What an ad music project delivers: the file list
Daan Koekelkoren — producer and founder of Studio ZK. Has been making music and sound for campaigns, brands and cultural institutions in Amsterdam since 2016.
A music project for an ad does not end with one file. A national spot leaves Studio ZK with about ten. Most of them look redundant on the day of delivery and turn out to be the reason a later change costs an hour instead of a new session. This is the list, with what each file is for.
Which files do you get with music for a commercial?
For a national campaign you should get the main mix at the airing length, the same mix in every cutdown, a version without voice-over, a version without music, the separate music stems, a social mix and a broadcast master to the channel's specification. Without the stems and the version without voice-over, every script change means going back to the studio.
The checklist
| # | File | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Main mix, airing length | The spot as it airs, music, voice and effects together |
| 2 | Cutdowns: 20, 10 and 6 seconds | Each written to land on the same ending, not trimmed afterwards |
| 3 | Version without voice-over | For a changed script, a new language or a new end line |
| 4 | Version without music (voice and effects) | For a version in which the music is replaced or left out |
| 5 | Music stems: rhythm, harmony, melody | For later edits, longer versions and remixes without a new session |
| 6 | Social mix of the main length and cutdowns | Mixed for phone speakers, louder than the TV master |
| 7 | Broadcast master to specification | −23 LUFS, −1 dBTP, 48 kHz for Dutch TV |
| 8 | Radio version, if the campaign runs on radio | WAV, 48 kHz, to the station's specification |
| 9 | Audio ad version, if it runs on Spotify | −16 LUFS, −2 dBTP, 44.1 kHz |
| 10 | Loudness report and cue sheet | Proof of the level, and the music details for rights registration |
The numbers in rows 7 to 9 come from the current Ster, Screenforce and Spotify specifications; sources are on audio delivery specs for TV, radio and online ads.
Why the version without voice-over always gets used
It looks redundant and never is. Campaigns get extended, scripts get adjusted, prices in the voice-over change, and the same film goes to a second country. A brand that owns the instrumental mix does not have to come back to the studio for any of that.
What should the files be called?
A name that says what is inside, so nobody has to open a file to find out. We use: brand, campaign, length, version, mix type and date. For example Brand_Campaign_30s_noVO_TV_20261008.wav. Version numbers in file names (final_v3_def) are how the wrong file ends up on air.
Who owns these files?
That depends on the agreement, and it is the question to settle before the first note: who owns the master recording, who owns the composition, and for which media, territory and period the music may be used. What changes per arrangement is explained in who owns your sonic identity and music licensing 101.
What did Boska get?
For the Boska TV campaign we delivered the broadcast master for national television together with the cutdowns and the social versions in one delivery, so the spot could run on TV, streaming and social without a second session.
Planning a campaign? See what the music costs in what music for an ad costs, or send us the edit.