If you are a songwriter, composer, artist, or musician, you may be wondering, ” Should I Release Instrumental Music?” Instrumental music is thriving and there are a few reasons you should release instrumental music.
Should I Release Instrumental Music?
Instrumental music is listened to everyday by millions of people around the world. Yes, you should release instrumental music. If you are a talented writer, composer, producer, musician, or artist the demand for good instrumental music is huge. There are many successful instrumental artists making a great income with their instrumental music. Instrumental music is in high demand and there are many people who love to listen to instrumentals and their different genres. Instrumental Music also has high commercial value with opportunities available in Film, TV, Commercials, Videos, Jingles, Video Games, and other media.
What Is Instrumental Music?
Instrumental music is music that is composed without a lead vocal track.
The instruments, dynamics, rhythm, and tempo all work together to carry the music along creating an emotional response in the listener.
Instrumental music has lots of different genres such as classical, cinematic, jazz, smooth jazz, rock, R and B, blues, country, and about any genre you can think of.
Most instrumental music is purposely written without a lead vocal.
Often times there will be an instrument / instruments carrying the main melody line.
Another type of instrumental music is created by removing the lead vocals from a song.
Some artists like to release some of their music without the lead vocal.
This creates an instrumental version of their song that can be used in Film, TV, Commercials, etc.
Why Should I Release Instrumental Music?
I have been listening to music for many years.
Sometimes I can’t stand the thought of listening to a human being trying to blare out the vocals, no matter how good they are.
Sometimes our ears and mind need a break from the human voice and the different meanings of words.
Instrumental music allows us to experience music without a human voice.
Instrumental music is powerful, peaceful, truthful, and allows us to experience and feel the music on a different level.
You do not have to listen to the good or poor use of words and the sound of the vocal.
I believe this is why many people love instrumental music.
You should release your instrumental music because the world can use more great instrumental music and you can earn a good income with instrumental music.
Where Can I Release My Instrumental Music?
You can release your instrumental music in all the same places regular music is streamed, downloaded, and purchased.
Places like Spotify, Bandcamp, SoundCloud, etc.
You may find other services like Taxi, MusicXray, and Songtradr, make it easier for you to find TV, Film, and other commercial work where you can get your music placed.
Having your own website is also a great place for your original music that can be purchased directly from you.
Relevant: Check out my Promote Page to learn more about building your own website and online business.
What Others Are Saying
The “What Others Are Saying” section of my article allows you to take a look at what other people in the business are saying about, “Should I Release Instrumental Music?”
Some may agree with me, and some may disagree, but I think having this information will be helpful to you.
| Direct Quote | Source |
|---|---|
| “If your music has vocals, an instrumental mix is an alternate version that is identical to the original just without the vocals. Simple as that. Depending on what type of music you’re recording, it’s often just a matter of muting the main vocal tracks, bouncing the mix, and running it through the same mastering chain you’re using for the vocal versions.” | https://blog.symphonicdistribution.com/2020/07/importance-of-instrumental-mixes/#:~:text=Should%20I%20release%20my%20instrumental,and%20generate%20additional%20streaming%20revenue. |
| “Every musician who wants to make a living from their art should always be on the lookout for great sync opportunities, which can require very little from the artist but which can also bring in a much-needed paycheck. When you only give the team handling your syncs your complete tunes, they can only shop those around in the hopes that the people adding music to TV and film need something with vocals…but if you provide them with the vocals, the music, and the final product, they have more to work with. You never know when a director or music supervisor will love your piano composition, but not your words.” | https://www.tunecore.com/blog/2019/10/5-reasons-to-offer-instrumentals.html |
| “Creating wordless music is and has been needed more than you think. If you know how to compose and produce your own music without the help or collaboration of another artist. You’re good. It’s many outlets available to you. TV, Film, Video Games, Commercials, your own albums, collaborations with other known producers. It’s an endless road of success if you want it.” | https://www.quora.com/I-want-to-be-a-music-producer-so-should-I-release-an-album-of-instrumental-beats-that-I-made-or-not |
| “I released an instrumental EP last year (about to release another). I personally put it up on my soundcloud, bandcamp and youtube channel. My buddy works for a media distribution company (similar to DistroKid and cdbaby), so they put it up on Itunes and spotify (and a few other less important mediums). I contacted as many blogs/music FB groups/websites that were close to my genre to try to get them to promote it.” | https://www.reddit.com/r/WeAreTheMusicMakers/comments/53d8je/how_should_i_release_my_instrumental_ep/ |
| “When a popular song is released, there becomes a demand for instrumental and/or karaoke versions of the song. Other folks want to sing the song, so they are willing to pay for an instrumental or karaoke version. There are several companies who have created a business of “reproducing” popular songs as instrumental or karaoke versions so they can sell copies of those reproductions and make a profit” | https://musicfans.stackexchange.com/questions/2852/why-do-artists-not-release-backing-tracks-instrumentals-and-acapellas-in-their |
| “Remember, there are many avenues of income in music. If I were producing instrumental music, I’d be looking to the people and places where that kind of music is the most consumed. It’s EVERYWHERE. Get your music on sound libraries, TV, commercials, etc. I suspect that is a much more viable direction to go in if you’re looking for income.” | https://gearspace.com/board/songwriting/840549-how-well-can-instrumental-album-sell-really.html |
| “Personally, I wouldn’t make an album of instrumentals. Instead, I would release the beats online and filter all sales the a website. This way, I can see who my customers are and what they like. As a result, it would become easier to make more sales over time because I’ll know which customers to promote my beats to.” | https://www.futureproducers.com/forums/threads/what-do-i-need-to-release-an-instrumental-album.387862/ |
| “In commercial popular music, instrumental tracks are sometimes renderings, remixes of a corresponding release that features vocals, but they may also be compositions originally conceived without vocals. One example of a genre in which both vocal/instrumental and solely instrumental songs are produced is blues.” | https://www.discogs.com/style/instrumental |
Final Thoughts
“Should I Release Instrumental Music?” Yes.
If you enjoy instrumental music and want to record your own instrumentals, then by all means do so.
Your instrumentals can be streamed and sold online, can be used in film, TV, commercials, video games, etc.
I personally enjoy creating cinematic style music using a midi keyboard and virtual instruments.
Relevant Article: Can You Play Any Instrument On A Midi Keyboard?
If you like to play, write, record, and produce music then you are in the right place.
Take a minute and have a look around my website. You will find many interesting articles to get you moving in the right direction.
Feel free to leave your questions, stories, and helpful comments below.
You should publish instrumental music. I personally like to listen. And my favorite thing is when, through listening to instrumental music, I recognize the song that relates to it. I like the guitar the most, which with its melodic sound evokes what the composer or musician wants to convey, through emotional performance, or simply in the circle of friends or family. I love instrumentals. Milinka
I’m with you on that! I love instrumental music also and Yes, you should publish instrumental music. I think most people do not realize how much people listen to instrumentals and how much in demand instrumental music is.
You’re right; the industry for instrumental music is getting bigger with time. I enjoy listening to instrumental music, especially when I want to be alone and trying to get away from all the noise and toxicity at work.
Instrumental songs are very soothing to the ear and relaxing to the soul.
Whenever I want to keep my focus and write a book or an article for my website, I need to have an intrumental music playing in the background. I also use this kind of music to put my newborn baby o sleep. It works every time ☺.
Some people also listen to instrumental muscis when they’re down emotionally or depressed.
I agree, instrumental music is great to recharge your emotional batteries, great to work to, and is relaxing. If you are an artist or composer, I think you should release instrumental music. There are many great opportunities available for instrumental music.
I listen to instrumentals a lot honestly and have thought about making my own instrumentals… I play guitar and have enough understanding of putting other instruments together, but would need more practice for sure.
I figured that if I started releasing instrumentals, I’d start by releasing non-copyright tracks. To sorta get the name out there, to get people listening in the background for whatever they want to do whether it’s video projects, streaming, etc. It’d be pretty cool to have others listening to my tracks in the background of their work!
Thanks for this write up, pumps me up to look deeper into creating my own instrumental tracks! 🤘
Thats awesome Colton! Heck ya, write those instrumentals and be sure and copyright your songs. People can still listen to your music. Place your music with different sound libraries and publishers to get your music on film and tv, etc. Writing instrumentals is fun and a good way to earn extra income. Don’t forget to get your own website up and running for the professional touch. By the way, you can also earn a good income with your own website. Be sure and check out my PROMOTE PAGE to learn more.
Good post.
Thank You!
Cheers