Making music flex its muscle for momentum

By Kellie Riordan, Creative Director

Music matters - just look at what changing up the soundtrack can do for Voldemort! It plays a crucial role in enhancing the podcast experience too. It sets the tone, creates emotional connections, and engages listeners on a deeper level. More than an accessory, music can be an indispensable element for a compelling show. 

Yet it’s often overlooked in interview-based podcasts and I’m encouraging our producers to pay it a little more attention. Now, I’m not talking about obnoxious beats through the whole episode. But subtle, drone-like music can be used to:

• Help build momentum and build up to a plot twist

• Space something out a little

• Underscore something significant the interviewee is saying

• Provide a transition from one topic to a new one

• Signal a change of direction or mood

Music should always have a point. At Deadset Studios, we don’t whack it anywhere just for the sake of it. But strategically placed music can add texture, build suspense, and bring stories to life.

Need an example? Listen to The Daily’s The Ozempic Era of Weight Loss (from The New York Times), and The Quicky’s Can These Pollies Save Julian Assange? (from Mamamia).

These episodes are a straight interview format, but music and sound design are used to give subtle texture, interest, momentum, and pace. When you listen, really notice where the music comes in, how it's used, and whether you can notice when it dips back out again.

There are also much more ‘designed’ episodes where music is so impactful in creating a scene or evoking a feeling.  A great example comes from our podcast Journo.

In the episode Who's Really Listening? Reporting when your phone is spying on you, music elevates the action on tape. It builds suspense, stakes, and tension.

Even if you listen to just the first two minutes, you'll hear what I mean ...though I reckon you'll have a hard time turning it off! That's another thing music can do: really hook your listeners in.