Graphic text: Finding the perfect music for your masquerade performance. Music is so important for conveying the mood and pacing of a performance, but finding the right track can be hard. Here are three resources I like to use!
Graphic text: Video game soundtracks. Video game soundtracks are great for skits because the songs are meant to convey a specific atmosphere or mood without being intrusive. This means you're likely to get the vibes you want without the music distracting from your story. These songs also often repeat on a loop, which makes it easier to cut up the tracks if you need to. Don't be afraid to use music from different series and game genres! For my Melina skit, I used "Hunter's Dream" from Bloodborne... which isn't THAT big of a stretch LOL. But for my Lucina skit, I used "Quinn and Valor" from League of Legends.
Graphic text: Recommended songs on Spotify. Found a song with the right vibes that somehow doesn't work for your performance? Make a playlist on Spotify with just that song. Scroll down to the "Recommended Songs" section. Listen to these tracks and add any that are close to what you're going for to that playlist. As you add more songs, the recommendations should get more specific and help you get closer to the perfect song. Admittedly I haven't used this on stage yet, but it's helped me plan a performance that's on the back burner.
Graphic text: Royalty-free music libraries. These usually cost money, but if it's in your budget, they're worth it for this reason alone: you can search or filter by a number of useful categories, like mood, beats per minute (BPM), energy levels, genre, etc. This can help you really zero in on the perfect track! You might also get the "stems" of each track, which gives you many options for splicing and remixing (if you have the patience/know-how). They often have sound effects too. And since you'll have the license to use the music, you shouldn't get copyright strikes when uploading to YouTube or TikTok, or if the competition is streamed on Twitch. Most libraries have monthly plans that offer unlimited downloads. Some offer free trials. Others are free, but in my experience their search filters are not as robust. My favorites are Epidemic Sound (we use this one for Crunchyroll-Hime's Cosplay Cup!) and Soundstripe.
finding performance music can be a needle in a haystack if you don't find the perfect tracks right away, here are some ways to make that search easier!
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