Realize The Dream: Royalty-free Stock Music

Here's the video for my new stock music item "Realize The Dream." I plan to go into detail later about how I came up with the animation, so please stay tuned. In the meantime, enjoy.

If you like it, it's available to license now at MotionElements.

Announcing: New Six Second Bumper Music Collection

I'm pleased to announce a new collection of music clips edited specifically for six second bumper ads of the type that are gaining popularity on YouTube. These are special versions, including from some of my best selling work, that I've cut down to run in six seconds. No further editing is needed; just plug the audio into your project and go.

I'm starting with fifteen items in different styles, including rock, pop (corporate), cinematic (epic), kid and family friendly, and electronic. I plan to revisit more of my prior work to evaluate for editing to the six second length. In addition, going forward I intend to make future bumpers or logos I write as variations of new pieces conform to the six second length as well. Here's a sample.



Like what you hear? Please check out the complete collection.

New In The Pipeline: February 28, 2018

I have new production music items now waiting in curation at Pond5.

The first new item is yet another intro for my collection of podcast music intros. This one is called "Retro Horn Band Intro." I created and uploaded four versions: a full (30-second), shorter (14--second), outro (4-second), and a looped version. This would be a great high-energy music choice to intro your comedy or topical podcast, broadcast or vlog. Check it out:



The second item in the pipeline is a plaintive music background I call "Wistful Reverie." It's very sad and mournful, but also has a warmth and sweetness to it.



Check back here and on my Twitter feed for updates as to if and when both these items are available to license.

What's Happening: Week of August 28, 2017

The eclipse has come and gone, and my own big event went well too. Now it's time to look ahead, to a long weekend and beyond . . .

Excelsior: Volume One Online

I don't know about you, but I am definitely doing my 'Happy Dance' over the release of Excelsior: Volume One. The release went off without a hitch Thursday, and I've created a page for the EP where you can preview the trailer and download or stream tracks. The only site I don't have a link for yet is Microsoft Groove, but if you have Groove you may be able to search for it from within the app.

You can download from Amazon, iTunes or Google Play and stream right off the page from Apple Music, Spotify, or Tidal. There's a link off my official home page, or you can go to http://bit.ly/xlcrv1. I hope you'll check it out and enjoy!

Stock Music Update: Time to Get Ready for the Holidays

With that out of the way it's time to think about Christmas. Late last week someone licensed one of my royalty-free looped orchestral versions of "Jingle Bells." Guess some folks are getting an early start on promos and other media for the holidays, so I should follow suit. I'll be starting to feature my Christmas collection in my promotions beginning Monday.

I also want to work on some new arrangements of Christmas classics to add to that collection, and hope to have some new material by late this week or early next.

Meanwhile, I'll continue to promote Halloween stock music for at least a couple more weeks, and then more sporadically through mid-October. You can check out the full collection of chilling, spine-tingling tracks here.

If you're a podcaster (or know one), don't forget I have a pretty big collection of intros and loops for all kinds of podcasts, including:

Rock
Pop
Country
Jazz
Metal
Corporate
Light Classical
Baroque
Electronic

There's something for everybody, and I'm not finished creating new ones, so keep an eye on my podcast music collection at Pond5 as the weeks and months progress.

Other Stuff

If you have Spotify, please stop by my artist profile. This week my artist pick is one of my favorite drummers and genre-spanning musician Bill Bruford. If Summer Had It's Ghosts is a unique collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Ralph Towner and bassist Eddie Gomez that celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

In addition to that, I have a new playlist on the profile. I call it "Excelsior Plus" and it features all of the tracks from the Excelsior series single and EP, plus my single "Dream Catcher" and some feel good instrumentals. Those are from the great Larry Carlton, Bruford (this time with his self-titled group from the late 70s), and Booker T and the MGs. If you want a lift on your commute or lunch break, please check it out.

And with that I am finished for this post. Have a great week and please keep the poor folks on the Texas Gulf Coast in your thoughts as they endure Hurricane Harvey. Take care.

Scary Music for Halloween

Today, I've launched a new collection of royalty-free stock music for your spooky Halloween media projects on Pond5. This curated collection includes some of the scariest music from my portfolio of more than 500 Pond5 items, including some of my top-sellers and some tracks that are less well-known.

In addition to the 20 items in the current collection, I have a previously unreleased soundscape in the pipeline that I hope will get approval shortly. It has a nautical theme and is, appropriately, titled "Haunted Pier." It evokes a mental image of long-dead pirates of old coming back from Davy Jones' locker to haunt all of you poor land lubbers. Assuming that goes through, you should be seeing it soon on my Twitter and Google+ feeds.

CHECK OUT MY SCARY HALLOWEEN MUSIC COLLECTION NOW 

You CAN Use Music in Your Podcasts - Here's How

Recently, blogger Steve Goldstein published an interview with legal expert David Oxenford describing the problems with using commercial music in podcasts. Legally, you can't use recorded music in your podcast without getting permission from the person who wrote the music and the person who recorded it. Mr. Oxenford lays this out in detail, and if you'd like the full story, you can access it here.

However, the fact that it's difficult (and potentially expensive) to secure the right to use music in your podcast doesn't mean it's impossible - or that it has to break the bank. There is a way, but before getting into that think about why you'd want to use music in the first place.

Using Music to Set a Mood

Certain songs bring to mind a certain mood or image that you as a podcaster want to create in support of a particular episode or series. It may also bring to mind an era associated with the music. The mood you're trying to set may be deadly serious, or it may be light, fun or energetic. Think about how filmmakers use popular songs in their movies to set a tone for a scene or a whole picture. You're trying to do exactly the same thing.

You might want a rocking intro for your sports podcast or a dramatic orchestral theme for your topical or news podcast. Your arts or discussion podcast might benefit from a stately classical or baroque piece. Maybe you want to convey an edgy, urban vibe. You might want dark ambient music for your true crime podcast. Certainly, music goes a long way toward helping put your audience in the mood, grabbing their attention and holding it.

Using Music to Set or Enhance an Identity

Going hand in hand with setting a mood is the idea of giving your podcast a unique identity. If you're a business marketing to other businesses (B2B) and want your podcast to convey a sense of efficiency and effectiveness, you would want to pick music that establishes that identity in your audience members' minds. As your audience listens to your episodes, they associate the music with you. This helps them to think of you as a trusted supplier or business partner. The same can also be true if you're marketing directly to consumers (B2C).

Choose Royalty-free Music

So how can you set a mood or establish an identity for your podcasting episode or series without going through the hassle of securing expensive performance rights? By choosing good quality royalty-free music. You pay a single fee up front, and can use the music in your episode, worry-free. You can find music that sets the tone just as well as that popular song without all the headaches.

I hope you'll consider my royalty-free collection of music created especially for podcasters. You can find tracks in different lengths, ranging from just a few seconds to 30 seconds long. There are different styles to set the mood or enhance your brand, including corporate, rock, pop, dance, jazz, urban, classical and more. Many have seamless loops you can license to repeat over and over in the background if you want music to talk over.

CHECK OUT MY ROYALTY-FREE PODCAST MUSIC COLLECTION

More Podcast Music Today!

This morning I'm rolling out three freshly-approved tracks for podcasters. Two are short (:10 and :12) attention-grabbing electro tracks. The third is a sort of lo-fi surf rock thing in three versions: a full (:19), a slightly shorter (:12) and a looping version (:23). It's an option for folks with retro or nostalgic-themed podcasts. I'll featuring them on my Twitter feed all day. If you're looking at this on my blog page, just look to the top right to see my tweets.

I hope you enjoy your Friday and your weekend. Don't forget the last post of my series "Gloriously Baffling" drops tomorrow morning.

Now Podcast Intros Rolling Out Today

I have some new podcast intros online now at Pond5. The new batch covers mellow, electronic dance pop, and modern jazz styles for topical, arts or lifestyle podcasts, plus another "breaking news" themed intro. There's also an uptempo rock loop in a style reminiscent of the mid 80s. I'll be featuring them on Twitter throughout the day, so if you don't currently subscribe to my Twitter feed, I hope you will.

Also, don't forget that all my podcast music is available in my Pond5 podcast music collection. It's quickly grown to over 30 different items in various styles and lengths, including looped versions in many cases. I'm working hard to ensure that, whether your topic area is sports, news, politics, business, lifestyle or others, you'll find something that works for your podcast or vlog. Please check it out!

Introducing My New Podcast Music Collection

Today I'm rolling out a new collection of royalty-free music for podcasters. These are short tracks designed to be an attention-grabbing opener or closer for your podcast. Some are in longer lengths that you can patter over or include additional introductory voiceovers on top. Some are under 10 seconds and get straight to the point. Several have alternate looped versions available if you want to do segues or patter over them and fade into your main presentation. All tracks are sold separately at this point, but I may offer all the tracks in a single file at a discounted rate later. All tracks are offered royalty-free, without YouTube Content ID to make it easier on all of you video podcasters. Please check out the collection at the link above and get a sample from the video below.

Rolling Out New Music

I just got approval for several new tracks yesterday at Pond5. If you follow my Twitter feed, you may have seen the videos going up to YouTube as I uploaded them. I'll be featuring them and my updated new music collection on the feed today. One of the new tracks I'm promoting today is another "ambient mindfulness" loop.

This is yet another addition to my collection of ambient music cuts, which has grown pretty large and diverse of late. You can find all the new tracks in my new music tracks collection at Pond5.

I'm excited also to be introducing a new collection this week, targeted to a very specific market. More about that tomorrow.

Romantic and Exotic for Valentine's Day

Once again today, I'll be featuring royalty-free stock music tracks from my Romantic collection. You can see them in my Twitter feed here on the blog or on Twitter. Some of these are sort of exotic:

Others are more retro. All are worthy of consideration for your Valentine's Day video.

I hope you'll check them all out and stop back often for updates here.

Going Positive Today

I think today, instead of focusing on a specific collection in my Twitter feed, I want to highlight some tracks that are positive or happy. Most stock music web sites push specific genres most of the time, like corporate, ambient, and cinematic (which is why I do that too). But sales are not going very well at the moment, so I figure I might as well have some fun with it.

Everything I'll be tweeting today is available royalty-free for your posivibe media projects, so I hope you'll check them out and find one to license for your next video. That includes my latest at AudioJungle, Driving Uplifting Rock.

Uploading New Videos

I just received approval for five new tracks at Pond5 yesterday. I put together "album cover" videos last night, and will be uploading them to YouTube this morning. The videos will also be on my Twitter feed today.

Three of these new tracks I would describe as "mood" tracks. They're designed to set a mood or to be an aid to meditation. I even titled one of them "Ambient Mindfulness Loop." Two others are new members of my "Dronescapes" collection. One is very deep and dark, while the other has more noise and glitches. The last of the new tracks is a simple piano and orchestra underscore that's actually already out there. I featured it in the background of a simple video I did of a reading from one of Theodore Roosevelt's speeches.

Watch here and on my Twitter feed next week for more on these new tracks and on my new music collection at Pond5.

Featuring Background Music for Presentations

Today on my Twitter feed I'm highlighting some royalty-free stock music that might work for your documentary, business presentation, or explainer video. Some of these tracks have rhythm sections playing under them, while others feature a repeating arpeggiated figure. "Informative Corporate" is an example of the latter.

 
Please subscribe to my Twitter feed for more details, or check in here on my blog for updates.

Featuring Corporate and Business Friendly Music

On my Twitter feed today, I'm showcasing tracks from my Corporate and Business Friendly collection at Pond5. There are tracks that work well in presentations, sales videos, commercials and similar settings. Some of these are upbeat and atmospheric, like Upbeat Ambient Corporate.

Others are more pensive, like Decision Point.

Whatever your need, I hope you'll find a solution in my collection of over two dozen tracks. If there's something you need and can't find in this Corporate and Business Friendly collection, please leave a comment, and I'll do my best to work with you. I'm also available to create custom music just for you, if that's what you're looking for.

Featuring Pond5 Ambient Music Cuts

Today on my Twitter feed I'm featuring my Ambient Music Cuts collection at Pond5. This collection includes varied musical styles. Some are more atmospheric and ethereal, others are downright scary.

The collection includes two of my more popular stock music tracks:

"Ambient Shifting" is a good choice for explainers and similar presentations and has been used by National Geographic. You can hear it in the background beginning just before the 0:50 mark.

"Ambient Ominous" is a menacing background that fits well with hard-hitting documentaries.

 

I hope you'll check out the entire collection and come back for new work coming off the pipeline.

Featuring AudioJungle Dramatic and Corporate Collections

Today I featured my Dramatic and Corporate collections from AudioJungle on my Twitter feed.

The Dramatic collection consists of cues and logos suitable for cinematic or theatrical productions.

The Corporate collections includes inspiring and motivating tracks for business friendly videos, presentations, or event openers.

Please check them out, and leave me a comment if there's a style of music you need for your next production. There's probably something in my total portfolio of nearly 350 tracks that you could use.

"Uplifting Corporate Motivation" is Live!

In my last post, I previewed a new royalty-free stock music track titled "Uplifting Corporate Motivation." I had submitted the track to AudioJungle, which rejected it. I think the overall sound and production quality is OK, but they may not have cared for the intro and coda. I did tweak the sound a little, slightly reducing the volume on the drum tracks, taking a little more bass out of the mix and pumping up the volume ever so slightly. I also removed the intro and coda, leaving the meat of the track: a buildup to a sort of shout chorus. I submitted the alternate version to Pond5, which just approved it for sale. Here's the final result.

If you like this track and want to use it for your commercial, presentation, or event, you can license it here.

"Uplifting Corporate Motivation" in the Pipeline

This is a new stock music track I submitted to AudioJungle yesterday. I normally don't make stock music tracks available for preview, but I'm fond of this one, so here it is:



AudioJungle's curators are sort of picky and might not approve this for sale. If that's the case, I'll submit it at Pond5. I'll definitely let you know where it winds up. I hope you enjoy it and consider it for your corporate and motivational projects..

Happy November 2016!

Here I am again with best wishes, an update or two, and a reminder that Christmas is almost upon us . . . and you know what that means!

As I mentioned recently, 2016 is already my best year since I began creating and selling stock music. My work has been licensed by buyers on five continents (North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia to be exact!). I feel very grateful to and honored by those of you who chose my work to support your media projects. I hope my work serves you well, and that you'll continue to check out my growing portfolio of over 300 tracks.

Speaking of that growing portfolio, I just released three new royalty-free stock music tracks at Pond5.

Corporate Tech is a bouncy little electronic number.
Ambient Urban Requiem is a sad, dirge-like track with a slightly old school urban beat.
Ominous Science Fiction Cue is . . . well . . . it sort of explains itself.

You can find these tracks and all my most recent production music releases from Pond5 here.

On the commercial front, after working on some ideas and doing a lot of soul searching, I do not plan to do a full-length release before the end of the year. My next project will not be as diverse as Circadia, instead hewing to the more downtempo chill side. I may still put out an EP of some sort featuring the more ambient and electronic stuff I've developed over the past year, but I haven't made a firm decision on that yet.

Those of you looking for Christmas music for your projects, please have a listen to my royalty-free Christmas background music collection at Pond5. There's a mix of traditional and more modern holiday music arranged for different combinations of instruments. If you find something useful, please let me know.

And with that, I'll wish you a happy month and hope to post more good stuff soon.