When (And When Not) To Use Royalty Free 80s Music In Your Videos

The 80s have enjoyed something of a comeback lately. From fashion trends to movie remakes, we’re getting more of that grungy SciFi vibe than most people would have expected. And with that comes increased interest in music from that decade.

Most filmmakers know the value of good background music. And royalty free 80s music can help you create a very specific, stylized tone or mood in any sort of video project.

But before we talk about the specifics of finding a good song, let’s hop in the DeLorean and head back to the 80s for a look at why this sort of music is so dang good.

Falling In Love With The 80s

When we think about the 80s, your mind won’t jump right to royalty free 80s music or any sort of technical, production-related topic.

What you probably think about are denim cut-offs, bright spandex, and big hair. While those things are all part of the “big hair” decade, they actually function as good visuals for the DNA of pop music, disco music, and rock music that defined the 80s.

It’s telling how many of the top moments tie into music and pop culture

There’s a pretty good chance you like the 80s, even if you weren’t alive during that time. Sure, it really pushed the “punk” attitude. But that sort of countercultural mood swept across North America and Europe, inspired by the hippie and pacifist movements.

These pieces all added to the flavor of the 80s. It’s like one big Venn diagram, with an impact that hit home for a lot of people — especially in the artistic community.

Perhaps the most defining feature of 80s music is the concept of “public image.” The biggest stars were solo artists like Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Prince. Regardless of their musical styles, their sense of fashion and on-stage presence became defining features of their career.

If you pull back and look at the broad picture, you can’t overlook bands like Queen, U2, and The Rolling Stones. They might not have had the same reputation as solo artists (It’s easy to fixate on the frontman of any band.) but you could argue that top bands held onto their popularity longer.

And the reason why the style and “brand” of these performers mattered so much?

We can summarize it in three letters: MTV.

Yes, Video Did Kill The Radio Star

MTV launched in 1981. brought the music world into the homes of people around the world. More importantly, it made a path for musicians from every corner of the world to find mainstream, overnight success. “Music” wasn’t just an audio experience anymore.

That’s when the culture of the music scene really became a defining feature. Music videos introduced us to the hair, fashion, and lifestyles of our favorite artists. It also pushed dance and performance to a whole new level, and by the late 80s that led to the birth of hip hop culture.

Sure, MTV has lost a lot of its relevance. We don’t watch music videos nearly as often, and we aren’t as obsessed with music artists. But MTV introduced us to the idea of “influencers” reaching us in our homes.

A lot of the nostalgia around 80s culture is tied to the music industry because of how relevant and accessible it all was. And while our obsession with video content doesn’t extend to music videos, content creators have come to appreciate the relationship between audio and visual elements.

Is there some sort of connection to the 80s and MTV? Maybe, but there’s no hard evidence to prove one way or the other. It certainly seems related, though.

Using Royalty Free 80s Music For Video

Okay, so now that you’re thoroughly familiar with the 80s and the pop culture, it’s time to talk about turning those awesome, synth-heavy songs into background music for your videos.

You can approach this from a few different directions. When we watch Bladerunner, Halloween, or Stranger Things, we come away with a dark and/or mysterious feeling. (Most of Michael Jackson’s top music videos recreated that tone because of how popular it was.)

The 80s gave us classic rap artists like Run DMC, Public Enemy, and the Beastie Boys. You also have Queen, Toto, Aha, and a hundred other synth bands. Or rock legends like Guns N’ Roses, Nirvana, and Bon Jovi. 

These three groups brought the kind of high-energy music you hear at sporting events to get you pumped up. And that has given them almost as much relevance and cultural impact in 2021 as they had back in the 80s.

So as a filmmaker, you have three pretty distinct sounds to choose from:

• Guitar-heavy rock
• Brooding synth sounds
• Old-school hip hop

Capturing any one of those moods can bring a pretty distinct ambiance to your video projects. Whether you want to create a sense of nostalgia or you just love the 80s, it makes sense why you’d want access to a great selection of songs for a wide variety of projects.

Unless you’re a filmmaker and a musician, you probably aren’t creating these songs yourself. 

And since dropping your favorite classic song in a project timeline is the fastest way to get busted for copyright infringement, you’ll need another way to get the right music for your videos.

That’s where a royalty music service comes in to make your life easier. With a single subscription to Soundstripe, you get unlimited access to thousands of radio-quality songs. (And yes, that does include a good selection of royalty free 80s music too.) 

In other words, you can stop worrying about background music. No more $500 song licenses, or spending 3 hours browsing a site for the one song that actually sounds good. And more importantly, no more worrying about copyright claims or DMCA strikes.

Quit wasting your time and money on unnecessary production expenses. A royalty free music subscription means you get to shift all of that attention and effort to the thing actually you enjoy: making great video content that fulfills the creative vision in your head.