background music

Background music refers to various styles of music or soundscapes primarily intended to be passively listened to. It is not meant to be the main focus of an audience, but rather to supplement that which is meant to be focused upon. Music that is played at a low volume and is not the main focus of an audience is also referred to as background music. Traditional examples of background music include music played at various social gatherings and music played in certain retail venues. It is also common to employ background music in various electronic media including film, television, and Internet videos such as video blogs.

In music, accompaniment is the art of playing along with an instrumental or vocal soloist or ensemble, often known as the lead, in a supporting manner. The accompaniment can be performed by a single performer—a pianist, guitarist, or organist —or it can be played by an entire ensemble, such as a symphony orchestra or string quartet (in the classical genre), a backing band or rhythm section (in popular music), or even a big band or organ trio (in jazz). It may be considered the background to the foreground melody.