Where ‘The Daily’ Gets Its Music

What It Covers

Behind-the-scenes look at how The Daily podcast creates its signature sound through in-house composers Dan Powell and Marion Lozano, who build a custom music library.

Key Questions Answered

• •Podcast music DNA: All Daily music derives from the theme song's instrumentation—strings, electric bass, electric piano—creating momentum and a breaking news feel that defines the show's sonic identity.
• •Functional minimalism: Effective podcast scoring requires repetitive patterns with subtle variations to avoid listener awareness of the music, similar to club music's groove maintenance while preventing staleness through strategic changes.
• •Strategic music roles: Composers write specific track types like enders for final reflections and neutral minimal pieces that highlight explanatory sections, acting as audio highlighters to re-engage listeners during dense content.