Netflix has 193 million subscribersOpens in a new tab, and every single one of them hears the exact same thing any time they watch an original programOpens in a new tab from the streaming site. It’s that signature “ta-dum” that plays before any NetflixOpens in a new tab production. A lot of work went into crafting the perfect sound logo, one that in a few short years has become among the most recognizable in the world. But a new podcast about its creation reveals it was almost very different. Netflix also considered using a goat’s bleat instead.
The 100th episodeOpens in a new tab of the Twenty Thousand Hertz podcastOpens in a new tab took a deep dive into Netflix’s opening sound (which we first heard about at THROpens in a new tab). Host Dallas Taylor spoke with Netflix VP of Product Todd Yellin, Brand Design Lead Tanya Kumar, musician Charlie Campagna, and Oscar-winning sound designer Lon Bender about the site’s decision to create their own sound logo. The result of the process is the now-iconic “ta-dum,” created in 2015. It might be brief, but it combines some very different noises. That simple “ta-dum” includes Bender knocking his wedding ring against a wood cabinet, a slowed-down anvil, muted hits, and a “blossom of reversed guitar.”
But Netflix also considered other sounds, including underwater bubbles and a goat bleat. And the latter was a real contender. “I liked the sound of the goat. It was funny, quirky and our version of [MGM’s] Leo the Lion,” said Yellin.
As much as he did, though, the brief, twangy sound we know was a hit with focus groups, many of whom didn’t know what the noise was for. When they said the “ta-dum” sounded like something you’d hear before a movie, that made the decision easy. And it’s one Yellin is grateful for now that the sound logo is so popular and influential. “Thank god I didn’t go with the goat,” he said.
The podcast covers a lot more about the history and creation of Netflix’s signature sound. It also talks about the streaming site’s lesser known, newer one. Netflix has a second, much longer sonic logo that plays before its theatrical releases. It was created by little-known composer called Hans ZimmerOpens in a new tab.
Netflix
Hiring Hans Zimmer is always a good idea. For the second time, Netflix made the right call not going with a goat.
Featured Image: Cute Babies and Pets TV/YouTube
