How do I brief music for a commercial?
Start with what the music has to mean for the brand, before anyone plays a reference track. Write that meaning down in words the client, the agency and the composer all sign, and judge every demo against those words.
Why most music briefs go nowhere
Most music conversations have ten people at the table and ten songs in their heads. One person hears “upbeat but emotional” as a ukulele, the next as a string section. The composer guesses, the demos miss, and the deadline eats the second round.
A reference track feels like a shortcut. It pulls everyone toward a copy of a song the brand can’t afford or doesn’t own, and it says nothing about why that song works for this film.
How to write the brief
- Name the meaning. What should people feel and understand about the brand when the music starts? Every note and every beat carries meaning inside a culture, so pick the meaning first and the genre second.
- Describe it in words, not songs. Tempo, energy, instruments, voice or no voice, where the music turns. Use references as examples of one quality each, never as the brief itself.
- Get one signature on it. Client, agency and composer agree on the same page of words. That page settles the arguments later.
- Brief the composer with the film. Give the cut, the moments that matter, the end line and the deadline. Say where the music must leave room for voice-over or sound design.
- Run a demo round on the film. Judge the demos against the brief, not against personal taste. Then choose the route and make it.
What Howl does
We call it Insight. Language. Execution. We find the meaning that fits your brand, turn it into a music brief your client, the agency and the composer can agree on, and then we make it: an original composition, a re-recording, a sound logo or a sync.
Marcel also gives a talk for agency and brand teams on exactly this: How to have a better conversation about music.
Questions
What should a music brief for a commercial include?
The meaning the music has to carry for the brand, a description in words (tempo, energy, instruments, voice), the film or cut, the key moments, the deadline and who signs off. References can illustrate one quality each.
Should I use reference tracks in a music brief?
Use them as examples of one quality, such as a tempo or a sound. A reference used as the whole brief leads to a copy of a song the brand doesn't own.
Who should sign off a music brief?
The client, the agency and the composer. When all three agree on the same words, the demos answer the brief instead of a guess.
What is a demo round?
Composers make short demos on the film, so you hear the options against the real picture. You choose a route after the demo round, not before.