How official event music is chosen for a global skating final
Music gives a major sporting event its public voice. At the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final Torino 2019, sound would have helped connect the competition, the Palavela arena, the city of Turin and the international audience watching from home. The official event music is more than background audio: it supports entrances, ceremonies, promotional videos, venue announcements, sponsor moments and the exhibition gala atmosphere.
Selecting that music requires a balance of artistic judgement and practical control. A suitable track must express the occasion without distracting from the athletes, work in a large arena and survive repeated use across broadcasts, digital channels and live sessions. It must also be cleared for every intended use, with the rights, versions and delivery formats documented before the event begins.
| Music use | Main creative purpose | Practical test |
|---|---|---|
| Opening ceremony | Establish occasion, location and energy | Does it create a strong first impression in the arena and on television? |
| Athlete entrances | Build anticipation without overpowering competitors | Can the track support movement, announcements and different session lengths? |
| Promotional content | Make trailers and social clips recognisable | Is there a memorable section that works in short edits? |
| Gala and celebration | Create warmth, elegance and entertainment | Does it suit performers, lighting and a less formal mood? |
| Venue presentation | Maintain atmosphere between competition moments | Can it loop cleanly and remain comfortable after repeated plays? |
Defining the event’s musical identity
The first stage is to establish what the event should sound like. A Grand Prix Final brings together senior and junior athletes, four skating disciplines and supporters from many countries. Its music therefore needs to feel international while still carrying a connection to Torino and the Palavela venue. The brief might describe the desired character as elegant, energetic, contemporary, welcoming and suitable for television.
A creative brief also separates the emotional roles of different tracks. A bold instrumental may suit an opening sequence, while a warmer composition could accompany volunteer content or a city profile. Short percussion-led cues can energise transitions, whereas a restrained arrangement may support medal ceremonies. This prevents one song from being forced into every situation.
The event’s visual identity matters as much as its written brief. Colours, typography, logo animation, arena lighting and promotional photography all influence the choice. Music supervisors may look for a sonic signature—a repeated rhythm, melodic phrase or distinctive texture—that audiences can recognise in a trailer even when they do not hear the entire track.
The process should also acknowledge that skating already has a strong musical culture. Athletes and choreographers choose music for their competitive programmes under ISU rules, and those selections belong to the individual performances. Official event music must complement those programmes rather than compete with them or create confusion about which music is part of a judged routine.
Building a shortlist of suitable tracks
Once the brief is approved, the organising team can search through commissioned compositions, production-music libraries, record-label catalogues and independent artists. A shortlist usually includes several musical directions rather than a single obvious answer. For Torino 2019, a team might compare orchestral, electronic, cinematic and Italian-influenced options before deciding which best represents the event.
The strongest candidates are assessed against the full event journey. A track may sound impressive through headphones yet become thin in a cavernous arena. Another may have excellent energy but leave too little space for the announcer. Producers therefore listen for a clear opening, a useful edit point, an instrumental version, dynamic changes and an ending that can be cut without sounding abrupt.
Cultural sensitivity is important in an international competition. A melody associated strongly with a political message, commercial campaign or narrow national identity may create an unintended interpretation. Italian character can be suggested through instrumentation, tempo, language or a commissioned local contribution without turning the soundtrack into a simplistic postcard of the host city.
Australian audiences provide a useful comparison. Music heard during a Melbourne tennis session or a Sydney stadium event often needs to feel immediate and familiar, while still appealing to visitors from overseas. Local listeners are accustomed to discovering music through streaming services, radio, sporting broadcasts and short social videos, so a track must make an impression quickly in several listening environments.
Testing music in the arena and on screen
Studio approval is only an early filter. The selected candidates should be tested in a venue with comparable scale, ideally with the same type of public-address system used for the event. Engineers examine bass response, vocal clarity, perceived loudness and the way music interacts with crowd noise, applause and announcements. Palavela’s ice surface and seating bowl would influence how sound travels during a live session.
Testing also includes different event timings. The music may need to run for fifteen seconds while an athlete enters, ninety seconds during a transition or several minutes before a session begins. Editors prepare clean cuts, extended versions, loops, stings and reduced-intensity beds. A reliable package gives the production director options without requiring last-minute manipulation during a live broadcast.
The television version can behave differently from the arena version. Broadcast audio must leave room for commentary, interviews and natural crowd sound. A dramatic track that fills the venue may need a quieter mix for a trailer or a shortened edit for a results clip. Digital publishing introduces further versions for vertical video, mobile playback and social platforms.
Australian geography makes this kind of testing especially relevant for international event teams. A soundtrack approved in Turin may later be heard by viewers in Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne through different devices and broadcast conditions. Australian eastern states also observe daylight saving while Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory do not, so live coverage and online release schedules can affect when audiences encounter promotional music.
Clearing copyright and performance rights
Rights management is one of the most important parts of the selection process. The organiser must identify who owns the composition, the sound recording, the arrangement and any featured performance. A licence for personal streaming does not automatically permit use in an arena, television advertisement, livestream, highlight package or on-demand video.
The rights agreement should specify territories, duration, media, number of performances, editing permissions, sublicensing and exclusivity. It should also state whether the event may create instrumental versions, synchronise the music with logos and footage, or reuse the track in future promotional material. Every approval should be recorded in a rights schedule rather than left to informal email exchanges.
For Australian use, organisers may need to consider the Copyright Act 1968 and licensing arrangements involving organisations such as APRA AMCOS for musical works and PPCA for sound recordings, depending on the use and the parties involved. An Australian broadcaster, venue or promotional partner may have its own licence obligations. These requirements do not replace international clearance for an event held in Italy, but they demonstrate why a global music package must be checked market by market.
The local music market can add valuable opportunities and additional complexity. A composer from Melbourne, a producer from Sydney or an ensemble from Brisbane might offer an original track with clear ownership, yet the contract still needs to cover performers, session musicians, publishers and master recordings. Commissioning original music can provide greater control, but the budget must include composition fees, recording, mixing, union or performer arrangements and future usage.
Making the final creative decision
The final choice is usually made by a group rather than one person. An event director may focus on identity and audience emotion; a broadcast producer may prioritise editability; a venue manager may consider volume and announcements; a rights adviser may reject an option with uncertain ownership. The ISU event context, sponsor requirements and the host broadcaster’s format can all shape the decision.
A scoring matrix helps the team compare options fairly. Criteria can include emotional impact, connection to Torino, suitability for the skating disciplines, originality, flexibility, broadcast performance, accessibility and total cost. Weighting is useful because an unforgettable song with restrictive rights may be less practical than a slightly less dramatic track that can be used everywhere the event needs it.
Sponsors should be considered without allowing commercial interests to overwhelm the event identity. If a brand requests a particular track or wants music associated with a campaign, the organiser must check whether that association would make the event feel like an advertisement. A consistent official soundtrack should remain recognisable even when sponsor messages appear around it.
The final approval may involve a creative presentation using mock-ups: an opening title sequence, athlete arrival, arena transition, medal ceremony and gala excerpt. Decision-makers can then hear how the music supports the complete experience rather than judging an isolated audio file. Once approved, the master files, cue sheets, edit notes and rights documents become part of the event production archive.
Delivering a dependable soundtrack on event days
A successful selection is only useful if the production team can deploy it reliably. Audio files should be supplied in agreed formats, sample rates and loudness levels, with clear filenames and version numbers. The team needs separate folders for full mixes, instrumental edits, clean cuts, loops, stings and emergency alternatives.
Rehearsals reveal problems that paperwork cannot. The music operator can check cue points against skater introductions, ceremony movements, ice-resurfacing breaks and sponsor segments. The announcer can confirm that voice instructions remain intelligible. A backup playback system and offline copies protect the event if a server, network connection or media file fails.
Accessibility should be considered as part of the overall experience. Music must never mask safety announcements, evacuation instructions or essential information. Visual timing, captions and clear public-address delivery help audiences who do not hear every cue. Volume should be managed with regard to children, older spectators, staff and athletes who spend long periods inside the venue.
For an Australian audience following from home, consistency also matters. The same sonic identifiers in the official website, broadcast package and short-form social content can make Torino 2019 feel like one connected event. However, online clips should be published only after confirming that the licence covers the platform, territory and duration. A track cleared for the Palavela arena may require separate permission for an international video archive.
Practical principles for choosing the music
The following principles keep creative ambition aligned with event operations:
- Begin with the event’s identity, audience and emotional journey rather than choosing a fashionable song first.
- Separate music for ceremonies, transitions, digital content and the gala so each use has an appropriate mood.
- Test shortlisted tracks in a large venue, on broadcast monitors and through ordinary mobile devices.
- Confirm composition, recording, performer and synchronisation rights before announcing the selection.
- Prepare multiple edits, instrumental versions, loops and backup cues for live production.
- Document approvals, usage limits and file versions so every partner can work from the same information.
Official event music succeeds when it feels effortless to the audience. Spectators may remember the excitement of the opening, the sound of skates cutting across the ice or the atmosphere of the gala without noticing how carefully each musical cue was engineered. That apparent simplicity is the result of a disciplined process linking artistic direction, rights clearance, venue testing and live production.
For Torino 2019, the ideal soundtrack would help the Palavela feel distinctive while leaving the athletes at the centre of attention. It would translate across Turin streets, arena seats, television coverage and online highlights, carrying the same event identity without sounding repetitive. Explore the event’s schedules, competition details, venue information and gala programme to see how music can connect every part of a major figure-skating experience.