Music is a great way to target certain sets of consumers for your business. You can use music business sponsorship of concert events and artists to increase the brand awareness of a product or service. There’s also the impact music can make in corporate commercials on the Internet, television and radio. If you don't want to use music in company advertisements, there’s always the ability of the industry to help create a jingle for your business. Either way, making the most of music and what the music industry has to offer, can have a positive affect on your marketing efforts.

The application of music in the business world has a long history of changing the way consumers perceive or remember a company. With the proper implementation, music can increase sales while remaining relatively cost effective. Some marketing music even went on to become music industry chart hits. Before integrating music into your ad campaign, learn how making the most of music can help your business by utilizing some of the following advice:

1. Contact music and songwriters' associations for available artists.

2. Understand the music industry information as it relates to using music in business advertisements.

3. Obtain musical industry sponsorship information.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Speak to the music industry info associations and agencies

Music is just one aspect of business marketing, but it can be a driving factor. To create an effective campaign with music requires picking the right song at the right price. It's not necessary to break the advertising bank for the right song. In fact, there's an increasing trend on the national level of choosing unknown bands for major corporate marketing campaigns.

I recommend: Contact the Harry Fox Agency for information on the rates of its artists. Find information on local artist associations at Songwriter Universe. These links may lead you to the music industry contacts you need to use music to your advantage.

Examine the process of using licensed music and entertainment

Navigating the landscape of music licensing can be a bit difficult if you don't fully comprehend the process. Nevertheless, if your company can master the process, it can boost the advertising revenue and increase brand awareness within your given industry.

I recommend: Scrutinize the music-licensing tutorial at Proscenia Interactive. Utilize the licensing utilities available at Broadcast Music (BMI) to maximize the use of music for your business.

Find a music sponsorship opportunity where making the most of music can really pay off

Besides using traditional music in your company's advertisements, there are sponsorship and jingle opportunities available in the industry. These options allow for more control over the company image. You can choose the type of events to sponsor and a jingle that won't overshadow your service or product.

I recommend: Use the sponsorship application at SponsorAnything.com to find music sponsorship opportunities. Contact Creative Mills Productions for any of your jingle creation needs.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Music companies aren't the only traditional outlets for the music industry. Through the Internet and the local music scene, a company can find sponsorship and music opportunities closer to home. The large industry musical companies do allow for easier access to widely recognized music, but that often comes with a high price tag.

Music is a very big business. The music industry employs millions and covers many genres. The extent of this industry goes well beyond music industry professionals, as there are just as many non-music businesses that access music industry resources to meet the demands of their own business' daily operations as there are music-based companies.

Whether you need to find music companies for background music or for entertainment purposes, there are a wide variety of music companies to fit your needs. Keep the following in mind when searching for music industry resources for your business:

1. Musical companies can provide background music for your business' media projects and presentations.

2. Music industry information technology can be used to provide musical entertainment for corporate events.

3. Companies can use the music industry to create jingles or theme music to accompany their advertisements.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Choose music industry resources to create background music for your business

Many businesses choose to set a mood in their business through a programmed music industry service.

I recommend: Muzak has over 80 different programs to choose from. They also provide personalized access to music and entertainment through a custom sound system consultation and installation service. Sirius satellite radio gives business owners the opportunity to install the service themselves. They offer 67 channels of music and entertainment with no commercials.

Find music and entertainment for event planning

Almost every business or personal event requires music of some sort. Wedding planners and convention organizers all use music industry resources to find music companies that will provide this service.

I recommend: Gigmasters has a nationwide pool of talent that can provide music and entertainment from weddings and parties to conventions and corporate events. A wide array of talent can be found for your business, including bands, DJs and solo artists. At DJDreams.com use a locater service to find reputable DJ music companies in your area who will provide diversified entertainment for your next corporate event.

Create jingles or theme music with music industry contacts

Finding the perfect jingle or theme music for your company's advertising needs can make your business more memorable to potential customers. This gives your business a sound to go with your look by linking music and entertainment.

I recommend: DSV Media creates original musical jingles for businesses, offers fast turnarounds and guarantees your satisfaction. Music industry resources like Creative Mills Productions specialize in commercial jingles that create successful music imaging for special projects. BoomSonicBranding is another resource you can use to craft jingles that reflect your brand and company's personality and style.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  There are strict guidelines in the music industry to protect the interests of the music and entertainment artists. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) protects copyrights of music by monitoring public play. By using professional music companies you can be assured that the music is used with permission, all royalties have been honored and your company will not be fined for infringement.

The music industry went from a small set of large companies owning and distributing the content, to a wide-ranging electronic distribution system where industry rules no longer apply. When the first songs became available for free and as a mostly illegal download, the industry changed in a profound way. Now a person on a single computer could share a song, album or thousand of songs to anyone with an Internet connection. This changed the way people transacted music and the control the music industry had on its product.

With all these changes happening so quickly, music industry information technology had to adapt. The biggest music companies now make most all of their music available for download for a price. Probably the biggest benefactors from this change are the struggling bands within the industry. Now a band, writer or singer doesn't need to rely on traditional distribution channels and can distribute their music through web sharing software or websites. To understand how the industry works, here are few things to consider:

1. Join an association to access music industry resources.

2. Understand how music industry regulations work.

3. Contact the music entertainment business leaders.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Enroll in a music industry association to get a music industry overview

Music industry associations are as varied as music itself. Each type of music has its own group, which bonds its members together. For example, you have the gospel, country music, western, and bluegrass associations, just to name a few. Therefore, which one you join will depend on the type of music your business interest lie. However, a few cover the industry on a broader basis.

I recommend: Contact the Americana Music Association, which promotes music through marketing and technology. Join the National Music Publishers’ Association, which offers music publishers property protection, promotion and marketing services.

Know the current musical industry regulations for the best overview

There is really no central agency that governs the music industry. The closest to a central source of this regulation is the Recording Industry Association of America or RIAA. The RIAA doesn't speak for all artists within the industry, which is why they aren't considered the main regulatory agency. The RIAA mainly enforces its rules through the use of lawsuits.

I recommend: Examine the information at the Recording Industry Association of America website for updates on the business. Join the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers if you want to understand the composer side of the music business. Visit the United States Patent and Trademark Office website for the copyright registration information in the music industry and how musicians can protect their work.

Examine the websites of the music industry leaders

While it's true that the music industry power base is more diffused, there are still only a few large companies within the business as it was in the past. However, the difference is that these companies' control on the industry lessens as times passes.

I recommend: View the latest music industry information available at Universal Music Group. Speak to a representative from Sony BMG Music Entertainment for music industry contacts and more music industry overview information.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Be sure to keep track of the digital side of the music industry. The basic way the industry does things is changing due to the Internet downloading of music. Some of this downloading is legal, but the fight for the music industry against illegal downloads continues. Whatever happens in this battle, the music companies will most likely have a different business model because of this battle.