Soundtracking the Future: Production Music's Growing Role in a Shifting Media Landscape

Every day, millions of people watch television, play video games, and stream content, completely immersed in stories that are driven by music. Yet, the composers and libraries crafting these essential soundtracks often operate behind the scenes.

That's beginning to change. As the media landscape evolves, with gaming and entertainment television commanding ever-larger audiences, production music is stepping into a more prominent role, and the industry is taking notice.

The Production Music Awards (PMA), now in its 12th year, reflects this shift. Backed by PRS for Music and MCPS, and entering a new chapter under the ownership of Full Fat Events, this year's ceremony introduces new categories acknowledging the growing influence of production music in gaming and entertainment television.

The 12th annual PMA takes place on Thursday 19th November at London's Bloomsbury Big Top.

Ahead of the ceremony, we sat down with key figures from across the industry, Joseph Lever, Director of Production Music Awards, PRS for Music's Dan Gopal, and PMA's Paul Clements, to explore what creative excellence looks like in 2026, how the craft is evolving to meet the demands of gaming and unscripted television, and what the future holds for composers building careers in this space.

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	Joseph Lever, Director, Production Music Awards Joseph Lever is the Director of the Production Music Awards and Event Director for the Music Producers Guild (MPG) Awards, leading the production, strategy, and execution of some of the UK music industry's most prestigious ceremonies. Previously, Joseph served as the Head of Events for the Music Managers Forum (MMF). Joseph’s journey in the music business began on the stage as the bass guitar player for the indie-pop band Young Kato, signed to BMG. An entrepreneurial creative, he also co-founded Two Suns Creative with his brother. Serving as Co-Founder and Head of Business, he oversaw a high-profile visual content agency that delivered over 400 projects (ranging from lyric videos to live tour visuals).
	Dan Gopal, Chief Commercial Officer, PRS for Music Dan Gopal is Chief Commercial Officer at PRS for Music, leading the Commercial Partnerships group in managing all commercial activity across the UK, spanning Broadcast TV, Radio, digital services, and recorded media providers.  Dan has over 20 years’ experience in commercial and strategy roles for global media and entertainment companies, including senior leadership positions at The Walt Disney Company, Miramax, ITV and most recently, Entertainment One (part of Hasbro) as EVP & Head of Sales EMEA.  His experience spans all content genres, business models and distribution platforms in the UK and internationally.
	Paul Clements, CEO, MPA Group, MCPS Productions Paul is a highly experienced senior-level executive in the music industry with a strong commercial background in licensing and administering intellectual property rights, which resulted in a 22-year career at PRS for Music.  While working for PRS, he worked on MCPS business for 15 years which included overseeing MCPS Production Music, before focusing his efforts on Performing Rights Licensing, Membership, Marketing and International.  Paul became CEO of the MPA Group on 1 February 2019 and since then has steered significant growth in the MSPC and PMLL businesses he leads.

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The Curators' Perspective (Production Music Awards)

We kicked things off with Joseph Lever, Director of  Production Music Awards, to look at how the benchmark for quality is shifting away from the clichés of the past and adapting to new media formats.

We began by exploring the modern sonic aesthetic and what separates premium library tracks from traditional media scoring today: Production music has drastically evolved into highly sophisticated artistry that rivals commercial chart releases and traditional film scores. From a purely musical standpoint, what defines "creative excellence" in a production music track today?

“I come at this from two perspectives. I used to play in a band, and although the winners of the Production Music Awards are decided by our expert judges (with us just here to facilities), I have listened to a LOT of entries.

What that combination has taught me is that the best entries pass the same test as any great piece of music: they make you feel something and leave you wanting to hear them again. 

"The tracks that really stand out are the ones where musical creativity and practical function aren't competing with each other. They're working together seamlessly.” Joseph Lever, Director of  Production Music Awards

But in production music, there's another layer. A track also has to solve a creative problem for an editor or someone placing the music. It needs to communicate the right emotion, support the picture without overwhelming it, and be flexible enough to work in an edit if needed.

The tracks that really stand out are the ones where musical creativity and practical function aren't competing with each other. They're working together seamlessly.”

This evolution in sound quality is paving the way for fresh, non-linear opportunities, particularly within interactive landscapes: Gaming and game trailers are heavily influencing this year’s industry discussions. When a composer is creating production music for highly immersive/ interactive spaces, how does the musical approach to arrangement and structure differ from traditional, linear television sync?

“This is an area I've learned about largely through conversations with composers and music libraries, because it's one of the fastest-growing parts of the production music world.

The biggest difference is that game music isn't always written to a fixed timeline like television. Instead of following a single emotional journey from beginning to end, it often needs to adapt to whatever the player is doing.

That means composers are thinking much more modularly, creating music that can loop, evolve, build tension or resolve naturally without the audience ever noticing the transitions.”

Beyond virtual worlds, traditional television formats also demand a highly unique approach to composition structure and pacing: Reality and competition formats rely heavily on quick-cutting, high-impact music cues to dictate pacing and emotional stakes. What unique structural demands, such as specific edit points or stingers, are placed on a composer writing tracks specifically for television entertainment?

“Reality and competition shows ask a huge amount of production music because the pace is relentless. 

From the entries we see, the strongest tracks are almost architectural in the way they're built. They need clear edit points, impactful stings for reveals and eliminations, and enough flexibility that editors can shorten, extend or rearrange cues without losing momentum. 

When it's done well, viewers rarely notice the craft behind it. The music simply makes every reveal, twist and emotional moment land exactly as it should.”

To pull it all together, we looked at how providing a grander stage for the community mirrors the industry's collective growth: As the industry prepares to gather under the sweeping canopy of the Bloomsbury Big Top this November, how does providing a grander, more cinematic backdrop for the community reflect the sheer scale and global ambition of the Production Music Awards?

“This is one I can speak to directly.

We've been involved with the Production Music Awards since 2023, and after recently taking on ownership of the event, we wanted this year's ceremony to reflect the ambition of the industry it's celebrating.

"Production music deserves a stage that feels exciting, memorable and worthy of the incredible creative talent behind it." Joseph Lever, Director of  Production Music Awards

Moving to the whack and unique Bloomsbury Big Top is a deliberate statement. Production music deserves a stage that feels exciting, memorable and worthy of the incredible creative talent behind it. We want it to be more than an awards ceremony. We want it to be a night that genuinely brings the community together. 

It's also a venue that Full Fat Events knows well, so we're 100% confident it's going to deliver a fantastic experience and really impress everyone attending.”

The Rightsholders' Vision (PRS for Music)

Next, we turned to Dan Gopal at PRS for Music to dive into how these compositional shifts translate to creator livelihoods, technical benchmarks, and global markets.

We focused first on the television factual genre, an area where the music must subtly drive real-world storytelling: PRS for Music is sponsoring the “Best Use of Production Music in Television Factual” category. Why is the factual genre such a powerful and enduring showcase for the value of production music?

“Factual programming is a powerful showcase for production music because it relies so heavily on storytelling through tone, pace and atmosphere. Whether it’s a crime thriller or a wildlife documentary, the score plays a crucial role in guiding how audiences engage with the story without overpowering the action on screen.

At its best, production music elevates the narrative, adds depth and demonstrates the skills of the composers whose work helps bring factual television to life.”

With content distribution expanding rapidly across digital landscapes, we looked at how celebrating these achievements reinforces the core mission of rights protection: Dan, you mentioned looking forward to coming together with the PRS and MCPS community. After a monumental year of royalty payouts in 2025, how does celebrating at the PMAs reinforce PRS’s core mission to protect and champion its 190,000 members?

“After another landmark year for royalty distributions, it’s important to celebrate the people behind that success – the songwriters and composers creating incredible music across all parts of the industry.

It’s a chance to recognise the writers who have contributed thousands of hours to broadcast and audio-visual content, often behind the scenes, but whose work has a huge impact. Dan Gopal at PRS for Music

Coming together at the PMAs also allows us to shine a spotlight on the production music community. It’s a chance to recognise the writers who have contributed thousands of hours to broadcast and audio-visual content, often behind the scenes, but whose work has a huge impact. Celebrating their contribution reflects our commitment to amplifying creators’ work and ensuring it receives the visibility and recognition it deserves.”

This global footprint has fundamentally shifted how the broader music economy views library music as a destination for top talent: Production music libraries provide a critical full-time career path for thousands of specialized composers. How has the industry succeeded in proving that library music is a premium space for serious musical innovation?

“The industry has proved production music is a premium space by showcasing the craft, versatility and originality it demands. Composers are often writing to brief and adapting across genres and platforms, which requires real technical skill and creative judgement.

The best libraries also encourage experimentation, giving composers freedom to be brave without the same commercial pressures as chart-focused releases. That balance of creative purpose and innovation has helped establish library music as both a serious creative field and a vital career path for specialised composers.”

For independent creators looking to break into this premium ecosystem, we closed our conversation with PRS by asking about the entry-level production benchmarks required today: Initiatives like the Composer Spotlight are vital for finding fresh sounds. For a young composer writing from a home studio, what are the benchmarks in terms of mixing, mastering, and arrangement that make a track ready for a professional library?

“From my perspective, it’s about getting the fundamentals right while keeping your identity distinct. Your track should sound release-ready: a clean mix, well-balanced and structured in a way editors can use right away. But equally, you should be flexible with your music and adapt your sound according to the brief. 

On the practical side, make sure you’re delivering stems and clear metadata. Understanding the realities of production music early on is essential. Making your music available in this space typically requires waiving certain moral rights, allowing recordings to be licensed efficiently without prior approval. It’s also important to carry out due diligence, for example, always check a publisher’s website to confirm that their library is licensed by MCPS.”

The Publisher & Catalog Lens (MCPS Production Music)

Finally, we spoke with Paul Clements on MCPS to look at production music through the practical lens of curation, catalog architecture, and the longevity of mechanical rights.

We began by looking at how rights protection keeps pace with a rapidly changing, increasingly borderless ecosystem: As the only rights management organization completely owned by music publishers, how does MCPS ensure that the livelihoods of mechanical rights holders remain protected as production music libraries grow more global and digitized?

“The Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) protects the livelihoods of music publishers, songwriters and composers by ensuring they are paid when their music is reproduced and used. Through its network of international affiliate societies, MCPS helps collect and distribute mechanical royalties from around the world, supporting rights holders in an increasingly global marketplace. 

As the only rights management organisation wholly owned by music publishers, MCPS remains closely aligned with the needs of both major and independent music publishers, while keeping the interests of music creators at the heart of all the work it does. Alongside its royalty collection and distribution role, MCPS maintains regular dialogue with the production music sector through Board sub-groups such as the Production Music Strategic Forum (PMSF) and the Annual Rightsholder Meeting (ARM). These forums help ensure that the challenges and opportunities facing production music libraries and their composers are understood and reflected in the industry's ongoing development.

Together, these activities help MCPS support and protect rights holders as the production music market continues to evolve. “

Premium broadcast platforms now demand cinema-grade values, meaning library music must match the epic scope of Hollywood features: Premium television now rivals Hollywood cinema in scope, requiring intricate, emotional, and complex instrumentation. How are production music libraries stepping up their orchestral and electronic production values to meet these high-end cinematic standards?

“Production music has always had to cater to every emotion, instrumentation and musical style need, because its predominant use is to support screen stories of every kind. Historically, there are many examples of production music being sync’d in cinema, TV dramas and documentaries, many of which are critically acclaimed and have high production values. 

As premium television has evolved to rival Hollywood cinema in scope and ambition, MCPS Production Music labels have continued to invest both creatively and financially to support the evolving needs of productions.

In practice, this means many of our catalogues work with well-known artists and composers, record at highly regarded studios such as Abbey Road, Angel and AIR, and collaborate with leading producers, engineers and musicians. The result is music that can meet the same high creative and production standards expected across today's premium screen content.”

However, great music only works if it can be found, which highlights the critical, data-driven side of publishing administration: In a fast-moving digital market, a track is only as good as its discoverability. From a publisher's perspective, how does the accurate tagging of musical attributes, like mood, instrumentation, and tempo, ensure that a brilliant piece of music actually finds its perfect visual match?

“Search and discovery are a huge part of Production Music libraries' day-to-day operations. Metadata is essential to the discoverability and usability of a track.

The ultimate goal is to highlight catalogs and ensure users find what they need, when they need it – and preferably very quickly. Users' needs are often far more specific than simply a genre of music and supporting search with accurate creative metadata covering attributes such as mood, instrumentation and tempo is crucial to helping a piece of music find its perfect visual match.

“Search and discovery are a huge part of Production Music libraries' day-to-day operations. Metadata is essential to the discoverability and usability of a track." Paul Clements on MCPS

It is also important to note that music trends and tastes change over time, and ongoing metadata updates across older releases are vital in ensuring a publisher's treasure chest remains discoverable and relevant.”

To round out our discussion, we took a step back to look at the broader timeline of the craft and how far library composition has come over the last decade: Looking back at how production music sounded twelve years ago compared to the landscape of 2026, what do you think has been the single biggest leap forward in the way library music is composed and delivered?

“In terms of sound and how music is created and commissioned, there have not been major changes to workflows in the past 12 years, as much of the uplift in production values and investment happened over the previous 20–25 years.

Arguably, technology has moved on significantly, allowing catalogs to manage their assets much more effectively in terms of discovery, while also enabling composers to deliver alt mixes, stems and other assets more efficiently.

The biggest development in recent years for music libraries and their users has been in the assistive AI space, where users are able to find music more quickly and dive deeper into repertoires using Link and Prompt Search technology that does not rely solely on creative metadata.

The result is a faster, more intuitive discovery experience that helps users uncover the right music from increasingly large and diverse catalogs.”

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As the boundaries between commercial scores and library tracks completely dissolve, production music has firmly established itself as a powerhouse of creative and technical innovation. From adaptive gaming structures to cinema-grade television scores, the industry is no longer just sound-tracking the background, it’s driving the future of modern media.

With the 12th annual Production Music Awards just around the corner on November 19th at London’s Bloomsbury Big Top, the stage is set to celebrate the brilliant composers, publishers, and rightsholders who bring these worlds to life.