Melody makes us - why music is the messenger

Fat Boy Slim played his 100th, 101st, 102nd and 103rd set at Worthy Farm, Lewis Capaldi delivered a surprise, emotional comeback and of course Patchwork Pulp drew crowds in the fields and on the sofa. It was, however, Scottish veteran rocker Rod Stewart who topped BBC1’s Glastonbury ratings... Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne’s final gig happened last weekend bringing together the legends of metal for a 11 hour party with sets from Metallica to Guns N Roses and two epic super groups.  

Festival season is always a loud reminder that music is the fabric of our culture. Our founder Melissa Fretwell spent many years marketing music TV across all the mainstream genres from 4Music to Kerrang!, Magic and Kiss. We’ve got her together with a few fellow music aficionados to remind ourselves why we should keep investing in music, for our brands and our sanity. We’ve deliberately avoided the chewy discussion about AI and have tried to hit a few more positive notes. Feel free to tune out the musical puns. Old habits die hard. 

If we go right back to the beginning, Paul Rico at SRD (Southern Record Distribution), one of the biggest music distributors in Europe shares his thoughts. 

“Music often starts with Nursery Rhymes, these childhood verses teach not only rhythm but enable the developing brain to soak up information in an easy to remember way. As we grow, lyrics and music document our lives in ways we never forget, teenage dreams, times good and bad, momentous events and even see us off as we depart for our next life in the beyond. The vibrations from the musical notes connect with us on our primal level as was discovered with the first beat of a stick on a rock, minors and majors activate subconscious inner stories of our lives.”  

When you dive into neuroscience and what happens in our heads when we listen to music, it is literally mind blowing. Music lights up nearly all parts of our brains. The emotional responders; hippocampus and amygdala and the pleasure, reward area through the limbic system, and the body’s motor system which explains why foot tapping, finger clicking and busting your moves on the dance floor can be irresistible. 

Athena Witter is Founder & CEO of Engine Pop, an innovative strategy studio delivering powerful IP across digital, TV, and brands. She is expert at commissioning and advising on compelling formats. Thinking about the role of sound at the start of the development process is key. 

“At Engine Pop, we see music as the invisible force that turns content into connection. It transcends language, ignites emotion, and imprints brand messages deep in our minds. Whether it’s a cinematic score, a nostalgic pop track, or a fresh underground sound, genre is just the gateway – what matters is how music collapses complexity into feeling. As we head into music season, brands need to think upstream: music isn’t just a soundtrack, it’s an immersive storytelling tool that makes moments unforgettable and creates stories people feel, not just hear.” ~ Athena Witter

Rico from SRD adds, “a message can be put across more effectively when tied to melody as this mode of transport is a simple mechanism with which to embed, and can be recalled instantly the moment the same notes appear, aural meditation for the soul.” 

As Irene Xtrem, the bassist of Spanish rock rap band XpresidentX puts it; “Music is a language in itself. It has the unique ability to condense complex emotions and dense narratives into immediate and intuitive forms. Where words fall short, music connects, translates and lingers. That's why telling a story through music not only simplifies it: it makes it more powerful, more universal and unforgettable. In a world saturated with stimuli, music opens the fastest channel to emotion.”

And then musician Mara Gilbert of Def Con Dos and Strawberry Hardcore points out “Music is one of the best ways to convey a message because there are so many styles, so many artists, that no matter your musical preferences, there will always be someone who speaks to you. And when something stirs your emotions like that, the message sneaks into your mind inevitably.”

That said on the flipside, César Strawberry of the eponymous Strawberry Hardcore and Def Con Dos; “I don’t think it’s essential, since there’s also a lot of music out there with absurd or meaningless messages. But it’s also true that some of humanity’s greatest moments — milestones in our evolution — have been accompanied by iconic songs with powerful lyrics.” 

And which brand doesn't want to have a shortcut to saliency and be remembered by everyone? When you think back to ads that stick, there’s an earworm in the mix. The “Happiness is a Hamlet Cigar” ads of the eighties (yep that was absolutely acceptable back then), the nineties Guinness Surfer with Leftfield’s Phat Planet, the noughties Cadbury’s Gorilla playing drums to Genesis, the tensies This Girl Can shaking it to Missy Elliott’s Get Ur Freak On and the current sonic branding of Domino Pizza’s Domin-oh-hoo-hoo. At White Camino we created ASMR sound design as part of the branding kit for developmental therapy charity bibic, to reflect the sensory needs of some of the neurodivergent children and young people they work with. 

In spite of the ubiquity of music and generation Z being able to access any tune, any genre they fancy in milli-seconds rather than saving up for the EP, CD, MiniDisc from HMV, music still has an ability to organise fans into tribes. These scenes have their own cultural codes; dance moves, fashion, art, politics and hang outs. So when it comes to using music to tell your story, does any genre do it better? 

Matt Dudzik of Chicago’s punk rock band the Poison Boys reckons “Rap, hip hop, folk. More words per verse rapidly rhyming can sometimes captivate people better than slower drawls making them wonder what a Spoonful means, sad to say but that’s human nature…”

Rico at SRD sees good things in all the genres; “All music has the power to change lives, from instrumental club genres that connect with a feeling in the psychogeography of the world, to Folk music handing down a history for future generations, to Roots Reggae and a belief system, to simple Pop music telling universal truths in the most direct fashion, all equally worthy, all connecting to the soul of the listener. Music is the universal language of humanity.”

Rhyan Paul, creative consultant and former Goldie/Metalheadz management; “Even though I am a first generation Junglist at heart, Punk has to be the genre that from its Roots with The Ramones to modern bands like Lendakaris Muertos, has always delivered powerful messages and stories through music. Political, anti-racism, anti-fascism - all delivered with anger, delivered with humour, delivered with meaning. Punk is the genre that keeps redefining generations of youth who are angry with the state of modern society.” 

NWOBHM musician Ian Hamilton of Overdrive / Aubrey Eels & The Baron fame asks an important question; "What's the difference between Elton John and Gilbert O’Sullivan?  Both big stars in the 1970s…. But Elton kept writing great music. We live in a world of celebrity pop people but the songs are the real stars. Frantic frequencies buzz in our heads and the mind starts dancing. A chord change can make me cry… a lyric can make me laugh.” 

Genres carry their own cultural cues and fan bases, selecting the right vibe for your campaign or brand can not only elevate your creative idea, it can also deliver stand out by creating a surprising pairing of brand and sound to reach new audiences. 

Best answered by clever scientists with very long job titles like David Silbersweig, the Stanley Cobb Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and chair emeritus of the Department of Psychiatry at Brigham and Women’s Hospital; “…music’s immediacy — it unfolds in real time and captures our attention in a way that cannot be negotiated — makes it an ideal vehicle for creating specific experiences in the brain. With both immediate and long-term exposure to music, a person’s neurons will fire in new ways, helping to shape communication pathways over time.” 

So not only is music delivering all the feels, it is stimulating the brain, finding new pathways which is fundamentally what keeps us doing what we do. Telling stories that resonate and inspire positive choices, drive innovation and support people and the planet. 

And a final thought from Rhyan Paul;“I think Danny Tenaglia summed it all up rather nicely.  “Music is the answer, To your problems. Keep on moving, Then you can solve them."

Perhaps you are at a creative cul-de-sac and need an impartial mind to help. Book a 30 minute slot to pick our musical brains for free just here.