Music Licensing – What, How and Why It’s Important for Your Business

 

 

Music licensing typically refers to “royalty-free music” or “production music”. This is music that’s been composed and created to be used only for being used in a different project. Anyone is able to license the music for a nominal fee for use in their own project. Song Lyrics

What is commercial music?

Commercial music, composed and performed by musicians such as Adele, M83 and U2 for instance, can’t be used for anything other than personal or private performance. If you purchase the disc or stream an M3 it’s explicitly stated you can’t use the track or song except to listen to it by yourself. It is not permitted to use it for business including playing it on radio for customers in the hair salon.

For commercial musicians to play music to the general public, a public performance licence must be obtained from the relevant performing rights association of that country. In the UK it may be PRS or PPL. In the US/Canada, it may be BMI or ASCAP. They pay fees to the owner of the company depending on the size of their company/location. It can be costly and time-consuming, just playing the radio for your customers at your premises, yet it allows the company to play the radio to customers with no legal concerns.

This is not the best option for video production and filmmaking because the use and function of music are different. Since many companies that produce video create content for their clients, they require background music for their films or videos that are cleared to be used for the intended function. When it comes to licensing music for commercial use, making arrangements for a license to be used for public performances, online or in-store distribution quickly becomes costly and complex.

Music licensing that is royalty-free offers an affordable and simple solution for acquiring high-quality music that has all the rights for the user in a cost-effective and transparent license.

Who requires a license for music?

Anyone who creates electronic content, with the goal of publishing it on the internet or in public. It’s as simple as that. You are not legally allowed to make use of music you’ve not composed yourself, or borrowed from the music library.

What do you think of ‘home films or personal projects’?

Similar guidelines apply to home movies and personal projects, however since they are not for profit and are not professionally produced for a client, it is possible to incorporate commercial music within this type of content. However, if the content is uploaded on social media sites like Facebook and YouTube and you are able to find your video blocked in certain countries or completely deleted. This is because commercial musicians and record companies have an agreement which monitors the use of their video content by these sites and enforces the rules accordingly. However, there are several recording and commercial artist labels that allow permission to utilize their songs in exchange for advertisements. A commercial will be added to your video as an overlay, pre-roll or half-time break in the video, in exchange for consent to utilize their song track. If you’re making something for yourself for fun, then it shouldn’t be a problem.

The dangers associated with using professional music that is commercial

Clients may be interested in the latest chart top in their video due to the fact that it is appealing to their viewers, or because they believe that it reflects their image. But, as we’ve discussed previously this may result in being deleted or blocked, and resulting in account suspension. If the video isn’t removed or blocked, the video will still be displayed advertisements.

This is not what you’d like to see from your customer. You’ve created a video to promote the new product they’ve developed, and before the video even begun, the viewers are presented with ads from competing brand names and other products. It diminishes the value of the video as well as the brand.

What is the reason to license ROYALTY GRAND MUSIC?

Three main reasons why licensing music properly is crucial.

  1. The music you’re using will not be bound by claims for copyright, blocks or deletion if it’s published online. This means you are able to deliver the final product to your client without worry about any issues related to music.
  2. You can earn money from the content you create. If you’re creating content for your own personal online channel on YouTube You’ll likely be enrolled into the program of partners, which allows you to make money from advertisements shown within your YouTube videos. It is not possible to earn cash from these ads when the music isn’t licensed as it would go directly to the producer or artist of the tune. You must pay for the music license and earn money from the music license. Simple.
  3. Develop a brand image for the video. It doesn’t matter if you’re creating for your client or you are creating it for yourself. If you’re using a popular, well-known commercial track, the it’s likely that the song will resonate with the viewers more than the content. But, if you make excellent video content and license the best music track which no one else has heard and you’re providing a exclusive audio/visual experience that’s modern and exciting.