This article was written by Matt Silliman for Muse. Read the full article here.

We've all heard the saying, "Music provides the soundtrack of our lives." As a house music DJ turned marketing professional, music has always been vital to me and my work. 

When you're deejaying, every track you play evokes an emotion in the audience. The right song, played at the right time, is rewarded with smiles, hands in the air and an overarching lift in energy. The wrong song will clear the dance floor and send everyone to the bar.

Think about the last time a commercial moved you. What was it that gripped you? The storyline and visuals? Whether or not you consciously knew it, it was most likely the music. Just as in life, music drives and directs the emotion of visual content, whether it's a commercial in the Super Bowl or something on TikTok.

Unlike other platforms, TikTok knows the importance of music and that's why it starts with the sound on. So while the visual content is relatively basic, the music selection is premium, allowing marketers and creators to deliver work that delights the audience visually and audibly. 

But if music is so important, why is it often the last consideration when we dream up our concepts? Too often, music is treated as the last contemplation on projects big and small. Repeatedly I've watched brands and agency teams pour months of work and millions of dollars into concepting and producing work without thinking through the soundtrack. Instead, they send a few thousand dollars to a stock music house and that's that. 

Here's a different take: Always lead with music.