Whether you’re directing a movie or a YouTube star or video game designer, at one time or another you’ve probably thought about adding music to enhance your audio-visual creations. So if you’re serious about creating work that resonates, the last thing you want is generic stock music, provided on royalty free stock music web-platforms. But if you decide to add music without permission, you could end up facing a takedown notice, or worse.

• So how do you go about getting permission?
• How can I get license to use your music?
• Can I use your music for free in a video or on a Youtube channel?
• Do I need to license music for advertising purposes or paid jobs?
• What is paid advertising?
• Are boosted or sponsored social media posts considered paid advertising?
• If I’m not getting paid is my project considered non-profit?
• Once I license your music, how long is my license good for?

   

So how do you go about getting permission?

Let’s discuss the kinds of licenses you’ll need, then we’ll discuss how to go about getting them.

When it comes to licensing music, there are two distinct copyrighted works: the musical composition (the lyrics and musical score) and the sound recording (what you actually hear). A synchronization license (“sync” license) is a license that allows you to use the musical composition in an audio-visual work. And while a sync license would allow you to, for example, record a cover-version of the song and use it in your audio-visual creation, it doesn’t give you the right to use the sound recording made popular by the recording artists. In order to use that recording, you’ll need a master use license. Together, a master use license and a sync license will allow you to add your songs to the films and video games you create.

The good news is that you don’t have to contact artists directly in order to obtain these licenses. There are several music rights organizations that can grant those licenses, or provide contact information to a music publisher or record label that can grant those licenses. SESAC, a music rights organization based in the United States, provides sync licenses for many popular songs. You can search their database here to determine whether or not the song you’re interested in using is a part of SESAC’s repertory, and if so, you can request a sync license for that song directly from SESAC here. Another option is to search the repertories of performing rights organizations like ASCAP, BMI, and GMR, to determine who the publisher is and how to contact the publisher to obtain a sync license.

Master use licenses, on the other hand, are typically available from the record label. Do a little research to determine which record label owns the rights, then contact their licensing department or business & legal affairs department to obtain a license.

How can i get license to use your music?

A lot of what I’ve written over the years has been published by a handful of licensing companies, trailer music houses and although I can directly provide license to some of my song tracks to you. Contact me via social media or contact@giorgoslorantakis.net.

Can I use your music for free in a video or on a Youtube channel?

I’m always thrilled to find out someone has taken the time to create a video featuring my music or sound designs. Thanks to every creator for the support!

Most of my tracks is published by the musical libraries like AudioMachine, Cabin 21 Music, Colossal Trailer Music, DOS Brains, Really Slow Motion. They all have their own policies on their tracks and songs being used on different kind of media. Most are cool with it, but all of them now use Content ID system to make a small income stream from unauthorized use.

It means, when you use my track, you’ll automatically get a 3rd party claim. The claim on your video is not a problem unless you want to monetize the video. To monetize, you have to contact the company who own the music, then pay them a license fee (most trailer music companies charge a minimum of at least 1,000 USD). They will then tell AdRev to whitelist your video.

Some of music distribution companies I’ve worked with allow micro-licensing where you can whitelist a video for a small fee, to get more information (search for my tracks by typing in my name in their catalogues).

Do I need to license music for advertising purposes or paid jobs?

If you’re working on something you’re getting paid for, or are advertising something that could one day make money, you need to get a license from the company that owns the music. Buying music from iTunes/CDBaby/Spotify etc. is just for listening purposes only – you’re not actually getting a commercial license to use the music in a project.

What is paid advertising?

Paid advertising is when the client is paying to promote the video in any way – putting money behind the project to gain exposure. Examples of paid advertising include YouTube pre-roll, Facebook boosting and sponsored social media.

Are boosted or sponsored social media posts considered paid advertising?

Yes. If you are putting any money behind the post being viewed, it is considered paid advertising.

If I’m not being paid is my project considered non-profit?

No. Licensing has more to do with how the music is going to be used, and has less to do with whether or not you were paid to produce the video. The Non-profit license option is strictly limited to registered 501(c)(3) non-profits (US) or registered charities (internationally).

Once I license your music, how long is my license good for?

Licenses purchased directly or my website can be granted for a perpetual term, but sometimes needs negotiations. This means that some license never expires or loses legitimacy specific to the original project for which the license was granted and some are don’t. Should you desire to use a song licensed to you for another project, a separate license will be required.