Sports videos of all kinds are so important in present day and age. The industry is a huge money maker and enthusiasts love to see the play-by-play both during the big game and afterwards as they enjoy the highlights.
I think we can all agree that there are certain types of music associated with different types of moments in sports. There are the moments of triumph, the moments of defeat and the moments of remembrance, just to name a few. There are times to get the crowd amped up and the times to wind them down as the game concludes. Different emotions are evoked when utilizing different types of music and sports videos tend to make people run the gamut of emotions.
So, if you are in the production industry and are looking into taking on some sports video production work, it’s important to have a solid music licensing contract in place. You’ll need lots of different options to fit whatever the basis for your sports video may be.
Let’s take a look at some types of sports videos and the best types of music that may accompany them.
Traditional Sports: Football, Baseball, Basketball, Hockey, Soccer
We all love the old faithful sports. Even if you do not love them for the athleticism, sportsmanship or even pure entertainment, you certainly love the paycheck attached to both college and pro sports like football, baseball, basketball, hockey and soccer.
There are many types of sports videos that may be necessary in the production room when it comes to the more traditional sports. Football season in the United States typically runs from around September until January or February of the following year when the ultimate Super Bowl takes place. During that time, and even before the season starts, there will be plenty of highlight reels created to amp up the fans and remind us of why the sport is so well loved. Make sure you secure music licensing for the best football songs.
As the season goes on, each live game will have certain music played throughout the game as the tension builds and drops. Some games will be nailbiters -- super close scores, and a tug of war for the winner’s circle. Others will be complete blowouts. In either situation, there will be replay videos, interim reports and after-the-game highlights that will all require a certain type of music to make them resonate with the audience the best.
Baseball is a much slower sport, although it is not without excitement. You’ll find a lot of room to play the old timey favorites throughout any type of sports video production related to baseball. When it comes to sports video highlight music, you can indulge multiple types of music to relate to the viewer. Just make sure you are reaching the right target audience when choosing your baseball music. Baseball fans are very particular, and appreciate the traditions of this incredible game being upheld.
Basketball is one of the more fast-paced and high scoring traditional games. As the ball is dribbled from one end of the court to the other, fans will sit on the edge of their seats in the stands, wondering how their team’s defense will stand up against their opponents offense -- or vice versa.
To capture these moments properly, both in live sports video as well as in highlight videos to be enjoyed and dissected later, music that creates the right atmosphere must be incorporated.
Then, of course, there is Hockey and Soccer. Both of these sports tend to get a little less screen time and news play than the earlier three mentioned. However, both have a strong following and will lend themselves to some pretty exciting sports videos. Hockey tends to present some exciting moments, mostly due to the fighting between players which really amps up the crowd. And Soccer is an extreme display of athleticism, with the players barely stopping to come up or air for a full 90 minutes.
With each of these traditional sports, there are some crossover similarities, as well as some opportunities to create sports videos that truly relate to that particular sport. Be sure to know your audience when piecing together videos for each of these sports.
Olympics
The Olympics are more than just a sporting event. They are an inspiring and exciting time for many countries around the world. Many of the sports videos created for the Olympics will be shown for many years for multiple different purposes. Olympic coaches may use videos from past events to help inspire and teach their athletes. After all, there is a lot we can all learn from those that came before us.
In addition, there are so many people who are die hard fans of the Olympics, even if they are not athletes themselves. You might have friends and family (or maybe you fit this description yourself) that watch and rewatch their favorite Olympic moments over and over again. The fact is, the video itself is always amazing to watch, but with the proper music added to any Olympic clip, you can take the excitement and emotion to an entirely different level!
Golf
This is a tricky one because for many people, the highlight of a golf game is the extreme concentration and silence. While some might feel this sport is boring, many people appreciate it for its relaxing nature and the extreme skill and patience that goes into being a professional golfer.
For all of these reasons and more, it is incredibly difficult to choose the right music for a golf sports video montage or highlight reel. The soundtrack, or background music for a gold video must always be carefully crafted to appeal to the audience. We have the perfect music to accompany your golf sports videos in our TunEdge music licensing library.
College Sports
If you are a college sports fan, you’ll understand how important the atmosphere surrounding a game or a highlight sports video can be. The experience of the game is the highlight, cheering your team on, enjoying the full extent of the adrenaline rush. It’s a wonderful time to be a sports fan during college sports seasons!
The arena music will be a key part of any college sports experience. However, true enthusiasts will love to watch the old highlight videos from their favorite teams. Be sure you have college sports music licensing to fit all scenarios.
Extreme Sports
Extreme sports call for extreme music. Whether you are watching the X-Games live or a highlight video from some extreme athletes showing off their skills in the streets, the soundtrack is key. It’s important to take your time settling on the right extreme sports video music.
Skateboarding, for example, is an extreme sport that spawned multiple videos games back in the early 2000’s. For a while, Tony Hawk was king. At that time, the soundtrack to Tony Hawk Pro Skater was revered almost as much as the game was. The popularity of the game has spanned more than a decade with the most recent version of the game being released in 2015.
You’ll find a lot of punk pop music attached to extreme sports and you’ll likely find the music you need for your extreme sports production in our music montage.
Sport Video and Music Licensing
So, once you’ve narrowed down the type of sport you’ll be covering for your sports video, you’ll be able to better choose the right music licensing to fit your needs. One of the most important things to remember is to avoid free music licensing for sports videos.
I think we all know by now that free music licensing is just never the way to go for any type of production, but this holds especially true for sports production videos. This is because there are already a lot of licensing and copyright issues that are attached to most sports videos.
Do you remember the lead in to most live NFL broadcasts? You’re not even supposed to record the game for your own personal purposes without their express permission, right? Well, maybe they’ll never know if you have to work that night and just want to record it and watch it later, but I doubt that anyone producing a sports video is doing it without the aim of distributing it in some way.
For this reason, not only do you need permission to create a sports video on the visual side, you’ll need the appropriate permissions to add music to the final product. So, you’ll want to set up a music licensing contract well in advance. Do not let yourself fall victim to using free music licensing on YouTube for your sports video productions. This may seem like it is saving time, but it will only cause a ton of problems in the long run.
To learn more about music licensing fees for sports video productions, please feel free to contact us here at TunEdge. We are also happy to help you with sports video music licensing suggestions. We’re here to help you put in place the best sports video music for your production.
