INTRODUCING: GIANLUCA LEO

Behind The Beat: The power of curated playlists in content creation

 

Introducing Gianluca Leo

Meet Gianluca Leo, Junior Music Supervisor at Universal Music for Creators. Gianluca has 4 years of experience working in the music industry and has recently joined the team at Universal Music for Creators, helping to curate the perfect playlists for every genre, mood and style.

 

1. Gianluca, what motivated you to work in the music industry?

"Music has always been an important part of my life. I’m constantly listening actively or passively throughout the day - whether I'm working, commuting, doing chores or anything else in between, there will be a soundtrack to it."

 

The importance of your music choice

2. How important is music in an edit? And how can music impact audience engagement?

"Music brings life to an edit; it can evoke the emotions needed to make content compelling in all different ways. Without music, you’re losing a huge component of what makes a piece of content worth consuming."

 

3. Can you talk us through how you would go about choosing the best track to fit an edit?

"A great place to start is reviewing the footage of your edit and understanding the context of the wider piece. This makes it easier to understand the style of music you need to select to match your content e.g. is your video fast-paced and dynamic, or slower-paced and more sentimental? It’s all about understanding how you want your audience to feel, so consider things like the mood, era, length, genre, vocal and instruments of the track you want to use."

 

Navigating the platform and playlist curation

4. How does our platform help creators elevate their content and what are your three top tips to first-timers navigating the platform?

"Universal Music for Creators gives creators unique access to some of the best quality, wide-ranging music available that will take their content to the next level!

Tip 1. If you’re not sure where to start, check out the ‘New Releases' playlist that gets updated on a weekly basis - that way you’ll see the latest and eclectic mix of music added to the platform. 

Tip 2. Check out the creator insights section on the homepage - it's filled with useful info on a wide range of topics that are sure to help out. 

Tip 3. There are many bespoke playlists to choose from based on genre, mood and theme, so if there's a particular vibe you’re after, chances are there's a playlist for it."

 

5. How important is the naming and organizing of a playlist? And could you share some strategies for making music playlists that best support their content's narrative?

"'Time is money’ as the popular saying goes, so having playlists named and organized will save you a lot of time searching and enable you to find the perfect songs to fit any brief. When making playlists, the best advice I can offer is to choose songs that really resonate with you as an artist or creator. Avoid boxing yourself into a specific genre or theme, and don’t be afraid to explore and have fun with your selections!"

 

Why Universal Music for Creators

6. From your experience working in music, how does Universal Music for Creators stand out compared to other claims-free libraries?

"It's a wide-ranging, diverse and premium quality library that requires a high level of craftsmanship by artists and producers to make sure that every song on the platform is the best possible."

 

Get to know Gianluca better

7. Which playlist resonates with you the most and why?

"Our Old School Hip-Hop playlist. As a big Hip-Hop head, this playlist was bound to resonate with me. I can pick up J Dilla, DJ Premier, and Alchemist influences, to name a few."