Custom Music for Business: A Plain-English Guide

Most businesses already use music. It’s under the Instagram reels, behind the product video, playing when customers call and get put on hold. Usually it’s whatever was quickest to find. That’s fine, until you hear the same track in someone else’s ad.

Custom music is the other option: music written for your business, that sounds like you and nobody else. It used to be something only big brands did. It doesn’t have to be.

This guide covers what custom music for business actually is, where it earns its keep, what goes into the price and how to ask for it, even if you’ve never worked with a composer. We make custom music at Sonomore, so we’ll explain how we do it, but most of this applies whoever you hire.

What is custom music for business?

Custom music (you’ll also see it called personalized business music, bespoke music or original music) is music written and produced for one business and a specific purpose. Instead of picking a track from a library that anyone can license, you get something built around your brand: its pace, its personality and the people you want to reach.

It can be tiny, like a three-second sound at the end of every video. Or it can be a full song with a singer and lyrics about what you do.

Custom music or a background music service?

Search for “business music” and you’ll find two different things under the same name.

Background music services are subscriptions. They give you curated playlists of existing songs to play in a shop, restaurant, gym or hotel, and they’re built for hours of music a day. Many include the licenses for playing music in public, though it’s worth checking what yours covers. If you need a soundtrack for your café from opening to close, that’s usually the right tool.

Custom music is new music, written for you. You use it where your brand speaks: ads, videos, social media, your podcast, your phone line, your events. Some businesses also play a custom track in their space, alongside a playlist, at the moments that matter.

Sonomore makes the second kind: music written for your business.

Where businesses use custom music

A sonic logo. A few notes at the end of every video and ad. Hear it often enough and people recognize it before they see the logo.
A jingle or brand song. A melody, often with a lyric, about your business. Good for radio, ads and anywhere you want something that sticks.
Ads and brand videos. Music written to your edit, so the changes land where the cuts are, instead of a library track that fades out awkwardly at 0:29.
Social media. A short theme you can reuse across reels and stories, so your content sounds like you. It also gets around a common problem: business accounts often can’t use popular songs the way personal accounts can.
Podcast and YouTube intros. Ten seconds that tell listeners they’re in the right place.
On-hold music. Your callers are going to hear something while they wait. It might as well be yours.
Your shop, salon or venue. A signature track for your space, an opening or a product launch.
Events. Walk-on music, a launch reveal, a conference intro.

You don’t need all of these. Starting with one, like a sonic logo or a track for your videos, is a perfectly good way in.

What affects the price

There’s no standard price list for custom music, and anyone who quotes without asking you questions is guessing. These are the things that move the number:

Length, and how many pieces. A three-second sonic logo is a different job from a full song.
Vocals. A song with lyrics and a singer takes more work than an instrumental.
Versions. Do you need 15, 30 and 60-second versions? An instrumental to sit under a voiceover? A loop for your website or shop?
Where it will be used. The license is scoped to how you’ll use the music: which channels, which countries and for how long.
Ownership. Some businesses want to own the music outright, which usually costs more. Others are happy with a license for the uses they need.
Deadline. A tight turnaround can add to the cost.

If you have a budget, say so. It isn’t a negotiating mistake. It helps the composer suggest the right size of project instead of guessing, and it saves you both a round of emails.

How to ask for custom music (no music vocabulary needed)

You don’t need to know what BPM means or which key a song is in. You just need to answer five questions:

What’s it for, and where will people hear it? “A sonic logo for the end of our YouTube videos and Instagram reels.”
Who are your customers, and how should they feel? Three words is plenty: warm, playful, early-morning.
What do you like? Links to two or three songs with the right feel. Say what you like about each one, even if it’s just “the guitar”.
What don’t you like? This is often more useful than the likes. “Nothing that sounds like a corporate video” tells a composer a lot.
When do you need it, and what’s the budget?

Here’s what that can look like:

“We’re a family bakery with two shops. We’d like a short tune for the end of our videos and something we can play when we open in the morning. Warm and a bit playful, acoustic rather than electronic. Nothing that sounds like an advert. We’d love to have it before the new shop opens in March. The budget is flexible, but we’d like to keep it modest.”

That’s enough to start. A good composer will ask about the rest.

How it works with Sonomore

You tell us about your business. Use the custom music form or email us. No brief or technical details needed.
We reply with ideas and a quote. How we’d approach the music, what you’ll get and what it costs, including the license for how you’ll use it.
We write and produce it. We share work in progress, so you can tell us what’s working before anything is final.
We deliver. The finished music, plus an instrumental, stems and shorter versions if you need them, with the rights set out in one agreement.

We write vocal songs as well as instrumental music, so if you want a lyric or a sung hook, just say so.

Questions businesses ask

Do I own the music?

That depends on the deal, and it should be written down before any work starts. Some custom music is licensed for the uses you need, and some is bought outright, which costs more. Ask early, so the quote reflects what you actually need. With us, the rights are set out in the quote.

Can I play it in my shop?

Yes, if your license covers it, so mention it when you ask. Playing music in public counts as a public performance, and depending on your country and how the music is registered, a separate performance license may still apply. We’ll tell you what our license covers when we quote.

Is custom music only for big brands?

No. A sonic logo or a short track for your videos is a small, focused project. Tell us your budget and we’ll tell you honestly what it can get you.

Why not just use a song I like?

A popular song in your ad or reel needs permission from whoever owns it, usually a record label and one or more music publishers, and for a well-known song the fee can be high. Custom music is made for you, so the rights come from one place. If you do want an existing song, here’s how to license a song for a commercial.

The short version

Custom music for business is music made for your brand, not borrowed from everyone else’s playlist. Decide where people will hear it, describe how it should feel in plain words, share a budget and get the rights in writing.

If you’d like music made for your business, tell us about it. No brief needed. You can also read more about our custom music.