Music Discovery
Library music (also called production music or stock music) was composed specifically for use in film, television, and radio — not for commercial release. The major libraries — KPM in the UK, Sonoton in Germany, and DeWolfe — recorded every conceivable mood, tempo, and instrumentation from the 1960s through the 1980s. These records were distributed only to broadcasters and are now among the most sought-after sample sources on Discogs.
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Random Library Music records from the Discogs database — played instantly on YouTube.
Discover Library MusicLibrary music (production music or stock music) was composed and recorded for use in film, television, and radio — not for commercial release. The major libraries employed top session musicians and composers (including many who recorded under pseudonyms) to create music covering every mood and instrumentation. Because these records were only distributed to broadcasters, they were never commercially available and are almost entirely absent from streaming services — making them a rich, largely unsampled resource.
KPM Music (UK) is the most famous and most sampled library label — its 1000 series from the 1960s–1970s is deeply embedded in hip hop and electronic production history. Sonoton (Germany), DeWolfe (UK), Chappell (UK), and Amphonic are also valued. Italian libraries (CAM, Fonit Cetra, Cinevox) produced particularly distinctive recordings — the Italian soundtrack style of the 1970s is a major sample source.
Library music records were never sold in regular record shops — they went directly to broadcasters. Finding them requires dedicated searching on Discogs (filter by label name), specialist record shops, and estate sales. CrateDrop's Stage & Screen filter surfaces random records from this category. The most valuable KPM records can be expensive, but many library labels remain affordable because they are not yet widely known.