Music Brief | Complete Guide + Template

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When switching from Google Docs to HolaBrief, I found that our briefs became significantly more in depth
- Terri Williams, Agency Founder

What is a Music Creative Brief?

A music brief is an essential first step in gaining a grasp of the objectives and goals of the customer. You need to have the ability to write them and know what to include and how to make them simple to read and comprehend.

Simply put, a music brief is a document that describe the essential aspects of the project, from timelines and responsibilities to what the music should communicate to the ones listening.

The creative director can better grasp the client's needs and address those needs by using music briefs. In addition, specialists in the music industry and the business world approach it differently. The following are the first observations that will take you to: How does one prepare a music brief? Preparing a music brief is often the responsibility of a producer, composer, or music supervisor.

It is the creators' capacity, honed over many years, to comprehend and fulfill the requirements of their customers in terms of the music they anticipate hearing. The briefing process can be a great problem because customers might be unable to articulate the specific music they are looking for. It is clear, given that music cannot be explained.

Benefits of Implementing a Music Brief for your Production

On the surface, these briefs may appear to be a frivolous use of time, but the fact that they provide an outline contributes to the effectiveness of the manufacturing process. This is comparable to how you would outline the primary arguments of an essay before beginning to construct it. You'll know where you're going and what points you need to emphasize; the only thing left to do is develop those points further.

Additionally, it shortens the amount of time required to do a project. The revisions and course corrections that are the direct result of insufficient planning can be effectively avoided using the brief if the expectations are communicated in a clear and comprehensive way at the beginning of the process of producing music. It instils a sense of responsibility.

How to Write a Music Creative Brief? A Tested Outline

It can be challenging to write an effective music synopsis. It's possible that you already have a clear picture in your head of how the music for your project should sound, but explaining that picture to a music supervisor won't be as simple as it sounds. Each undertaking is one of a kind and possesses its own distinct set of characteristics and constraints, both of which play a role in determining the style of music that will work best. Some of the most obvious ones include your narrative, who your audience is, and how much money you have to spend on music.

It is essential to consider musical elements early to ensure the smoothest possible execution of the music briefing process. Also, when it comes time to send a brief to a music supplier or music supervisor, make sure to include all of the pertinent information they need to present you with the best assortment of tracks for the project.

Project Overview

Because your brand identity should constantly stick out from the rest of the notes and chords in the music, the most important component of the brief is to explain what your brand accomplishes. Setting an emotional scene for the musician and igniting the initial flame of inspiration in their creative brains is what you accomplish when you introduce the musician to your industry, objective, and brand traits. What's more significant is that you're describing the foundation of your audio identity, which is something you ought to incorporate into all of your upcoming audio creations.

Even at its most straightforward, musical expression can be a tricky business. We recommend that you always be clear on the purpose of the music from the very beginning of the process. For example, the question should be asked whether the music will be used for a film score and, if so, what the budget for the film's production will be. Will the score be used for a show on either Netflix or a traditional television network? It could be a television commercial for a large brand that will air on screens worldwide. It may be only seeking a slot on the local radio station.

Define an Objective

What are we hoping to accomplish with this project? What specific goals do your customer hope to accomplish by creating a music brief, and how do they intend to evaluate the success of each objective? This is very important because once the project is over, only by knowing this can we keep track of how effective the work is and how it can be applied in your portfolio for future reference. Without this knowledge, we cannot do either of those things.

Whether it's music, voice-over, sound effects, or anything in between, specifying the type of audio you're searching for will go hand in hand with the touchpoints and your target audience. This is true regardless of whether you're looking for music, voice-over, or sound effects. The composer needs to clearly understand the music's purpose or voice-over before beginning work on it. It is the equivalent of delivering a painter the real frame in which the picture will be placed. By establishing such limits, the composer can better see the entire creative process, from the beginning to the end, and direct their creative energy toward accomplishing the goals necessary to arrive at their desired destination.

Target Audience

A brand's purpose is to make itself appealing to a particular demographic. If you don't keep them in mind when you're developing a branding strategy, likely, the end product won't be as successful as it could have been.

Because of this, it is necessary to identify the target audience's demographics and keep them in mind while working on the brand's design. We are aware of that here at HolaBrief, which is why we have developed an interactive target audience exercise that you can include in your branding briefs and carry out with your client.

In HolaBrief we have an interactive Customer Persona exercise that you and your client can use for free.

Requirements

The composer or production firm may ask you to provide detailed details regarding the deliverables that will be provided. It is in everyone's best interest to have this matter clarified and the points listed out. Do you need an anthem or something similar? Or is there a point system? It's possible that you need a toolbox full of musical cues.

You should also consider the locations from which it will be transmitted. For instance, do you require the final mix to have a specific loudness level when played back? (EBUR128 in Europe).

References and Direction

If you were to explain your concept to the composers, they would get a more solid picture thanks to the addition of reference tracks. It can also be of great use to composers searching for new sounds. Regarding BAM, we have a reference of tags that will sync up with the atmosphere of the music brief.

To tell you the truth, music already functions as its language. It takes time to get the hang of, much like learning any other language. However, an open and honest exchange of ideas with customers will greatly assist. The attitude of historical and musical jargon is what we mean when we talk about "music short."

You can use our interactive Moodboards to take care of this section! Feel free to try it out in HolaBrief without cost!

Build and Download your Sample for Free

We are aware that not everyone can articulate their emotions using musical terminology. Because of this, we have begun putting together compelling audio briefings with the assistance of HolaBrief. It is our responsibility to convey the sentiments and ideas behind our client's brand into sound and music that accurately portrays our client's narratives and enables them to achieve their goal of successfully evoking powerful sensations in their target audience. That calls for a very sensitive approach. And every piece of information that we may glean about our customer's brand has the potential to alter the results!

Suppose you are a freelancer or work for an agency. In that case, you may use HolaBrief to create briefs that have the appearance of being professionally prepared, simply collect information from customers, and organize everything in a single location.

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Either pick from our tested templates or create custom briefs using interactive exercises like Moodboard, Customer Persona, or Competitors Map. Once done, send the link to the client so they can respond without the need to have an account.

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Ready to create standout work in less time?

Join 1000s of agencies using HolaBrief to set up their projects for success.