Production Music

Production (also called "sound library") music generally is canned background for visual-media applications. Whether used with an advertising company's presentation or a home-movie screening, production music has the generic qualities presumed suitable for industrial applications. A single theme may be restated in various ways and lengths; timings often are under a minute. Vocals are very rare, and the composers and performers are unrecognizable from anything other than production music.

Production music from the 1960s and early 1970s includes spacey keyboards, funk, bongo bop, and many other desirable instrumental idioms. Library cuts are extremely useful for effects and transitions between styles (as segues between regular records). The anonymity of the composers, tight pop arrangements, and latterday discoveries of these "lost," funky tracks make them very attractive. But when played consecutively --to excess-- their ersatz origins reveal themselves. And post-1975 or so, as with most regular music, production music generally becomes unbearable.

Closely associated are vanity-published records, particularly records made by companies offering to arrange, perform, record, and press on vinyl any song one wished to send in. These were unavailable both commercially and to anyone seeking a one-time license to use them. But vanity-published records are another type of published music made just by studio musicians (though amateurs composed the lyrics).

Buying: Production albums generally are highly desirable because they were never commercially released. Still, some library LPs are better than others; later ones particularly may lack interesting or desirable music (or sounds). Other than date, the jacket and liner notess may give no clues. Because it can be difficult to judge on sight which are good, it is wise to buy from a reliable source, such as a professional dealer.