Music in Political Ads

Music in Political Ads:

Political ads are going to be broadcasted widely on television or the internet. If you plan on using a pre-existing song, it has to be licensed properly and get the proper approvals. Your campaign will have to get a sync license and it is expected to contact the song copyright owner(s). ASCAP, one of the largest performing rights organization says,"The campaign will need to contact the song's publisher and possibly the artist's record label to negotiate the appropriate licenses with them." This approval is important because political ads will be accessible on any compatible device. Even with a sync license if a song with used without this approval it will most likely infringe upon the artists trademark. Given these past two elections, artists are more likely than ever to address to take legal actions.

How to choose the right music for your ad:

The music in political ads has a different tone than music in rallies. It is important to use music that fits the tone of your message. The goal is to find and push a particular emotional response. Attack ads will use dark or unsettling music to play to fear and skepticism. Ads that are promoting your candidate should have music that is upbeat and inspirational. These song should be chosen for their musical qualities (key, rhythm, what instruments instruments, genre, etc.). For positive/promotional ads, use songs in major a key and that have faster/upbeat rhythm. For negative/attack ads use songs in a minor key, it will give it a darker feeling especially with dissonance.

The importance of the music is add depth to the video, not be the focus. It is sometimes preferable to have music without lyrics so the audience keeps it's focus on what is directly being said in the ad. For anyone looking to save money this is also a good opportunity to find music in the public domain to save money from licenses.