Custom music
Custom music is written for your brand and belongs to nobody else. Use it everywhere, keep using it, and people will start to recognise you before they’ve even looked up.
It’s all about consistency
Think about the adverts you can still hum years later. Most of them have one thing in common, which is that the same piece of music was used again and again, across everything the brand did, until the two became inseparable.
That’s what custom music makes possible, because it’s unique to you and it can run through your TV adverts, your radio adverts, your online videos and even your phone system. Every time someone hears it, they’re being reminded of you.
Library music (ready-made tracks that you pay to use) can sound great, but it can’t do the same job, because anybody can license the same track, including your competitors.
What our composers can create
Our composers will write something to fit your brand and your budget. That could be:
- A full music track, composed to picture for your advert
- A jingle with a sung line that people can remember and repeat
- A sonic logo, which is the few notes that play with your logo at the end
- A set of versions for different uses, such as 30, 20 and 10 seconds, with and without vocals
We’ll play you ideas early, and you’ll have a say at every stage. There’s more on why this works in our guide to sonic branding.
Custom music can become famous
The best-known example is probably McDonald’s, where the music behind the “I’m lovin’ it” campaign was commissioned for the advertising in 2003, and a full-length version was released as a single by Justin Timberlake. More than twenty years later, most people can still hum the five notes at the end, and McDonald’s is still using them.
You don’t need a pop star or a global budget to get the benefit. The principle is exactly the same for a regional business, which is to pick something distinctive and then stick with it.
How the licensing works
It surprises some people that, even though the music is written for you, it’s still normally licensed for an agreed length of time and an agreed set of uses, in the same way any other music track would be.
So the agreement will set out where the music can be used, such as TV, radio and online, in which regions, and for how long. It’s how composers are paid across the industry, and it keeps the upfront cost lower than buying the music outright.
We’ll talk you through the options before anything is composed, so that the licence matches how you actually plan to use it. If you think you’ll be using the music for years, across everything, we’ll set it up that way from the beginning.
Not sure which way to go?
Custom music is one of three ways to make your advert more memorable. If there’s an existing song that would be perfect, have a look at licensing famous music. And if a well-known face or voice would do more for you, read about celebrity endorsement.
Want a sound of your own?
Tell us about your brand and where you’d like to use the music, and we’ll talk you through the options.