OST Meaning: What Is OST?

Have you ever wondered what OST stands for? In this article, we will provide you with all of the necessary information related to the OST term, including OST meaning, origin, usage, and more.

OST meaning: The definition

OST is the short form of original soundtrack. The acronym OST is often used to indicate the musical soundtrack on a storage medium such as CD, tape, or other phono-record. However, it is also used to distinguish between the original music and a cover or re-recording.

OST meaning: The origin

There is no exact information about the origin of the OST term. However, there is a theory that this term’s existence is related to the film industry. Perhaps in the 1940s, when the Hollywood film producers became aware of the function of the background music, the soundtrack was considered a promotional advertisement for their films. Nowadays, soundtracks appear in almost all of the movies, dramas, or CFs (commercial films). Even a movie has an album of OSTs with many pieces of music.

OST meaning: The function

The soundtrack makes a movie, drama, or video game more interesting. An OST (original soundtrack) attracts audiences, viewers, and readers by entertaining them. Imagine that you are watching a movie without any soundtracks; it'll definitely be boring.

OST works as an audio recording with melodies, lyrics, and special effects. And it generally reveals some hints about or part of the content of the movie, drama, or film.

OST includes: Theme Music, Incidental Music, and Background Music.

Theme Music is divided into 2 types: Opening Theme Song or Ending Theme Song. They are the songs or pieces of music that occur at the beginning and ending of the film. These songs usually set the mood for the film.

Incidental Music, also known as "featured song" or "insert song", are the songs or pieces of music that are used in the body of the film.

Background Music is the song or pieces of music without lyrics that are intended to add atmosphere to the scenes.

Types of OST

There are many different types of Original soundtrack. Here are some noticeable categories:

• Movie and Television Soundtracks
• Book Soundtracks
• Film Score Albums
• Event Sound Tracks
• Video Game Soundtracks
• Composite Film Soundtracks

Some famous OSTs

• In the Heights
• Lady Bird
• Inside Llewyn Davis
• Promising Young Woman
• Licorice Pizza
• Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
• Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
• A Star Is Born
• Summer of Soul
• The Bodyguard
• Black Panther
• The Harder They Fall
• Worst Person in World
• Selena
• The Graduate
• Purple Rain
• High Fidelity
• Dirty Dancing
• Death Proof
• Reality Bites

Other meanings of the acronym OST

Beside the main and common meaning of "Original Soundtrack", we also compile other meanings of OST (less commonly used).

• Official Soundtrack
• Out of School Time
• Opioid Substitution Therapy
• Out of State Transfer
• Oglala Sioux Tribe
• Offline Storage Table
• Original Star Trek
• Open Source Technologies
• Open Systems Theory
• Old Spanish Trail
• On Second Thought
• Object Storage Target
• Office Skills Test
• Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians

Final thoughts

Above is some information related to the OST term. Basically, it’s an acronym used in the film and movie industries, meaning "Original Soundtrack". Hopefully, you will find it useful.

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