Songs and Stingers

Music assets in games are described using various terms based on their function. There’s not a standard way of calling a piece a “song”, but these are some common terms:
- Song
- Background music (BGM)
- Theme
- Track
- Cue
- In-game music

A song is a long-form music piece. Songs are often used in menus, levels, or cutscenes. They are commonly looped, but it’s also possible for a track to play once and then stop.

Another essential music type is stingers. Stingers are short musical cues, and they are used to punctuate events, such as finishing a level, discovering a secret, or achieving a quest. Stingers are sometimes referred to as jingles, but this is more of a TV/radio term. Stingers are usually played together with an accompanying SFX. In these instances, they have to work together as a unit.