Podcasting has become an increasingly popular (and lucrative) form of audio content creation.
When it comes to producing a podcast, one question we often hear from our clients is should podcasts have background music?
While music can add depth, emotion, and value to a podcast, it also comes with considerations such as copyright, mixing, and potential drawbacks.
In this blog post, we will explore the pros and cons of using music in podcasts, helping you to make informed decisions about incorporating music into your shows.
Keep reading!
Let’s start by looking at the pros and cons of using background music in podcasts:
5 good reasons to add background music to your podcast
Pros of using music in a podcast:
1. Set The Mood and Create Atmosphere
Music will create a desired mood or atmosphere in a podcast, set the tone and enhance the overall listening experience.
Right music adds emotion, energy, and depth to the content, making it more engaging and memorable.
2. Increase Production Value
Well-chosen music will definitely add production value to your podcast.
3. Support Storytelling By Creating Emotion
Just like with audio book music is a great vehicle to support storytelling and evoke emotions in a podcast.
Use music strategically to underscore important moments, emphasize emotions, and create a deeper connection with the listeners.
4. Stand out from competing podcasts
Music will help your podcast stand out from the crowd. With the abundance of podcasts available, using unique and fitting music will set your podcast apart from others, making it more memorable and recognizable.
Catchy jingles and intros will also help with branding and identity.
Use consistent music or jingles to establish your audio brand for the podcast. A good jingle will become part of your podcast’s identity, contributing to its overall style and personality.
5. Sponsorship Opportunities
Using music in podcasts can create sponsorship opportunities.
Collaborate with musicians or use licensed music from sponsors, like TunePocket, providing mutual exposure and promotion for both the podcast and the sponsor.
Learn about 25+ more other ways you can make money doing podcasts.
3 Common concerns about using music in podcasts
Cons of using music in a podcast:
1. Copyright and Licensing
Using copyrighted music in a podcast will require obtaining proper licenses or permissions to comply with copyright laws.
If you choose to use music without permission this may result in legal issues and potential penalties.
Learn how to license music for podcasts.
2. Some people just don’t like music
Different listeners may have different preferences when it comes to music in podcasts.
The use of music in a podcast may not always be universally appealing. Podcast “purists” may find it distracting or off-putting.
3. Extra Production Time and Effort
Selecting, editing, and adding music into a podcast requires additional production time and effort.
Mixing the music with the spoken word in a podcast can be challenging and will require you learning new audio engineering skills.
Download unlimited royalty free music and sounds for podcasts
3 important things to consider before adding background music to your podcast
Whether or not your podcasts should have background music depends primarily on your preference, as well as the preferences of your audience.
If you don’t like music, don’t use it. Likewise, music may not be suitable for every podcast.
However, if you feel that adding music can potentially increase the value or your content, here are some factors to consider:
1. Podcast content and style
Does the music align with your podcast’s type of content and style?
For example, podcasts that involve storytelling, interviews, or dramatic readings may benefit from carefully chosen background music that complements the mood or theme of the content.
However, some podcasts, such as news or educational podcasts, may not require background music.
Important! Think about the preferences of your intended audience as well! Do THEY like music?
2. Copyright
Do you have permission to use that specific music in your podcast?
It’s crucial to ensure that any background music you use in a podcast is properly licensed and complies with copyright laws.
Many websites and services offer podsafe royalty-free or licensed music specifically for podcast use.
You can browse our large music and sounds collection here:
Podsafe music and sound effects
3. Audio Mixing and Quality
Do you have the skills to mix music with spoken word?
Proper audio mixing is important when incorporating background music into a podcast. The music should be balanced with the voices of the hosts or speakers and should not overpower the main content.
2 alternatives to using background music throughout your podcast episodes
Sometimes playing background music throughout your entire podcast is overkill.
Consider these two simple alternatives:
a) Use a short music intro at the beginning of your podcast.
Having a memorable audio intro for a podcast can help to grab the attention of new listeners and create a strong brand identity.
Learn how to choose best music intro for your podcast.
b) Use sound effects and transitions to highlight important moments or when moving to the next topic.
Learn how to properly use sounds effects in podcasts.
Questions? Comments?
Ultimately, the decision to include background music in a podcast should be based on the specific requirements and goals of the podcast, and the preferences of the target audience.
It’s important to consider the content, style, tone, and legal aspects of using background music, and to carefully mix and balance the audio to create a seamless and enjoyable listening experience.
Would you use music in your podcast?
Let us know what you think by posting a comment!
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Wow you got through that whole article and didn’t match and disabled accessibility once. Blocking speech with any noise including music means about 25% of your potential audience will not be able to understand what you’re saying or be able to try to focus on what you’re saying without going into intense pain to the point of vomiting and being sick for the next two days. Congratulations. You have just marginalized 25% of the population. If you don’t know anything about making media accessible to as many people as possible you have no business creating it.
Following that logic we should universally ban music from film, TV broadcasts, radio shows, theater, musicals, YouTube videos, TikTok, and so on 🙂
Thank you for you comment. Accessibility is a valid point.
Yes, there is a phenomenon known as “audio processing disorder” or “auditory processing disorder” (APD) that can affect a person’s ability to understand speech in the presence of background noise, including music.
People with APD may have difficulty processing and interpreting auditory information, which can manifest as challenges in understanding speech, especially in noisy environments. Background music or other competing sounds may make it harder for individuals with APD to focus on and comprehend spoken language.
However, it’s important to note that APD is not officially recognized as a standalone disability and some professionals argue that APD may be a symptom rather than a distinct disorder. Some studies suggest that APD may affect around 2-7% of school-aged children, however, the lack of a universally accepted definition and standardized diagnostic criteria for APD contributes to challenges in accurately estimating its prevalence.
Ultimately, this is up to podcast creators whether to include music or not based on the criteria outlined above.