Background Music; Influence the Behavior and Emotional Reactions of the Audience

 

Background music plays an important role in many broadcasting and production environments. It can add to or detract from the effectiveness of any broadcast, depending on its arrangement and selection. The term background music describes a specific type of musical performance where the music itself isn't intended to be an offensive or primary focus of audience attention, but its composition, mood, and level of sound are deliberately planned and executed to affect an audience response. Background music provides the background hum of a conversation, the laughter and cheers of a crowd, or the ambiance created by the setting sun.

For this reason, background music is often used as a framing or background effect during live broadcasts where the main article is the topic of discussion, such as news reports, weather forecasts, or sports scores. The incidental music sets the tone and tempo of the main article and serves as a transitional element between the two. For example, the elevator music in a science show could transition into a piano music theme or vice versa for a talk show host who might speak about her grandchildren while taking questions from the studio audience.

A recent study found that the use of background music during broadcasts increased listeners' retention of the information contained in the program. The research was conducted using music ranging from slow to fast beats and from English to Italian language songs. Participants were given a CD containing two versions of the same story; one with the main article and another without. Those participants who heard the background music with the article learned more than those who heard the article without background music.

When it comes to business audio content, the key to successful promotion is getting the most out of investment in the time and money invested in production. A good way to enhance the impact of the most recent business radio advertising is to make sure that listeners are always aware of the current promotions they can expect from the company. To do this, the production team should make sure that the company have the latest cues available for the promotions. The company wants audio content to be dynamic, engaging, and informative for listeners. To do this, the company has to choose the right background music for the promotion.

Background music is a type of sound recording where the music itself is not intended to be an objective and specific focus of listeners, but instead its overall content, level of drama, and personality are purposefully designed to heighten or undercut the emotional response a listener is experiencing. This type of music may include anything from classical music to the sound of nature, rain, or wind. In recent times the term ‘Background Music’ has become widely used as a collective term to describe any and all music that intentionally has no vocals. There are many sub-genres of background music including narrative and non-narrative music, instrumental music, dramatic and meditative music, dance, television or film scores, and comedy music.