Pierre Carnet, Managing Director, MassiveMusic MENAIn times of economic and geopolitical uncertainty, it isn’t unusual for brands to start tightening their spending to remain healthy as a business. When this happens, marketing – sadly – is often one of the first budgets to feel the impact. And when these budgets get tough, it can be tempting for marketers to look to cut their own spending on music. However, as recognised by marketers themselves, music remains an essential asset within their toolbox. In 2025, 72 per cent of brand marketers agreed that audio helps to improve brand recall.
So, how can marketers faced with tighter budgets continue to source great music that achieves tangible results for them?
Firstly, don’t give in to temptation and buy into cheap, royalty-free music available online. This will generally be of lower quality and generic, given it was specifically designed for mass appeal – and given its non-exclusive and broad-access nature, you may end up with a track in your campaign that is simultaneously being used by competitors, peers, or influencers which you have no control over. Though you may save some cash in the short-run, reaching for stock music will impact your brand image, recognition, and differentiation in the long run, possibly causing more damage to your bottom line.
Instead, look for solutions that can help make your spending more effective while continuing to build your brand and connect with your customers in music.
One option is to prioritise sonic branding and building an owned library of sonic assets. For the same cost you may have invested previously in a hit music license for one campaign, you can collaborate with a music agency to create your own sonic brand and music library. Going beyond an audio logo only, this can include the development of a library of 5-10 branded tracks which use your brand melody in different styles tailored to your most common content output. Think one branded track each for corporate content, promotional content, youth content, and cultural content for example. Once developed, you can adapt and use your branded, unique, and differentiated music library repeatedly – not only saving on buying new music each time you need it, but with the added benefit of improving your brand recall and recognition with every use.
In a similar vein, should a repeatable sonic brand not feel right at the moment, you can look into building your own catalog of music by connecting with an independent label, artist, or music agency to create a collection of tracks which are exclusive to your brand. Red Bull has historically done this successfully by creating their own albums of high-adrenaline music that production teams can draw on at any given time, always reinforcing their energy-first, edgy brand image.
Sometimes, bespoke music may not be your preferred route, particularly if your brand wants to ‘play in culture’ – ie promote or use music that people actually listen to – and promote the artists you’re working with. In this case, a cost-effective way to continue licensing music can be to use music from up-and-coming talent, instead of falling back on the conventional “big hits strategy”. There are plenty of independent musicians in the world who produce fantastic, qualitative and engaging music and would be pleased to license their tracks for a nominal fee and exposure. Not only is indie music more cost-effective, but it provides the added brand benefit of becoming a player and participant in culture, instead of solely being a buyer and user – creating a win-win dynamic! All it takes is a little extra work on research, and some bravery in investing in new talent instead of the safe celebrity route.
Should hit music be essential in the way your brand communicates, there is also a solution to keep your costs down while continuing to operate your brand platform. Instead of using the original song, look into creating your own version with a music house or independent talent, or licensing a cover version. This will allow for savings of up to 40 per cent on the cost of the initial track, as you are not licensing it in its entirety. It also has the added value of giving you more creative freedom and originality in music – whilst retaining that hit song recognition that your audience will appreciate.
Finally, cost-efficiency can also come through the lens of how you work with your partners. Most brands buy music through traditional “supplier” relationships: hiring composers and agencies and negotiating rates for each individual project. How about looking at things through a partnership lens instead, by developing recurring business models, allowing music partners to optimise costs for you and offer better deals? By identifying a suitable partner and arranging an exclusive retainer or rate card deal for many projects, you will get a better price – whilst simultaneously allowing the musicians to be more financially sustainable and to dedicate their full attention to serving your needs. Added benefit: you’re ensured that your music has continuity, retaining the same feel and touch throughout projects!
When budgets are tight, music doesn’t have to take the hit – this can instead be an opportunity to expand your approach, build your identity, and consolidate your brand.
By Pierre Carnet, Managing Director, MassiveMusic MENA.
