Have you ever been watching a movie or television show when a song comes on that just absolutely switches up the whole vibe? You know what we’re talking about. It’s that moment when the first notes of a song start to play and everything feels more cinematic, more dramatic, and much more important.
Music is one of the most powerful tools in a filmmaker’s arsenal for a reason. A well-placed music track can make all the difference, elevating a normal—or even boring—scene to an exceptionally memorable one.
If you haven’t heard the term before, a “needle drop” is what many in the industry call that moment when a music track starts to play in a film, television show, or any other type of video project.
Let’s go over what needle drops are, some famous examples in film and television history, and give you some awesome royalty free music tracks to consider using for your needle drops in your own projects.
What is a needle drop in film?
Let’s start with a basic definition of the term needle drop. A needle drop is an industry term that describes the use of a song in a film, television show, or any type of video content. The term’s origins come from the days of records and record players.
For those who might be too young to remember, records were traditionally played on record players (also called phonographs, gramophones, or turntables), which produced sound by spinning a record while a playback stylus traced its grooves.
This created sound, and it blew people’s minds at the time. The stylus is often called a needle; dropping the needle onto the record would begin the music. So, as you can imagine, a needle drop is the act of starting a song.
Examples of famous needle drops in film
Dating back to the earliest days of the sound era in cinema, needle drops have been a thing. And, in fact, if you think of any of your favorite films or shows, you likely hear more music than you’d imagine, with needle drops happening numerous times for most pieces of media.
From The Breakfast Club to Shaun of the Dead, needle drops can be an iconic part of a film or project’s legacy. It helps, of course, when you’re working with popular music from famous artists as a way to provide the soundtrack for some of the most important scenes in these famous film projects.
But even with non-household-name artists, a well-placed, perfectly chosen track can be a significant needle drop that instantly makes your project feel more cinematic, meaningful, and memorable.
10 Best royalty free needle drop songs
With that in mind, let’s give you some high-quality royalty free needle drop music options to consider using in your projects. Whether you’re creating a soundtrack for a short or feature film, or need music for documentary, a commercial, a YouTube video, or whatever, adding in a needle drop is always a great option.
Here are some of the best royalty free needle drop songs to consider using in your projects.
1. Retro Spirits by Cody Martin
- Description: A medium-energy, corporate song that is best described as inspiring and hopeful. Bass and synth bass are the primary instruments in this track.
- BPM: 108
- Key: Bb/A# Major
- Listen and license here
2. Studied Abroad by Neon Beach
- Description: A medium-energy, electronic song that is best described as inspiring and hopeful. Synth and guitar are the primary instruments in this track.
- BPM: 118
- Key: G Minor
- Listen and license here
3. Get On The Good Foot by Dr. Delight
- Description: A high-energy, funk song that is best described as quirky. Horns and drums are the primary instruments in this track.
- BPM: 130
- Key: A Major
- Listen and license here
4. Don’t Keep Me Waiting by Alsever Lake
- Description: A very low-energy, acoustic song that is best described as inspiring and hopeful. Guitar and acoustic guitar are the primary instruments in this track.
- BPM: 97
- Key: B Major
- Listen and license here
- Description: A high-energy, electronic song that is best described as fun and happy. Samples and guitar are the primary instruments in this track.
- BPM: 158
- Key: C Minor
- Listen and license here
6. Find Your Fun by Adrian Walther
- Description: A high-energy, rock song that is best described as fun and happy. Guitar and electric guitar are the primary instruments in this track.
- BPM: 220
- Key: A Major
- Listen and license here
- Description: A low-energy, acoustic song that is best described as inspiring and hopeful. Piano and guitar are the primary instruments in this track.
- BPM: 101
- Key: Eb/D# Major
- Listen and license here
8. I Need You Now by The Revolution
- Description: A medium-energy, rock song that is best described as angry and reflective. Guitar and electric guitar are the primary instruments in this track.
- BPM: 83
- Key: E Major
- Listen and license here
9. Sparky Parker by Famous Cats
- Description: A high-energy, rock song that is best described as fun and happy. Bass and bass guitar are the primary instruments in this track.
- BPM: 110
- Key: E Minor
- Listen and license here
- Description: A very low-energy, classical song that is best described as inspiring and hopeful. The piano is the primary instrument in this track.
- BPM: 160
- Key: G Major
- Listen and license here
If you do happen to have famous needle drop music tracks in mind that you’d like to find similarly-sounding tunes, you can try Soundstripe’s AI search assistant, Supe, to help you out.
Supe is a brand-new AI search assistant that reimagines music search as a dynamic, back-and-forth interaction. So, instead of entering a single search prompt and scrolling through static results, users can collaborate with an intelligent assistant that understands natural language, reacts to feedback, and guides them toward the perfect track.
What is royalty free music?
We should also take a moment to go over a few of the terms that we’ve used in this article so far, which might be a bit confusing if you aren’t familiar with them. Let’s specifically look at what the term “royalty free” means regarding music licensing for your projects. Here’s a great read on what royalty free music means.
To understand how music rights and royalties work, you must know that all music has basic copyrights. These copyrights extend to both the composer of the music and the musicians who recorded it. And if you want to use any music in any videos, you’ll need to obtain permission from the copyright owners.
Royalty free music can be an excellent option for all your projects simply because it’s easy to find and use. Soundstripe’s music is composed and recorded by Grammy-winning artists who know how to make great music for all types of films and video content.
Tips for using needle drops in your projects
To wrap things up, let’s go over a few more tips and tricks to keep in mind when working with royalty-free music for your projects, whether those may be for a needle drop or any other type of soundtracks in your films or videos.
- Consider downloading preview tracks to use as placeholders in your edits before deciding if a track is right for your project.
- Discover our extensive library of royalty free sound effects to enhance your videos with added emphasis.
- Try out Soundstripe’s AI Song Editor to instantly edit your audio track to match the length of your videos.
With all of the above advice in mind, go out and try to create a memorable needle drop of your own in your own films or projects.
