Choosing a podcast music can be seen as an insignificant detail as voice is what really matters in a podcast. It’s true that voices will play the lead in every podcast, but podcast music has a supporting role that can definitely enhance a show! Let’s see how to choose music for a podcast.

Music that catch the listeners

The first thing you should consider when choosing your podcast music, is the impact it will have on listeners during the first seconds of listening. When people look for new podcast to listen, they’ll browse through tens of different shows on their podcast platform. A podcast can be easily skipped during those crucial seconds. You don’t want that to happen, that’s why you’ll need to find a music that catches the ear of listeners.

Such music meets two criteria. First the information it gives. Your podcast music should indeed give the listeners enough elements that can make them understand what kind of podcast it is, what it talks about. A good music is a music that sets the mood and tone and perfectly matches the actual content of your podcast.

The second criterion is the quality of the music itself. A bad music, meaning a music that is poorly written or recorded, can have a real deterrent effect on listeners. Try to be demanding and only select the best podcast music, quality-wise, before making your ultimate choice. Finally, you need to choose a podcast music that fits your identity, so that listeners can immediately identify you when they hear it.

Music for segment and cueing

Depending on the format of your podcast you might need different tracks. Especially if your podcast has recurrent segment, using a particular music to introduce it can be interesting. By adding such sounds, your podcast will be more dynamic. Cueing different guests or sections can be interesting to add more rhythm to your show. For such transition, choose a shorter extract than the one of your introduction podcast music. But try to pick a track that fits in your audio identity, with a similar quality as the other sounds you use in your podcast. By doing so , you’ll add a professional touch to your content while making your podcast more enjoyable.

Outro music

Choosing an outro music is essential so you can correctly conclude your podcast music . You’ve got two choices. You can either take another music that will mark the end of your show. That can be interesting so that the emotions at the beginning and the end of your podcast are attached to different songs. Hearing the specific sound of the outro will make your audience understand that the episode is coming to an end. But you can just as well use the same music as in the intro. Doing so will maybe even more give that feeling of conclusion that make you frustrated that the episode is already finished, and excited for the next one.

Where to find that music?

There are several options when it comes to where you can find your podcast music . The first and easier place is “copyright-free” library, such as the YouTube Audio Library, which provides content makers with free sounds to use. But as previously said, you’ll may want to look for higher quality music. That’s why going towards royalty-free music or music license libraries can be a really interesting alternative. They are a legal, reliable and simple source of good quality music for a (often) reasonable price.

Looking for narrative music to add to your podcast? The Documentary Design album from BAM is for you! Make sure to check it out, you can download it by registering for free on the BAM Music website. Hope this article leads your search for podcast music to the meaningful insights. Enhance your podcast music and audience number together.

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