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Seeing as we’ve all got that new term feeling, it feels appropriate that Netflix’s smash hit TV series Sex Education is back on our screens. While most of us can agree that our schooldays were in no way the best years of our lives, watching Otis, Eric, Maeve and the rest of the Moordale School gang play out theirs is way more entertaining. Plus, of course, there are the myriad joys of the show’s eclectic, cinematic soundtrack.
In common with not quite being able to place where Moordale actually is – it looks like one of those vast American high schools, and it seems to be permanently summer, in the way that the John Hughes films of the 80s did – the soundtrack follows suit. It’s a brilliantly put together mash up of 70s, 80s, 90s and more – together with original tracks by US rocker Ezra Furman.
To celebrate the launch of season four, we thought we'd take a trip down memory lane and explore season three. There are almost 60 tracks featured in the eight-episode series, so what songs appear in the soundtrack of Sex Education season three? But before we dive in, why not catch up on what happened during season two, courtesy of besties Otis and Eric?
The new season opens in the style we’ve come to expect from the show – with a montage of everyone having a damn good time – whether that’s with a partner, themselves, or even through a spot of cybersex, set to The Rubinoos’ ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’. There’s a strong theme of experimentation and exploration running through the series, as Otis (Asa Butterfield) tries out no-strings sex with school Queen Bee Ruby (Mimi Keene) – together with a hilarious, thankfully short-lived moustache he’s spent the whole summer growing; head student Jackson (Kedar Williams-Stirling) becomes close to new, non-binary character Cal (Dua Saleh); Adam (Connor Swindells) and Eric (Ncuti Gatwa) negotiate the choppy waters of their relationship and Otis’s mother, Jean (Gillian Anderson) juggles publicising her new book with a pregnancy and wondering whether she and the baby’s father, Jakob (Mikael Persbrandt) can make a go of it as a family, despite their myriad differences (and the fact that she’s already broken his heart once.)
Not to mention the small matter of whether Otis will find out that Maeve (Emma Mackey) never actually got his voicemail declaring his love for her at the end of the last season – and would it make a difference if they both find out that Isaac (George Robinson) deleted it?
The flipside of season three’s experimentation is the regime brought in by new headmistress Hope Haddon (played by Girls’ Jemima Kirke). She’s desperately trying to rescue the reputation of the establishment that’s become known in the local press as ‘Sex School’ because of last season’s rumoured chlamydia outbreak and the racy end of term Romeo and Juliet: The Musical. Whilst the students initially think she’s cool, as she sashays onto the stage at assembly to ‘Land of 1000 Dances’ by Wilson Pickett, it’s not to last.
Everyone must walk the corridors in single file and – horrors, there’s now a uniform? Needless to say, out goes eager teacher Colin Hendricks’ (Jim Howick) school swing band’s rendition of Canadian singer Peaches’ NSFW, and very definitely not safe for any school other than Moordale ‘F**k the Pain Away’, and in comes a school song in Latin.
However, you can’t keep a good song (that’s also been covered by Dave Grohl and Bat for Lashes, and featured everywhere from 30 Rock to The Handmaid’s Tale, as well as in Lost in Translation and horror filmMy Little Eye) down, and it features again in episode seven’s orchestrated rebellion by the students.
Sex Education’s music supervisor, Matt Biffa, told Newsweek recently that director Ben Taylor’s view was that Hendricks was letting the a cappella group make their own choice, and ‘bearing in mind that there’s the rebellion later on, it just has to be outrageously filthy and so we didn’t have to go on too much of a mental journey to come up with that one.’
What else helps Biffa to choose the show’s tracks? He said that he and the team ‘are just trying to do right by the characters and then always at the back of our minds there is the overarching message of the show.’ He’s always aiming to ‘touch people emotionally’ with the music, so that they respond to the show’s themes.
In season three, the themes range from identity to boundaries, being daring to feeling shame, the trauma that Aimee (Aimee Lou Wood) is still feeling from her sexual assault in season two, navigating being unemployed and homeless with a pending divorce (beleaguered ex-headmaster Mr Groff, played by Alistair Petrie), and motherhood in all its forms. As well as, of course, the usual panics about the characters’ sex lives, who’s said what to whom and the importance of friendship.
The accompanying tracks span everything from Doris Day’s ‘Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps’ (as Eric tries out make up on Adam), to 80s classic ‘Save a Prayer’ by Duran Duran and KRS One’s ‘Sound of da Police’, which plays out as Hope announces her draconian new school uniform mandate. ‘Tender’ by Blur soundtracks Ruby telling Otis she loves him, and then there’s a selection of French classics to accompany the students on a hilariously disastrous trip to France. There can’t be many TV shows that could expertly segue from Sacha Distel’s ‘Allez donc vous fair bronzer’ to Technotronic’s ‘Pump Up the Jam’, as Hendricks leads a singalong on the coach, but Sex Education nails it.
Plus, as Eric goes on a family trip to Nigeria, there are tracks from Fela Kuti (‘Oyejo’), Prince Nico Mbarga and Orlando Julious Ekemonde to add to the mix.
Sex Education’s balance of humour, drama and emotion, as both the adults and the teens work their way through their love lives, and life in general, make it the box-set you just have to binge.
As for our favourite tracks across the series? We’d have to say Eric joyously lipsyncing to ‘Nails, Hair, Hips and Heels’ by Todrick Hall as he preps for a double date; Kelis’s ‘Milkshake’ accompanying Viv (Chinenye Ezedu) and her mystery (it turns out super-hot) boyfriend Eugene (Reece Richards) arriving at the Moordale gates, and the gorgeous ‘I Get Along Without You Very Well’ by Chet Baker as the backdrop to a poignant break-up (no spoilers as to which pair is involved, but tears were shed.) Aimee Mann’s beautiful ‘Save Me’ – originally from the Magnolia soundtrack – is used in the final episode over a montage of another break-up, Maeve packing for a potentially life-changing trip, Rahim (Sami Outalbali) reading a touching poem written by Adam, and Adam competing with his dog, Madam, at a dog agility trial.
It’s another triumphant season of Sex Education, so hats off to the whole team, but especially music supervisor Matt Biffa, who’s made us dance, laugh and cry throughout with his choices. Roll on season four!
At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!
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Love dogs? Join the club. According to The Atlantic, “Millennials recently overtook Boomers as the largest pet-owning cohort of Americans; by some estimates, more than half of them have a dog.” And with dog ownership at an all-time high post-pandemic, Amazon definitely had the right idea commissioning the Puppy Love movie 2023: a canine-based meet-cute starring Lucy Hale (Pretty Little Liars) and Grant Gustin (Glee, 90210).
Arriving with the eyebrow-raising tagline “One bone can change everything”, Puppy Love is a romcom about two people with opposing personalities who are brought together by their dogs’ love for each other.
Gustin plays Max, a socially anxious singleton who adopts a dog in order to overcome his own struggles, while Hale is cast as wild child Nicole. After a disastrous first date, the duo agrees to go their separate ways, only to be brought back together when they discover their dogs Chloe and Channing are expecting puppies together. Fun and games ensue as Max and Nicole set about co-parenting, only to eventually find love themselves…
But where can you watch the movie? Who directed it? And what’s on the Puppy Love soundtrack? Find out the answers to all these questions and more below.
Where Can I Watch Puppy Love 2023?
The film was released on Amazon Freevee on August 19th, and you can also watch it on Amazon Prime Video. Get a taster with the Puppy Love movie 2023 trailer below:
Who Wrote and Directed Puppy Love?
Puppy Love was inspired by BuzzFeed's 2015 short film series for Purina Puppy Chow entitled Puppyhood. Written by Richard Alan Reid, Greg Glienna, Peter Stass, Kirsten Guenther and Dan Scheinkman, the film was directed by Nick Fabiano and Reid, produced by Michael Philip and Jason Moring, and executive produced by Reid, Jonah Peretti, Brian Etting, and Josh Etting.
The Puppy Love Soundtrack
When you think of romcom soundtracks, you’re probably expecting acoustic, singer-songwriter fare. And while the Puppy Love soundtrack certainly isn’t short on that, you’ll find it nestled among some extremely eclectic picks.
Fancy some death metal? Listen out for the inclusion of Excessum, which you can hear in the bar scene with Nicole and her friend Shay (Christine Lee). How about a ghostly indie ballad? That comes courtesy of Australian-American outfit Liars, accompanying the scene where Max searches for his dog Chloe. There’s even some low-slung trap courtesy of rapper Tony K.
Check out the full track list below and discover some select musical highlights.
Puppy Love Soundtrack List
'Diggin' This Right Here' - Tha Anthom, Mike B
'Concertina' Anthony DiMito
'May Flowers' Anthony DiMito
'Toe To Toe (Trailer Music)' Julius Block
'Nocturne in EB Played Softly' Frederic Chopin (Arranged by Luke Faulkner)
'Adderall Humming' Mark McAdam
'I Can't Go Now (feat. Keith Masters)' Sarah Leichtenberg
'Rapunzel' Athena Marie Byrne
'Inferno' Excessum
'Guiding Light' The State Fair
'Muscle Memory' Lucie Bernheim
‘Watch You Grow’ Paul Otten
'Got Me Burning' Lofey
'Message of Love' Robyn Payne
'Bucinatores' Ludi Scaenici
'Chloe, Little Spaniel' Doug & Lucie Bernheim
'Let Me Let You Go' Bella Leonette
'Nicole Lee' Doug Bernheim & Lucie Bernheim
'Fever to the Form' Nick Mulvey
'Dangerous Art' Chantelle
'Paradigm' Coins
'You're All That I'm Thinking Of' Jeff Lewis
'Raised Like A Saint' Olivia Rose
'The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack' Liars
'It Must Have Been Love' Mark Wilkinson
'Stay Tuned' Dan Tait
'All Through The Night' Jules Shears
'Wild, Wild Heart' Last Year's Man
'Sweet Thing' Van Morrison
Want to know which songs are in which scenes? Keep reading to find out!
Puppy Love Opening Songs
The film’s opening scene introduces Nicole performing her morning routine to the old school hip hop of ‘Diggin’ This Right Here’ by Tha Anthom and Mike B. We then meet Mike, who’s passing through a coffee shop drive-thru to the gentle strains of Anthony DiMito’s solo piano piece, ‘Concertina’. The juxtaposition serves to contrast the characters’ distinct personalities.
Songs At The End of The Film
Over the closing credits we get callbacks to Paul Otten's ‘Watch You Grow' and 'You’re All That I’m Thinking Of' by Jeff Lewis, both of which featured earlier in the film. Otten’s song is a sweet, folk ballad while Jeff Lewis’ contribution is bittersweet, Backstreet Boys-esque pop.
Stand-Out Artists
Amongst the notable names on the soundtrack are Mercury-nominated folk singer Nick Mulvey and legendary singer-songwriter Van Morrison, whose classic ‘Sweet Thing’ soundtracks the party Nicole and Max throw for their dogs.
Original Music
As Max is an aspiring singer-songwriter, Puppy Love features a number of his compositions, most notably ‘Chloe Little Spaniel’ and ‘Nicole Lee’. These were written by singer-songwriter Lucie Bernheim and music supervisor Doug Bernheim (Half Nelson, Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta).
Music For Film
Looking to create your own soundtrack? Well, look no further. Here at Audio Network, we’ve got over 200,000 high-quality licensed tracks that are ready and waiting to be used by creatives across the world.
Within our catalogue, you can find songs from all different genres – including the types of songs that are featured in Puppy Love. Start exploring our expansive collection of songs and try sampling tracks in our production genre playlists.
At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!
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Music plays a huge part in Hispanic culture – and, from salsa and tango to reggaeton, it’s now enjoying global success, with music in Spanish now the second most consumed in the world, after music in English. ‘Latin music’ as a term has become a catch-all for the music that comes from Spanish and Portuguese-speaking areas of the world. But it covers a mass of different genres – so what’s the story behind them?
The journey of Latin music history begins with indigenous styles and instruments, and wends its way through languages, cultures, peoples and distinct landscapes to create a world of different genres to explore. We’ll take you through its evolution and rich musical heritage, from the Mayans to Carmen Miranda, all the way to Bad Bunny being the world’s most-streamed artist for three years in a row.
When Did Latin Music Start?
A great proportion of Latin music comes from the melding of cultures which happened during the Spanish and Portuguese colonisation of the Americas, from Mexico to Central America and portions of South America and the Caribbean. There were instruments that had never been heard before, such as the European guitar, African conga and tambora drums, maracas and gaita flutes. Bringing them all together created a wide range of styles and forms.
Indigenous Cultures
When Christopher Columbus first encountered the ‘New World’ in 1492, there were numerous indigenous cultures spreading from the northern Mexican mountains to the southern tip of South America and on the Caribbean islands; the three most well-known were the Mayan, Aztec and Inca civilisations.
We don’t know much about these precolonial civilisations’ music, but there are glimpses of the role of music and musical instruments which shaped Latin American music history’s foundations; ancient Mesoamerican music – particularly Aztec and Mayan - was often combined with dance, with instruments coming together with singing and dancing. A procession with trumpets, drums and rattles is depicted on an 8th century mural at the Bonampak temple, an ancient Mayan site in the Mexican state of Chiapas, for example.
Instruments such as drums and flutes are described in texts from the time and found in artifacts; the drums used in Aztec rituals were considered sacred instruments. Flutes known as tlapizalli survive from Mesoamerican cultures; one type found near the Gulf of Mexico consists of two, three or four tubes sounded from a single mouthpiece, which meant that, in theory, they could have been creating harmonies, with up to four notes being played simultaneously.
The Incas used music for religious rituals; the Andeans used flutes and panpipes; the panpipes (antaras) adopted by the Inca had between three and 15 pipes. There were songs for particular occasions, such as taki, a song to memorialise the life of an emperor or local chief. Early Spanish observers reported that the areito music-dance ceremony in Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico involved chants in a call-and-response style, accompanied by rattles, scrapers (guiro) and a hollow slit drum.
The Fusion of Cultures
The colonial period, from 1492-1821 influenced music in three main areas: Spanish and Portuguese languages; European and Arabic musical styles and European musical instruments. Roman Catholic religious music was introduced to the mix by the Spanish and Portuguese. Gregorian chants and Spanish sacred polyphony had a strong influence on native folk music; patron saints and their commemorative days became important and the community fiesta emerged throughout Latin America. All are vital elements when it comes to understanding Latin music origins.
Folk Music
The colonial period’s new music cultures were also secular; Christian missionaries introduced European music and dance in the area as a way to persuade indigenous people to convert; they frequently adapted native songs and dance for Christian use.
When we’re trying to answer the question of where did Latin music come from, the other transformative influence was definitely African rhythms. By the mid-17th century, trade agreements between the Old World and the New World had developed; the amount of human labour required to facilitate this marked the beginning of the Atlantic slave trade. Many Latin American instruments, like drums, bells, rattles and flutes, are traceable to religions and ceremonies in Africa, brought over by enslaved peoples.
The influence of African music can be most clearly seen in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti and Brazil, in the Latin American music genres of Afro-Cuban rumba, Brazilian samba, Jamaican reggae and Colombian cumbia, together with merengue, bachata, timba, salsa and more.
Afro-Cuban Rumba
Afro-Cuban rumba originated in the northern regions of Cuba, mainly in urban Havana and Matanzas, during the late 19th century.
The rumba was traditionally performed by poor workers of African descent in streets and ‘solares’ (courtyards). It’s characterised by vocal improvisation, elaborate dancing and polyrhythmic drumming. Recordings began in the 1940s, and successful rumba bands include Los Papines, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas and Yoruba Andabo.
Tango
Tango has become one of the most celebrated Latin music genres in dance, having evolved during the 19th century in Buenos Aires’ immigrant communities.
Tango brings together a myriad of other styles, including flamenco, polka, hanabera and milonga. It typically features guitar, bandoneon, piano, violin, flute and double bass, and is marked out with its sudden changes of dynamics and staccato phrases - together, of course, with its usually intense and often melancholic mood.
Carlos Gardel, known as ‘the King of Tango’ propelled the genre into the mainstream at the beginning of the last century and became a global sensation. He was a French-born Argentine singer, songwriter, composer and actor, known for the dramatic phrasing of his lyrics. He toured through Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Puerto Rico and Colombia, as well as making appearances in New York, Barcelona and Madrid, selling 70,000 records during a 1928 visit to Paris. He made a number of films in France and the US but died in a plane crash at the height of his career in 1935.
Other celebrated tango artists include Astor Piazzolla, and Argentine stars on the ‘neo tango’ scene, such as Tanghetto.
The Golden Age of Latin Music
As we’ve seen, migration is one of the key elements in terms of music styles evolving, and the wave of globalisation in the 20th century forged cultural exchanges that generated everything from cuisines to art and, of course, new music genres.
Salsa grew out of a musical form developed by Afro-Cuban musicians, the Son cubano in Cuba, Puerto Rico and New York. Cuban and Puerto Rican musicians such as Frank ‘Machito’ Grillo, Tito Puente and Celia Cruz in the 1940s and 50s developed the dance genre. It was inspired by Cuban son, but also incorporated styles such as mambo, rumba and cha cha.
Machito’s orchestra added jazz and a big band sound; Tito Puente and Tito Rodriguez, however, brought elements of their folk music, like bomba and plena. Salsa as a term was coined in the 1960s.
The Art of Escapism
In the 1940s and 50s, Latin America was one of the only regions not involved in World War II, so Americans saw Latin music and media as a means of escapism. Carmen Miranda’s success is the most obvious example – from singing to acting in Brazil, she caught the attention of a Broadway theatre owner and she and her band went to New York City as goodwill ambassadors to the US in 1939.
At the peak of her Hollywood career, Carmen Miranda was the highest paid female performer in the United States, and perhaps her greatest legacy is the popularisation of the samba.
Samba, although being synonymous with Brazil, actually originated in Africa as the music of former slaves and African religions. Much like the blues in America, samba was originally a product of the sorrow of slaves who came to Bahia, a region in northeastern Brazil in the 17th century – ‘samba is the father of pleasure and the son of pain’ according to composer Caetano Veloso.
But its combination of music and passion when it fused with Latin American folk music, transformed sorrow into joy. It developed in Brazil in the early 1900s, in Rio’s favelas, with the first recorded version in 1917 (‘Pelo Telefone’ – ‘By Telephone’).
The original form of samba is samba de morro (morro meaning hill – it alludes to the slums located on Rio’s hillsides.) Here, the earliest samba style incorporated other music genres in the city, such as the polka, the maxixe, the lundu and the xote, creating a completely unique character.
A samba band consists mainly of percussion instruments playing syncopated rhythms and the music features call-and-response and imitation. The band leader uses an apito (a whistle) to signal breaks and calls, with metal drums - repinique (or the Reps) – leading introductions, played with a wooden stick and one hand; surdo – the large bass drums which hold the beat, snare drums, shakers and agogô(double metal cow bells).
MPB
Música popular brasileira, habitually shortened toMPB, is the catch-all term Brazilians use for Brazilian music in general. You can trace its history to the 1930s, when the national radio network made it possible for musicians to capture a national audience.
However, Brazil is home to many regional musical centres, including the city of Salvador de Baha, with its unique blend of African and Brazilian influences; Recife (home to música nordestina, or northeastern music) and eastern Amazonia – home to lambada, while Sao Paulo has a thriving rock and punk scene.
Bossa Nova
Brazilian singer and composer Caetano Veloso said in an interview with the Guardian that, ‘Bossa nova is a sacred music for many Brazilians. It’s political and nationalistic and poetic. It’s a form of high modernist art that somehow became one of the most popular musics on earth’.
Veloso also revealed that it’s a rare example of music becoming popular by being more sophisticated (rather than, like rock ‘n’ roll, stripping out the complexity), as ‘it took the samba and added harmonic sophistication – extended chords and so on – and added a degree of lyrical complexity.’
Antônio Carlos Jobim, for example, was a classically-trained pianist who helped to fuse elements of jazz with samba to create the bossa nova sound.
The music emerged at a very specific point in Brazilian cultural history – in a brief period of democracy between the early 1950s and the mid-60s, between two spells of military dictatorship, as the society left behind its colonial past and looked out at the world.
The phrase bossa nova literally means ‘new trend’ or ‘new wave’, and it became the music of choice for the emerging smart, young, urban Brazilian middle class.
Bossa nova songs differ from samba songs in that their focus is more on the individual and the personal – love, longing and nature – whereas samba usually refers to the public sphere, with themes around carnival and politics.
One of the most famous bossa nova tracks is ‘Garota de Ipanema’ – aka ‘Girl from Ipanema’. The song, which reached No. 5 in the US pop singles chart in the summer of 1964, sung by João Gilberto’s wife, Astrud, became a global hit, and bossa nova fever gripped the US, helped by its popularity amongst jazz musicians such as Charlie Byrd, Dizzy Gillespie, and Stan Getz and their fans. Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald devoted whole albums to covers of bossa nova classics.
Tropicália
In 1964, just as bossa nova was hitting big globally, Brazil’s left-wing government was deposed – replaced by a military regime which resulted in open repression by 1968. Bossa nova’s serenity and sun suddenly seemed out of touch in these darker times and a sound influenced by rock and electric guitars – tropicália – emerged instead, as part of a wider cultural movement.
Led by Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, the anarchistic, anti-authoritarian music and oblique lyrics of the Tropicalistas made them a target of censorship and repression by the military junta. The pair were eventually arrested and imprisoned and subsequently sought exile in London, where they resumed their musical careers.
The 1999 compilation, Tropicália Essentials, is a good introduction to the style, featuring songs by Gil, Veloso, Gal Costa and Os Mutantes.
Axé
Originating in Salvador in the 1980s, Axé fuses Afro-Caribbean genres including marcha, reggae and calypso with Brazilian influences from frevo, forro and carixada. The name comes from a Yoruba term, meaning ‘soul, light, spirit or good vibrations’.
Axé entered the mainstream in 1992, when Daniela Mercury released ‘O Canto Da Cidade’ – it remained at No. 1 for months and became an anthem for the Brazilian people. Axé’s current biggest star is Ivete Sangalo – check out ‘À Vontade’ for a flavour of Axé rhythms and style.
Brazilian Pop Music
The biggest genre in modern Brazilian music is sertanejo. With its roots in the Brazilian countryside, it’s played across the country. Although there are some solo singers, many sertanejo artists are duos, often siblings, or duos of two men, such as Henrique and Juliano.
Cumbia
Originating in Colombia, cumbia travelled around Latin America and has been adopted by nearly every Spanish-speaking country in the region. As such, nearly every Latin American country has developed its own cumbia style – particularly in Argentina, Uruguay, Peru and Mexico.
Camilo’s ‘Vida de Rico’ is a modern cumbia pop song which became a global hit in 2020.
Cumbia traditionally uses three drums and three flutes, and also brings in brass instruments and piano. Its evolution in Mexico can be traced to the film industry there between the 1940s and 50s – known as the Golden Era. During this period, music stars from all genres were also stars of musical movies, performing their music as part of the film’s narrative.
These ‘Tropical Music’ stars opened the doors for artists from all over Latin America to tour in Mexico, whilst the inclusion of trumpets, trombones and other brass instruments onto film soundtracks created Mexican cumbia.
Trap Corrido
First generation Mexican Americans started to fuse the music they listened to at home with their family with the new Anglo music they were growing up with. The result? A blend of trap and Mexican corridos known as trap-corrido or corridos tumbados, where corrido’s accordion meets trap’s electronic beats and vocal flow.
Latin Pop
In the 1990s, labels noticed Latin music’s growing popularity, and Shakira, Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias and Jennifer Lopez achieved global fame, ushering in a new era for Latin music.
Reggaeton
Originating with Panamanian El General (Edgardo A. Franco) in the late 1970s, and catching the imagination of youth in Puerto Rico in the 1990s, reggaeton fuses reggae and Jamaican dancehall with hip hop and Latin music such as salsa and bomba, together with dembow rhythms, rapping and singing, typically in Spanish.
Streaming helped to introduce Latin music as a whole to a larger, more global audience. Reggaeton captured a global audience in 2004, with the release of Daddy Yankee’s album Barrio Fino and breakout single ‘Gasolina’. The genre has exploded into the mainstream, with artists such as Bad Bunny and J. Balvin killing it on streaming platforms and ‘Despacito’ becoming the most viewed YouTube video of all time – and the first to hit five billion views, not to mention spending 16 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard charts.
Pop juggernaut J Balvin is on a mission to take reggaeton worldwide. He’s the first reggaeton artist to have played Coachella’s main stage, the first Latino headliner at Lollapalooza and was the first ‘reggaetonero’ to reach 1 billion views on YouTube.
As he told Nylon, ‘I know that they can play [the album] at Tomorrowland, and that they can play it at any festival on the planet.’ Reggaeton looks like it’s taking over as the most commercial Latin music genre for the 2020s – Latin music’s streaming growth increased by 33% in 2022 (based on Luminate’s 2022 US midyear report). And the week after Bad Bunny’s ‘Un Verano Sin Ti’ in May 2022, Latin music surpassed country for the first time to become the fourth most popular genre in the United States.
The Latin Series Collection by Audio Network
‘Latin music is now firmly entrenched in the musical landscape and it will only grow’ – so says Leila Cobo, VP of Latin at Billboard. Audio Network’s extensive Latin Series Collection was curated to honour the diversity of Latin music heritage. The tracks range from traditional rhythms to contemporary fusions, creating a valuable resource for anyone looking for authentic Latin music for their projects.
Want to dive into Latin music culture? You’ll be surrounded by a wealth of rhythms and passion as you enjoy a huge variety of musical styles from Brazil, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and more.
Get away from it all with the tropical rhythms of son, rhumba, merengue and salsa, dance to crossover styles such as reggaeton and Latin pop, then fall in love with classic romantic boleros and sensual Argentine tango.
We’ve worked with local composers, musicians and artists to harness the passion and authenticity of Latin music, making our tracks perfect for everything from TV to film soundtracks, advertising to digital and games.
Latin music has made an enduring impact on modern music and culture, so explore the Latin Series to infuse your project with its vibrant spirit.
At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!
When you think of a hip hop video, what comes to mind? Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s headline-grabbing ‘WAP’, or old skool Beastie Boys’ ‘Intergalactic’? Maybe Nelly’s ‘Hot in Herre’ or Missy Elliott’s ‘Work It’? The rise of MTV in the 1980s made music videos one of the biggest new art forms for decades. Add in the global reach of YouTube and TikTok, and hip hop videography is not only hugely influential, but one of the most impactful ways an artist can create and build their identity and brand.
So, when it comes to how to create a hip hop music video, we’ll take you through the essentials:
Choosing the right song
Concept
Choreography and style
Location
Planning/rehearsals
Moodboards
Equipment
Budget
Lighting
Filming
Editing
Choosing the Right Song
When you’re thinking how to make a hip hop video, obviously choosing the right song is the first thing on your list. A great song could be what takes your concept or choreography to another level – plus the genre may also dictate the look and styling of your video. Think of the story that you want to tell, in order to find the right track.
Try searching on Soundcloud for a track that fits your style, or the concept of your video – or find a cool cover or remix of a track. If you’re looking for music to license, then our catalogue has everything from classic to party, epic and driving to hard-hitting UK hip hop and grime – and we add new, original music every fortnight.
Break Down the Structure
How do you structure a hip hop song? Usually, there are three, 16-bar verses followed by a chorus/hook section (sometimes the third verse is replaced with a bridge.) The verse most often tells the story, and the chorus grabs the attention – so sometimes rappers open with the hook instead. Break up the track into these sections and it’ll help you to work out whether you want particular locations for the verse or chorus section, and you can also plot out how many people you want in each scene. Do you want more dancers or background artists for the chorus/hook parts?
Check out videos such as Missy Elliot’s iconic ‘Get Ur Freak On’ to see how different directors structure the video in line with the track:
Concept
The early days of hip hop videos mainly concentrated on the basics: live music, rappers and a crowd. These were the elements that went on to become classic staples of the genre’s visual identity.
Look at a video like The Sugarhill Gang’s ‘Rapper’s Delight’ for an example of this style – it was the first popular hip hop track to have a music video.
Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five’s ‘The Message’, meanwhile, offered glimpses of inner-city poverty with the artists appearing on the New York City streets that were their home. Seeing Black spaces and environments is a characteristic of hip hop music videos that marks them out from other genres’ videos.
So, your ‘concept’ could be as simple as showing the area where you live.
Want to blow the budget? Think high-concept, like Kanye West’s take on flying a rocket across the Grand Canyon as daredevil ‘Evel Kanyevel’ in the video for ‘Touch the Sky’. It cost a reputed $1 million to make, so you might need to think a little more down to earth.
Choreography & Style
When it comes to making a hip hop video, you’ve got masses of different styles to choose from. And you don’t just have to take your inspiration from hip hop. How about a one-shot extravaganza, such as the opening sequence to La La Land, ‘Another Day of Sun’, which is nearly six minutes long:
Or this iconic little number, which catapulted the Spice Girls to the top of the pop pantheon:
The secret to successfully pulling off a one-take video is a lot of rehearsal, some very carefully planned camera moves and, generally, choreography that’s polished to within an inch of its life. A one-take can result in something truly spectacular, such as Dax’s ‘The Next Rap God’, which is an astonishing 10 minutes long, but it’s not something for the faint-hearted.
Alternatively, watch a wide variety of different videos and ads that feature choreography for inspiration. You might want something where the action is showing a story or a deeper concept. What feelings are you trying to express?
Director and star Phillip Chbeeb’s promo for Elliot Moss’s ‘Without the Lights’ is a representation of violence in an abusive relationship:
Or watch ‘Nightdare’ by JaJa Vankova, which uses dance to bring to life a child’s nightmares and terrors, through classical music and stark styling:
The blend of storytelling, music and choreography is particularly effective in this promo for the official song from Euphoria by Labrinth and Zendaya, ‘All for Us’:
Go behind the scenes with Labrinth to find out about his inspiration for the track:
And with Zendaya, showrunner Sam Levinson, who came up with the idea for the marching band, woodwind and brass in the scene and the video, and choreographer Ryan Heffington, on how they put the whole thing together:
Decide if you want to tell a story – not all hip hop videos do – or split the difference, with a short story interspersed through more traditional shots. Keep it simple by remembering these three elements: who’s your protagonist; what do they want and how are they trying to get it?
And if you’re on a budget (more on this later), then keep your story to one or two locations and not too many actors and artists: the more complex the story, the more tricky your shoot’s likely to be, and therefore your costs could rise.
Let’s Dance - Choreography
If you’re creating your own choreography, first of all, you need to study the music. By knowing it inside out, you can design dance moves that work with both the beat and the lyrics.
Watch the pros for inspiration; whether it’s dance-focused musicals, such as Chicago, or competitive series like So You Think You Can Dance, study the styles and combinations of movement – as well as how the dancers are conveying emotion:
For more inspiration, Wayne McGregor demonstrates how to communicate ideas through choreography in this TED talk:
Locations
Location is one of the key elements of professional rap videos. Higher-budget productions might have four to five locations each, but this will depend on what your funds will stretch to. There are some common themes in the most popular videos, including:
Party locations, like houses, pools or the beach
Rooftop terraces
Local streets or neighbourhoods
Graffiti-tagged walls
Green screen – this allows you a totally free rein to create some stunning visuals
If you’re filming in a public place, make sure to check out whether you need to get a permit.
Not telling a particular story? You can make use of one simple location, but use it in a variety of ways, as this video explains:
Planning
A useful element when you’re planning your hip hop video is to create a treatment, outlining the video’s concept, direction, aesthetic and style. A treatment doesn’t have to be complicated - it provides the building blocks and the structure for everyone to follow.
Often, when putting together your treatment, you may realise that your concept will take you way over budget. Or that it’s out of sync with the style or tone of the music, so it’s a useful exercise in lots of ways.
The most effective hip hop video treatments have plenty of visual images for reference – don’t make it too descriptive, as people reading it may tune out.
Listen to the track at least 20 times, to figure out what will best bring out the emotion or themes. Then, depending on your budget, as before, think of a location, together with planning what kind of lighting, camera movements and camera lenses you’ll need.
Plus, who else do you need on your team? From dancers to a director, a choreographer to a lighting assistant, make-up artist and a stylist, the list will depend on your concept, and how much money you have available.
Watching behind the scenes videos is a great way of getting tips and hacks:
Moodboards
Making moodboards (also known as idea boards or theme boards) can help you to generate a succinct treatment and will provide the foundations for a storyboard and shot list.
Moodboards are a practical way to take your creative ideas and bring them to life in the real world. Your hip hop or rap video moodboard can include shots illustrating the choreography, location, costume and make-up looks, to share ideas with your team, from the director to the stylist.
There are various free apps to design moodboards, which include templates to make life easier. Online moodboards can include images, video, links and colour references, such as stills from previous shoots, or images you’ve saved from Film Grab, Instagram or Pinterest.
Rehearsals
If you’re filming a choreographed dance, then try to attend as many rehearsals as you can, so you know what movements the dancers will be making, and how to track them with camera movements.
Can’t get to the rehearsals? Ask for video footage that you can study.
Go behind the scenes with Tinashe as she rehearses with her choreographer and dancers for the ‘Pasadena’ video:
And here’s how that came together in the finished version:
Equipment
What equipment will you need to film a hip hop video? Well, it can be as simple as just using your phone! Check out Steezy’s expert hacks for shooting videos on your phone:
But if you want to up the quality, then you’ll need to either buy or hire a camera, and some lights, at a minimum.
Cameras
You don’t have to invest a huge amount of money in cameras to create a video that looks amazing. But a top tip is to have a few cameras on-set so that you can capture footage from various angles – this will give you plenty of options when it comes to editing your video.
The best camera for hip hop videos? Bestoflens.com recommends the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, while Cameragurus.com plumped for the Fujifilm X-T4 (which also has a feature to record slow-motion) or the GoPro HERO9, which is great in low light.
A top tip for filming hip hop videos is to get a wide-angle lens, especially if you’re filming groups of people, as you want to show as much as possible, by shooting at a wide angle.
To stand out from the crowd, and create really high-end video, then the best option is to rent the most expensive cameras the pros use (such as the RED), rather than buying them, as a more affordable alternative when you’re starting out.
This video from Parker Welbeck compares footage from a $30,000 RED camera versus a $600 DSLR:
Lights
If you’re filming in a dance studio, then make it look more interesting and give it depth with clever lighting – and even effects such as a smoke or fog machine.
Spotlights create a harsher light that looks more dramatic, as there are more shadows, whereas soft box lights create a softer look, which is the most flattering for people’s faces.
Best use of lighting in a minimalist set up? Definitely Beyoncé’s‘Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)’ – it’s an absolute masterclass.
Get more tips on the best gear and settings to use from LensPro to Go:
Budget
It would be nice to think you’ve got a massive budget to play with, but the reality is, you probably won’t have. So, if your location is somewhere that’s fairly plain, add interest with accent lighting, or effects such as the fog/smoke mentioned above, plus make the most of environmental textures and colours. You could even try shooting with green screen if you want to bring in something more dramatic, or out-of-this-world.
When dividing up your budget, work out what your priorities are – is it the equipment? Paying for a professional choreographer and dancers? The location, set design, costumes or effects? Your treatment and mood board should help with this.
A lot of hip hop and rap videos look like house parties, so if you’re working with a limited budget, why not round up your friends and family to act as extras in the background?
Other elements to remember when you’re budgeting are:
Crew fees
Transport
Food costs
Props and costumes
Equipment if you’re renting it
Any location fees (such as permits)
Want more advice on how to up your game on a low budget? Videographer David Le has five top tips:
Filming
When it comes to how to film a hip hop video, if you’re filming outside, then aim to shoot during ‘golden hour’ – the hour after sunrise, or the hour before sunset. Make sure the sun is behind your subjects, which gives you a nice backlight to work with. When shooting indoors, the experts recommend turning off all the fluorescent lighting, so you can choose the amount and type of light that’s going to work best for you.
For camera movements and shot choices, match them to the feel and pace of the song. Slow, smooth movements will fit emotional songs. Try to match the speed of your movements to the pace of the track – obviously, if you’re shooting a track with a much faster bpm, then quicker movements and speedy edits will fit the bill.
If you’re shooting in different locations, then work out, when you put together your shotlist, which parts of the song will be filmed in which location – and how you’re going to transition between the two. And make sure to get more than enough shots; don’t only take the minimum number of shots if you can help it. More shots means you have more choice once you’re in the edit suite.
Don’t forget your B-roll shots too – some slo-mo, or close-ups of things that are around your location – even something simple like a chain-link fence, or some trees seen from below – can add colour, atmosphere, texture or interest.
Through watching the choreography rehearsals and listening to the track multiple times, you should be able to work out ‘action points’, which are moments where there’s a change in the vocals, the tempo or the instruments. This is where you can put in specific action or dance moves to heighten the dramatic or emotional impact of the video.
Watch Forever Films’ explainer on how to shoot a rap music video on a budget for more tips:
How to Edit Hip Hop Videos
There’s a wide range of video editing software options; however, if you’re doing minimal editing, then the software on your computer – e.g. Windows Movie Maker or iMovie – may be good enough.
Adobe Premiere will give you a lot more flexibility in terms of video editing – and there are plenty of video tutorials to help you get started. If you’re new to editing, then go with the adage ‘less is more’ – keep it simple and follow your instincts.
For more great advice from the experts, check out these top 10 tips for shooting cinematic music videos and making your way in the music business:
What Are the Best Hip Hop Videos?
Here’s our pick of the most successful rap videos of all time.
‘See You Again’ – Wiz Khalifa Feat. Charlie Puth
The most-watched rap music video of all time has amassed well over five billion views on YouTube since it came out in 2015.
The track was originally commissioned as part of the soundtrack for The Fast and the Furious 7 and intended as a tribute to one of the franchise’s stars, Paul Walker, who’d died in a car accident two years before.
‘Do We Have a Problem?’ - Nicki Minaj (featuring Lil Baby)
Nicki Minaj claims the title for most MTV Video Music Awards for Best Hip Hop Video, with four to date (Kanye claims the crown for most nominations, with nine).
In this expert piece of storytelling, Ms Minaj is tasked with ‘cracking’ a high-powered mob hitman, who says he’ll only talk to her.
‘Savage’ – Megan Thee Stallion
For an example of a really high-concept take, check out Meg’s video, created by Gracie Rothey, which sees an animated avatar of the Texan star doing the TikTok dance she created, with video game graphics.
Need Music for Your Hip Hop Video?
So, now you’ve seen the best of the best, and you’re ready to create your killer hip hop video. If you’re looking for an original track, then we have hundreds of thousands for you to discover. Our collections have everything you need, including our amazing Beat Series, with every style from cloud rap to old school instrumentals, tension trap to comedic cuts. Plus there are new albums being released every fortnight.
At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!
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Latin music genres have rapidly taken the world by storm over the last few years, from Puerto Rican reggaeton to Dominican dembow, and reimagining traditional sounds, such as regional Mexican music and Colombian cumbia. In 2022, Bad Bunny’s ‘World’s Hottest’ tour set the global record for the highest-grossing tour in a calendar year, earning more than $435 million.
In terms of bestselling albums, Latin music in the US is defined by both the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Billboard magazine as any release with 51% or more of its content recorded in Spanish.
The best performing Latin songs in the US have been compiled by Billboard since September 1986. The first Latin song to enter the Hot 100, when it was solely an overall chart, was Ritchie Valens’ version of ‘La Bamba’ in 1959. The Sandpipers’ ‘Guantanamera’ was the first to reach the Top 10, in 1966.
Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny has the most Latin Top 10 entries on the Billboard chart and scored four of the year-end Hot 100 songs in 2022, including ‘Efecto’ and ‘Party’.
In Billboard’s 2018 roundup of the 100 best-performing songs since the chart started in 1958, ‘Despacito’ by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber was the sole Latin music entry – but we’re betting when they next compile the list, there’ll be plenty more. Plus, ‘Espacito’ is still the most-viewed music video of all time, with over eight billion views.
Which other albums have made waves over the past few decades? From Latin legend Julio Iglesias to Shakira, and newcomers such as Peso Pluma and Karol G, here’s our pick of the best-selling Latin albums.
Best-selling Latin Albums
Genesis – Peso Pluma
Mañana Será Bonito – Karol G
Momentos – Julio Iglesias
Romance – Luis Miguel
Buena Vista Social Club – Buena Vista Social Club
Más – Alejandro Sanz
Vuelve – Ricky Martin
Mi Tierra – Gloria Estefan
Dreaming of You – Selena
¿Dónde Jugarán los Niños? – Maná
Fijación Oral, Vol. 1– Shakira
Bachata Rosa – Juan Luis Guerra
Marc Anthony – Marc Anthony
Abraxas – Santana
Paulina – Paulina Rubio
What Is the Top Selling Latin Album Right Now?
That accolade goes to Peso Pluma’s Genesis. The Mexican singer’s third studio album was released through Double P Records on 22nd June and features collaborations with Eladio Carrion, Natanael Cano, Junior H, Gabito Ballesteros and a host of others. Fueled by fiery acoustic guitars and insistent horns, with addictive melodies, these are tracks that Spin praised as ‘a feisty collection of songs pushing corridos into the mainstream – and the future.’
Promoted with singles ‘Rosa Pastel’, ‘77’ and ‘Bye’, the album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, making it the highest-charting regional Mexican album in the chart’s history. It’s also clocked up over 1,060,742,600 Spotify streams to date.
This year’s other major hit album has been Karol G’s Mañana Será Bonito, which came out in February through Universal Music Latino. Not only was it the first No. 1 for the artist on the Billboard 200 album chart, but it was also the chart’s first No. 1 all-Spanish-language album by a female artist. And to top off her best year to date, she’s featured on the soundtrack of the summer – Barbie.
The album’s 17 tracks feature guests including Shakira, Sean Paul, Bad Gyal and Maldy; ‘TQG’ with Shakira became Karol G’s first No. 1 single on the Billboard Global 200. Speaking to Rolling Stone, the artist revealed the concept behind the album title: ‘The name of the album is a phrase I kept repeating to myself when nothing felt great. I mean, I was going through the best moment of my career, but personally I was really disconnected from myself and from my friends. I wasn’t unhappy, but I wasn’t happy either. So every day I’d say to myself, “It’s okay, mañana será bonito, tomorrow will be beautiful.”’
What Is the Most Sold Latin Album of All Time?
When it comes to best-selling Latin albums, one man reigns supreme: Julio Iglesias. His album Momentos, which was released in 1982 through Colombia Records, is believed to be the best-selling Latin album worldwide, with sales of 12 million copies.
Here are some of the other mega-selling Latin albums:
Romance – Luis Miguel
Released: November 1991
Label: WEA Latina
Sales: 8 million
Streams: 202,122,300
The Mexican singer’s eighth studio album is a collection of covers of 12 boleros, which were originally recorded from 1944-1986. The first two singles, ‘Inolvidable’ and ‘No Se Tu’, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and spent six months on top of the Mexican charts, plus the album received a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Pop Album. In the US, Romance spent 32 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Latin Pop Albums chart and was the first Spanish-language album by a non-crossover Latin artist to be certified gold by the RIAA.
Buena Vista Social Club – Buena Vista Social Club
Released: September 1997
Label: World Circuit/Nonesuch
Sales: 8 million
Streams: 504,915,920
Ry Cooder caused an international sensation when he introduced the world to Cuba’s son musicians with his 1997 CD Buena Vista Social Club. The CD went on to win a Grammy, and helped to fuel America’s current love affair with Latin music.
Wim Wenders’ 1999 documentary, Buena Vista Social Club, helped to further rocket the ensemble of Cuban musicians to worldwide fame.
The documentary profiled the legendary Buena Vista Social Club musicians, recording their experiences as they performed in Cuba and abroad, eventually appearing at New York’s Carnegie Hall. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2000 and won Best Documentary in the European Film Awards.
In 2022, the original album was selected for preservation in the US National Recording Registry as being ‘culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.’
Más – Alejandro Sanz
Released: September 1997
Label: WEA Latina
Sales: 6 million
Streams: 699,014,800
With sales of over six million copies, the Spanish singer-songwriter’s album lays claim to the best-selling album of all time in Spain.
Sanz has won 22 Latin Grammy Awards and four Grammy Awards – plus he’s received the Latin Grammy for Album of the Year three times. Best known for his flamenco-influenced ballads, he’s also experimented with genres including pop, rock, funk, R&B and jazz. In 2002, he became the first Spanish artist to record an MTV Unplugged album, and scored an international No. 1 with Shakira on ‘La Tortura’.
Vuelve – Ricky Martin
Released: February 1998
Label: Sony Discos/Columbia
Sales: 6 million
Streams: 144,836,300
Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin’s fourth studio album came out in 1998, and features Latin dance numbers and ballads, which fuse salsa and rumba with jazz, rock and pop. He received the Best Latin Pop Performance at the 41st Grammy Awards and Vuelve debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart, before becoming an international No. 1 in ten other countries.
Mi Tierra – Gloria Estefan
Released: June 1993
Label: Epic Records
Sales: 5.2 million
Streams: 130,051,700
Mi Tierra, which translates as ‘My Homeland’, pays homage to Gloria Estefan’s Cuban roots, showcasing the country’s musical genres including boleros, danzon and son music. Gloria was joined by a host of notable Latin musicians such as Tito Puente, Arturo Sandoval, Chamin Correa and Paquito D’Rivera.
It became the longest-running No. 1 album on the Top Latin Albums chart (58 weeks), undoubtedly helped by the release of seven singles, and won the Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album.
In 2015, Billboard listed Mi Tierra as one of the Essential Latin Albums of the Past 50 Years, saying that, ‘through son, she transports us to a magical place in the 50s, where time stood still on her beloved island’.
Dreaming of You – Selena
Released: July 1995
Label: EMI
Sales: 5 million
Streams: 216,777,000
Selena’s fifth album was released posthumously, selling 175,000 copies on its first day of release in the US, a record at the time for a female vocalist, and took home the Female Pop Album of the Year at the Billboard Latin Music Awards.
The tracks are a mix of American pop and Latin music – it’s her only album to feature English-language songs instead of being exclusively Spanish. Six tracks were released as singles and the title track became Selena’s highest-charting Billboard Hot 100 single of her career.
¿Dónde Jugarán los Niños? – Maná
Released: October 1992
Label: WEA Latina
Sales: 10 million
Streams: 299,119,000
Maná are a Mexican rock band and this album marked their first Top 10 entry on the Top Latin Albums chart. This second album was the one that put them on the map internationally, establishing them as one of the top Latin pop/rock acts of the 90s.
‘Vivir sin Aire’ is a highlight – its beautiful melody made it a huge hit.
Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 – Shakira
Released: June 2005
Label: Epic
Sales: 5 million
Streams: 209,561,000
Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira released her sixth studio album in 2005, following the international smash (and first English-language record) Laundry Service in 2001. She enlisted Rick Rubin as executive producer to create a Latin pop hit which won a Grammy and two Latin Grammy Awards (for Album of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Album).
The album went on to become the highest selling Latin pop album of the decade in the US, and the second-highest selling Latin album overall. Shakira wrote more than 60 songs for the album, eventually splitting it into two volumes – the first in Spanish, and the second in English, including global smash ‘Hips Don’t Lie’.
Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 set a record for the highest debut of a full-length Spanish language album in the US Billboard 200, both in terms of sales and its chart position – one which lasted for 15 years, overtaken only by Bad Bunny and the El Ultimo Tour del Mundo album.
Bachata Rosa – Juan Luis Guerra
Released: December 1990
Label: Karen
Sales: 5 million
Streams: 272,265,368
This was the album that brought bachata and merengue music into the mainstream in the Dominican Republic, and gave the genres an international audience. The album received a Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album, and two Lo Nuestro Awards for Tropical Album of the Year and Tropical Group of the Year.
The album transformed the perception of bachata in the Dominican Republic, which had previously been regarded as lower-class music; Bachata Rosa became socially accepted by middle- and upper-class fans, as Billboard said that, ‘Guerra stretched bachata’s limits by playing with merengue, salsa and Afro-Caribbean rhythms.’
When it comes to who is the highest selling salsa artist of all time, one name rises to the top of the pack: Marc Anthony. A four-time Grammy Award and eight-time Latin Grammy Award-winner, he’s sold more than 12 million albums worldwide. He holds the Guinness World Record for best-selling tropical/salsa artist and the most No. 1 albums on the Billboard Tropical Albums year-end charts. He’s also the artist with the most No.1 songs on the Billboard Latin Tropical Airplay chart, with 32 songs.
His biggest seller was Marc Anthony, released in 1999, which has sold more than four million copies worldwide.
Abraxas – Santana
Released: September 1970
Label: Columbia
Sales: 5 million
Streams: 228,736,000
Latin rockers Santana’s second album became their first to reach No. 1 in the US. The album has influences as varied as Fleetwood Mac and BB King, jazz, soul, funk and samba, together with a cover of Tito Puente’s ‘Oye Como Va’.
The virtuoso guitarist (he was just 23 when Abraxas was released), fused hard-edged blues with musical elements from Mexico, Cuba and other parts of Latin America and the Caribbean. The album was an instant success, spending 88 weeks on the Billboard charts and has sold more than 5 million copies. An essay for the Library of Congress shows the album’s importance: ‘This fusion of energetic Latin percussion and hard-edged rock guitar had never been heard before, and, though it has often been imitated in ensuing decades, it has rarely been equaled.’
Paulina – Paulina Rubio
Released: May 2000
Label: Universal Latino/Polydor
Sales: 3 million
Streams: 238,233,728
Mexican singer Paulina Rubio’s fifth album has a mainly Latin pop and dance-pop vibe, with influences from rock, ranchera, bolero, funk and house. It became the best-selling Latin album of 2001 and hit octuple platinum for the RIAA for 800,000 units shipped in the US.
Seven singles were released, with ‘Y Yo Sigo Aqui’ receiving a nomination for the Latin Grammy Award for Song of the Year. Infectious Latin pop and some show-stopping ballads were the hallmarks of Latin pop for the new millennium.
What Is the Most Streamed Latin Song?
Spotify have put together the ‘Viva Latino’ Billion Streams Club playlist to celebrate legendary Latin songs that have reached, or are close to, the 1 billion streams milestone.
There are plenty of hits by all the big names such as Daddy Yankee, Bad Bunny, Shakira and J Balvin, together with ‘La Bachata’ by Manuel Turizo, ‘Todo De Ti’ by Rauw Alejandro and ‘Tusa’ by Karol G and Nicki Minaj.
The Ones to Watch
Which Latin albums are we most excited about for the rest of this year? Mexican artist and Latin Grammy winner for Best New Artist Silvana Estrada, known for her minimalist folk compositions, has released a new song, ‘Milagro y Desastre’ (‘miracles and disasters’) and has promised a follow-up to her album Marchita this year.
Paloma Mami has been putting Chile on the map and recent single ‘Síntomas de Soltera’ is a reggaeton anthem celebrating living the single life. Her music also incorporates elements of pop and trap, Latin R&B and urbano, with influences ranging from Bad Bunny and Rihanna to Aaliyah and Ella Fitzgerald. Her first album was released in 2021, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed for a new album this year.
Global superstar J Balvin – the first reggaeton artist to play on the main stage at Coachella, and the first Latino headliner at Lollapalooza – recently revealed to Nylon that he’s returning to the spotlight, two years after releasing Jose. The upcoming, energy-filled album will feature new sounds like EDM and pilita, a Dominican take on electronic music.
‘The album is very advanced, but it’s easy to digest. The flows, the deliveries — all of this is super updated.’ The LP also features old-school reggaeton and Afrobeats.
Lead single ‘Click, Click, Flash’ is gritty denbow; there’s also a track called ‘Dientes’, which samples and reimagines Lil John, User and Ludacris’ ‘Yeah!’. No word yet on the album title or release date, so watch this space. And Balvin’s set on Jay-Z-style world domination – he’s also got a collab album with Ed Sheeran, which the pair plan to drop in 2024.
Latin Beats
Julio Iglesias may have had the bestselling Latin album of all time, but Bad Bunny and J Balvin are hot on his heels – and Peso Pluma may be the one to beat in terms of 2023 sales.
Looking for Latin music to sync? Explore our Latin series and take a deep dive into the different types of Latin music genres to find out everything you need to know about bachata, tango, reggaeton, samba and bossa nova.
At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!
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Netflix has another monster hit (literally) on its hands, with the all-conquering Wednesday. It’s coming for Stranger Things and Squid Game to become the streamer’s most-viewed original show of all time, so what does everyone love about it, and have you mastered your TikTok Rave’N prom routine yet?
They’re Creepy and They’re Kooky
Netflix’s Addams family series has a history dating back decades. Its characters originally came to fame courtesy of a cartoon strip in the 1930s by Charles Addams in the New Yorker, followed by a black and white TV series in the 1960s, where many of its iconic visuals were established on screen – including the double finger-click in the theme song.
The characters were first rebooted for the big screen in 1991’s The Addams Family, starring Angelica Huston as Morticia, who was nominated for a Golden Globe, and Raul Julia as her husband Gomez.
A sequel followed two years later, Addams Family Values, with all the main cast and characters returning, including teenagers Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Pugsley (Jimmy Workman), who are dispatched to summer camp.
Not So Full of Woe
As to who’s involved in Wednesday, it’s a regular who’s-who of both big names and newfound talents in front of, and behind the camera. Everyone’s favourite comedy-horror king, Tim Burton, directs the first four of the eight episodes and exec produced the series. His stamp is all over it, particularly the design of the Big Bad, the ‘Hyde’, which is unleashing destruction and terror through the town of Jericho, Vermont.
The OG Wednesday, Christina Ricci, is back, this time playing teacher Marilyn Thornhill – the only ‘normie’ at Nevermore Academy. Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones, Sandman) aces Principal Weems and Catherine Zeta-Jones makes every screen moment count as matriarch Morticia. But the whole show lives or dies on whether or not we all love Wednesday herself.
Jenna Ortega – previously seen in The Babysitter: Killer Queen, X and 2022’s Scream reboot – nails every single scene. Brilliantly deadpan, whether unleashing bags of piranhas onto the jocks who’ve been bullying her brother Pugsley (‘the only person who’s allowed to torture my brother… is me’) in the school pool, or standing her ground with a variety of adults and authority figures, not to mention that dance sequence, which she choreographed herself, Ortega is surely the stand-out new star of 2023.
Friend or Woe
If you’ve been yearning for a boarding school with bite ever since the final Harry Potter film, then Nevermore Academy is for you. Wednesday proves herself singularly unsuited to a regular school after causing havoc with the aforementioned piranhas. After her mother asks her how an attempted murder would look on her record, Wednesday fires back, ‘Terrible. Everyone would know I failed to get the job done.’
Morticia and Gomez’s ‘little death trap’ is dispatched to her parents’ alma mater, Nevermore Academy, which is chock-full of other outcasts, including werewolves, sirens and ‘stoners’, all of whom have what one would politely call an uneasy relationship with the local townsfolk.
At Nevermore, Wednesday attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart the killing spree (and discover the Hyde’s true identity) and solve the mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago. Throughout, she’s alternately helped and hindered by Thing (Victor Dorobantu), queen bee siren Bianca (Joy Sunday), local boy Tyler (Hunter Doohan), mysterious Xavier (Percy Hynes White) and her roommate Enid, a relentlessly perky vision in pastels, who’s nevertheless struggling with her inability to ‘wolf out’ and become a full werewolf.
It’s a brilliant blend of horror, comedy, drama and Wednesday eventually getting on board with the concept of teamwork and friendship (the hug!), which has resulted in over a billion hours’ worth of streams and apparently a full goth revival as everyone goes wild for Wednesday’s look.
Paint It Black
Plus, of course, there’s a killer soundtrack. As well as Burton favourite Danny Elfman, who’s created the theme tune, there are plenty of song choices to go head-to-head with Netflix’s previous breakout hit, Stranger Things’ ‘Running up That Hill.’
Once again, we’ve seen how featuring in a Netflix smash can have real-world results for a track’s popularity. The Cramps’ ‘Goo Goo Muck’, the track that Wednesday dances to, saw its streams grow by more than 8,650% in the week following the show’s premiere, according to Billboard.
Who’s the music supervisor to thank for this and a fabulous re-working of the Rolling Stones’ ‘Paint it Black’, which Wednesday plays on her cello? None other than Jen Malone, who’s fast becoming one of our favourite industry specialists. She’s previously worked her magic on Atlanta, as well as all the best recent teen dramas: Euphoria, The Wilds and Yellowjackets.
Whilst Malone says that she and her team don’t set out to create viral ‘moments’, just to serve the story with their music choices, she is thrilled to potentially play a part in expanding viewers’ music knowledge. She told Forbes that, ‘I think it’s the accessibility that the kids have these days, that people have these days for the immediate, “What song is this?” and being able to go and find it and unlock this door. Maybe from The Cramps they’re gonna find Siouxsie and the Banshees, and they’re going to maybe find Joy Division. And that opens up this whole world of music that I personally love. And I think it’s really cool to be a part of that.’
As well as The Cramps, viewers can discover everything from Edith Piaf (‘Non, Je Ne Regret Rien’) to Roy Orbison’s ‘In Dreams’, ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ by Bobby McFerrin, Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Don’t Stop’ and Vivaldi’s ‘The Four Seasons: Winter’.
Malone says that, ‘classical music – darker stuff, not cheery minuets – vintage Latin, and certainly Goth and post-punk’ were all on Wednesday’s playlist. It’s another eclectic selection of perfectly idiosyncratic tracks, and we can’t wait to see what Jen and her team are working on next.
At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!
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‘In this trouble town/Troubles are found’ – well, ain’t that the truth. The lyrics for the Happy Valley theme song tell you exactly what’s in store. Though ‘troubles’ is putting it pretty mildly, given what’s happened over the course of the three series.
*Contains spoilers*
Happy Valley Season 1
The first series of Happy Valley debuted on BBC One in 2014 and almost immediately became a huge critical and fan hit, owing to its stellar cast and action-packed multiple plotlines. Written and created by Sally Wainwright (who won the RTS Writer of the Year Award in 2009 for mini-series Unforgiven and has also created Scott & Bailey, Last Tango in Halifax and Gentleman Jack), the crime drama is set and filmed in West Yorkshire’s Calder Valley. Which, despite its stunning scenery, is home to a multitude of crimes both large and small.
What Is the Plot of Happy Valley?
The first series introduced us to Sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire), who, as she memorably says to a troubled twentysomething in the first scene, is 47, divorced, lives with her sister, Clare (Siobhan Finneran) – a recovering heroin addict – and her grandson Ryan (Rhys Connah). Cawood’s daughter, Becky, took her life eight years ago, just weeks after giving birth to Ryan, and her son, Daniel (Karl Davies) doesn’t speak to her.
Cawood is a no-nonsense copper who’s (very) nearly seen it all. She and the local force are dealing with a plethora of drug problems in the area, from the users to the dealers, and she’s about to be faced with Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton): the man she believes caused her daughter to kill herself and who is Ryan’s father.
Royce has just come out of jail for drug-related offences and falls in with local businessman Ashley Cowgill (Joe Armstrong), who is, on the face of it, a caravan park owner, but has some, let’s say not very legal ‘side hustles’ on the go. Ashley is persuaded to kidnap Ann Gallagher (Charlie Murphy), the daughter of local millionaire Nevison Gallagher (George Costigan), and demand a sizeable ransom, by Gallagher’s accountant, Kevin Weatherill (Steve Pemberton). While they have Ann captive, Tommy does a host of increasingly brutal things, from raping Ann to cold-heartedly killing a young police officer, Kirsten McAskill (Sophie Rundle).
Nevison has been told by the kidnappers not to involve the police, so it’s four days till Catherine Cawood finds out what’s happened – although by that time she’s already spotted Tommy and looked round the house she saw him heading into, finding bloodstains in the basement and sending them off for analysis.
She discovers Ann being held in Royce’s mother’s basement, and frees her, but not before Tommy nearly kills her in the process. Tommy manages to escape the police cordon and holes up with one of the other kidnappers, then hides out on a narrow boat, having made contact with Ryan, whom he’s found out is his son – Catherine’s previously made it very clear that Royce should have nothing to do with him.
Having murdered two other men (his co-kidnapper and the man who’d been hiding them) and sustaining a knife wound before leaving and finding the narrow boat, Tommy is delirious with sepsis. He tries to kill himself and Ryan by dousing both of them with petrol, before Catherine discovers the boat and saves both, making sure that Tommy is arrested.
Happy Valley Season 2
Eighteen months after the first series, episode one kicks off with Catherine telling Clare a funny story about trying – and failing – to kill a sheep that’s been mauled by dogs. As usual with Happy Valley, it’s not an isolated incident and the sheep has been stolen by kids high on drugs. The sheep’s unhappy demise also brings in two of the key characters, Alison Garrs (Susan Lynch) and her son, Daryl (Robert Emms) who own the farm from which the sheep was stolen.
Thought Tommy Lee Royce couldn’t do any more damage to Catherine and her family because he’s in prison? Think again. This time, he’s manipulated a woman, Frances Drummond (Shirley Henderson) to infiltrate Ryan’s school, befriend him and start dropping in mentions of ‘his dad’ and the potential for forgiving him and building a relationship with him. She falsifies her identity and becomes new teaching assistant ‘Miss Wheland’. Tommy also tries to get Frances to take drastic action against Catherine.
Tommy’s storyline isn’t confined to prison, though – his mother, Lynne, whom Catherine had dealings with in the first series, has been murdered. And as Catherine left a threatening message on her phone recently, she needs to provide an alibi, which she seems curiously reluctant to do. However, when the bodies of several prostitutes are discovered over the following weeks, it’s clear that there’s a serial killer targeting vulnerable women.
DCI John Wadsworth (Kevin Doyle) is one of the detectives on the investigating squad. He’s been having an affair with Vicky Fleming (Amelia Bullmore) which, it turns out, isn’t going to end well for either of them. When he attempts to end it, she drugs and blackmails him with compromising photos, threatening to send them to everyone in his contacts list. Furious and with his personal and professional life in jeopardy, John kills her and then stages the body to look the same as the serial killer’s victims, before setting her flat on fire to destroy evidence.
Catherine, meanwhile, is tasked with investigating a human trafficking operation and is helped by her neighbour, Winnie, who takes in one of the Croatian girls. The Kneževićs – the criminal gang from the first series – are behind the operation.
More connections within the community are revealed when Clare’s new boyfriend Neil (Con O’Neill) tells her that he, too, was blackmailed by Vicky Fleming in the same way. Could the man they’ve arrested for all of the murders not actually be guilty of hers? Was she murdered by another man she’d been blackmailing?
It turns out that it’s actually Daryl, Alison’s son, who has murdered the prostitutes. He confesses to her; horrified, and knowing that Daryl won’t survive being in prison, Alison shoots her son dead and attempts to kill herself, but is saved by Catherine. She tells Catherine that Daryl was insistent he hadn’t killed Vicky Fleming. The connection between John Wadsworth and Vicky is finally discovered; he makes a panicky flight from the station with Catherine in hot pursuit. Cornered, Catherine tries to talk him down from a railway bridge, but Wadsworth can’t face a life of shame and losing everything and takes his own life.
Although Frances is arrested for fraud, it turns out that Ryan has, in fact, written a letter to Tommy Lee Royce in prison, establishing contact between the two…
Want the full recap before bingeing season three? The BBC have you covered:
Happy Valley Season 3
Both the first and second series won the BAFTA for Best Drama Series, so it’s fair to say that there was a huge amount of anticipation for the third – and final – series of Happy Valley. Creator and writer Sally Wainwright had waited for six years between the second and third series for two reasons: one, because she wanted to have Sergeant Cawood on the brink of retirement and two, because she wanted actor Rhys Connah, who played Catherine’s grandson, Ryan in the first two series, to have aged up enough to play the character as a teenager.
Wainwright told the BBC, ‘I waited six years because I wanted to get to a point where Ryan would be old enough to start making choices about whether he wanted to have a relationship with his dad or not. And could he have a relationship with his dad, and how would Catherine feel about that?
‘I really wanted to be able to explore that. It’s just the right period of time because he is now 16, so he can travel places by himself, he can make choices. He can do things behind Catherine’s back.’
The Happy Valley trailer made it clear that old adversary Tommy Lee Royce would once again be at the centre of things, together with introducing new characters and intriguing new plots – all soundtracked by the brooding menace of Joy Division’s suitably-titled ‘Atmosphere’.
If there’s a drama with a better opening than series three of Happy Valley this year, we can’t wait to see it. It’s got everything: younger colleagues revealing that when Catherine gives advice, you need to stick to it; a long-dead body in a reservoir; male colleagues being patronising and Catherine nailing that the remains are those of a gangland murder victim – and exactly how long it’s been there – through a few crucial pieces of physical evidence.
Plus, she reveals who it is, and how she knows, with the deadpan humour we’ve come to know and love. And exits the scene with a memorable, yet succinct, verdict on the colleagues who’ve underestimated both her policing and her knowledge of the area’s criminals: ‘Twats.’
If you hadn’t watched it before, then that surely convinced you that Sally Wainwright is one of TV’s sharpest writers. Equally brilliant, throughout the whole three series, have been the conversations between family members, particularly Catherine and Clare. This series in particular sees Clare having – in Catherine’s eyes – betrayed her by taking Ryan to see Tommy Lee Royce in prison, and some volcanic rows between the two. Making up is generally achieved with a cup of tea and a maximum of four words and a shrug. Believably capturing the way that people speak to each other is rarer than it seems – especially with characters like Catherine, who often struggles when it comes to expressing her deeper emotions, and Wainwright has perfected the art.
Catherine’s typically low-key summing up to Clare after the astonishing final encounter with Tommy Lee Royce, that, ‘We’ve had another bit of a tussle. I won, obviously. I think I might’ve singed one of your crochet blankets’ will definitely be going head-to-head with Tanya from White Lotus’s, ‘these gays, they’re trying to murder me’ for meme-able line of the year.
The Escape Artist
Tommy Lee Royce, meanwhile, is planning a daring escape from prison, and is determined to come after Catherine, as well as persuading Ryan to run away with him to Spain.
Catherine’s other cases include a woman, Joanna Hepworth (Mollie Winard) whose husband, Rob Hepworth (Mark Stanley), shops her for having non-prescription Diazepam. Catherine suspects Hepworth of domestic abuse; it doesn’t help that he’s Ryan’s PE teacher, and is rude to him, bordering on violent.
Joanna’s Diazepam is being supplied by local pharmacist-on-the-make Faisal Bhatti (Amit Shah) who rapidly finds himself under pressure from members of the gang Catherine calls the ‘Halifax mafia’, the Kneževićs.
Joanna and Faisal plan how to kill Rob, so that she and her two daughters can escape the abusive situation. However, when it comes down to it, Joanna doesn’t want to go ahead, at which point Faisal, furious that she’s almost tricked him into committing murder, impulsively grabs a rolling pin, bludgeons Joanna and… murders her. Not for the first time in Happy Valley, owing to everyone’s suspicions about Rob Hepworth, the wrong man will be in the frame for a woman’s murder.
Tommy Lee Royce’s escape from court, facilitated by two of Darius Kneževićs’ more gormless henchmen in episode four has all the drama of the iconic ‘urgent exit required’ escape and chase from Line of Duty. However, the Kneževićs prove themselves to be no slouches in this department; Tommy dons a fetching lycra courier’s outfit stashed in a nearby newsagents, picks up a fancy bike and cycles briskly past all the police in pursuit to freedom. He’s then picked up by Darius himself, who deposits him in a local safe house.
Tommy contacts Ryan that night and puts the Malaga plan to him – will Ryan do the right thing the next day and tell the police? Thankfully, he does, and in the process, Catherine has the answer to the question that’s haunted her since he was born – will nature, or nurture win out with her grandson? He also begs her to make things up with Clare; it’s not just Catherine who looked after him when no-one else would: ‘She’s always been there.’
In the meantime, Darius has decided that Tommy’s obsession with killing Catherine makes him too unstable a prospect and sends three of his men to pick him up, ostensibly to move him to a different house. But Tommy susses the plan – pity the poor farmer who discovers three dead bodies in their field after Tommy’s dispatched them. He’s been pretty banged up in the fight, though, with ankle and wrist injuries and – once again – a stab wound in his abdomen.
The final denoument sees him breaking into Catherine’s house and looking at photo albums showing the happy, stable life that Catherine has created for Ryan. Tommy knows he’s ‘dead meat’, so intends to end things. But not before he and Catherine have a showdown in the kitchen where he also gives her a vital piece of information that could take down Darius. In an echo of their confrontation in series one, Tommy empties a petrol can over his head; this time, though, Catherine can’t stop him from setting himself alight, though she throws a blanket over him in an attempt to save him.
It all makes for a highly dramatic last day at work. Catherine, true to form, opts out of her own retirement party. But not before her superior, DSI Shepherd (Vincent Franklin) reveals that Hepworth has been charged not with his wife’s murder, but with having indecent photos of a boy from school on his phone. Shepherd had previously flagged the issue of who was supplying Joanna with Diazepam. Catherine, of course, had the answer: Alison Garrs’ probation officer had also been getting knock-off pills. Her supplier? Faisal. Who, Catherine had established, lived not 100 yards from the Hepworths…
Catherine goes to visit her daughter Becky’s grave one last time, before heading off in her Land Rover (seemingly to the Highlands rather than the Himalayas as she’d suggested was her plan at the start of the series – perhaps she wanted to make sure the vehicle would make the trip.) While she’s there, she gets a text: the hospital have called. Tommy Lee Royce has died of his injuries – Catherine and her family are finally free.
Can’t get enough of Happy Valley? Watch this BFI Q&A with stars James Norton and Siobhan Finneran, producer Jessica Taylor and executive producer Will Johnston.
Who Composed the Happy Valley Soundtrack?
The Happy Valley theme soundtrack is Nottingham artist Jake Bugg’s ‘Trouble Town’. The track was the lead single from his debut album, Jake Bugg, which was released in 2012. It wasn’t written for the series, so hats off to the music supervisor who picked up on the lyrics and married them perfectly to life in the Calder Valley for Catherine and co.
The Happy Valley music on the score has come courtesy of the same composer for all three series: four-times BAFTA-nominated Ben Foster. Aside from working with Sally Wainwright and her team, Foster has also worked with David Arnold on Amazon’s acclaimed Good Omens and arranged Elton John’s songs for director Dexter Fletcher’s film Rocketman.
Plus he’s worked on Russell T. Davies’s Torchwood and Hidden Kingdoms for the BBC Natural History Unit. Foster is highly regarded as an orchestral arranger and conductor, having worked on projects for everyone from Pau McCartney to Peter Gabriel, Nick Cave to Michael Bublé, as well as renowned film composers such as John Williams, Johann Johannson, Mica Levi and Marc Streitenfeld.
Foster has composed with his brother, Nick, on many of his projects. Writing music together is something that started when they were children aged nine and eleven, composing music for Doctor Who. The pair used to visit a neighbour who had a synthesizer keyboard, ‘where you could put rhythms on and drums, sounds, different strings and that was our first score together.’ They’ve gone on to score more than 110 episodes of Doctor Who.
The soundtrack for seasons one and two of Happy Valley was released at the end of 2017. The score for all three seasons is distinctive, emotive and builds a mass of drama. Foster is known for his character-driven soundtracks, which is important when there are so many character-driven threads and plots across the three series.
‘Through this score I continually enhanced what the characters in the show were feeling – such as Catherine’s burning desire to bring Tommy to justice – with a “sound world”. The sound of this score is guitars, solo viola and lots of dirty, dark, fierce synth sounds from vintage synthesizers’, Foster revealed.
The orchestral soundscape features strings and heavy brass on tracks such as ‘Catherine’s Sorrow’ and ‘Kevin’s Descent’ from the first season, together with the brutal synths and pounding guitars, all of which create an unsettling listen that immediately places you in the middle of the show’s distinctive narrative and visual style.
The track listing for seasons one and two is:
Previously on Happy Valley
Catherine’s Sorrow
Kevin’s Descent
Tommy Lee Royce
Tommy and His Son Ryan
Tragedy in the Valley
Catherine’s Theme
Back in the Valley
Drugging John/Miss Wheland
Blackmail
There’ll Be Two Funerals
Tommy On Day Release
You Shouldn’t Have Done It
Catherine’s Inner Strength
End of the Road For John
Remembering Becky
Ryan’s Choice
I Love You
Catherine vs Frances
John Falls Further
Ryan Posts the Letter
Grooming Ryan
Confession
Carnage
Caution
John Found Out
John On the Run
Parenthood
A Father’s Son
The Happy Valley season three soundtrack featured a few carefully-chosen needle drops, including RAYE’s ‘Love of Your Life’ at the end of episode 2, and ‘I’m Trying (Not Friends)’ by Maisie Peters as Faisal’s daughters do TikTok dances in the sitting room.
Probably the most impactful use of a track, though, is the acoustic, MTV Unplugged version of Nirvana’s ‘Where did You Sleep Last Night?’ which soundtracks Tommy getting a very impressive glow up for his court appearance, courtesy of a mate in the prison. It’s an old folk track, which has been recorded by many different artists – Nirvana’s take was based on the Lead Belly version. The song’s sinister, brooding lyrics fit Tommy exactly.
Happy Valley Season 3 Soundtrack
Season 3 Episode 1
Trouble Town – Jake Bugg
Kevin’s Descent – Ben Foster
Season 3 Episode 2
Trouble Town – Jake Bugg
I’m Trying (Not Friends) – Maisie Peters
Catherine’s Theme – Ben Foster
Love of Your Life – RAYE
Season 3 Episode 3
Trouble Town – Jake Bugg
Be The One – Dua Lipa
Season 3 Episode 4
Trouble Town – Jake Bugg
Where Did You Sleep Last Night (Live Acoustic) – Nirvana
Season 3 Episode 5
Trouble Town – Jake Bugg
Season 3 Episode 6
Trouble Town – Jake Bugg
Caution – Ben Foster
Season three also featured some great Audio Network tracks, including ‘Dalina’, a Mediterranean folk dance by Cyril Giroux, Campbell E Browning, Pablo Love and David Bossan, followed by ‘Rugs and Spices’, an ebullient Arabic/Turkish dance from Igor Dvorkin and Ellie Kidd. And then there’s Ruhan and Sidhant Kapoor’s ‘Tum Miley’, a romantic Bollywood duet with an irresistible dance groove.
At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!
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Why is music so powerful in TV and advertising? Well, can you imagine a Christmas ad without any music? Unthinkable, right? Music touches our emotions in a different way from visuals alone – whether it’s a song that you already know and love, combined with a scene that moves you, or a track used in a completely different way.
It could be something you’ve never heard before, which becomes indelibly linked with a story or character. Something used in such a quirky way that it’s instantly memorable, and you’re desperate for a repeat viewing. So, how do music supervisors and creatives best use music for television and commercials?
Music in Advertising
Kantar reports that 84% of the ads they test globally have music. Why is music used in TV commercials? Well, it makes it way harder to connect with your audience on an emotional level if you omit music in commercials, for one.
Kantar’s research found, ‘a strong relationship between consumers who enjoy the music in an ad, and those who feel an emotional connection through our “feel-good” metric. Our Link database shows a 63-point increase in the average feel-good factor between those who enjoyed the music most and those who didn’t enjoy it.
Further, when people enjoy the music in the ad, we see a 20-point increase in the average involvement score when the music is also well-known.’
This point about using well-known music can be key for a brand – when a track can significantly enhance the appeal to the target audience, it’s important to ensure they know it, and that it’s culturally relevant to them. This is especially the case for Gen Z, who are also ‘more receptive to advertising on music platforms.’
Heinz went particularly meta in this respect – when ketchup superfan Ed Sheeran got in touch, suggesting that they make an ad based on an experience he had at a fancy restaurant, the brand were only too keen to cement their relationship and take a message direct to his millions of fans that no meal is complete without Heinz Ketchup:
Although, it being a fancy restaurant, it’s piano music that plays in the background, rather than one of Ed’s own songs in this instance.
Music also has the power to add dramatic effect and set a tone – IKEA’s ‘The Troll’ is a masterclass in setting up expectations with ominous music at the start, which then moves into a more twinkly, magical mood as a small boy wants to help the Troll make his under-bridge lair more homely and happy.
IKEA’s Head of Marketing, Johanna Andren, revealed that, ‘the build is deliberate and cinematic to pique interest, and the musical score is key to tying the whole production together. The dramatic music building up from dark and slightly scary to happier in the end is a strong component.’ In an ad with no dialogue, it’s key to have this musical progression to steer the audience through the story and emotions. If you mute the soundtrack, you can still follow the storytelling, but it doesn’t have the same emotional impact.
And when you’ve only got 30 seconds to tell a story, the music can get you at least halfway there.
Get Your Brand Noticed
Music in commercials can be a vital element in getting your brand noticed and building a brand image. ‘Sonic branding’, such as McDonald’s or Intel Inside’s jingles or audio logos, act as a cue and a shortcut when they’re used frequently.
McDonald’s ‘Raise Your Arches’ ad is also a brilliant use of Swiss electronic duo Yello’s ‘Oh Yeah’, creating an ad that relies on choreography and close editing to the music to create the humour, and a spot that’s instantly memorable:
The track was originally released in 1985, proving that you don’t have to use a recently released song for a successful commercial. But as it was also used for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, for film fans, there’s a built-in nostalgia for the idea of bunking off to do something fun.
Our Top 5 Uses of Music in Advertising
Levi 501s – ‘Laundrette’
For those of us of a certain age (ahem), Marvin Gaye’s ‘I Heard it on the Grapevine’ is forever synonymous with a handsome man sitting in his boxer shorts, waiting for his jeans wash to finish its cycle. It was 1985 and Levi’s were a heritage brand – and not in a good way. The jeans-makers had been going since the 1850s and were becoming a proper ‘dad brand’.
BBH were tasked with coming up with the campaign to revive them. Research showed that the target audience for Levi 501s (15–19-year-olds) loved 50s and 60s US culture: James Dean, Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke. Thus, the 50s-set ad showing model Nick Kamen stripping to his boxers in a launderette, soundtracked by Marvin Gaye, watched by both outraged and intrigued fellow customers.
Not only did it propel ‘Grapevine’ straight into the Top 10, but it kick-started a whole movement in advertising. ‘Integrated Marketing’ meant a single in the charts alongside your ad on the TV – plus a 501 logo on the record sleeve.
Sales of 501s shot up by an eye-watering 800% in the wake of the ad and by 1987, sales of Levi’s jeans were reported to be 20 times what they had been just three years earlier. Levi’s continued to use classic songs during the late 80s – Muddy Waters’ ‘Mannish Boy’ was originally released in 1955:
And Percy Sledge’s ‘When a Man Loves a Woman’ dates back to 1966.
Eventually, the brand moved onto modern tracks, but by unknown bands – and the hits kept coming. ‘Creek’, a 1994 black and white epic that looked as though it’d been shot by Ansel Adams, launched Scottish grunge band Stiltskin, with its use of ‘Inside’ and its addictive riff.
Over the next few years, Levi’s witty, often provocative ads inverted the relationship between music and advertising, with everyone from Babylon Zoo to a pre-Fatboy Slim Norman Cook, Smoke City and Mr Oizo’s ‘Flat Eric’ scoring major chart successes owing to being featured. BBH were using unknown artists as a way to say, ‘We’re discovering music, we’re ahead of fashion.’
Cadbury – ‘Gorilla’
Proving that you don’t need a huge budget to make an ad that everyone talks about was Cadbury’s ‘Gorilla’, created by Fallon, which generated over 10 million YouTube views and spawned numerous spoofs. After years of illustrating Cadbury’s by pouring out glasses of milk, this certainly marked a departure: a man in a gorilla suit, playing the drums to Phil Collins’ ‘In the Air Tonight’ against a (brand) purple background.
(And no, the man in the suit isn’t actually Phil Collins.)
Marketing’s editor Rachel Barnes said, ‘British people love surreal humour and every element of the Cadbury Gorilla oozes with it. Nothing about it makes sense, but it’s a magical piece of advertising that took the TV-viewing public by surprise.’
Phil Rumbol, the former Cadbury’s marketing boss behind the ad, added, ‘I think its enduring appeal lies in the fact it’s not telling people a message, it evokes a feeling – and it’s, therefore, something people enjoy over and over, which proves the impact of emotion, rather than product-led, ads.’
It’s an iconic use of music – surely every time you hear that drum solo now, you’re imagining a gorilla with a set of drumsticks, instead of Mr Collins?
Guinness – ‘Surfer’ (1999)
Ad agency AMV BBDO needed to reboot Guinness’s image. At the tail end of the 90s, it was seen as an old man’s drink. Creatives Tom Carty and Walter Campbell were adamant that a feature that might be a negative – the length of time that Guinness took to pour – was actually key to its experience. Campbell observed his Guinness-drinking friends, ‘would engage, looking at the pint being poured. I’d see how their imagination was firing at the thought of it.’
The two found a shot of a Hawaiian surfer looking out to sea, which kick-started their idea of a surfer waiting patiently for the perfect wave, together with a painting from 1893 by Walter Crane called ‘Neptune’s Horses’. They found their surfer star, believe it or not, sleeping under a palm tree in Hawaii; the team spent eight days filming in the waves, followed by a further three days of shooting Lipizzaner horses jumping over fences.
The finishing touch was a soundtrack that sounds like the blood pounding inside the surfer’s head: Leftfield’s ‘Phat Planet’.
The ad is the perfect synthesis of creative ideas, stunning visuals, a slightly surreal script referencing Moby Dick, that unrelenting soundtrack (but with an intriguing section where the sound drops out completely) and an enduring tagline: ‘Here’s to waiting’. And of course the black and white is a subliminal nod to the drink. It was an ad that won a slew of awards, including two British D&AD Gold awards, the only double gold for 40 years, and Adland still regularly votes it as the best ad ever made.
Virgin Atlantic – ‘I Am What I Am’
Virgin Atlantic championed diversity in this 2022 ad, which was set to a soaring and soulful rendition of the gay anthem ‘I Am What I Am’. Originally made famous as a disco hit by Gloria Gaynor, the track was reinterpreted by jazz/soul artist Lady Blackbird for this ad.
The song was originally introduced in the Broadway musical, La Cage Aux Folles. In the show, drag queen Albin is disinvited from his own son’s wedding. Broadway composer Jerry Herman took the line from a draft of the speech that said, ‘I am what I am and there’s nothing I can do’, and wrote the killer first act closer. As the Guardian pointed out, ‘Albin’s big number begins by reminding himself that he’s fought to establish his own identity; by the song’s end, he’s insisting that we tell the world our own truths.’
In 2017, a flash mob sang ‘I Am What I Am’ in Sydney after Australia voted to support same-sex marriage and in 2012 it made an appearance in the opening ceremony for London’s Paralympics.
Foregrounding the LGBTQ+ community, the Virgin Atlantic spot invites viewers to ‘see the world differently’ with a cast that includes a fabulously glittery air steward, a gay couple and a female pilot.
Virgin Atlantic’s CEO, Shai Weiss, explained the thinking behind the ad: ‘At the core of our business is the understanding that every one of our people can be themselves at work and that they belong. They truly are the thing that sets us apart and the reason customers choose to fly with us.
We know that the touchpoints that matter most and the experiences that differentiate Virgin Atlantic, are driven by our people and that’s why it was so important they’re at the heart of this campaign.’
Using the song trades both on its lyrics, and its history as an anthem of defiance that celebrates individuality.
John Lewis Christmas Ad
Christmas ads are almost a genre of their own within advertising, and we couldn’t have a Top five without mentioning the GOAT of festive ads that use music to expertly amp up their storytelling: John Lewis. After a partnership of 14 years, John Lewis finally parted company with creative agency Adam&EveDDB in February of 2023.
The two created a winning formula of emotional storytelling and recognisable soundtracks for a plethora of memorable ad campaigns. Many column inches were dedicated to each year’s ad, its themes and its track choices and for quite a sizeable number of people, the release of the annual John Lewis ad has come to herald ‘the start of Christmas’. As Nicola Wood, the creative director of Ogilvy UK said to The Drum, ‘just like the Grinch, John Lewis stole Christmas. Year after year. Triumph after triumph. It became our Super Bowl.’
From telling Elton John’s story of receiving a piano as a child to Monty the Penguin, Excitable Edgar the fire-breathing dragon, the Bear and the Hare to an alien girl, Moz the Monster, a lonely man on the moon and last year’s heart-tugging ‘The Beginner’, the John Lewis Christmas ads have been miniature works of art, seemingly precision-tooled to illustrate the phrase, ‘No, you’re crying’.
When interviewed by The Drum, the consensus from industry insiders on the best of the bunch was ‘The Long Wait’, from way back in 2011, featuring Slow Moving Millie’s cover of The Smiths’ ‘Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want’.
Dylan Davenport, executive vice-president at Weber Shandwick, said it was, ‘The first with a story that took you on a true journey. It was the first where the re-imagined music chimed perfectly with the narrative. The first that gave a proper emotional rug pull at the end. The first that brought a lump to my throat.’
Simon Richings, executive creative director at We Are Social, added, ‘There’s a gentle plinky-plonky cover of a great Smiths song (before that treatment became over-familiar), a lovely performance from the boy impatient for Christmas Day and a brilliant rug-pull that transforms the assumed selfish kid into an angel (I’m not crying, you’re crying). Best of all, it ended with a good, old-fashioned promise of what John Lewis had for you in store: gifts you can’t wait to give. The other famous films may have looked better or had stories that were even more heart-warming. But this one’s by far the best ad.’
5 Examples of How Powerful Music Has Been in TV Shows
A carefully-curated soundtrack can be a key criteria for making a great TV series – hence why there’s now an Emmy for ‘Outstanding Music Composition for a Series’. If you’ve ever Shazammed a song whilst watching a show and added it to your playlist, you know how impactful music can be. Here’s our pick of the best songs from television shows that created pitch-perfect scenes.
Stranger Things – ‘Running Up That Hill’
Music is literally a life saver for one of the characters, Max (Sadie Sink) in season four of Stranger Things. Dragged into The Upside Down – the terrifying world under the town of Hawkins – by the season’s big bad, Vecna, Max’s friends realise that music might be the key to breaking her out of a potentially fatal trance.
And luckily, they know exactly what her favourite track is: ‘Running Up That Hill’ by Kate Bush, which they blast through her Walkman’s headphones.
Why did Nora Felder, the series’ music supervisor, choose this particular track?
She told Variety that Stranger Things’ showrunners the Duffer brothers tasked her with finding a song that chimed with what Max was going through and the lyrics were particularly apt – Max is dealing with a world of grief and guilt surrounding her half-brother Billy’s death at the end of Season 3.
She revealed that, ‘In the face of Max’s painful isolation and alienation from others, a “deal with God” could heart-wrenchingly reflect Max’s implicit belief that only a miracle of unlikely understanding and show of support could help her climb the hills of life before her.
In Max’s situation, the need for a “deal with God” can perhaps be metaphorically understood as a desperate cry for love — to manifest the extraordinary understanding and support Max needed while feeling so painfully alone.’
Planet Earth II
Documentaries can use music to enhance key sequences, launching them into ‘modern classics’ status. For one of the best examples, look no further than Planet Earth II’s most celebrated sequence. Baby iguanas have to run the gauntlet across a sandy beach to the safety of the rocks, whilst chased by a cascade of beady-eyed, super-fast racer snakes.
The final iguana’s near-miraculous escape is soundtracked by blockbuster supremo and Oscar-winner Hans Zimmer, who expertly ramps up the tension. When it came to writing the music for it, Zimmer said, ‘Imagine you’re a Hollywood composer, and so you know a lot of Hollywood directors who are all doing their car chases and whatever. Nobody ever had as exciting a chase, as exciting footage, as that. It’s incredibly emotional stuff. All the music is trying to do is shine an additional light onto things. Make it something that gets under your skin.’
Six Feet Under – ‘Breathe Me’
Sia wasn’t the megastar that she is now when Six Feet Under concluded its five-year run with ‘Breathe Me’ in 2005. The emotional, seven-minute montage flashed forward to take us through all the lead characters’ deaths, giving fans a chance to say goodbye to beloved characters in a fulfilling way and providing a satisfying arc.
As Claire Fisher drives away, the landscape shifts as time stretches out and we see how David, Keith, Brenda, Ruth and Federico all end up meeting their ends. The use of ‘Breathe Me’ kickstarted it as the go-to track for heart-wrenching sequences, from Misfits to Veronica Mars and Orange is the New Black.
But Six Feet Under got there first – and for many, it’s been hailed as ‘the most satisfying TV finale of all time’. Even Lauren Ambrose, who played Claire, wasn’t immune to it, as she told Vulture: ‘I cry when I hear the song. It’s Pavlovian. If it comes on when I’m at yoga or something, I’ll cry. I’m always worried people will notice and be like, Oh, is that the girl from the show?’
Showrunner and writer Alan Ball said, ‘there’s no dialogue, it’s all about image. It had to be a montage. And we had to find precisely the right song.’ Music supervisor Gary Calamar revealed that Ball’s direction was, ‘They’re driving to the final journey of life, for the characters and for the show.’ He wanted something hopeful and wistful, but with a certain feel that they’re searching for something.’ A few other songs made the shortlist, but the song, which Calamar, who was also an LA radio DJ, had been playing on his night-time show, was a unanimous choice, and Ball wrote the scene to fit it.
Black Mirror San Junipero – ‘Heaven is a Place on Earth’
The fourth episode in the third series of the sci fi anthology was written by series creator and showrunner Charlie Brooker. Set in San Junipero, a beach resort, the town is part of a simulated reality that the elderly can inhabit, even after death.
The episode was designed as a 1980s period piece and the soundtrack interweaves 80s songs with an original score by Clint Mansell. It won two Primetime Emmy Awards and Charlie Brooker was inspired to write the uplifting ending because he heard ‘Heaven is a Place on Earth’ on a streaming playlist. The power pop classic plays at the episode’s beginning, and over the end credits. It’s not often that you get a happy ending in the dystopian Black Mirror-world, but in San Junipero, as Brooker told Vogue, the two characters ‘have the happiest ending imaginable’.
The song was used to symbolise love and fantasy in the face of death and hardship as it details the relationship between two women, Yorkie and Kelly, who meet in a virtual reality afterlife, existing forever in a simulation as their younger, more carefree selves. As the episode navigates different decades, the music in San Junipero is essentially the third lead character – to the extent that Brooker ended up compiling a 42-track Spotify playlist of all the music featured in it, or which inspired it.
As Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who plays Kelly, said, ‘For me, I’ve always used music as a way in for the character and always make a playlist for a way into a certain scene, or to channel a certain energy for the character. For this, there was a built-in playlist that Charlie had already written into the script.’
The Umbrella Academy – ‘Istanbul’
Music supervisor Maggie Philips was given a fun brief for the soundtrack to The Umbrella Academy: ‘Be nostalgic, go big, and give the people what they want!’ For the outrageously cool action scenes, ‘we wanted to play against the action/violence. It’s a fun graphic novel, these are kids and superheroes. We didn’t want the scenes to feel too bad ass or serious in tone, and the songs helped with that.’
In the first episode, Number Five battles it out with would-be captors in a doughnut shop to the quirky sounds of They Might Be Giants’ ‘Istanbul’. And part of what makes it a brilliant choice is where it appears in the episode: at the end. As the audience have had some time to get to know Five, the craziness of it all makes sense. If the fight sequence had been the audience’s introduction to the character, then it would have been slick, but not as memorable.
Music That Resonates
Whether you’re targeting a particular audience or improving a storyline, building a brand or trying to create a viral moment, choosing the perfect track is a big decision. Wherever music is used in television or ads, we have the track to fit.
Our Music That Resonates collection has music that makes you feel, inspires you to think and stays in the mind long afterlistening.
At Audio Network, we never settle for anything less than excellence. And neither should you.Combining industry-leading expertise with painstaking attentionto detail, we dedicate ourtime and resources to producing unrivalled results. From the artists we work with to wherewe record, every note is considered–and it shows in the music we produce. Check out Music That Resonates today.
Need Music for Your Project?
At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!
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‘Walk, walk, fashion baby, work it, move that b**** crazy’, sings Lady Gaga in her ‘00s pop anthem ‘Bad Romance’. It’s a line that suddenly pops into our heads when we think about fashion; a lyric that makes us want to do our very best impression of Bella Hadid or Alton Mason. Why? Well, because in the same way as Earth Wind and Fire’s disco tracks were made for the dance floor, this super chic smash hit was designed for the catwalk. And so were each and every one of the 1240+ songs you will find in our fashionplaylist.
If you’re looking for songs for fashion shows (AKA catwalk music, model runway music etc.), you’ve come to the right place, as we’ve got enough fashion show background music to take you through your entire fashion career. Find out everything you need to know about music for fashion shows and explore our voguish music offerings below.
Music For Fashion Shows Contents:
Where To Get Music For Fashion Shows
Why Good Music For Fashion Shows Matters
What Kind of Music Plays at Fashion Shows?
What is the Best Music For a Fashion Show?
Fashion Show Playlists
Showbiz Glamour
Luxury Glamour
Spring
Autumn
Drum‘n‘Bass
Where To Get Music For Fashion Shows
Looking for songs for a fashion show? As we mentioned above, the best songs for fashion shows are available right here (yes, as in here, here), right now. How are we so confident that we’ve got the music that’s right for your project? The answer is simple: we store so many fashion show-appropriate tracks in our collection that we reckon it’s almost impossible that you won’t find a song suitable enough to integrate into your runway show.
Want to get started ASAP? Check out our fashion and beauty playlist to get a taste of our á la mode offerings.
Why Good Music For Fashion Shows Matter
Good fashion show songs matter because no one – not one person on the guestlist, nor one person watching the show on their television from the comfort of their own home – will find it easy to sit through the entire debut of a runway collection if there isn’t any music involved. In the past, we’ve been unfortunate enough to experience a catwalk presentation that eschewed music entirely, and, honestly, it was an absolutely excruciating experience to have to listen to the sound of shoes scuffing and pounding against the ground and accidentally tune into the murmur of chatter coming from the crowd of fellow invitees instead of checking out the clothes.
So, essentially, what we’re saying is: don’t even think about putting on a fashion show without purchasing (and gaining the rights to) a song you can play as the models strut their stuff down the runway. What kind of music plays at fashion shows? Find out below.
The music that plays at a fashion show usually ties into the theme of the overarching inspiration behind the collection. For instance, Travis Scott music played at the SS22 Dior show designed in collaboration with the rapper; a mysterious composition kept people intrigued at the eerie Balenciaga SS23 show recently held at the NYC Stock Exchange; and an elegant orchestral composition was offset by the sounds of NASA-style chatter at the Gucci Cosmogonie fashion show.
Having said that, similarities can usually be found between the songs that most brands opt for when presenting their collections. Usually, fashion show music is light on lyrics and heavy on beats. It’s music that moves with the models and vice versa; music that adds to the overall experience but doesn’t overshadow the visual elements of the show.
What is the Best Music For a Fashion Show?
Well, the answer to that question is understandably subjective. For example, if the kind of show you aspire to put on has a gothic sensibility, you’re going to be inclined to say that dark music is best suited for your show. On the other hand, if the collection is more romantic than it is macabre, lighter, brighter music will naturally seem more appealing to you.
Look below for some fabulous playlists featuring some of the best music for a fashion show.
This handpicked selection of songs is your gateway to the world of style.
Laid back and positive, dreamy and ethereal, create a chilled atmosphere with synth grooves and patterns and ambient textures. Ideal for fashion reels, hauls and showcasing trends.
The most immersive fashion shows are theatrical, fabulous and furiously OTT. And nothing adds a little sparkle to a fashion show quite like a glamorous showbiz track – something like Tim Garland’s flamboyant ‘Show Town’ or Christopher Ashmore’s summery jazz anthem ‘Happy Go Lucky’.
Luxury Glamour
If you only speak high-end fashion, our luxury glamour playlist is your go-to. As the name suggests, it’s music with a touch of class. There’s ‘Monaco’, a relaxed, stylish and romantic orchestral theme by David Edward Holden, the swaggerlicious ‘Martinis and Bullets’ by Gareth Johnson, Simon Clarke and Evan Jenkins, and much, much more.
The two key collections a major fashion house releases each and every year without fail are the spring/summer collection and the autumn/winter collection. Spring/summer collections habitually involve bright shades, floral prints and lightweight materials. Our spring playlist is filled with soft, cheery tunes like Jody Jenkins’ ‘Brilliancy’ and Richard Lacy’s ‘Openings’ which are practically perfect for spring fashion presentations.
When it comes to autumn/winter collections, the hues are warmer, the fabrics are heavier, and there are layers upon layers upon layers upon layers to look out for. To match the feel of the latter half of the year, our autumn playlist is filled with the kind of songs that bring the listener the same level of comfort they feel when standing beside the fireplace. Add songs such as Pete Masitti and John Andrew Barrow’s haunting tune ‘Rain On My Head’ and Patrick Hawes’ smoothing song ‘Fallen Leaves’ to your fashion show to bring all the components of your seasonal show together.
A strong, resilient drum‘n’bass beat keeps a fashion show moving at a steady pace; thus, the genre is favoured by hundreds of designers worldwide. If we were to recommend two of our own drum‘n’bass songs for your catwalk presentation, we’d pick Jason Pedder and Ben Ziapour’s ‘Feel Free’ and Tom Quick and Sue Verran’s ‘The Sound of Life’. But, naturally, all of the songs we keep in our catalogue are phenomenal and worthy of your attention.
More, More, More
Still, looking for MORE music? Fortunately for you, we’ve got over 200,000 tracks in our ever-expanding catalogue – songs for every kind of production thinkable. And one of the most popular ways to discover the Audio Network collection is via our musical style and mood playlists: from Folk & Nu-Folk to Epic Themes to Inspirational.
Or is it MORE content you’re after? If you’re nodding your head, head over to The Edit. Here, you will find all kinds of music (and music adjacent) content written to inspire, teach and inform.
Need Music for Your Project?
At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!
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When you’re looking for music to licence – whether it’s for YouTube content or a blockbuster trailer, ads or TV shows – we can guarantee you’ll have lots of questions. Is it a legal requirement to have a music licence? What does my licence cover? How do I find the best tracks – quickly? We’re here to answer all these and more, to make music licensing straightforward, and enable you to find your perfect track from our catalogue, which covers every genre and mood.
Watch our music licensing guide to find out more about what rights you need to clear when you’re using music in films, videos, ads or TV:
How Does Audio Network’s Licensing Work?
We want to make things as simple as possible. So we license our music tracks per project or video. Every licence is valid forever, and your project can be used across multiple platforms.
It covers all sync and dubbing rights, but it doesn’t cover performing rights. These are normally the hosting platform’s responsibility (e.g. YouTube). They can be easily cleared directly with performing rights societies.
Need a licence that covers multiple projects or videos? To license music for a campaign or series, get in touch with our account managers, who’ll be happy to help you out.
We’ve got loads of ways for you to find the track you’re looking for – such as hand-picked playlists that cover every genre and mood, plus our collections of everything from hip hop to classical.
If you want a deeper dive, then click ‘Search Music’ at the top of the page to get started, then use keywords or filters to find what you’re looking for (they’ll appear as tags above your search.)
To refine your search even further, click on ‘Advanced Filters’ to specify a track duration, tempo, BPM, key, metre, or by lyric content.
We’ve made it easy to identify tracks with explicit lyrics – just look for the (E) symbol next to the track name. You can filter these tracks out completely in the ‘Advanced Filters’ dropdown. Plus, if you want music without vocals, you can also filter vocal and instrumental-only tracks and versions.
Loving an artist, composer or album? When you’re listening to a track, just click on the three dots next to the listing.
Do I Get All the Different Versions of the Track When I Buy a Licence Online?
All our tracks have different mixes and stems, to give you the widest amount of choice, so this is an important question. Your licence means you only get the specific version that you choose to purchase. If you want to use various different versions of the track, they’ll each require a licence.
If you’re not sure which version of a track’s going to work best for your project, then we offer download accounts to test our music. This means you (or your clients) can get a real idea of how the track will fit with your finished production. Give your account manager a shout, or contact us and we’ll sort it out.
Cue up the Cue Sheets
When you’re purchasing tracks through music licensing companies for TV or radio content, you’ll need to fill in a cue sheet so the broadcaster can pay royalties to the artists and composers.
Cue sheets are an industry standard document telling everyone what music has been used in a specific TV show, film, production or video. You can download one when you’re looking at your orders online under Account > Orders.
Paying For Your Tracks
Our online purchasing process is designed to be as simple as possible. Once you’ve decided on the tracks you want, just click ‘add to cart’ and follow the step-by-step process to put in your project name, company and billing details.
We’re a VAT registered company, so if you’re based in the UK, we charge you VAT at the current rate of 20%. If you’re within the EU VAT area and haven’t provided a valid VAT number (including country code), we have to charge VAT at the rate applicable in your country. However, if you think you’ve been charged VAT incorrectly, please contact the billing team.
We also have lots of different subscription options, if you know you’re going to be licensing music regularly.
If you’ve got a subscription, but you’ve run out of downloads, then just speak to your account manager or contact us to ask for some more.
With online purchases, we can’t guarantee a refund unless there’s a technical defect with a file and you let us know within 48 hours of purchase. To request a refund, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help. Refunds will be issued to the card used at the time of purchase and processed within 15 working days.
If you’ve downloaded and paid for the wrong track, though, get in touch and we’ll check your email receipt so we can send you the correct track.
Downloading Music
Once you’ve bought a track, you can download it in three easy steps:
Go to your account page, and click on the ‘orders’ button
Click on the view arrow on the right of the order you wish to download
Choose to download tracks individually by clicking on the WAV or MP3 icon, or all together by using the tick boxes on the relevant tracks and then click on ‘download selected files as zip’ at the bottom of the list. There are select all/deselect all MP3 and select all/deselect all WAV buttons at the bottom to help
Just bear in mind, WAV files are quite large – typically 30-40mb each – so it’s not ideal to zip more than three or four of these together at a time. Most broadband connections seem to have an undefined download limit, and in our experience, attempting to download more than 200mb of data in one go will just result in a blank screen!
Once you’ve paid for a sound file, it stays in your account permanently and you can download it as many times as you need. However, you cannot re-use/sync it onto new content.
Get the Best Music for Your Project
When you want to put together tracks for a specific project, just make sure you’re logged in, and then click the ‘Add to Project’ icon when you find a track you like (we’ll give you a prompt to see if you want to add the file to a new project or an existing one.)
If you’re a member and have access to projects, you can download music from them in two ways: One by one – by clicking the WAV or MP3 icon, or packaged as a zip file – by selecting multiple files and using the file download format action from the drop-down box at the bottom of the page.
When you want to share your project with other members of your team, or your client, you can choose to only include yourself in the ‘participants’, or click ‘Edit Project Info’ on the project sound file listing page, then select or deselect users.
Once you’ve created your new project, or added your file to an existing one, you’ll go through to the project file listing page; download your files either one by one (clicking on the icons), or packaged as a zip file.
YouTube & Other Content Platforms
As a YouTube creator, it’s important to understand music licensing for videos. Content ID allows copyright owners to identify YouTube videos that include content that belongs to them. If you use unlicensed music, then they can take down your content – and even your channel.
YouTube monetisation is how you can earn money from advertising based on the number of views your video gets, which the platform has integrated into your YouTube account. Open your YouTube channel homescreen and select ‘Video Manager’ from the menu and you should see a submenu with the label ‘Monetization’.
Monetisation means you need to agree to YouTube’s terms and conditions for advertising. Once you’ve agreed to these terms, you can allow ads to run alongside your videos and YouTube will share a portion of the ad revenue generated with you.
What is Google AdSense?
AdSense (or Google AdSense) is a Google-managed advertising service. It’s designed for website publishers who want to display targeted text, video or image advertisements on their pages and earn money when visitors view or click the ads. The video element is integrated into YouTube, which is why you may have heard about it in relation to monetisation. Google explain this in more depth.
Ads will appear on most videos that use copyrighted music. The revenue paid is shared with our composers.
To block third-party ads or to monetise your YouTube videos, you will need to buy a Creator+ or a Corporate licence. If you use your video to promote a business, brand, or service, buying the Corporate licence also prevents unwanted ads (such as competitor ads) showing on your videos.
If you’re creating ads shown on YouTube, you need our Digital Advertising licence. And when you’re working on a project or campaign where you or your clients use media spend, give our team a shout and we’ll discuss the project and how we can help you to find the best music.
Claim Notices on a YouTube Account
Music licensing for YouTube can be something that many creators fall foul of. YouTube’s Content ID system automatically detects copyrighted material and serves a notice when it finds it. If you have the correct licence, you can use our YouTube monetisation code to clear this claim. Once you’ve entered your code, it can take up to 48 hours for your claim to clear.
For more info on YouTube Content ID see our useful links section. If you have purchased a Creator (previously Home & Student) and you do not intend to monetise your videos then no further action is required.
If you don’t want to monetise your video, simply click ‘Acknowledge’ when YouTube sends you the copyright notice. Your video will then be cleared to stay up.
YouTube Monetisation Codes
We want to make licensing music for YouTube and dealing with the platform as simple as possible. Our YouTube monetisation code clears YouTube copyright claims that occur when you use Audio Network music in your videos – we developed the code to speed up the process.
You’ll find a four-word code either on your order confirmation page, or on your confirmation email, with codes related to previous purchases under Account > Orders.
Here’s how to clear your video using the monetisation code:
In Video Manager, select Copyright Notices.
Underneath your video, click the link that says Includes copyrighted content
Click File a Dispute and then select I have a licence or permission from the proper rights holder to use this material.
After confirming you wish to dispute, place your code in the Reason for Dispute box
Your video will be cleared within 48 hours
Need some more info? These are trusted resources that you may find helpful:
At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!
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