
Seasonal · Memorial Day
Memorial Day production music. Solemn, reverent, and quietly hopeful.
Instrumental music for remembrance segments, veteran organization video, and ceremony coverage that honors those who died in military service. Solemn tribute music, ready for the moment a production needs to slow down and mean it.
Memorial Day at a glance
- The observed day
- Last Monday in May
- Coverage airs
- Mid May through Memorial Day
- Start your music search
- Early May
Networks and brands that license our music.
How licensing works
Three steps. Clean, clear and simple.
- Step —01
Browse
Search the catalog by style, mood, use, instrumentation, tempo and duration or use Jessica, our AI music supervisor for assistance. Preview the results in seconds.
- Step —02
License
Direct purchase and download include nearly all licensing you will need, with the exception being in-theatre film release. Subscription-based licensing is covered by an annual blanket license.
- Step —03
Use
After payment is received for direct purchase or subscription purchase, you will have the appropriate licensing documentation in hand. You are clear to sync the music with your production.
How the library works for you
Nearly every title, ready for the scene.
Nearly every title in the catalog works the same way, built so the version you need already exists.
- 01
The full theme, plus alternates
Each title includes a theme version with all the instrumentation, and usually alternate versions with less instrumentation for quieter moments in the scene.
- 02
Broadcast lengths, included
Most titles include edits at common broadcast lengths of 60, 30, 15, and stingers, plus versions separated by sections or parts.
- 03
One standard license
The standard license covers nearly every use. The only exception is theatrical release, which requires an additional license. Contact us with a request for quote and we will respond quickly with a license that meets your requirements.
The Memorial Day production calendar
A weekend that carries two very different tones.
Memorial Day coverage has to hold remembrance and the start of summer in the same weekend without confusing the two. Here is how the run-up usually unfolds, and where music fits at each stage.
Early May
Plan the coverage
News teams, veteran organizations, and municipalities set direction for tribute segments and ceremony coverage. A good moment to decide how solemn a piece should feel, and where a lighter, hopeful cue belongs instead.
Second week of May
Search the catalog
Search by style, mood, use, tempo, and duration, or ask Jessica, our AI music supervisor, for help. Preview the results in seconds.
Third week of May
License and edit
Most titles include edits at 60, 30, 15, and stingers, so one track can cover a full tribute segment and every shorter cutdown that follows it.
Mid May through Memorial Day
On air through the ceremony and the weekend
Tribute segments, ceremony livestreams, and documentary programming run through the holiday, alongside the holiday weekend and start of summer campaigns that follow once the observance has had its moment.
The sound of Memorial Day
From a hushed solo line to a full tribute build.
Memorial Day calls for restraint first and hope second. Six places to start your music search.
- 01
Solo brass and strings
A single trumpet or bugle line over hushed strings, built for the quiet second before a name is read or a wreath is placed.
- Solo trumpet
- Solo bugle
- Hushed strings
Explore Sad
- 02
Reverent orchestral tribute
Full strings and low brass building slowly, for documentary features and tribute segments that need real weight without overstatement.
- Strings
- Low brass
- Timpani
Explore Orchestral
- 03
Military snare and march
Muted snare cadence and a stately march tempo for ceremony processions, flag details, and honor guard coverage.
- Muted snare
- Fife
- Field drum
Explore Period
- 04
Hopeful and inspirational
A gradual lift from grief toward gratitude, for the closing minute of a tribute piece or a nonprofit video that ends on resolve rather than loss.
- Piano
- Strings
- French horn
Explore Inspirational
- 05
Heartland Americana
Steel guitar and a gentle, unhurried build for hometown parade coverage, small-town ceremony video, and community memorial features.
- Steel guitar
- Acoustic guitar
- Light percussion
Explore Country
- 06
Cinematic honor
Film-scale scoring for longer documentary features on service members and military history programming that airs around the holiday.
- Full orchestra
- Choir
- Low strings
Explore Cinematic
Where Memorial Day music shows up
The coverage that needs the tone to be right.
Memorial Day music covers news, nonprofit, documentary, and community video, plus the brand messaging that follows the observance into the holiday weekend.
News & Local TV Tribute Segments
Broadcast packages and human-interest segments honoring local service members lost in the line of duty, airing in the days around the holiday.
Veteran Organization & Nonprofit Video
Remembrance and awareness video for veteran service organizations and nonprofits that support military families.
Documentary & Historical Programming
Documentary features on service members and historical programming on military history that broadcasts around Memorial Day.
Municipal, School & Brand Tribute Video
Town memorial ceremonies, school assembly coverage, and brand tribute spots that pause on remembrance before any holiday weekend or start of summer messaging begins.
FAQ for Memorial Day music
Common questions
It depends on the moment. A tribute segment or ceremony piece usually calls for a solo trumpet or bugle line, hushed strings, and a muted military snare, kept general rather than tied to any specific traditional call. A closing moment or nonprofit video often shifts toward a hopeful, inspirational build. The GMP catalog covers both.
Yes. Once a production has honored the observance, brands and broadcasters often move into lighter, hopeful, or Americana-leaning tracks for holiday weekend and start of summer messaging. The catalog covers that shift in tone as well.
Many tribute segments and ceremony broadcasts are planned in early May and locked by the third week of the month, so starting your music search early in May gives your team time to compare options. The catalog is online, so you can search and preview whenever your project is ready.
Yes. The standard license covers almost everything, including broadcast, streaming, social, and event video. The only exception is theatrical release, which requires an additional license. Contact us with a request for quote and we will respond quickly with a license that meets your requirements.
Nearly all of our titles have a few things in common: a theme version with full instrumentation, alternate versions with less instrumentation, edits at common broadcast lengths of 60, 30, 15, and stingers, and versions separated by sections or parts.
About Memorial Day production music
Music that honors, without getting in the way.
Memorial Day asks for restraint before anything else. A single trumpet or bugle line over hushed strings says more in ten seconds than a full arrangement ever could, and a muted snare cadence under a slow march tempo carries a ceremony without pulling focus from it. GMP Music licenses that range of solemn, reverent tribute music, produced and recorded by accomplished composers in recording studios specifically for GMP Music.
Producers use it as tribute music for news and local TV segments honoring service members, remembrance and awareness video for veteran organizations and nonprofits, documentary and historical scoring for programming on military history, and ceremony music for municipal, school, and community memorial coverage. Once the observance has had its moment, the same catalog covers the hopeful, Americana, and uplifting tracks that carry a brand into holiday weekend and start of summer messaging. Nearly all of our titles include a theme version with full instrumentation, alternate versions with less instrumentation, edits at common broadcast lengths of 60, 30, 15, and stingers, and versions separated by sections or parts.
Licensing is clean and simple. The standard license covers almost everything, so the same track can run across broadcast, streaming, social, and event video. The only exception is theatrical release, which requires an additional license. Every license includes master and publishing rights for the GMP-owned catalog, with clear documentation and chain of title for your production.
Whether the project needs a hushed solo line or a fuller, more hopeful build, we are eager to assist you in your music search, to find just the right track that will represent your brand and vision for your media project.
More from the seasonal calendar
Summer starts right after the tribute.
May–Nov
Patriotic
Stirring American music for military tributes, civic events, and national holidays.
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Jun–Jul
Fourth of July
Americana, marching brass, and big celebratory energy for Independence Day.
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May–Jun
Father's Day
Warm acoustic, Americana, and feel-good rock for Father's Day gifts and family stories.
Open the page
Jun–Aug
Summer
Sunny, upbeat music for summer campaigns, travel, and outdoor living.
Open the page
May–Jun
Graduation
Proud, inspirational music for commencement videos, school media, and milestone moments.
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Related
Adjacent pages worth a read.
Sad Music
Hushed, reflective cues for the quiet moments a tribute needs most.
Read
Inspirational Music
Swelling strings and warm brass for gratitude, resolve, and hope after loss.
Read
Orchestral Genre Catalog
Full strings and low brass for documentary features and tribute segments with real weight.
Read
Music for Documentaries
Licensing music for documentary features, historical programming, and long-form storytelling.
Read
Music for TV
Episodic, network, and streaming television, including news and tribute programming.
Read
Pricing & Licensing Models
How GMP licensing works: subscriptions, per-track purchases, and blanket licensing.
Read
Ready to license