How to find the right music for travel video?
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Selecting the appropriate music for a travel video can prove to be a daunting task. The music you opt for can establish the ambiance and atmosphere of your video and can aid in expressing the emotions and experiences of your journey.
With an array of choices at your fingertips, it can be overwhelming to know where to begin. This guide will furnish you with some tips and techniques for discovering the perfect soundtrack for your journey video.
From comprehending the significance of synchronizing the music with visuals to exploring diverse genres and sources for music, we will equip you with the necessary platform to find the music for travel videos perfectly.
The Purpose and Tone of the Travel Video
When creating a travel video, the intended audience and message being conveyed determine the purpose and tone. The video can serve various purposes, such as promoting a destination, documenting a trip, sharing personal stories, or advertising a travel-related product or service. The tone could be informative, inspiring, humorous, or a blend of these. And the key point in determining the video’s content and style is considering both the purpose and tone. What purpose and tone do you want your travel video to have?
Identifying the purpose of the travel video
Identifying the purpose of a travel video is an important first step in the planning process. The video’s purpose will influence the final product’s content, style, and tone. Some common purposes for travel videos include
Description:
A promotional travel video is created to promote a destination, product, or service. It might showcase the beauty and attractions of a location or highlight the features and benefits of a travel-related service
Soundtrack Recommendations
‘Travelin’ Man’ – Ricky Nelson
‘Dancing in the Streets of Barcelona’ – Ed Sheeran
‘Wake Me Up’ – Avicii
‘Paris’ – The Chainsmokers
‘Have Love Will Travel’ – Sonics
Description:
A documentary travel video aims to provide an in-depth look at a destination. It might explore a location’s history, culture, or natural beauty or delve into a specific issue or theme relevant to travel.
Soundtrack Recommendations:
‘Motivate’ by Wavecont
‘Lonesome Journey’ by Keys of Moon
‘Relaxing Chill Music | ARNOR’ by Alex-Productions
‘Melody of Nature’ by GoodBMusic
‘The Inspiration’ by Keys of Moon
Description:
A travel vlog is a personal video diary that documents the creator’s travels and experiences. It might include footage of the creator’s adventures and their thoughts and reflections on their trip.
Soundtrack Recommendations:
‘Ambient Nature Music | Nature’ by Alex-Productions
‘Lightless Dawn’ by Kevin MacLeod
‘Pride’ by MaxKoMusic
‘An Epic Story’ by MaxKoMusic
Determining the desired tone and mood
Tone and mood are the factors that can significantly impact how the audience perceives and engages with the content. A variety of tones and moods are commonly used in travel videos, such as:
Description:
A travel video that captures thrilling activities and explorations like hiking, surfing, or discovering new places can be an adventure in itself. A lively and energetic tone with quick editing and upbeat music can add to the excitement of the video
Soundtrack Recommendations
Collapse (feat. Memorecks)’ by Zeds Dead
‘Paris’ by The Chainsmokers
‘Dancing in the Streets of Barcelona’ by Ed Sheeran
‘Lay It on Me (feat. Keiynan Lonsdale)’ by Kasbo
Description:
The video’s tone will be calm and soothing, with slow-paced editing and tranquil music to create a peaceful atmosphere.
Soundtrack Recommendations:
‘90 Days with Animals’ by Gor Mkhitarian
‘A Sunny Day with You’ by Dean Wagg
‘Fly Away’ by Chantelle Berry
‘Bluegrass Foggy Mountain’ by Butch Robbins
Description:
A travel video that inspires can feature stunning scenery, cultural encounters, or transformative personal narratives. The tone of these videos may be motivating and positive, enhanced with captivating visuals and emotional music
Soundtrack Recommendations:
‘Freedom (Instrumental)’ by Bamtone
‘Step It Up’ by Herb Ohta Jr. and Daniel Ho
‘Travel’ by Kapitol
‘Pirate Vacation’ by Loren Davidson
Example: A travel agency creating a promotional video with the tone of adventurous will showcase the thrill and excitement of adventure activities in a specific destination.
To set the right tone for your video, opt for lively and dynamic music that inspires feelings of joy and exploration. Look for tracks in royalty-free music libraries or services catering to video soundtracks. Use filters to search by mood, genre, or other criteria to find the ideal track that complements your video’s theme without detracting from it. Energetic tracks work best for adventure activities like bungee jumping or high roping.
Licensing and Copyright Considerations
Comprehending licensing and copyright compliance is paramount when incorporating music into a video. Here are a few reasons why:
Avoiding legal issues
The law on music copyright defines the legal ownership of a musical composition or sound recording. This ownership grants exclusive rights to distribute and reproduce the work and licenses that allow the copyright holder to earn royalties. There are two categories of music copyright: master and composition.
Copyright gives you the right to copy, sell, distribute, create new works, and display or perform your work publicly (with some restrictions).
By registering your work with the U.S. Copyright Office or its equivalent in your country, you can enjoy added advantages such as access to federal courts in case of infringement and the creation of a public record of your ownership.
Respecting the rights of creators
Obtaining the necessary licenses and permissions ensures that the creators of the music are fairly compensated for their work. Therefore, respecting the rights of the creator is a valuable gesture.
It’s important to note that if you copy someone else’s work, they may have a registered copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office. This allows them to enforce their rights against any infringers. Registering their work may entitle them to statutory damages that can range from $750 to $30,000 per work. In cases of willful infringement, the damages can be as high as $150,000 per work.
Ensuring the quality of your video
Incorporating licensed music into your video can guarantee exceptional audio quality, as it provides access to expertly recorded and mastered tracks. The reason for this lies in the fact that the music has been recorded and mastered by skilled professionals in a studio environment, utilizing advanced equipment and techniques to deliver the finest sound quality.
Avoiding restrictions on your video
Using unlicensed music in your video can lead to restrictions like being blocked in some countries or having ads added by the copyright owner. Get the proper licenses and permissions to avoid these problems.
Therefore, in order to use a particular piece of music in your video, you must seek permission from the copyright owners of both the musical composition and sound recording. Usually, this is achieved through obtaining a synchronization license, which permits the use of the music alongside visual media.
If you’re a vlogger and you’ve created a video. In the video, you include a popular song as background music without obtaining the necessary licenses. After uploading the video to your YouTube channel, you receive a notification that your video has been flagged for a copyright violation and has been removed from the platform.
Big Example: A travel filmmaker purchasing a license from a music library to legally use a specific track in their video. If not, there are various consequences that they might face. These risks can range from having the video muted, taken down, or accompanied by third-party advertisements, to legal disputes initiated by the copyright owner against the filmmaker or their business and even harm to the filmmaker’s reputation. Many ways to acquire legal music for videos, such as utilizing music released under Creative Commons licenses or seeking permission from the song’s copyright holder.
Different Platforms to Find the Right Music
There are several platforms available to help find music for travel videos. Each platform has its own unique features and abilities. Researching and comparing these platforms is recommended to determine which fits your specific needs best.
Epidemic Sound
Epidemic Sound has a wide selection of royalty-free music and sound effects for video creators. A subscription gives unlimited access, and a 30-day free trial is available.
Pricing: Subscription-based plans start at $15/month for personal use and $49/month for commercial use
Artlist
In addition to providing sound effects, stock footage, video templates, plugins, and video editing software, they have a selection of royalty-free music for videos. If you opt for an Artlist subscription, you’ll have unrestricted access to their over 400,000 high-quality assets collection.
Artlist also provides a variety of subscription options tailored to your specific needs. You can select from Music & SFX plans, Footage & Templates plans, or the all-inclusive Artlist Max subscription that grants you unrestricted access to everything Artlist has to offer.
Pricing: Annual subscription plans start at $199/year for personal and commercial use.
AudioJungle
Discover a vast library of music and sounds from AudioJungle’s talented community of musicians and sound engineers. With over 1,896,615 tracks available, you can explore various genres, such as: ambient, children’s, cinematic, classical, corporate, country, western, drum & bass, breakbeat, electronica, experimental, abstract, folk, acoustic, funk, groove, hip-hop, holiday & seasonal, house, jazz, miscellaneous, percussion, pop, rock, soul, r&b, vocals, voice, and world beat.
Pricing: Individual track purchases with prices ranging from $1 to $49 per track.
PremiumBeat
At PremiumBeat, you can choose from various subscription plans, including a recently introduced yearly subscription that can save you up to 80% compared to buying individual tracks. This subscription gives you greater flexibility, offering 60 tracks upfront per year, and each license covers all track versions available.
On the website, users can easily search for popular music genres such as: technology, happy, upbeat, epic, rock, piano, funny, fun, funk, corporate, news, fashion, emotional, hope, inspirational, logo, documentary, inspiring, hip hop, uplifting, summer, jazz, sports, trap, comedy, cinematic, trailer, pop, love, intro, sad, nature, ambient, travel, 80s, hero, stomp, hopeful, quirky, romantic, funky, and food.
Pricing: Individual track purchases start at $49 per track.
Soundstripe
At Soundstripe, they have workflow extensions that seamlessly integrate with Premiere Pro, Frame.io, and other platforms. With these extensions, you can easily add music to your timeline, work collaboratively with others, and save significant time every week. The search and filter options are user-friendly and intuitive, making it effortless for you to find the perfect song that fits your project’s genre, mood, bpm, key, and other specifications.
Pricing: Subscription-based plans start at $15/month for personal use and $135/year for commercial use.
Musicbed
A platform called Musicbed provides music licensing for TV, movies, and advertisements. They have a carefully curated roster with hundreds of well-known composers and up-and-coming independent artists. You can now sign up for a free account to find the perfect song for your movie.
Advanced search options on Musicbed include BPM, song build, song length, vocals, lyrics, and many other criteria. Explore more than 100 playlists in every style and mood, or find out what the filmmakers you follow are finding inspiring. Free of charge, their experts will make recommendations and pitch music for your movies.
Pricing: Individual track purchases with prices varying based on the track and usage.
Pond5
Pond5 provides photos, sound effects, Adobe After Effects templates, 3D models, stock videos, and music and video. You can access their full sound effects and music collection for free through their new subscription service. Options include music only, music and sound effects, and multimedia.
A stock video license from Pond5 will meet your needs and reduce risk. With the best protection available in the sector, you can experience peace of mind. They also provide human assistance to aid you in locating what you require.
Pricing: Individual track purchases with prices ranging from $15 to $199 per track.
Jamendo
Jamendo is a website that provides free music streaming and downloads. They have a library of more than 600,000 free songs by more than 40,000 independent musicians from around the globe. On their website, you can look up and explore new musical genres.
Jamendo’s available languages include English, Portuguese, and Spanish. To access their website in your native tongue and learn about new music from independent artists around the world, click here.
Pricing: Royalty-free music licensing options are available, with pricing plans varying based on the usage requirements.
YouTube Audio Library
From the sounds of nature, like birds chirping or waves crashing, to everyday noises like footsteps or a door creaking, you can find an array of sounds to enhance your videos and make them more immersive.
Pricing: Free to use, with a wide selection of royalty-free music available for YouTube creators.
Conclusion
Choosing the music for travel videos is crucial as it can greatly influence the emotions and responses of your viewers toward your content. Music has the power to set the tone, stir emotions, and enhance the story of your video. It’s important to consider various factors like genre, tempo, mood, lyrics, and licensing to find the perfect music. Moreover, trying out different tracks and seeing how well they blend with your footage is vital. With a careful selection of music, you can create an engaging, memorable, and inspiring travel video.
