Some Good Music Licensing Resources

Music can be one of the most important elements of your production. But your choice of music cannot be driven by purely artistic factors; there are legal ramifications as well. As music companies continue to initiate lawsuits and deliver stiff fines, even independent media professionals must be more careful than ever in choosing soundtrack material.

Some Good Resources:

Good Explanation of the Current Laws
This is a very thorough and helpful article by expert Douglas Spotted Eagle. He includes links to more information.

Get it from the Government
Here's the law straight from the source, but it's not easy reading...

The Harry Fox Agency
One of the best resources for obtaining license to music you wish to use (that isn't your own property). ...But it won't be cheap, and unfortunately, the "big guys" are not often interested in working out a license deal for a "small production". You will find that some of the smaller companies will work with you (with very reasonable prices). Just make sure you are getting all the licenses you need. These may include (but are not limited to) synchronization, mechanical, master-use.

Terms/Definitions/Facts
(Thorough but wordy) This will educate you further on the nuances of music licensing.

PDinfo.com
Offers some resources that may help you find music that is in the "Public Domain." But be careful. Just because an original work is in the public domain, does not mean that a more current arraignment, performance, or recording is public domain.

Also, if your project has an international market, make sure you understand the laws outside of the US. The copyright law abroad does not always recognize the American standard for "public domain."

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If you are starting to feel overwhelmed by this process, you may want to consider music that is designed specifically for production work. The most economical route is typically going to be Royalty Free Music. When you purchase a royalty free licensed track, you don't have to pay ongoing royalties or synchronization fees. I'll list some of my favorite Royalty Free companies below. But be careful -Not all royalty free licenses are the same. Some of the license agreement change if your project has a "major distribution". So read the fine print, and keep a copy of the license agreement in our files.

Some Good Royalty Free Companies:

www.stock20.com It's not a huge library, but perhaps a good place to check first because of its great music and very affordable prices. Stock20 also has a very flexible license--with no volume limitations. And they release new tracks every month. (If you're a new customer you can get your first song free -a $7 value!)

www.music2hues.com --This production music library features the Flagship Series of royalty-fre music that's a great choice for video, animations, backgrounds, multimedia and web use. Video Business Advisor members receive a discount on music purchases from Music2Hues.
www.musicbakery.com -- These guys have been in the business a long time, and make good music.

www.studiocutz.com -- Also owned by the music bakery.

www.productiontrax.com -- Very large library. Supports independent artists. Drawback: some tracks aren't great quality.

www.smartsound.com -- unique proprietary software allows you to customize the length and mood of your soundtracks. www.sounddogs.com -- industry standard for instantly downloading sound effects. Some music too.