Anyone who knows anything about modern popular culture knows that music and sound is everything.
Game of Thrones would not have sounded half as good if Ramin Djawadi had not done the scores.
Your podcast needs to sound just as good though.
Music and sound effects can make or break a podcast, they influence how the listener feels, backup quirky funny moments, increase the intensity of scary stories, and set the tone.
Using quality music makes your podcast instantly recognizable, and it just creates a more intense and quality listening experience for your audience.
So, how do you do it? Is it even allowed? Let’s give you the low-down on this sound town.
Adding The Perfect Music And Effects To A Podcast
As you are a podcaster, you will now have three options for where you want to add music.
You can add it at the beginning as your podcast intro music (also see, ‘Podcast Intros‘), at the end as outro music a kind of title/ credits kind of thing.
ALSO SEE: How To Start A Podcast Introduction
Or you could divide the podcast segments, or you could have it as a kind of low-key interview style background music.
Adding background music is good, especially if it’s your own music. If you are doing a horror style theme, it can work well, but background music does not work well for everything.
You always want to check your volume, and make sure to choose royalty free music that can be used for commercial purposes.
It’s important to consider royalty free tracks for your podcast background music that match the emotions your music will evoke, and how it will fit with the visuals and audio of your project.
The Best Place To Add It In
If you do choose to go with an intro or outro then this is great. The intro to your podcast will be the most important thing you create, as it can serve as one of the theme songs for your show.
Know, this is the first thing your new audience will hear in every podcast episode, so you need to consider the intro, it should be tailored to your audience.
You immediately want to communicate what the podcast is about. Is it a funny podcast? Go with a funny tune.
Is it scary? Go with something ominous and daunting. Is it more informative? Stick with something subtle and intriguing.
You can also use music or jingles to work as a way to divide segments.
If your podcast episodes are structured like a story, it can help you to punctate key moments.
As the listener travels through your story-styled podcast, music will add extra emotions to the podcast.
You can also use it to add in new segments, much like a ‘NEWS FLASH’ kind of thing. Finally, background music.
Your voice might be as spellbinding as Sean Connery’s, but sometimes background music just adds to everything.
Imagine how dull even the best movie might be without a backing track?
Sure, it does not work for every style of podcast, but it can work really well for many of them.
Good background music for an interview is very important, especially when you tell a story or if you are delving deep into a subject.
Consider scary story podcasts and their ominous background tracks that make the story even more enrapturing and spooky.
The sound effects make you jump when you wouldn’t usually. It is all part of the magic.
Finding The Sound For Your Podcast
Got an idea of where you want to put in a sound track? Awesome, now you need to know where to find sounds for your podcast.
You need to go for copyrighted music or the best royalty free music (also see, ‘How To Use Copyrighted Music In Podcast‘).
You need to remember that if you want a piece of music which is owned by someone else, you need to ask permission to use it.
If you do not, there is every chance for a lawsuit. If you do not fancy doing that, you can always find royalty free music.
These bits of sound will usually ask for a one-off payment, and then you can use it for life.
You can get free versions too, but the paid ones are usually better.
Picking The Right One
Personal intuition will lead you to the right bit of music in your podcast.
You need to think about your podcast, the topics, the tone and of course, your audience as well.
What tone do you seek to convey to those who are listening in? The right music tracks will speak for you.
And, do not forget to think about time as well!
How To (Try Spreaker Studio)
One of the easiest ways to input music into a podcast is on Spreaker Studio, which has a mobile app or desktop app.
We gave it a try, and it’s pretty cool.
Castos vs Podiant: Which Podcast Platform is Best?
Since most of us are using our mobile phones today, here is how you can input music into a podcast on your phone:
- Tap on the plus sign and import the selected music file from your library. Select the file and start importing it.
However, if you fancy doing it on your PC, this can work better. You could either:
- Add just one or two tracks. Look in your ‘tracks’ section on the desktop application, and add it in directly from there by clicking on the plus sign. Doing this you can add 2 tracks.
- If you want to add more than 2 tracks, perhaps a playlist, choose the option that says ‘playlist’ and add multiple by clicking on the plus sign or the button that says ‘add new track’.
Spotify Now Allows You To Add In Music
For those who did not know, in 2020 Spotify started allowing podcasters to add in music to their podcasts (also see, ‘Amazon Music vs Spotify‘).
With over 60 million tracks of podcast back then, Spotify decided that adding in music was a good idea.
So, if you have stayed away from Spotify because they didn’t allow this before, know they changed their tune.
Try Descript
Descript is a great place for Podcasters, especially if you are a bit nervous about Spotify, or other large platforms.
They offer all in one audio and video editing. They offer podcasting, screen recording, video editing, and transcription.
For newbies who are a bit nervous, they are a great place to begin! And adding music is easy too!
To Conclude
Adding in music to podcasts is as easy as ever. Sure, it seems complex at first glance, but it is actually as easy as pie when you get into it.
