How to use music to transform your visual content

In the digital age, where visual content reigns supreme, music is a secret weapon that can elevate your videos, presentations and social media posts from good to unforgettable. The right soundtrack can transform your visuals, evoke emotions and captivate your audience in ways that visuals alone simply can't achieve.

Yet there's just one problem. Licensing music directly from artists or agencies can be expensive, a legal minefield, and just a massive headache. Thankfully, though, there's an easier way. Since 2009 Epidemic Sound has been providing a simple solution for content creators, marketers, and businesses looking to harness the power of music without the headaches of licensing and rights management.

We've partnered with Epidemic Sound to bring you a six-part series of articles focused on the use of music in modern design. In this opening article, we'll look at why music matters, explore how three companies worked to bring their content to life through music and share practical tips for transforming your visuals with music.

Why music matters

First, let's consider why this matters. Music can profoundly impact the success of visual content in the following ways.

• Emotional resonance: Music has the unique ability to tap into our emotions, setting the tone and mood for your visual story. Whether you want to evoke joy, nostalgia, excitement or contemplation, the right track can instantly transport your audience to the desired emotional state.

• Audience engagement: A well-chosen soundtrack can keep viewers watching longer, increasing engagement metrics across platforms. Studies have shown that videos with appropriate background music can significantly increase watch time and reduce bounce rates, leading to better performance in algorithm-driven platforms.

• Brand identity: Consistent use of certain musical styles or genres can become part of your brand's sonic identity, making your content instantly recognisable. Just as visual elements like logos and colour schemes define your brand, a distinctive musical style can create a powerful auditory association with your brand in your audience.

• Narrative enhancement: Music can underscore key moments, build tension or provide resolution, enhancing the storytelling aspect of your visuals. By carefully synchronising music with your visual narrative, you can guide your audience's attention, emphasise important points, and create a more memorable experience.

How this works in practice

Now, let's explore how Epidemic Sound is helping brands and creators achieve these transformative effects in the real world.

1. "The platform is so user-friendly" – Glanbia

Glanbia, a global leader in nutrition products, faced a common challenge in the digital marketing world: finding high-quality music that could be safely used across multiple marketing platforms, including content produced by influencers, that would align with their brand identity.

Partnering with Epidemic Sound gave Glanbia access to a vast, varied catalogue of high-quality tracks that could be safely by influencers across all platforms in a flexible and cost-effective way. As a result, they experienced a dramatic improvement in the quality of content and public engagement with it.

This transformation wasn't just about sourcing better music but creating a more cohesive and engaging brand presence across social media. Glanbia's content now resonates more deeply with its audience, particularly on platforms like TikTok, where music is crucial to its success.

And none of this was at all difficult. "The platform is so user-friendly and very intuitive when searching for music to match a specific type of content," enthuses Stuart Dansby, senior director of market activation at Glanbia. "The discovery journey from a genre or mood is both fun and fast. The service and platform are top-notch, but I can't recommend them enough."

Stuart and his team especially value the close partnership they have formed with their personal Customer Success Manager, who can assist the team within an hour. With access to varied soundtracks and insights, such as the most trending tracks every month, they can help influencers spread the word about their brand in the most effective way possible.

2. "Our process is 2-3 times faster" – FabFitFun

FabFitFun, a lifestyle brand known for its premium subscription boxes, understands the power of storytelling in branded content. However, as their content production volumes increased, they faced a significant challenge: inefficient music sourcing and rights management were slowing down their creative process.

By turning to Epidemic, they were able to speed things up significantly. Instead, they now have a streamlined post-production process that saves them much time and energy, and they have easy access to high-quality, legally safe music.

"Thanks to Epidemic Sound, our post-production process is two to three times faster," says Andrew Inglin, director of content at FabFitFun. "With stems available on each track, we're able to really tailor our edit with the music to create the sonic experience that we want to represent," Inglin explains.

The brand continues to hone its brand sound through smooth experimentation and iteration. The team regularly works with Epidemic's music curators to get inspiration for a specific vibe or a new direction. In between music curation rounds, the team uses the mood filter to quickly find the right nuance for their video and adds sound effects.

3. "Objective tools help win over clients" – Interbrand

For a big agency like Interbrand, helping clients develop a comprehensive brand identity isn't just about visuals; it's about creating a multi-sensory experience. When tasked with defining the sonic identity for a client in the energy sector, Interbrand turned to Epidemic Sound for a collaborative solution.

Interbrand's client was a brand with a strong visual identity but one that lacked a cohesive sound strategy. With Epidemic's help, the agency crafted a comprehensive sonic identity that aligned with the brand's goals and values, driving recognition and loyalty.

The process involved deep research into the brand's perception, YouTube tags and associated genres and moods. The resulting identity featured a number of elements: a Music Playbook guiding the use of music across all touchpoints, a curated library of high-quality tracks, a hero track for the rebrand launch video, and a sonic logo.

Sue Daun, executive creative director at Interbrand, explains that it can be difficult to nail down clients to agree on the 'sound of their brand'. "There is a lot of subjectivity around what good sounds like – let alone what the brand should sound like," she points out. "So building measurable principles, whether they be tempo, instruments or sound treatments, all help to remove the subjectivity."

Tips for transforming your visuals with music

Drawing from Epidemic Sound's extensive experience in this area, here are some practical tips for using music to enhance your visual content.

• Match the mood: Use Epidemic Sound's mood filter to quickly find tracks that align with the emotional tone of your visuals.
• Experiment with genres: Don't be afraid to try unexpected musical styles to create contrast or add interest to your content.
• Utilise stems: Take advantage of the ability to customise tracks by removing or isolating specific instruments or elements.
• Create consistency: Develop a sonic brand identity by consistently using certain styles or genres across your content.
• Align with trends: Stay current by exploring Epidemic Sound's trending tracks, especially for platforms like TikTok, where music plays a crucial role.
• Enhance storytelling: Use music to underscore key moments in your narrative, building tension or providing resolution as needed.
• Consider sound effects: Don't forget about Epidemic Sound's extensive library of sound effects to add depth and realism to your content.

Why Epidemic Sound?

So, what exactly sets Epidemic Sound apart in the crowded field of music licensing platforms? Here are just a few reasons why it's so popular among designers, agencies, brands and independent creators.

• A vast, high-quality library: With over 40,000 tracks and 90,000 sound effects, there's something for every project.
• Flexible licensing: Use the music safely across multiple platforms, including for influencer content.
• Customisation options: Access to stems allows unprecedented control over the final sound.
• User-friendly interface: Quick and intuitive searching makes finding the perfect track a breeze.
• Expert curation: Work with music curators to find the perfect sound for your brand.
• Regular updates: New tracks are added regularly, ensuring fresh options for your content.

In part two, we'll focus on visual storytelling, explain the integral role played by music, and offer our top tips on doing so effectively.