Music, sound and moving images.
Production notes for agencies, directors and producers.
Live musicians or virtual instruments for an ad: how to choose
Live musicians or virtual instruments for an ad: decide by emotion, rights, schedule, budget and delivery risk before the final mix.
M&M’S turns Halloween movie night into an added audio layer
M&M’S UK launches Scream Time with three downloadable audio tracks, a useful reminder that campaign sound can live beyond the main film.
Blue Planet III turns BBC end credits into a sound-led media moment
BBC Creative’s Blue Planet III Deep Credits shows how sound can interrupt a familiar format, not merely decorate a finished promo.
Who owns unused music routes after an advertising pitch?
Unused pitch music can become a rights problem fast. Decide what the agency, brand and composer may keep, test, adapt or release.
SBS and Domino’s show why radio needs a real audio brief
Heard Mentality’s new SBS and Domino’s episode gives producers a practical lesson on radio, sonic branding and how to brief audio properly.
Can you test advertising music before licensing it?
Testing ad music before licensing: a practical way to compare tracks, protect rights, and avoid late approval problems in the final mix.
What loudness should you deliver for TV, CTV and social advertising?
TV, CTV, YouTube, TikTok and Reels: how to plan ad loudness without crushing the mix or failing media delivery checks.
Human Made puts proof of authorship back into screen music
Ahead of the 2026 Screen Music Awards, Human Made asks a practical production question: who can prove where the music came from?
Breville makes the morning coffee ritual an orchestral cue
Breville’s Glorious Coffee campaign shows how live orchestra, product sound and cutdown planning must be designed together from the start.
Music buyouts in advertising: what are you actually buying?
Music buyouts for ads need precision: master, publishing, performers, term, territory and versions must be separated before a fee is agreed.
Can you reuse campaign music in an awards case film or agency reel?
Case films, reels and awards entries need music rights too. Here is what to clear before a campaign soundtrack becomes portfolio risk.
Wildwood’s Decca soundtrack shows how music can extend a handmade film world
Wildwood released its Decca soundtrack with the film, pairing Dario Marianelli and The Decemberists in a useful lesson for producers.
Can you use a composer’s demo in an ad?
Composer demo in advertising: decide whether a pitch track can be tested, licensed or broadcast without rights and delivery risk.
TV 2 turns a charity song into a silence mechanic
TV 2’s Alle Kender Nogen uses withheld sound to drive donations for Knæk Cancer, with useful lessons for music production.
Drop the Robot shows why a rail campaign also needs a rhythm change
Greater Anglia and c2c’s Drop the Robot shows how sound, animation and media planning must carry a rhythm change across every format.
Temp music in commercials: useful in the edit, risky in approval
Using temp music in a commercial can speed up the edit, but it can create rights, budget and approval risk before the final mix if unmanaged.
Apple Music turns its rebrand into a sound-led production brief
Apple Music’s Made by Sound identity with Fred again.. and NEST Acoustics shows why mnemonic, motion and rights belong in one brief.
How long should you license music for an advertising campaign?
Choose a music licence term for advertising without overbuying: campaign life, media, territories, renewal options and rights risk before delivery.
CICLOPE 2026: On wins the Sound & Music Grand Prix for Shape of Dreams
On's CICLOPE 2026 Sound & Music Grand Prix shows why brand film sound has to be shaped with movement, edit and production design.
Should a brand own the master for original advertising music?
Should a brand own the master for original ad music, or license it? A practical guide to rights, work for hire and delivery risk.
ESPN turns to FERG tracks to launch its NBA season campaign
ESPN’s 2026 NBA campaign uses two unreleased FERG tracks, offering a practical lesson in artist music, rights and campaign versioning.
Voiceover and music in commercials: how to keep the message clear without flattening the film
Voiceover and music in commercials: briefing, scoring, mix and deliverables that keep the message clear without flattening the film.
Should you license a famous song for a commercial?
Famous song in advertising: clear rights, timing, budget, exclusivity and creative risk before committing a campaign to a hit track.
The shots Awards EMEA 2026 shortlist puts ad sound under useful pressure
The shots Awards EMEA 2026 shortlist shows why music, sound design, licensing and delivery need production decisions before final mix.
Colectivo shows how artist-led sound can become a production method
LBB’s Colectivo Music + Sound profile shows how artist collaboration can shape advertising music, sound design and mix strategy.
Music exclusivity for advertising: when is it worth paying for?
Music exclusivity for advertising: when to request it, how to define the scope and how to avoid paying for protection you do not need.
Too close to the reference track: how to brief music without making a risky soundalike
How to use a famous reference track in an ad brief without commissioning a risky soundalike, from rights to creative safeguards.
Wise Music signs Adiescar Chase: what composer deals mean for screen and brand work
Wise Music’s Adiescar Chase deal is a useful reminder that screen music depends on catalogue, publishing, sync access and rights planning.
Can an ad score become a sonic identity?
Can an ad score become a sonic identity? Rights, contracts, versions and limits to check before turning campaign music into a lasting brand asset.
Music+Sound Awards 2026: what the winners reveal about ad sound
The 2026 Music+Sound Awards offer a practical lesson for producers: winning composition, sync and sound design starts before post.
Heard Mentality puts audio back at the top of the creative brief
A new Heard Mentality episode from LBB and Commercial Radio & Audio argues for bringing sound into advertising briefs much earlier.
Hybrid orchestral scoring: how to brief music that can actually be produced
Hybrid orchestral music for advertising: how to brief intent, rights, mock-ups, sound design, recording choices and deliverables.
How to avoid generic luxury advertising music
Avoid generic luxury advertising music with sharper references, rights control, orchestration choices and mix decisions that protect brand value.
Yoto turns listening into a global advertising platform
Yoto launches It’s a listening thing with Akcelo, a global audio-led campaign that sells imagination without overstating what sound can prove.
AI-generated music in advertising: usable asset or rights risk?
AI music for ads can work, but only if rights, voices, tool terms, stems and usage are checked before the campaign goes live.
TK Mami’s Josea shows why AI video still needs a performance brief
TK Mami’s Josea, reported by shots on October 13, is a useful AI-video case because performance, timing and sound still lead.
Picture locked: how to find the right music without weakening the film
How to choose, clear and deliver music after picture lock without damaging the edit, usage rights or final advertising mix.
Tuning In 2026 puts audio back into the budget conversation
Radiocentre’s Tuning In 2026 recap highlights Sound Profits and asks brands to treat audio as a media growth lever.
AAA Insurance turns a campaign band into a brand device
AAA Insurance and Fred & Farid New York use an in-scene band to make insurance feel warmer, repeatable and memorable.
What drives the cost of recording orchestra for a commercial?
A practical guide to orchestral recording costs for commercials: players, studio time, rights, preparation, mix and delivery.
Stems, cutdowns and versioning: deliver ad audio without chaos
Stems, cutdowns, TV mix, social edits and versioning: brief audio deliverables for an ad campaign before final delivery breaks.
PMC 2026: music supervisors are asking for usable catalogues
On the final day of PMC 2026, supervisors, publishers and catalogues focus on a practical question: how does music become usable fast?
Music and sound design in post-production: who owns what?
Define music, sound design and mix roles before post-production to avoid duplicated work, delays, creative conflicts and fragile audio masters.
Neumann’s Hear the Moment makes B2B audio emotional
Neumann’s Hear the Moment campaign shows how B2B audio brands can turn a technical signal chain into a focused sound-led story.
Chipotle turns ingredients into a brand sound with the London Vegetable Orchestra
Chipotle announces From Ground to Sound, made with the London Vegetable Orchestra, offering a useful lesson in sonic branding and proof.
Music rights for a multi-territory ad campaign: what to clear before launch
How to clear music rights for a multi-territory ad campaign, covering master, publishing, media, term, versions and approval risk before launch.
How to brief a composer for an advertising film
What to send before commissioning advertising music: film context, rights, references, timings, formats and delivery risks.
LIVEX shows why event sound now has to work as a system
As LIVEX 2026 closes in Abu Dhabi, its sonic identity shows how event music must scale across film, stage, social and space.
An iconic ad track is not just a famous song
A new LBB column on iconic ad tracks is a useful reminder: effective advertising music must serve emotion, audience and real usage.
Original score or production music for an ad: how to choose
How to choose original score or production music for an ad by weighing edit risk, rights, timing, brand value and delivery before post gets messy.
Bose puts The Dare at the centre of Your Music Deserves Bose
Bose's new Your Music Deserves Bose film uses The Dare's I Destroyed Disco in a campaign directed by Silence.
Modern orchestral music for luxury advertising
A practical guide to briefing modern orchestral music for luxury campaigns, from restraint and material detail to production and delivery.
Silence in advertising: making room in the mix
Why silence in an advert is not empty space, and how to plan it between music, voice and sound design from the brief onward.
When should you bring a music agency into an advertising production?
When to involve a music agency in an advertising production, from treatment and edit through rights, versions and final mix.
Original music for advertising: budget, usage and deliverables
How to scope the budget, usage and deliverables for an original advertising score before production becomes expensive and unclear.
Future Champions: turning brand territory into a music brief
The Future Champions listing shows how heritage, speed and current culture can become concrete decisions in a music brief.