Composing Music for Radio Commercials!! 169Radio Jingles
Radio jingles are usually 1 minute in length and generally mirror the tele-
vision versions of the same campaign (assuming there is a television ver-
sion). Radio campaigns normally require several arrangements of the basic
jingle. As mentioned in chapter 7, make certain that the jingle is adaptable.
Music houses, mostly located in the smaller markets, record generic
radio and television jingles in almost every musical style. They license the
same jingle to different markets for a specified period of time. The music
house includes the name of the product in each new lyric. Of course, you
might hear the same jingle in multiple markets, but it is not usually a con-
cern to local advertisers. Their customers will most likely never hear the
other versions.
The same process is used to license local news themes and station IDs
to various markets. Most station IDs (and many generic commercials) are
recorded in Dallas because Texas is a right-to-work state, and it is not man-
datory for musicians and singers to be union members. The performers do
not necessarily receive the equivalent of union scale, pension and health
benefits, or residual payments.
Conclusion
Writing music for radio has to be approached as a distinctive craft. Com-
pose the music so that the audience can visualize the commercial. Play the
music without hearing the dialogue and determine if the meaning of the
commercial is still conveyed.
If the music is written to ‘‘go against the picture’’ (e.g., writing happy
music when sad music seems more appropriate), the dialogue must be
heard to understand the meaning of the music. This compositional
method is used more often in television than in radio.
Assignment
Analyze the following commercial and compose several different pieces.
Record the script on a recorder or in a sequencing program and use it as a
reference when composing. The reading should not exceed 30 seconds.
Council on Family Health’s ‘‘Read the Label’’ Campaign
‘‘Come to Me’’
Hey, it’s your body. So, you’d better make it your business to find out
about everything that goes inside it.