How the World of Commercial Music Is Changing

The world of commercial music in advertising and branding is rapidly evolving. As brands seek to connect with audiences in more personal and authentic ways, music has become a powerful tool for creating emotional connections. However, changing platforms, audience tastes, and technology are reshaping how music is used in advertising.

With the rise of digital platforms, brands are moving beyond traditional TVC campaigns and creating content for a wider array of channels. This shift has increased demand for shorter, more adaptable music that can work across various formats. Catchy, memorable tracks are essential for cutting through the noise in these crowded spaces, and music that can quickly evoke emotions or go viral holds particular value.

Audience tastes are also shifting, with consumers favouring music that feels authentic and relevant to their personal experiences. This has led to more collaborations between brands and indie or emerging artists, who offer fresh, original music. These partnerships allow brands to connect on a deeper, more personal level, leveraging artists’ authenticity and engaged followings. Additionally, the growing popularity of genre-blending gives brands the opportunity to experiment with diverse, culturally-resonant music that enhances their storytelling and emotional appeal.

Brands are increasingly using data-driven strategies to select music that connects with target audiences, ensuring that campaign soundtracks reflect evolving consumer preferences. Licensing models are changing too, with brands able to secure rights to tracks for specific platforms or regions more easily, and there’s an increase of stock music libraries offering affordable, customisable solutions. Whilst AI offers an extremely cost-effective music solution, it raises questions around creativity, quality, and emotional impact.

Overall, the role of music in branding is becoming more strategic and nuanced, closely aligned with digital trends and audience expectations. To succeed, brands must strike a careful balance between creativity and strategy, using music not only to capture attention but also to create meaningful connections with consumers.

The world of commercial music is changing fast, and platforms like TikTok and Spotify are driving that change. Short, catchy songs and viral hits are everywhere, making genres like hyperpop and bedroom pop super trendy, especially in campaigns aimed at engaging young audiences through challenges and viral videos. 

On the one hand, this paves the way for exciting opportunities to reach more diverse global audiences and collaborate with a wider range of artists and styles than we ever imagined. On the other hand, it brings challenges: the market is saturated, and technology is advancing at lightning speed. We need to stay on top of everything, from algorithms that personalise music to the constantly-shifting tastes of the public, which now encompass everything from K-pop to reggaeton. The key is understanding how to integrate these genres authentically into campaigns.

Right now, it’s about staying ahead of the curve, balancing creativity, technology, and data to seize opportunities and tackle challenges in this dynamic musical landscape.

Years ago, jingles were all about catchy tunes, clever wordplay, and memorable hooks – delivered in 15 or 30 seconds via TV or radio. The goal was to integrate the client’s brand into a melody that would stick with audiences long after the ad ended.

Today, we’re navigating a landscape with countless platforms and formats, and sometimes you only have six seconds before a viewer can skip an ad. In those six seconds, you need to make the same impact as with any other cutdown variation.

With music more saturated than ever, brands often underestimate their audience’s taste. Simply slapping a generic library track onto an ad won’t cut it – especially as more advertising shifts to social media, where authenticity is key to standing above the rabble. This shift brings both new challenges and opportunities. The challenge is breaking through the noise in an oversaturated market, where attention spans are shorter, and there’s less room for error. But the opportunity is in the creative freedom these new platforms provide – whether through experimenting with genres, integrating music into interactive experiences, or producing more bespoke, emotionally-resonant tracks. We’re seeing new models emerge where custom music, tailored to the brand and platform, becomes more valuable than ever.

Yes, the industry evolves – genres shift, trends cycle – but one thing remains constant: legitimacy. If a track has the right emotion, production quality, and feel, it resonates. That timeless truth will always hold, no matter how the platforms or formats change.

For the usage of commercial music in advertising, the golden oldies with their evergreen sync tracks continue to dominate over contemporary hits. Sabrina Carpenter and Charlie XCX are simply no competition for Queen. In just one year, we saw adidas use their iconic ‘Under Pressure’ track, Kitkat licence ‘I Want To Break Free’, Pepsi rework ‘We Will Rock You’ and Pfizer’s Super Bowl ad feature ‘Don’t Stop Me Now.’ And this barely scratches the surface of Queen’s catalogue being tapped for commercials in 2024.

For big budget campaigns, brands still rely on universally-recognised songs that resonate with all age groups. When they do opt for contemporary artists, it’s typically in the form of high-profile brand-artist collaborations, where the artist also appears in the ad. Troye Sivan's collaboration with Gap (below) is a prime example of this done well. On smaller budget campaigns, brands tend to gravitate toward production (stock) music, dismissing the opportunity to invest in a song by an emerging artist. This is an unfortunate development for the mid-tier of syncable songs by artists waiting to be discovered. Hopefully, this trend will shift in 2025.

 

The impact of streaming on the music industry isn’t new. We’ve long been discussing how algorithms, royalty models and changes to listening habits have had fundamental shifts to the commercial landscape for artists. And such shifts mean we’re living in a world where Lily Allen self attests to make more putting pictures of her feet on OnlyFans to 500 subscribers, than from the 8.5 million monthly listeners she has on Spotify.

 

But as with all commercial and cultural shifts we see alternative ways arising. And the opportunity lies in cultivating and nurturing true fan communities. In fact, adopting a more ‘OnlyFans’ model is what is delivering the goods for fans and artists, with subscriptions paid to unlock exclusives first.

 

James Blake is trying it with Vault, a platform that allows artists to release music on their terms direct to their fans. While Serenade specialises in releasing artists’ tracks/content through collectible, physical merch. And Fan Circles is dedicated to creating apps for artists where premium, paying users access exclusive presales, merch and more.

 

Effectively these are ‘super-fan’ platforms. Giving fans what they want and making them feel closer to their favourite acts, while giving artists a viable revenue stream, from a smaller, more dedicated user base. Win win. What we’re yet to see is many brands coming into this space – as an enabler that supercharges the fan to artist connection via sustainable, commercial avenues for artists. An opportunity there for the taking.

As the commercial music scene evolves, so does the way people and brands connect through music. Music has always been a powerful tool for creating emotional bonds, and new platforms and shifting tastes are redefining how these connections are formed and experienced.

Streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music have shifted the focus from traditional albums to curated playlists, enabling listeners to engage with music that matches their moods and preferences in real-time. This change has also provided brands with new opportunities to craft playlists that resonate with their audience, adding a personal touch to their engagement strategies.

Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram have transformed music into a communal experience, where viral trends and user-generated content can quickly capture widespread attention. This dynamic environment allows for innovative ways to interact with music, making the engagement more immediate and interactive.

However, grabbing attention in this evolving landscape requires more than just catchy tunes; it demands creativity and authenticity. With an abundance of content available, standing out means offering something genuinely unique and resonant. For brands looking to make a lasting impact, collaborating with music professionals can be a game-changer. These experts bring a deep understanding of trends and audience engagement, helping to craft music-driven experiences that truly connect.

In this ever-changing environment, music remains a powerful way to forge connections and build communities. Embracing new trends and working with talented music professionals can turn music into a meaningful touchpoint in your brand’s interactions and experiences.

Platforms like TikTok and Instagram have created a desire for an instantaneous bite-size form of music, which normally would only exist in advertising mediums. As music fans increasingly consume smaller portions of music, the distinction between artistic expression and content created for TikTok has become increasingly blurred.

From an artist’s point of view, the challenge lies in naturally creating content that engages with the culture of TikTok music, which typically relies on chance, vitality, and a genuine youth perspective. To stand out, artists are increasingly adopting experimental methods of creation, such as extreme pitch shifting, distortion, and warped vocals. This shift in production opens many musicians' eyes to new ways their music can be consumed, whether through advertising or, in this case, social media reels.

Many of us grew up on full-length LP’s and are used to taking in the full 45 or so minutes to connect with an artist. I love the journey that a 20-minute song like Yes’s ‘Close To The Edge’ or 15 minutes of Herbie Hancock’s ‘Chameleon’ takes you on. That’s the music that influences me, so the exciting and often challenging part of my work is drawing inspiration from those musical journeys to craft an original story within just 15 seconds. It’s not only a valuable skill, but it also teaches you how to quickly convey emotion and feeling through music.

Sync deals have undergone a dramatic transformation over the past 20 years. What started as a rare opportunity has now become a critical part of the music and advertising ecosystem. It really began with Moby, followed by Madonna for Microsoft, the famous controversy over the licensing of ‘Revolution’ by The Beatles, and of course, Led Zeppelin for Cadillac. These iconic sync deals changed the game. Suddenly, labels, bands, and especially copyright owners were clamouring for the lucrative sync fees associated with usage across all media platforms.

Today, with music at everyone’s fingertips and countless platforms for distribution, the landscape has expanded significantly. Licensing agreements now span digital, streaming, social media, and beyond, making it a much more dynamic and competitive space. Brands now have more options than ever, creating increased demand for diverse, smaller artists. While platforms like TikTok can propel songs into the spotlight, these viral moments are often strategically engineered rather than purely organic.

Interestingly, brands now see value in uncovering hidden gems – smaller, lesser-known artists whose music aligns perfectly with their message. There’s a sense of pride in discovering these artists before they blow up, but it’s always about finding the right track that resonates emotionally with the ad’s story. Smaller artists can offer that unique edge, bringing authenticity and emotional depth to campaigns.

That said, there are still times when brands go after the big names, driven by pop culture relevance and the desire to showcase their budget by securing a well-known track. While this might not always align perfectly with the creative vision, a major song can undeniably elevate an ad to new heights. At the end of the day, whether it’s an emerging artist or a chart-topper, it all comes down to finding the right music that hits the mark.

The world of commercial music can be seen changing in two opposing ways: always moving forward, but keen to get back to basics.

Access to content and how it is consumed is changing all the time, a snowball effect of innovation that is not slowing down. Companies have no choice but to adapt working within the limits of our shortened attention span and across an immediately available global audience. As a result, we see a massive wave of new commercial sonic content trying to keep up with this change, but very little is really memorable given a widespread templated approach to design, which is spilling into sonic itself. The very brand assets that aim to be differentiated through sonic branding are instead commoditised through an industrialised approach.

We also see and strongly champion a return to greater individuality, with crafted creative solutions, developed by real artists and creative professionals. More companies want sound assets with personality, narrative and purpose. While AI has an exceptionally important role in scaling and accelerating design and production, it must be a tool used alongside the skills, taste and empathic ability of sound artists and engineers to be clued into a client’s unique identity and vision. 

In this way, sound assets can be sustainable, holistic and flexible and evolve over time, meeting audience and market changes. Music is no longer an afterthought. As companies consider sound to be as fundamental to their brand as their products or services, there are many new opportunities opening up for the future of commercial sonic content.

By all means, we're seeing an increase in creative-variety requests from our clients – which is also providing a wealth of new creative opportunities for us. Where previously, projects tended to follow more predictable patterns, with similar formulas being reused, now each project seems to have its own bit of uniqueness which of course then makes each project that much more exciting as we get to continue to flex our creative muscles. There's this essence of more creative freedom than we've ever felt before; clients want, and almost expect, the unexpected – at least that's how it feels when they come to Barking Owl.

I personally welcome all the new platforms and changing audience tastes. As a result of those changes, we’re definitely seeing fewer clichés in musical references and a stronger demand for fresh, innovative sounds. Eclectic tastes lead to broader references, thus the wider the possibilities, the deeper we have to dig in the proverbial crates and really hit the nail on the head. A big part of what we add to the process is simply helping clients figure out exactly what they want and the more our clients are exposed to all types of platforms and audience tastes, the more important that piece of the process will be for our clients. Audiences now expect both variety and quality more than ever before – luckily for us, we've always had both.

We already began to see the shift in commercial music during the inception of Sonixphere over 13 years ago. The key has always been to adapt to those shifts and adjust accordingly. We started noticing the gradual change of our clients' need for (non-stock) quality library tracks. So we continued to build our music library to house thousands of licensable tracks covering nearly every genre imaginable, and made it easy for our clients to access them. Additionally, we knew we had to diversify our music production content even further into other areas. In addition to original music for commercials, we expanded our content to include music for television, films, educational programs, branded content, music for gaming, and audio branding. This expansion allowed us to increase our composer roster and as a result, we’re stronger and more versatile than ever.

The creative process of composing for all of these different platforms keeps us on our toes constantly, from very tight deadlines to producing quality music in all genres. Our years of working with commercial music prepared us for that. We are fortunate to now have our music on over 500 TV shows.

To be able to offer our clients the best of both worlds in original music and quality library tracks allows Sonixphere to work within their budgets and timeframes.