What Is Library Music?

Library music is pre-composed, pre-cleared music created for licensing rather than for a named artist’s release, sold through production music libraries under simple, fixed-fee terms. Brands and broadcasters license it as a fast, affordable alternative to commissioning original composition, trading exclusivity and tailoring for speed and low cost.

Library Music in Practice

Production libraries such as the UK’s KPM built the model: composers record tracks in advance, and the library licenses them for set fees with rights already cleared. The most famous library cue is Johnny Pearson’s Heavy Action, written for KPM, which became the Monday Night Football theme in the United States and the BBC’s Superstars theme. That fame illustrates both the strength and the weakness of library music: a strong cue can travel anywhere, but anyone can license it, so it cannot function as a distinctive brand asset. Brands typically use library music for content and internal work, and commission bespoke composition when the sound must be ownable, protectable and unique to them.

Famous Example

Johnny Pearson’s Heavy Action, the KPM library cue that became the Monday Night Football theme