Stock Music Basics
It’s so encouraging to see more and more churches delving into the world of video and visual technology to spread their message and carry out their mission. But one key factor that all church video creatives need to know is that amazing videos can’t solely rely on what the audience sees. It’s what the audience hears that makes all the difference.
Subconsciously, this is something we’ve all experienced, whether we realise it or not. Try watching a scary movie without the soundtrack, and it won’t be all that scary anymore. A romance, battle or action scene won’t grip your emotions in the same way without its background music.
When it comes to video, audio matters. Which is why we mustn’t neglect the power of soundtracks in our church videos.
My favourite place to find stock music for videos is Audio Jungle. Their range is enormous, and it’s quite fun just to browse through their tracks, each from different genres, and imagine the possibilities of what can be created with a single audio track as the starting point.
When it comes to making videos, I’ll often choose the soundtrack first. I’ll scour through stock music sites finding the perfect track that ignites the particular emotion, feeling or atmosphere I’m looking for, and I’ll build the video around that track. But audio can also be chosen during or after the video editing process too, as long as you’re prepared to put in the time it takes to find the right track.
Here are my top five places to find awesome stock music for church videos:
Audio Jungle (~$12-$20 per song)
HUGE database (over 200 000 songs) spanning loads of genres.Each track is generally priced somewhere between $12-$20 US dollars each, plus a $2 processing fee. I use Audio Jungle almost exclusively, and have always managed to find a track that perfectly fits the brief I have in my head (although it can take some time to find what you’re looking for .Be prepared to spend at least a few hours browsing until you get what you want.)
Premium Beat (~$40 per song)
These tracks are a little pricier than Audio Jungle (around $40 US dollars per track) but the quality is exceptional. As a primarily Audio Jungle user, I do find that after time, all their tracks start to sound the same (similar chord progressions, just executed slightly differently). Not so with Premium Beat. Their super high quality, original, unique music categorised into loads of genres means you’re bound to find the perfect track you’re looking for, as long as you’re okay with the higher price tag.
Seeds Church on the Move (FREE!)
Church on the Move’s vision to generously resource and equip God’s church internationally is such a gift — we’re very thankful for their selflessness in sharing their media and resources. They graciously make their original stock music available for download to be used for your own creative projects. Their range is limited, but exceptional in quality. Have a listen — you may well find what you’re looking for.
AudionautiX (FREE!)
A growing collection of completely free stock music, available for you to download and use however you please! Most music is composed and produced by Jason Shaw, the website’s owner, however there are a few pieces contributed by guest composers. It’s a great collection and it covers a wide range of genres, so have a listen before starting your next project — you might find that perfect piece to launch the production of your next church video!
J Winter Music (FREE)
Another free collection of music, produced by Jeremy Winter and made available for anyone to download for commercial or private use. It’s a great collection with more of an electronic feel, and you can’t argue with the price!
If you’ve found a great resource for stock music, or if you’ve used tracks from any of the sites listed, let us know! We’d love to hear about it and see your work!
Originally published at gospelpowered.com.
