In the world of broadcasting and audio promotion, the term "Musical Elements" is defined as production elements that include a short musical melody, a brief musical chord sequence (also known as a "riff" or a "lick"), or the sound of a recognizable musical instrument being played without accompaniment.

These short clips of music and instrumentation are often used to introduce the beginning of a presentation or bring it to a close. They are also used to provide backdrops to a voiceover or as transitions from one section to another of a broadcast, a feature film, or any other kind of audio-visual presentation or promo.

Musical elements can take several forms, including:

- fanfares & intros - used to announce or introduce the beginning of a presentation or promo - these can be traditional (trumpet calls or drum rolls), or not (a screaming rock guitar riff)

- beds, bumpers, pads & stagers - used to provide a background to an announcement - this music is usually built as a seamless loop to provide a constant musical underscore that can continue playing for as long as required

- IDs, logos & tags - used as a musical signature to specifically identify a recurring event - common for broadcasts, where the identifying signature tells the audience that a familiar sequence is going to be presented next ("Call in now to win!")

- bridges, dissolves & segues - used to move from one segment of a production to another - these elements are often built with a swell at the beginning and a fade at the finish in order to facilitate the transition

- accents & stingers - used to provide audio punctuation and grab the audience's attention - these elements can be simple - like a single triangle "ting", or they can be take the form of a full strength layered musical composition - but with just a short duration.