If you’re going to produce a documentary, you’re going to need some documentary music, as it'll take an immersive experience to convince audiences to educate themselves in their free time. Think about it: the reason why documentaries such as BBC’s Planet Earth and National Geographic’s The Lost Tomb of Alexander the Great are so popular is that they transport you to the centre of the action via spectacular shots, captivating narration and cinematic music.
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Keep reading to discover the answer to all of your music for documentaries questions – from ‘Why is music used in documentaries?’ to ‘How do I find music for documentaries?’, as well as a selection of playlists we’d recommend for anyone seeking good documentary music.
Music For Documentaries:
- What is a documentary?
- What types of documentaries are there?
- Nature documentaries
- Historical documentaries
- Music documentaries
- Science documentaries
- True crime documentaries
- Sports documentaries
- Why is music used in documentaries?
- How can music help to improve your documentary?
- How do I find music for a documentary?
- What types of documentary music are there?
- Sad documentary music
- Dramatic documentary music
- Mysterious documentary music
- Romantic documentary music
- Historical documentary music
- Nature documentary music
What Is a Documentary?
Documentaries are non-fictional television programmes and films with one primary aim: to inform. Of course, the most successful documentaries also set out to entertain their audiences by forming an intriguing narrative around the collated facts, findings and footage.
What Types of Documentaries Are There?
- Nature documentaries
- Historical documentaries
- Music documentaries
- Science documentaries
- True Crime documentaries
- Sports documentaries
Almost anything can be the topic of a documentary – the subject may be as broad as the universe (see National Geographic’s Journey to the Edge of the Universe) or as specific as rapper-cum-designer Kanye West (see Netflix’s Jeen-yuhs). Here are six of the most popular documentary genres:
Nature Documentaries
Nature documentaries explore different aspects of Earth, from the canyons of North America to the wildlife of the Amazon rainforest. And in a world where billions live in urban jungles, this documentary genre is immensely popular as the masses yearn to reconnect with nature.
One of the standout nature documentaries of recent years is Our Planet, Netflix’s answer to a David Attenborough-narrated animal world extravaganza.
Historical Documentaries
No matter if you saw your first historical documentary at school or home, you’ve most likely been watching films and television series about the past from a young age. And a desire to learn about history rarely disappears with age; hence, historical documentaries are loved by all family members.
Looking for a historical documentary like no other? We’d recommend Netflix’s Age of Samurai: Battle of Japan. It really packs a punch.
Music Documentaries
Music documentaries are popular as they help industry outsiders to appreciate the genius of their favourite music artists. They’ve also been known to inspire future generations of musicians by providing them with proof that there’s hope for those who follow their dreams.
Some of the most lauded music documentaries capture the zeitgeist of a particular era. Take Summer of Soul, for instance – Hulu’s Oscar-winning documentary film that takes viewers back in time to the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival.
Science Documentaries
It's said that curiosity is a sign of intelligence, which makes sense considering those intrigued by the explanations of the universe spend their downtime soaking in information from science documentaries. And the inquisitive will never run out of content to consume as there's an abundance of science documentaries out there, each of which aims to detangle the theories around a different facet of the universe.
We love a good science doc, and our favourite to debut over the last couple of years is Cosmos: Possible World. Described by Disney+ as ‘a wonder-filled voyage through humanity's past, present and future, transporting viewers to lost worlds and worlds yet to be revealed by science’, the National Geographic doc will have you holding onto the armchair of your sofa as you zip through space.
True Crime Documentaries
These days, an affinity for true crime docs is considered a personality trait – the type of attribute that people place on their dating profiles, discuss in interviews (yes, really) and boast about in social situations. So why do people love them? Because they’re scandalous. And, more often than not, they offer insight into human psychology.
The Tinder Swindler – a Netflix show about a scam artist who used the dating app as a tool to defraud innocent women – became an international talking point when it was released in February 2022. And if you’ve not watched it yet, its 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes is surely nudging you to give it a go.
Sports Documentaries
Whether you’re a sports fan or not, there’s a high chance that you enjoy sports docs as these kinds of documentaries are usually concerned with passionate people – from star players to lionised managers to dream teams – rather than the game itself.
A fine example of a sports documentary? Netflix’s The Last Dance springs to mind. The basketball-centric miniseries follows the Chicago Bulls’ journey up to the 1997-98 NBA Season, Micheal Jordan’s final season with the team.
Why Is Music Used in Documentaries?
Music in the ribbon around the gift of knowledge that a documentary hands over to its audience. An embellishment that transforms the ordinary into the sensational. Without a soundtrack, many documentaries would fail to capture the attention of its audience, as good documentary music is the vehicle that drives the viewer to the centre of the story.
How Can Music Help to Improve Your Documentary?
To add dramatic music to a suspenseful section of your documentary is to elicit anxiety; to add romantic music to a scene featuring more than one individual is to tease a relationship; to add mysterious music to an eerie moment is to hint at horrific or supernatural happenings. Our point? Music is used in a multitude of ways to evoke different responses, but the goal is always to make the audience feel something.
How Do I Find Music for a Documentary?
Looking for good documentary music? Fortunately for you, we have over 200,000 tracks in our catalogue. Discover all of the documentary soundtracks you need over on our documentary page, and then find the right music licensing subscription for you by looking at the infographics on our music licensing page.
What Types of Documentary Music Are There?
- Sad documentary music
- Dramatic documentary music
- Historical documentary music
- Mysterious documentary music
- Nature documentary music
As I’m sure you’re aware, there’s music to suit every mood and emotion. Therefore, it’s safe to say there’s music to suit every kind of documentary imaginable. Discover five of the most popular documentary music collections available in our catalogue below:
Sad Documentary Music
More often that not, there are moving moments during a documentary film or docuseries. Therefore, sad background music is often used by documentary creators to encourage viewers to feel pity for the people or animals in focus.
Dramatic Documentary Music
There’s a knack to being a documentary creator – you’ve got to be able to find drama in anything. And one of the ways you can instantly dial up the drama on a scene is by adding some dramatic music that will all but guarantee bums on seats and eyes on the screen.
Historical Documentary Music
When audiences watch a historical doc, they want to travel back in time. And one of the most effective ways documentary makers help them feel as though they’ve ventured into the past is by utilising historical background music.
Mysterious Documentary Music
It’s human nature to be interested in the unexplained, from the origins of the universe to paranormal activity. Ergo, audiences love it when a doc explores mystifying topics topped off with some mysterious production music.
Nature Documentary Music
As mentioned previously, nature documentaries are uber-popular in an age in which humans find themselves further from the natural world than ever. With a little help from nature background music, viewers escape to the world’s most beautiful settings from the comfort of their own homes.
Explore Our Music
As we’re sure you’re already aware, music for documentaries isn’t the only kind of music available in our collection. We’ve got music for all sorts of projects, including music for advertising, music for films and music for radio. So, no matter what creative journey you’re about to head on, you can rest assured knowing that we’ve got the perfect soundtrack.
Eager to start discovering our high-quality catalogue of licensable background music? Either head on over to our playlists page where you will find carefully curated, or check out our latest releases.
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