1. Music
Music has a big impact when it comes to making a commercial - it sets the entire tone- therefore
choosing the right music is crucial.
Although music is a big part of the commercial radio industry, there are certain laws that have to be
followed. Most music is copyrighted as to protect the artist, musician or composer- this simply
means that their work is legally protected. If you were to use a piece of copyrighted music without
permission you’d be breaking the law, therefore you need to ensure that before you broadcast the
advertisement you have cleared it, reported it and paid for it. A radio station will typically have a
license that allows them to play music for entertainment purposes, however when it comes to
advertisements they’re not usually covered. There are certain rules and regulations that have to be
followed and considered such as fair use, licensing, the 7-second rule and strategies.
Fair use simply means that it’s illegal to use any music that can be recognised if you don’t have
permission to do so; if core components of the song have been used, then fair use has been
exceeded. A licencing is an agreement made between two parties which give the advertisers
permission to use the copyrighted music. Typically two licences are needed; one from the group that
own the copyrighted song and the other from the party that owns the copyright for recording. The 7-
second rule is something used by a lot of advertisers; they work on the basis that if a song is used for
7 seconds or less that there are no legal issues. However from a legal prospective any music used
without permission violates copyright laws. When talking about strategies, it simply means that
advertisers find ways to minimize the cost of licensing; this could be done by gaining permission to
use a song but having another artist record it or even composing your own music.
Live music is rarely used in advertisements- this is usually because the desired effect cannot be
achieved and it often requires a lot of editing which slows down production. Both radio stations and
independent production companies in this day and age will have their own music libraries consisting
of already paid for copyrighted music- however they must ensure that they get a new license every
time they choose to use it in a commercial.
Here is an example of the music library here at our own college radio station:
2. This is very similar to what a production house or radio station would have access to, however all of
our music is copyright and royalty free since we’re only airing to a small number of people in
comparison a station that would be airing an advert to thousands of people.
Music can have a variety of effects on a radio advertisement if used correctly- the right song will
have the ability to both set the right mood and keep listeners interested. When producers set out to
create an advertisement they have a particular target audience in mind, therefore the song used
needs to appeal to both them and their lifestyle. The music used needs to be relatable to the
product or service being promoted in order to meet the main function of the advertisement- it acts
as a support system to the rest of the commercial.
Typically when using a song in an advertisement it will help make it more memorable- it can help
provide a message to viewers.
