INTRODUCING: ED STAAL

Behind The Beat: The power of curated playlists in content creation

 

Introducing Ed Staal

Meet Ed Staal, Junior Music Supervisor at Universal Music for Creators. Ed has 3 years of freelancing experience as a Producer and Music Supervisor, working with successful brands such as John Lewis and Gymshark. Ed now works at Universal Music for Creators, helping to curate the perfect playlist for every genre, mood and style. 

 

1. Ed, with your experience in music supervision and playlist curation at Universal Music for Creators, what sparked your interest in pairing the perfect soundtrack with various forms of media?

"As someone that grew up loving both music and films, music supervision was the perfect place to bring the two together. There’s nothing quite like being able to elevate media through the use of music."

 

Amplifying audience engagement through music

2. How can music help content creators take their content and audience engagement to the next level?

"Most content creators know how important music is for utilising trends on the big platforms and it’s true that these can be a great way of finding a new audience. However, a great way for creators to take their content up to the next level is to curate music that is unique to their content and create a sonic identity around their creative ideas and online personality."

 

How to make playlists with mass appeal

3. When creators start to make music playlists for their content, what should they be considering when selecting tracks that will resonate with their audience?

"If you’ve ever made a playlist for a party before, you’ll know that it can be harder than it looks. My advice would be to try to make your playlist feel like a smooth journey for your listener. Start simple and try not to jump genres, tempos and moods from track to track. And make sure to choose music YOU love."

 

Finding the perfect music using royalty-free music sites

4. How can content creators use platforms like Universal Music for Creators to find the best royalty-free music for their projects?

"Platforms like Universal Music for Creators are the best place to go for content creators looking for music. You know that what you’re getting is 100% cleared and is of the highest quality. Not to mention, Universal Music for Creator's catalogue utilises the best musicians and composers that Universal has to offer, it does exactly what says on the tin – it provides high quality music designed FOR creators."

 

Exploring the emotional impact of music on content creation

5. From your point of view, how does the right playlist tap into the feelings of viewers across platforms such as YouTube, podcasts, and streaming websites?

"The right playlist can transform cooking from being boring, to being therapeutic. It can change a train journey from feeling too long to feeling too short. Even making a bad day into a good day. It’s fair to say that music and the way it flows in a playlist can completely change how you experience your life."

Strategies for naming and organizing influential playlists

6. How important is the naming and organizing of a playlist? And could you share some strategies for creators to make music playlists that best support their content’s narrative?

"Naming and organising your playlist is all about intention for creators. They should think about the purpose of what they’re playlist is for and keep it simple and clear. An as for the order, just make sure it starts with a really great track and doesn’t jump about too much from track to track."

 

Selecting music for diverse content needs

7. Given Universal Music for Creators' varied audience, from personal creators to freelancers, how should a creator approach selecting music for YouTube videos differently from say, ads for a client or for a wedding video?

"In my opinion, the process shouldn’t be different at all. Creators, producers and editors alike should be selecting music with complete consideration to how they intend their viewers to feel watching their content. Usually for ads, you’ll want to make the viewer feel happy/upbeat and create a positive air about their product/brand, and similarly for weddings you’ll want to find music that makes your viewer emotional, nostalgic but overall happy. Creators should relish the power that they hold in being able guide their viewers’ emotions through music."

Final thoughts and advice

8. As we wrap up, what final piece of advice would you give to creators?

"To all creators, never underestimate the power of music in your creations. It’s not an understatement to say that your sound fx and music choices can both make or break your art. So make sure your choices have purpose, and don’t be afraid to experiment and have fun with the music you use."