The Star Wars: The Force Awakens soundtrack saw its debut on December 18, 2015, coinciding with the release of the movie. As with the six prior films in the saga, the musical score was both composed and conducted by John Williams. Notably, this is the first Star Wars soundtrack where the London Symphony Orchestra did not perform.
The CD version of the soundtrack comes with liner notes. These notes include 18 pages filled with photos taken from the film, along with images featured on both the front and back of the cover. The notes also provide a complete list of tracks and credits, in addition to a two-page message from the film's director, J.J. Abrams. In his message, Abrams reminisces about listening to John Williams' film soundtracks as a child and expresses high praise for both the soundtrack and Williams himself, although he suspects that Steven Spielberg might have exaggerated what knowing Williams was actually like.
On June 17, 2016, the soundtrack was re-issued as a vinyl set comprising two LPs. This version includes hand-etched 3D holograms of a TIE fighter and the Millennium Falcon, which become visible when illuminated by a direct light source. Accompanying the vinyl set is a 16-page booklet containing liner notes written by the film's director, J.J. Abrams.
- StarWars.com announced the arrival of The Star Wars: The Force Awakens Soundtrack on December 18 (backup link)
- StarWars.com discusses the music, "From World War to Star Wars" (backup link)
- StarWars.com explores the inside story of the soundtrack, "The Sound of a Galaxy: Inside the Star Wars: The Force Awakens Soundtrack" (backup link)
- StarWars.com reveals that "The Star Wars: The Force Awakens Soundtrack Comes to Vinyl…with Holograms" (backup link)
- The official Star Wars YouTube channel features "The Star Wars Show: Chewbacca Mom, Rogue One Character Reveal, A Star Wars Birthday Party | The Star Wars Show" (backup link)