How Adventure Music Can Add Excitement To Any Kind Of Video

There is some part of human nature that craves adventure. We’ve all felt the desire to explore, to go out and do something remarkable.

Stories about space exploration, deep sea discoveries, and arctic voyages inspire us unlike no other. The combination of human bravery and unfathomable danger cover two of the biggest themes that we’re drawn to in entertainment. 

Maybe it dates back to humanity’s days as a nomadic species. Or maybe it’s our innate need to learn, to find something new and exciting — that “just around the corner” feeling we get when we think about the unknown.

And, like anything in life, music plays a huge part in how we respond to that idea.

Music steers our emotions. There’s something in our brain chemistry that reacts differently as tones and notes change. And while each one of us prefers different genres, we can’t really argue against the universal power some music has to affect us.

That applies to the spirit of adventure we love to hear, read, or watch. What would The Lord of the Rings be without the call to adventure? And how would the movies have captured that spirit without Howard Shore’s unforgettable “Fellowship Theme”?

The same themes exist in SciFi, a genre founded on exploring places unknown. Hans Zimmer’s theme for Interstellar (as well as his song for the BBC podcast “13 Minutes to the Moon”) both capture some unspoken need we have for exploration and adventure. 

We think of these songs as cinematic music, but in reality, they’re an even smaller subgenre. Adventure music is a growing trend, and it’s something that can really lend a lot of power to video projects (when used correctly).

So What Is Adventure Music?

At its core, adventure music is in the same family as epic or cinematic music. It’s more about a specific emotion and the sense of a journey, which is appropriate.

Composers in this genre aim to make us feel things rather than creating a memorable melody or a cool riff. They might even choose to break some traditional songwriting “rules” in order to achieve that particular goal.

Actually, it will be easier to show you than to describe it.

Two Steps From Hell really helped adventure music take shape. The “artist” is actually two friends who have spent the past 15 years composing trailer music — individual songs that target a specific emotion or feeling, which are then licensed for film, TV, and video game trailers.

“Heart of Courage” really put the group on the map, showing up in multiple mainstream trailers. The song instantly whisks us away to a ship at sea with the crew scrambling before a fight. Or maybe it’s a space opera, with starfighters dodging enemy fire. It would also work for an epic last stand or a bayonet charge.

No matter which visual you prefer, this piece of adventure music somehow captures the excitement and danger that we’d expect to find in another place or time. And in two minutes that song creates an experience that might take 30 minutes to pull off in a visual medium.

Two Steps From Hell’s work helped spark the rapid growth of the adventure music genre. You can find a wide variety of composers who focus on this style now, making it hard to recommend some over others. But here’s an example of a newer artist’s work:

The instrumentation choices and driving percussion are basically a door to Narnia. Within the first few measures, the song has created an atmosphere of adventure and excitement. 

Scientists are still trying to fully understand the effects that music has on our brains. But as a filmmaker, it’s worth noting that adventure music is another arrow in your quiver, tool in your utility belt, or any other analogy you want to use. It’s available, and it’s worth using.

This genre brings a lot of value to listeners, particularly because it taps into a very instinctive human emotion — the thirst for adventure.

Does This Genre Work For Video?

Of course, the examples we’ve featured are YouTube music clips. They don’t really show you how a filmmaker can use adventure music for video projects. 

Now the obvious answer — what most people would assume — is that adventure music fits perfectly with travel vlogs. Maybe even documentaries or indie films, so long as they focus on things like hiking expeditions or discussing far-off countries.

But what about commercial projects? Or Wedding videos? Is there a way to add adventure music into vlogs or ads that don’t focus on travel/extreme sports?

The short answer is “Yes” to all of those.

The long answer is that — like with pretty much anything in art — each video is a unique case.

As we mentioned before, the only way to use adventure music correctly is to understand whether or not it meshes with the video you’re making. A big part of content creation is knowing your audience. (And if you are a freelance videographer, replace “audience” with “client.”)

There’s no guaranteed path to success as a filmmaker. Trying new music genres or editing styles can be a fun exercise, or even an excuse to tackle projects you wouldn’t normally try. But these things don’t necessarily lead to higher conversion rates, more subscriptions, better reviews, etc. 

Adventure music can help you try something new, or create more impactful tones in your work. The genre can help you tell different stories or manage an audience’s emotions more easily, even if the only “adventure” in your project is an emotional one.

At the end of the day, the choice of when and where to use any new tool falls on your shoulders. It all depends on the content you want to deliver and your vision for how music plays into that experience.

Where Do I Find Good Songs?

Adventure music has grown from a niche community of YouTube channels into a respected genre. That means you don’t have to keep ripping music from videos or soundtracks — you can find legitimate, high-quality tracks that have the same spirit.

More importantly, you can find adventure music that actually fits whatever budget you have.

A lot of filmmakers take some big risks when it comes to the songs they use in their projects. If you’ve ever used a song that you didn’t license, that video could earn you a copyright claim from a musician or a record label’s legal team.

These lawyers aren’t looking to give you a slap on the wrist because your video only has 100 views. The only way to protect their clients’ music is to bring the hammer down on anyone who breaks copyright law, even if it’s a hobbyist filmmaker.

What’s the chance you could handle $10,000 in legal fees? Or a prison sentence? Is that something you’re willing to risk just so you can use that one song you heard on the radio yesterday?

(And yes, all of this is true even if you bought the song on iTunes, Amazon Music, or any other listening platform. Purchasing a song for pleasure is not the same as licensing it to use in another creative work.)

Copyright laws exist to protect people’s ideas. And while it might seem like a huge pain right now, remember — those same laws will also apply to your work if anyone ever tries to profit from your projects. The process works both ways, even for amateur or hobbyist creators.

Before we get into the details of finding and downloading adventure music that will be safe from copyright claims, here’s a quick breakdown of music copyright, licensing songs, and all that wonderful legal stuff that you should get familiar with.

How Do I Use Adventure Music?

Music licensing got its start in 1914 when a bunch of artists got together and decided they needed to do something to protect their music. So they formed the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), and that organization has basically set the pace ever since.

In a nutshell, music licensing is the process of reaching out to copyright holders and negotiating the rights to use their music in another medium (for broadcast, web, etc.). And each song can have up to a dozen copyright holders, including the songwriter, the recording artist, and people at the record label.

While the idea of reaching out to someone (or potentially a handful of someones) to use a song seems like a pain, it’s an important step. Just remember that the only way to cover all your bases is to get every copyright holder to agree to a license.

That license also includes how much you’ll pay for the song. It might also provide a royalty rate, which makes sure that any revenue your video generates will get passed on to the song’s copyright holders.

And once you have that — a license agreement and an understanding about royalty payments — you are legally cleared to drop that song into your timeline and wrap up post-production on your video.

Of course, the music licensing process isn’t really an ideal situation. Between the time it takes to work out the details and the amount of money you’ll pay, you might think it’s worth the risk to look for a shortcut or loophole. 

We have good news for you. There is another option, and it’s not a shortcut or a loophole. It’s a legitimate alternative to get access to thousands of high-quality songs (including adventure music) while still obeying copyright law.

What Is Royalty Free Music?

Everyone can agree that the traditional model of music licensing is confusing and inconvenient. That’s why people started looking for other, easier ways to put music in the hands of creators.

Royalty free music is a way for musicians to get paid for their work (which obviously matters to them) and a way for filmmakers to access that music at a cost they can afford.

Here’s how it works: Companies build relationships with musicians and pay for the right to license individual songs. Then, those companies can license out those songs.

The more people that download each song, the more revenue that gets split with the artist. But for customers like you, there’s just a one-time licensing fee and no royalty payments ever.

Sounds like a good deal, right? 

But it actually gets even easier. Some of these music companies — like Soundstripe — kept looking for other ways to innovate, to make this process simpler.

At the end of the day, we looked at subscription companies like Netflix and thought, “Why can’t music licensing work that way?” No one else was doing it, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t work. 

By subscribing to Soundstripe, you get access to thousands of high-quality songs. In addition to accessing some of the best royalty free music around, you won’t have to pay for each song license or worry about royalty payments. You just choose a payment option (either monthly or yearly) and create your account.

And that’s it. No secret charges. No reason to worry about losing a license or accidentally breaking copyright law. In fact, we guarantee that any song you download from us will be covered forever. Even if we remove that song from our library, your license will still be valid.

Even if you’re used to the traditional music licensing process, you don’t actually lose anything by going this route. Whether you’re buying unique licenses from royalty free music sites or signing up for a Soundstripe subscription, it will still be cheaper and more convenient.

So isn’t it at least worth looking into?

Think of it this way: Unlimited access to our whole catalog of royalty free music for one affordable price. And if you’d like even more resources for your sound design needs, our Premium subscription includes over 35,000 sound effects as well as stem music files.

You’ve got a perfect chance to start experimenting with adventure music and seeing how you can add a new depth of emotion to your videos. And as a filmmaker, storyteller, or content creator, that’s always something worth investing in.