A common question is what is the difference between FREE MUSIC, and ROYALTY-FREE MUSIC.
For the most part, musicians, composers and record companies are paid through sales, downloads, live performances and airplay, through a series of micro payments to the owner of the music, and the owner of the master. Royalties are paid by the user of the music which can be the company that produces the CD and radio stations just to cite a few examples. When you purchase music, the consumer is purchasing a license to USE the music personally which might include playing it at home or in their car, on a music playback device such as an iPod, iPad, iPhone, MP3 player, computer or a CD.
Generally speaking, music purchased for that purpose isn’t licensed for becoming the background music soundtrack to your video – even if you have paid for the music.
FREE MUSIC comes in three forms:
1. Illegally obtained free music
Examples of illegally obtained music include copying it from a friend, recording it from the radio, recording live performances (such as concerts) and downloaded from illegal pirate music sites.
When you obtain music in this manner there’s no way for the creator of the music to be paid.
2. Free but not free of royalties
In this case the music can APPEAR TO BE FREE, but in adherence to the license, you cannot actually use the music in your videos without paying music royalties. This structure gets messy so it should be avoided, especially if there are renewals down the road.
3. Free music and royaltyfree
Ever heard the phrase you get what you pay for? More often than not, amateur musicians make their music available in this way because for them it’s just a hobby.
Good quality music isn’t normally free, so be very careful about licensing if you find some quality music that you like, that APPEARS TO BE both free and royaltyfree. Sometimes it is being provided illegally, in particular if it is a commercially available recording. However, on occasion sample packs can be downloaded to give you chance to try out the music and see if you like the composer by putting some of their works to video. If you’re able to obtain a license in this situation you should always credit the author of the song and when possible link back to the source.
ROYALTY-FREE but not free
This is the type of license that most video producers are seeking. For a small one-time fee you purchase a license to use the music in your videos. Once you have created your video, you can continue to use that video and its soundtrack, forever.
Licensing is straight-forward and easy to manage.
Music for youtube videos royalty free
It is particularly important when purchasing music licensing for YouTube that your soundtrack is royaltyfree. This is because quarterly or annual renewals for licensing can cause the removal of your popular video from video sharing sites (for example YouTube.)
About Ginny Culp
Ginny is a music composer specializing in the music needs of the online marketer and has produced over 1,000 background instrumental music tracks for internet marketers.
Common Questions:
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