What jingle production covers
Jingle production is the work of writing, recording and delivering a short piece of branded music, usually with a sung line built around the brand name or tagline. At In The Groove Music, our composers and producers handle every step: melody, lyrics, vocalists, arrangement, mix, and the versions your spots need.
A good jingle does one thing well. It puts the brand name inside a melody that's easy to recall. Genre, instrumentation and production all serve that line, which is why we write the hook first and dress it second.
Custom jingles, from brief to final mix
Our jingle writers work the way they work on any custom track, with a few steps specific to the form:
- Brief. Brand name, tagline, audience, where it will run, and any music the brand already uses.
- Hook and lyric. The melody is built around the line that has to stick, and we test it sung out loud before anyone signs off on the words.
- Demo. A rough version with a guide vocal so you hear the idea before full production.
- Production. Arrangement, vocalists, players and mix, in the style that fits the brand.
- Versions. Full lengths, cutdowns and a short sign-off for the end of spots, planned from your media plan.
Radio jingles and commercial jingles: the versions you'll need
A jingle lives in many places at once, so it's delivered as a package rather than a single file. Typical deliverables include:
- :60, :30 and :15 versions for broadcast and digital spots
- a short tag or sign-off, a few seconds long, for the end of every ad
- a donut: the sung open and close with an instrumental bed in the middle for voiceover
- instrumental and a cappella mixes
- stems, so mixers and future campaigns can rework the track
Radio jingles lean on the donut and clean beds for live reads and changing offers. TV and social lean on the tag and short cutdowns. Knowing the media plan up front means the right versions are built in from the start instead of patched in later.
Jingle, audio logo or sonic identity
A jingle is one tool. An audio logo is a shorter sound signature, often wordless, that works where a sung line can't, such as the last second of a pre-roll or a sound in an app. Many brands use both, tied together by a brand theme. If you're planning beyond a single campaign, our sonic branding work starts there.
For a look at why the classics stuck, read the most memorable commercial jingles.
A jingle company that also licenses music
Jingles sit inside campaigns that also need score, licensed tracks and clearances. Because ITGM writes custom music and handles music licensing in the same place, the jingle and everything around it are planned together.
Rights are spelled out in the quote: who owns the jingle, where it can run, and for how long. That matters more for a jingle than for most music, because a good one can stay with a brand for years.
Frequently asked questions
What is jingle production?
Jingle production is writing, recording and delivering a short branded song, usually built around a sung brand name or tagline. It covers the melody and lyric, vocalists and musicians, the mix, and the versions needed for each ad format. ITGM produces custom jingles with its in-house composers.
How long is a commercial jingle?
Most commercial jingles are built to fit :30 and :60 spots, with :15 cutdowns and a sign-off of a few seconds. The part people remember, the sung brand line, is often only a few seconds long. Deliverables are planned from the media plan.
What is a donut jingle?
A donut is a jingle version with a sung open and close and an instrumental bed in the middle, leaving room for a voiceover or live read. It's a staple of radio jingles because the same music can carry different messages and offers.
Does the brand own the jingle?
That depends on the agreement. A buyout or work-for-hire typically transfers ownership to the brand, while a license grants use for set media, territory and term. ITGM spells out the rights in every jingle quote.
How much does jingle production cost?
Cost depends on length, the number of versions, vocalists and musicians, and the rights you need. ITGM doesn't publish rates and quotes each jingle individually.