fit a particular product or the theme for a show,
a phenomenon that would not work easily or cheaply under
today’s copyright standards, and didn’t come inexpensively
then either. Still, while some pop and rock songs were
re-recorded for television programs and commercials, the
cost of licensing original recordings was very daunting
until the late 1980s when it became more doable.
Today commercials use many popular songs as background music
and production music, and many programs, particularly those
geared towards young people use popular music regularly in
an effort to promote burgeoning music groups. Television has
become such a cultural phenomenon and a showcase for music
that many shows, including “Dawson’s Creek” and “The O.C.”
have even gone on to put out music compilations based on
music heard in episodes of the show throughout specific
seasons. Previously, songs were often used without artist
consent, but thanks to stricter Copyright Law this is no
longer a possibility. Still, most artists are willing to
accept often high payment for use of their songs in popular
television programs and enjoy the exposure they get as a
result to very specific markets made up of people that will
buy music they make in the future.
Using popular music in television programs and commercials
can be incredibly expensive for the typical producer and
director. Whether your show is a hit with a large budget, or
a smaller show just starting out, you want to make an impact
musically at minimal cost, as there are so many other
elements to consider in the production of television
projects. Fees for use of popular music can total thousands
of dollars, and when you multiply that by how often you will
probably use songs as themes, production music, background
music and other incidental elements, the numbers can add up
quickly. But, even though you want to save money on
television music, you certainly don’t want to skimp on
quality.
What are your options when it comes to production music and
background music for your television projects if you want to
build a collection inexpensively and still honor the spirit
of your project?
As a producer or director of television programs, you most
likely travel in circles of artists and musicians. You might
know some good composers or bands, or people you know might
know some that would be happy to help with music for your
project. Because of the almost culturally invasive nature of
television, most struggling musicians or composers would not
object to helping you out with your project in exchange for
exposure and the chance to work on something beyond the
norm. Many bands have been launched when their song was
chosen as a theme song for a television series, and many
composers have broken into the film, television and music
industry after working on scores for television programs.
Finding under-appreciated talent in your network is a good
option and often one that could help get you a deal on
production music or background music, but it is by no means
a simple solution, nor one that is long-term. If your show
is a hit, or your theme song or the band that sings it is a
hit, you will be morally, if not legally obligated to pay
more for the music you are using. This either leads to the
same problem you had before of expensive music or back to
square one, looking for inexpensive television music.
Another option for inexpensive production music, and one
that more producers and directors are choosing every day, is
royalty free music provided by reputable music companies.
Choosing royalty free music allows you access to a catalog of music in varying styles and can be downloaded directly from a centralized royalty free music company website online. Well-known companies such as Royalty Free Music.com give you music libraries with songs you can add permanently to a collection. This means you can build
your own store of production music and use it in present and
future projects. And because of the nature of the music, you
just pay a very low upfront fee to satisfy all aspects of
Copyright Law.
Television production gets more complex as time and
technology progresses, but directors and producers will
never lose the ability to control what production music and
background music fits best with their projects. Television
music is critical to keeping a program or a commercial at
the top of its game, and helps communicate important themes
to viewers. As a producer, director or project coordinator,
the musical choices you make are some of the most important
decisions.
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Michael is an EzineArticles.com Expert Author. You can read
more film articles by Michael at
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Michael_Sweeney
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Copyright (c) 2006 Peter D. Marshall / All Rights Reserved
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