So, you are all set for your new video to be published very soon! But have you got the music done properly? Have you appropriately licensed it? Well, one might just say that the video is their own intellectual property; so why do they need to license the content? While this is true for the video, if the song in it belongs to someone else, this could lead to issues of copyright infringement. Very often, YouTube videos are being pulled down due to the lack of appropriate licenses.
How to License Music?
We are going to deal with this query in two different ways. Usually, when we find some music online that we want to put to use, we can simply download the piece along with the licenses. And every time we use it, we are required to pay a certain amount of money or royalty. This can be compared to the share received by the author of any book when a reader purchases the product.
- Royalty-free music
Let us start by considering royalty-free music. First and foremost, what does it actually mean? Typically, music pieces that are published with the requirement or involvement of royalty or payment per use are referred to as royalty-free music. Thus, you have the chance to use this music free of cost or at max pay it once up front and use it an unlimited number of times. However, you would still need to get the proper licenses for this.
What is this downloaded license? Basically, this is an electronic document that lists out the conditions under which the user can utilize the piece of music. If the user goes beyond the scope, there would be a violation of the licensing requirements. But, quite naturally, the provisions of these regulations can vary.
Once you possess the license to the music, you are basically able to hold the piece till you violate the license. You can use it in your next video, without having to pay any royalty to the owner. This is how you can license royalty-free music.
- Commercial music
While on the one hand, it is convenient to be using royalty-free music, there are also various pieces in which the music is commercial. This means you would have to pay for it every time you use it. Thus, this brings in the concept of a commercial license for the music to be used in your video. In other words, the introduction of a commercial license here means that the owner of the song would be making a profit every time you use it on your video.
What license do you need in this scenario? The word we are looking for here is a synchronization license. This will essentially allow the user to use the song for one production of the video. In the scenario that you would be using this song quite a few more times in future projects, you can make use of a Master User License.
Now, how does this process work? The music is generally owned by its owner who could be a production house, a record label, and the likes. This person usually assigns a certain fee on the song or the piece. How much could the fees get? Typically, the fees depend on the song and how the user wants to incorporate it into the video. For instance, if you are trying to bag a super hit song or a rather popular song in your video, you might have to pay quite a lot, leading up to thousands of dollars. On the other hand, if you do your research well and are lucky, you might get it for free.
Who gives you the license for the commercial songs? Well, ideally, it is handed over to you by the record label or the producer. And sometimes, the users tend to directly approach the owner for obtaining the license for these music pieces. But sometimes, that is not the case and to make it easier, some agencies come in and act as middlemen. The agency basically provides you with a platform where there is a structured process to obtain the license. In this way, you are familiar with the process and are paying the right amount for the piece.
How do you reach these agencies? The idea is simple. You can simply search for these agencies online and get all the information that you need. Once you get in touch with them, they can help you through the entire process for getting the right license for your next video.
Thus, you would have to obtain the music license irrespective of whether you pay for it or not. While agencies are the best way to move forward for commercial music, there is a lot of royalty-free music available online as well!
Wrapping Up
If all of this seems to be a tough task to you, it is always best to hire an explainer video company which will take care of all these nuances for you!
