Top 5 Royalty Free Music artists
My Top 5 Royalty Free Music artists
Royalty Free music production is becoming increasingly important for videographers all over the world. With YouTube and other video streaming platforms now pulling the plug on commercial music being used unlicensed, Royalty Free is now the only way to go.
Initially, this may seem as a bit of a setback as the term “Royalty Free music” is generally considered as rather bland, soulless audio tracks created digitally to simply avoid using commercial music for online video production. Infact, a few quick samples created and mixed in Apple’s Garageband is all it would be required to compose a simple ‘score’ for your video.
Nowadays the rise of the online music library has brought with it undiscovered yet talented composers who specialise in producing high quality Royalty Free music which features in even the largest TV and Film productions.
The soundtracks these artist and composers produce is to such a good level, it often becomes the music you just like to listen to, often far better than current commercial music, which can sound a little ‘mass produced’.
For this reason, I’ve compiled this list of my Top 5 artists whose soundtracks not only feature in saved playlists to potentially be used in future productions, but also happen to appear on my iPod as alternatives to commercial artists.
- Ben Beiny- http://www.premiumbeat.com/artists/ben-beiny
"Ben Beiny is a composer from London, writing music for film and documentary. At age 4 he took his first violin lesson, before going on to study piano, percussion and guitar. He even admits to the odd bit of choir-boy singing. Now in his late twenties he currently produces an atmospheric mix of instrumentals, making use of subtle rhythms, with both live and electronic elements."
The majority of Ben Beiny’s music on Premiumbeat is instrumental chill out with trip-hop influences. For me, his music is perfect for Corporate video production as it provides an ultra modern chilled vibe to compliment the visuals. Favourite tracks include- “Tell Me”, “Be Gentle” and “Wasting Away”.
2. Tony Anderson- https://www.musicbed.com/songs?artists%5B%5D=7054#
“Meticulously blending organic, electronic and ambient elements, Tony Anderson is making a standout contribution to cinematic music. His addictive melodies, enveloping themes and obsessive attention to detail always leave the listener wanting more. Each piece of music is a story, drawing the listener into another world. Tony has dedicated his life to writing eternal music that connects his audience with their own soul, stories and dreams.”
Tony Anderson’s music compliments cinematic productions, particularly documentaries. A hugely talented and adaptive composer, his music ranges from very ambient and subtle, to intensive and energetic. He has a huge collection of tracks on The Music Bed, so I have yet to even scratch the surface of his work, however favourite tracks so far include- “A Long Way Out”, “Dwell” and “Journey”.
3. Score Squad- http://www.premiumbeat.com/artists/goldhound
"Score Squad is a team of musicians, composers and sound engineers from Germany that provide high quality music covering a variety of different genres, with a main focus on dubstep with orchestra."
For more energetic productions such as sport and adventure, or when a specifically ‘epic’ soundtrack is required, Score Squad is the artist to deliver the goods in this field. Melodic dubstep combined with orchestra is particularly popular in TV production right now. My favourite tracks are- “To The Top” and “The Apocalypse”.
4. John 00 Fleming- http://www.audionetwork.com/browse/m/composer/john-00-fleming_327
“Despite his Bond-baiting monicker, John ‘00’ Fleming is hardly a secret agent to anyone with even the most passing interest in dance music over the last twenty years. In a career that has produced over ten million album sales, five UK Top 40 hits and thirty mix compilations, John is renowned as one of the genre’s perpetually innovative forces, consistently to be found at its cutting edge.”
Again, for the more energetic productions, John 00 Fleming’s dance music is an ideal choice. Unlike most of the artists featured on Audio Network who's music are mostly collaborative efforts, nearly all his tracks in the library are entirely his own work. My particular favourites are “Emerging Paradise” and “Colourful Kites in the Sky.”
5. Brooke Annibale- https://www.musicbed.com/artists/brooke-annibale/29
“Singer-songwriter Brooke Annibale combines earthy vocals, insightful lyrics and acoustic pop folk sounds to create dynamic and engaging performances. Her evocative musicianship is driven by an enduring passion for songwriting. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, her deep family roots in music and guitar playing have led to a heartfelt connection with the art. After time playing and recording in Nashville, eventually recording her LP 'The Simple Fear', Brooke moved back to Pittsburg to bring her still flourishing career full circle.”
As a stark contrast to all the previous artists featured, Brooke Annibale’s acoustic folk music is perfect for cinematic wedding films. For me, I feel a more organic soundtrack helps to compliment the establishing visuals. Brooke’s vocals are a pleasure to hear too! My favourite tracks from this singer-songwriter are “Tryin”, “Under Streetlights” and “Now and Always”.
Music plays an important role in video production, getting the soundtrack choice right is difficult and often forms the basis of how the edit flows. Videographers and editors spend hours and hours looking for the perfect soundtrack for their next production. The reward comes when that perfect soundtrack is found and simply fits together seamlessly with the subject matter filmed and the resulting finished edit. Its for this reason that music choice is one of many factors in the video production jigsaw!
Dan