How is 'tempo' expressed in music production?

Tempo in music production is expressed in beats per minute (BPM). This measurement indicates how many beats occur in one minute, providing a clear and quantifiable way to describe the speed of a piece of music. Different genres of music typically have characteristic BPM ranges that help define their style; for example, a fast-paced dance track may range from 120 to 140 BPM, while a slow ballad might be around 60 to 80 BPM.

The other choices reflect important aspects of music but do not specifically define tempo. Note values relate to the duration of musical notes, the length of a composition refers to how long a piece lasts, and time signatures indicate how beats are grouped within measures, but none of these directly convey the speed at which the music is played like BPM does. Thus, BPM is the standard terminology used to communicate tempo in music production effectively.